Northern Free State Research Articles

Managerial expectations of graduate employability attributes: An empirical study

Orientation: A lack of employability attributes is often suggested as one of the main reasons for the existing new graduate supply–demand gap.Research purpose: The study aimed to empirically explore managerial expectations of new graduate employability attributes and what managers are prepared to do to enable new graduates in this regard.Motivation for the study: Not being able to find qualified candidates hampers productivity. In addition, it also limits new graduates’ prospects of finding sustainable employment.Research approach/design and method: This study is based on responses of 17 respondents from the North West, Gauteng and Northern Free State provinces of South Africa. Responses were obtained through a qualitative online survey. The researchers analysed the data using qualitative content analysis.Main findings: Six main attributes were extracted from the data: Being self-determined (making choices and managing their own lives); harnessing knowledge and learning (using and developing knowledge and skills); having a positive attitude (solving problems and dealing with challenges and setbacks); believing in oneself (having humility and self-confidence); having good relationships with others (being sensitive towards the organisational culture and relating well to others) and managerial capacity building (managers’ coaching and mentor roles that are critical to enable new graduates).Practical/managerial implications: Understanding managerial expectations should guide industry, higher education institutions and government in developing evidence-based interventions focussing on the relevant aspects of new graduate employability attributes.Contribution/value-add: The findings of this study provides an empirically grounded description of six broad new graduate attributes that managers value.

Brominated flame retardants in wild bird eggs from the industrialised heartland of South Africa

Brominated flame-retardants (BFRs), including polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD), were analysed in 77 eggs of 13 wild bird species from Gauteng and northern Free State (the industrial heartland of South Africa). BFRs were in all eggs, but not all BFRs were quantifiable. Concentrations ranged between 2.9 and 46 ng g−1 wm (wet mass) and the predominant congeners were BDE-47, -153, -154, -183 and -209. The BFR compositional patterns of the congeners in eggs differed between species, feeding guilds, and habitats. Differences in associations of birds with humans seemed to have as much an influence as the trophic levels occupied by the maternal animals. The congener pattern of BFRs differed between terrestrial and aquatic species. The congener concentrations and patterns also differed from eggs from other countries, suggesting differences in sources. BFR concentrations in eggs from the current study area were below a reported no observed effect level (NOEL; 1 000 ng g−1 wm). Although this suggests that the BFRs do not pose a risk, the NOEL was mostly based on information from birds from moderate and colder climates. This NOEL might not apply to birds from warmer climates with different life histories, as in the current study, because there are currently only draft regulations on importing BFRs or BFR-containing products in South Africa. The BFR-containing products otherwise destined for countries with BFR restrictions in place may now find their way to South Africa. The additional waste these poorly regulated products generate will eventually find their way to landfills ensuring that release to the environment and consequent exposures to biota will continue without effective interventions and waste management. Our findings indicate the need for on-going environmental monitoring to assess trends, identify hot spots, investigate effects, strengthen waste management, and the need to urgently implement the commitments under the Stockholm Convention.

The impact of household size on poverty: An analysis of various low-income townships in the Northern Free State region, South Africa

Poverty is a multi-dimensional socio-economic problem in most sub-Saharan African countries. The purpose of this study is to analyse the relationship between household size and poverty in low-income communities. The Northern Free State region in South Africa was selected as the study region. A sample of approximately 2 900 households was randomly selected within 12 poor communities in the region. A poverty line was calculated and 74% of all households were found to live below the poverty line. The Pearson’s chi-square test indicated a positive relationship between household size and poverty in eleven of the twelve low-income communities. Households below the poverty line presented larger households than those households above the poverty line. This finding is in contradiction with some findings in other African countries due to the fact that South Africa has higher levels of modernisation with less access to land for subsistence farming. Effective provision of basic needs, community facilities and access to assets such as land could assist poor households with better quality of life. Poor households also need to be granted access to economic opportunities, while also receiving adult education regarding financial management and reproductive health.

