scholarly journals Analysing industrial growth in various cities in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

Author(s):  
Clive E. Coetzee ◽  
Ewert P.J. Kleynhans

This article investigates the industrial success of various cities in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. It assesses the hypothesis that knowledge spillovers are supportive of industrial growth at the city level. Theories of economic city growth suggest that cities are engines of knowledge spillovers, which are essential to generate growth. This study utilised data on the growth of industries in cities in KwaZulu-Natal between 1996 and 2015. The study initially found that industries develop better in environments characterised by less concentration and more city diversity, which gave evidence of Jacobs’ externalities. However, after controlling for industry-specific and city-specific characteristics, the results changed significantly. No evidence was found for concentration effects (Marshall/Arrow/Romer-externalities) and less diversity supports city-industry growth (evidence against Jacobs’ externalities).

2014 ◽  
Vol 6 (6) ◽  
pp. 432-437
Author(s):  
Wayne B. Tifflin

Business Tourism is considered an important aspect of a Destination’s Competitiveness. However having a competitive advantage does not guarantee success (Ritchie and Crouch, 2003). Destination success requires a well formulated competitiveness strategy which is effectively implemented (Seymour, 2009:2). Business tourism and its elements (meeting, conference, and convention centres) need to be managed effectively to provide a destination with a competitive edge. Thus it is important to determine the effectiveness and suitability of conference centres and destinations from the perspective of the delegate. This paper examines the responses of delegate of 49 Conferences in relation to the facilities at the International Convention Centre in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal and the city of Durban as a conference destination. Whilst the broader concept of Business Tourism may encompass more than conferences as a business activity, this paper will show the need for “Conference Tourism” as significant component to Business Tourism. KwaZulu-Natal’s meetings and conferences are one of the most important attractions and activities of domestic and international tourists. This is clearly illustrated in the following tables:


Religions ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (5) ◽  
pp. 349
Author(s):  
Najma Moosa

This article approaches the position of the call to prayer (adhan or azan) in South Africa from the perspective of both legislation and case law. Although only an unamplified adhan has religious status in Islam, Muslim religious authorities (ulama) have since the twentieth century also approved of, and permitted, an amplified adhan. The adhan has been rendered in both forms from South African mosques (masjids) for some 223 years. However, the unamplified adhan has recently come under the legal and judicial spotlight when the volume of its rendering by human voice was restricted. In August 2020, after prior attempts at municipal level and mediation had been unsuccessful, a high court in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, ruled that the sound of the unamplified adhan emanating from a mosque located on the premises of an Islamic institution (madrassa) in the city of Durban should not be audible within the house situated on nearby property belonging to a Hindu neighbor. Wide media coverage reported that the ruling was publicly decried and met with criticism. The Madrassa lodged an appeal in September 2020 and the matter is ongoing. The High Court’s decision is binding in KwaZulu-Natal, a province where Hindus, as a religious minority, are concentrated. The article highlights that although the decision is not binding on similar courts in other provinces, its outcome may yet have far-reaching consequences for the adhan as a religious and cultural heritage symbol, and for religious symbols generally, because similar complaints have been lodged, albeit against amplified adhans, against several mosques located in major cities (Cape Town and Tshwane) of two other provinces where Muslims, as a religious minority, are largely concentrated. The article examines the adhan in the context of competing constitutional rights to religious freedom and property (neighbor law) in South Africa. The article proffers some recommendations for the way forward in South Africa based in some instances on the position of the adhan in several countries. It concludes that, ultimately, unamplified, unduly amplified and duly amplified adhans may all yet be found to constitute a noise nuisance in South Africa, if challenged and found to be unreasonable.