The impact of acid mine drainage on the ecology of the Cradle of Humankind and Krugersdorp Game Reserve on the West Rand

The Witwatersrand Supergroup is the world’s richest goldbearing geological deposit. This approximately 2.8 milliard years old unit is overlain by the 2.71–2.67 milliard years Ventersdorp Supergroup which is in turn overlain by the 2.67–2.46 milliard years Chuniespoort Group of the Transvaal Supergroup. The dolomite-rich Chuniespoort Group also contains a large aquifer which supplies water to farms in southern Gauteng, southeastern North West Province and northern Free State. The megalitres of water in the dolomite flooding the adjacent gold mines in the Witwatersrand Supergroup need to be pumped out constantly to keep the mines operational. The gold mines in the Witwatersrand Supergroup are amongst the deepest mines in the world and those in Gauteng are up to 3 km deep. The mines of the Central Rand, the East Rand and the West Rand, which extend over an area of 100 km, were shut down, one after the other, as the gold ore was depleted to a depth of approximately 3 km and it became uneconomical to continue. The enormous mine void, occupying several million cubic metres, gradually started to fill up with groundwater again, causing the springs in the vicinity of the Witwatersrand mines to flow after more than a century of dewatering. The water flowing from these springs, however, is not clean dolomitic water but acid mine water containing a high concentration of sulphuric acid, sulphate salts and metals, including radioactive heavy metals. The auriferous geological layers constituting the Witwatersrand Supergroup also contain large quantities of iron pyrite (FeS2) which forms sulphuric acid when it comes into contact with water and oxygen. The deterioration of the ecology in the Krugersdorp Game Reserve and the Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site is a good example of the negative impact acid mine water has on the ecology.

Teacher burnout : construct equivalence and the role of union membership

The objective in this study was to investigate its structure and validate the Maslach Burnout Inventory for educators in the Goldfields region of the northern Free State province of South Africa. A cross-sectional survey design was used, where a sample of educators was drawn from the total population (N=468). An adapted version of the Maslach Burnout Inventory and a biographical questionnaire were administered. Exploratory factor analysis with target rotations confirmed construct equivalence of burnout dimensions for an Afrikaans and English subgroup and an African Languages subgroup. Burnout is described as consisting of exhaustion, cynicism, depersonalisation, and professional efficacy. However, the depersonalisation construct showed better fit across language groups than the cynicism construct. Item bias analysis was carried out for the cynicism items. For biographical differences, it was found that union membership presented an important distinction in educators ' experience of burn out. South African Journal of Education Vol. 26 (4) 2006: pp. 541-551

Poor People’s Perceptions of Government Support for Entrepreneurship and Small Business Promotion in a Developing Country

Unemployment is a global concern; therefore many developing countries focus on entrepreneurship development and small business promotion as a possible solution. Entrepreneurs are regarded as drivers of the economy as they not only provide income for themselves but also create job opportunities for other people. The South African Government focuses on job creation as a priority, involving many strategies and policies. However, many marginalised and impoverished people still do not benefit from these policies. The central purpose of this article is to analyse poor people’s perceptions of the role of government in creating jobs and assistance in providing entrepreneurial skills training and support. A socioeconomic household survey, consisting of approximately 3200 households, was conducted within various areas in the Metsimaholo, Moqhaka, Ngwathe and Mafube Local Municipalities, all located in the rural Northern Free State region in South Africa. Results of the survey show that 68.3% of participants feel that government is not doing enough to create jobs while a total of 49.1% indicated that government could assist in job creation by providing entrepreneurial skills training. A total of 56.2% indicated that they would like to open a small business. Improved government support and initiatives could lead to many poor households generating their own income through entrepreneurial activities.

Local Economic Development (LED), Challenges and Solutions: The Case of the Northern Free State Region, South Africa

Local economic development (LED) should be everybody’s business, including local residents, local business people and government. LED is globally, but especially in developing countries, seen as the solution to improved quality of life, unemployment, poverty and inequality. LED is a relatively new field of research and policy formulation, planning processes and implementation plans are still evolving with various alternative theories and approaches.This article analyse LED theory and approaches with a focus on South Africa, with a case study on the northern Free State region. Five municipalities in this region were analysed in terms of their LED approaches, planning and implementation. The research methodology is based on a qualitative approach which includes a literary review and various interviews with role players in the area. Results include solutions, lessons learnt and generic strategies for LED. LED processes could achieve its promise of ensuring improved quality of life if LED strategies are formulated for effective implementation. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2014.v5n16p624

The Impact of Housing and Basic Service Delivery on Low-Income Communities in South Africa: The Case of the northern Free State Region

This article investigates the impact of the provision of housing and basic services on poor communities in the northern Free State (NFS) region of South Africa. Service delivery and housing backlogs in poor communities have led to an increase in violent protest marches throughout the country. Poor communities seem frustrated with the rate of service delivery since the election of the first democratic government in 1994. A community household survey, which included 2 900 households, was conducted in 2013 in the NFS region and included twelve poor communities. The regional result was compared with four selected poor communities in the region, namely Moakeng (Moqhaka Local Municipality), Qalabotjha (Mafube Local Municipality), Tumahole (Ngwathe Local Municipality) and Zamdela (Metsimaholo Local Municipality). The impact of delivery of basic services and housing were analysed regarding poverty levels, as well as the relationship between the concepts of poverty and service delivery. Results of the survey indicate that 75.9 percent of the households reside in formal subsidised houses with high levels of ownership but a relatively low average monthly household income of only R1 458 ($140/month) relating to high levels of poverty. Only 35.6 percent of all households surveyed are of the subjective opinion that local government delivers quality services. More detailed results per specific area are analysed and discussed in the article. The results could play an important role in development policy formulation and policy adjustment. The results should also be taken into account in the formulation of local economic development (LED) plans for the areas under investigation with a focus on the benefits of housing delivery and associated basic services. Improved service delivery must be promoted by means of improved coordination between all spheres of government. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2014.v5n13p11

Impact of Air Pollution on Maize Production in the Sasolburg Area, South Africa

Previous studies have shown that air pollution has an effect on maize production and can also influence yield. Since the pollution load at Sasolburg exceeds certain air quality standards, it is identified as a ‘hot spot’ and is therefore a perfect region to conduct studies regarding the impact of air pollution on maize production. The Northern Free State region is well known for its high maize production and residents of towns up to 50 km away from Sasolburg indicated that they can smell the fumes of the Sasolburg industries. This study included status of maize production over the past 5 years by visiting farmers every 25 km from Sasolburg, for 100 km. Thus, 4 sampling points of 25 km intervals have been visited. Farmers were asked to fill in questionnaires and provide information related to air pollution and maize production. This was done in three different directions from Sasolburg. It is expected that maize yield near Sasolburg will be less than yield far from Sasolburg if pollution influence maize production. Average maize production by the Free State province as well as individual farmers, and other published and unpublished data which were used, concluded that maize production is in fact, influenced by the air pollution from Sasolburg, low income residents burning coal and other substances in the Sasolburg region. The research also indicated that new technology and techniques make it possible for farmers to maximize maize yield and still, year by year, increase the maize production on their farms. South Africa is able to adapt and work around the air pollution problem, but will enter a downwards maize production curve when the original pollution problem is not addressed. It is therefore recommended that the problem of air pollution in the Sasolburg region be solved, rather than adapting to the circumstances with new agricultural technologies. This study has contributed to maize production, air pollution influences on maize yield and farmer awareness in the Sasolburg region and nearby towns.

‘And so they moved one by one’: Forced Removals in a Free State Town (1956–1977)

This article focuses on the Northern Free State town of Kroonstad, looking specifically at what had once been a Coloured section of the African location. It goes on to examine the creation of a Coloured group area on the periphery of the town, under the auspices of the Group Areas Act and in combination with forced removals in the late 1950s. There is a rich literature on the subject of forced removals in South Africa; however the majority of histories have engaged with removals in large urban areas. The iconic removals of Sophiatown and District Six have, to a large degree, been used to epitomise the experience of urban relocation for the millions of people affected by the Groups Areas Act. The history of removals of small groups of people and in small towns is mostly absent from this body of literature and is something this article aims to address. Along with the lack of research surrounding small town removals, is the common narrative of ‘community un-making’ that accompanies histories of removals. In contrast, this article looks at the way in which the communities both before and after removals were in many ways similar and remained connected. Added to this is the notion of nostalgia in relation to the narrative of the period pre-removals and, in this case, the continuing nostalgia for the period after removals.