2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Khangelani Moyo

Drawing on field research and a survey of 150 Zimbabwean migrants in Johannesburg, this paper explores the dimensions of migrants’ transnational experiences in the urban space. I discuss the use of communication platforms such as WhatsApp and Facebook as well as other means such as telephone calls in fostering the embedding of transnational migrants within both the Johannesburg and the Zimbabwean socio-economic environments. I engage this migrant-embedding using Bourdieusian concepts of “transnational habitus” and “transnational social field,” which are migration specific variations of Bourdieu’s original concepts of “habitus” and “social field.” In deploying these Bourdieusian conceptual tools, I observe that the dynamics of South–South migration as observed in the Zimbabwean migrants are different to those in the South–North migration streams and it is important to move away from using the same lens in interpreting different realities. For Johannesburg-based migrants to operate within the socio-economic networks produced in South Africa and in Zimbabwe, they need to actively acquire a transnational habitus. I argue that migrants’ cultivation of networks in Johannesburg is instrumental, purposive, and geared towards achieving specific and immediate goals, and latently leads to the development and sustenance of flexible forms of permanency in the transnational urban space.


2018 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Thusile Mabel Gqaleni ◽  
Busisiwe Rosemary Bhengu

Critically ill patients admitted to critical-care units (CCUs) might have life-threatening or potentially life-threatening problems. Adverse events (AEs) occur frequently in CCUs, resulting in compromised quality of patient care. This study explores the experiences of critical-care nurses (CCNs) in relation to how the reported AEs were analysed and handled in CCUs. The study was conducted in the CCUs of five purposively selected hospitals in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. A descriptive qualitative design was used to obtain data through in-depth interviews from a purposive sample of five unit managers working in the CCUs to provide a deeper meaning of their experiences. This study was a part of a bigger study using a mixed-methods approach. The recorded qualitative data were analysed using Tesch’s content analysis. The main categories of information that emerged during the data analysis were (i) the existence of an AE reporting system, (ii) the occurrence of AEs, (iii) the promotion of and barriers to AE reporting, and (iv) the handling of AEs. The findings demonstrated that there were major gaps that affected the maximum utilisation of the reporting system. In addition, even though the system existed in other institutions, it was not utilised at all, hence affecting quality patient care. The following are recommended: (1) a non-punitive and non-confrontational system should be promoted, and (2) an organisational culture should be encouraged where support structures are formed within institutions, which consist of a legal framework, patient and family involvement, effective AE feedback, and education and training of staff.


2017 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 124-140 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tanusha Raniga ◽  
Barbara Simpson ◽  
Ntokozo Mthembu

In contemporary South Africa, partnerships between service providers in government, non-governmental organisations, the private sector and community based organisations have been identified as a means to strengthen communities and the sustainability of social services. However, the unequal power relations that exists between and within these organisations often leads to fragmentation, duplication, and lack of coordination of social services. Using Fowler’s (1998) conceptualisation of authentic partnerships, this qualitative phase of a larger study explored the challenges of building authentic partnerships in Bhambayi, a predominantly informal settlement in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Individual interviews and a focus group held with nine service providers revealed that intraorganisational challenges, cross-boundary and inter-organisational relations as well as political influences were obstacles to the development of authentic partnerships. The article suggests that open communication, clarity of roles and mutual trust between service providers is vital.


2018 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nirmala Dorasamy ◽  
Olayemi Bakre

The majority of the South African rural populace is directly or indirectly engaged in agricultural practices to earn a livelihood. However, impediments such as climate change, water shortages, and inadequacy of institutional support have undermined these once thriving subsistence farming communities. Furthermore, poor leadership in hydrology, coupled with a lack of depth in skills at all government levels to facilitate the understanding of the importance of groundwater, has made it near impossible for subsistence farmers to benefit optimally from groundwater. The 2012 drought experienced in South Africa paralysed several subsistence farming communities in KwaZulu-Natal. To revamp subsistence farming and assist these farmers across South Africa, the Department of Water and Sanitation launched interventions, but despite the enormous resources expended, indicators (e.g. unsustainable farming practices, poor crop yield, pitiable living conditions, and poor standards of living) provide evidence that these interventions have not yielded the desired results. This paper seeks to suggest practicable interventions aimed at reducing the vulnerability of subsistence farmers in KwaZulu-Natal. The study pursued a qualitative approach in that it solicited the views of experts on groundwater and in related fields to gain an in-depth perspective. Some of the core challenges undermining the sustainability and growth of subsistence farming in the study area were found to be the inadequacy of experts on groundwater, water shortages, institutional deficiencies, lack of political will, and lack of coordination among stakeholders. Pragmatic recommendations are made to address these challenges, among other things to encourage a South African-Chinese partnership in the hydrology sector.


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