Bodibeng High School: Black Consciousness Philosophy and Students Demonstration, 1940s–1976

This paper examines the factor(s) that caused students to demonstrate in 1976 through a case study of Bodibeng High School in Maokeng, Kroonstad, in the northern Free State. It shows the role of the teachers influenced by the Black Consciousness philosophy. The latter caused the behavioural change of some of the students at Bodibeng High School, from submissive to assertive, and political. Bodibeng High School, dating back to the 1940s, was one of the major centres of education for African students in the then Orange Free State (now Free State Province). It was one of the two day schools to offer matric as early as 1940, and the only one to have its matriculants writing the Joint Matriculation Board Examination in the mid 1960s, instead of the Bantu Education's senior certificate examinations. The school attracted an influx of students from all over the country, and some of the best teachers. There were three phases in the history of the school; each phase can be characterised in terms of the degree of its engagement in the political affairs of the day. The first, from the 1940s to 1950s, was one where teachers engaged both education and politics actively. The second, from the 1960s to the beginning of the 1970s was a period of apparent quiescence. The third, from the early 1970s, was characterised, once again, by active engagement of students and teachers with politics. In the latter period, the Black Consciousness philosophy was the major influence. This paper will show that the influence of the Black Consciousness philosophy and the role of the younger and politically conscious teachers played an important part in influencing some of the students at Bodibeng to demonstrate in 1976.

Geographical distribution of the selenium status of herbivores in South Africa

Available information on the selenium (Se) status of grazing herbivores in South Africa is reviewed and collated in the form of a geographical distribution map. Marginal to acute Se deficiencies have been reported to occur in the Midlands region and in mountainous areas of the KwaZulu-Natal province and in the southern coastal region of the Western Cape province. These areas receive a high annual rainfall and the soils are predominantly acid. The Se status of livestock in the highland sourveld areas of the Gauteng, northern Free State and Mpumalanga provinces is varied. Selenium intake appears to be adequate in most areas although localised cases of deficiencies occur. Substantial air and water pollution occurs in some of these areas, and the presence of Se antagonists could increase the incidence of Se deficiency in future. Limited data indicates that vegetation in the arid regions of South Africa provides Se sufficient to meet the requirements of grazing herbivores. Subterranean water from a number of locations contains Se at concentrations higher than the norm for safe drinking water, the impact of which has not yet been established. There are large areas of South Africa for which little or no information on the Se status of grazing animals exist, and further investigations are required. (South African Journal of Animal Science, 2001, 31(1): 1-8)

‘A boer and his gun and his wife are three things always together’: republican masculinity and the 1914 rebellion

In 1914, there was a rebellion against the young Union government by some 11,000 Afrikaans‐speaking men. This social movement has primarily been understood as an Afrikaner Nationalist phenomenon. This article focuses on the gendered identity of the rebels in order to illuminate the Rebellion in a different light. In 1912, the introduction of the Defence Act threatened the identity of Boer men who had come to have their masculinity encoded and reinforced in the Republican commando system. The Defence Act was not a rarefied piece of legislation, but a law that touched people at the level of their religion, their language and their identity. Hardest hit was the Boer Republican self‐conception of masculinity. The main focus of this article is on the period after 1912, when the Defence Act imposed modern training methods, uniforms, ranking system, disciplinary codes and promotional norms. In the build‐up to World War I, Afrikaans‐speaking males living on the periphery of the new locus of central state power began to turn to alternative authorities to express their grievances. In the western Transvaal and the northern Free State, farmers and bywoners who were alienated by the state's failure to alleviate the economic recession and increasingly anxious over issues of class and race, went into rebellion, with the hope of re‐establishing a republic. Cultural images of commando may have corresponded little with the reality of warfare, but seductive imagery propagated by rebel leaders helped fuel the Republican nostalgia that centred on a particular understanding of Boer masculinity. The Defence Act was introduced into a context of anxiety over urbanisation, loss of control over black labour and social upheaval. Fear about the loss of manhood and its manipulation, was not the sole reason for rebellion: for some it was a prime cause, for others a final straw, a justification, or an articulation of otherwise inexpressible feelings. But the Act further distanced some Boer men from the new state and severed their already tenuous allegiance to the legislature. The 1914 Rebellion was the last battle for a threatened manhood in the complex of ideas and institutions that characterised industrialising society.

‘NTATAISE’ — A project for the development of rural pre-school education

The article describes a project for the development of pre-school education in the Northern Free State of South Africa. An account is given of the aims of the project and how they are being implemented. The problems encountered in the early stages of the project are outlined and some solutions proposed.