South Durban Basin Research Articles

Household disposal methods for various waste streams in the Bluff area, South Durban Basin, South Africa: what does adopting a comprehensive approach reveal

Household disposal methods for various waste streams in the Bluff area, South Durban Basin, South Africa: what does adopting a comprehensive approach reveal

The influence of family dynamics on business performance: does effective leadership matter?

PurposeFamily businesses have a dual objective of profit making and providing opportunities for family members. This duality leads to a conflict that may bring poor team work and communication, which is difficult to reconcile. Thus, the study looked into how the performance of family enterprises is affected by family dynamics. Additionally, it examines the relationship's ability to be mediated by effective leadership.Design/methodology/approachThe study adopted a quantitative, explanatory research approach. The study population was family-owned enterprises in KwaZulu-Natal's South Durban Basin, of which 236 were chosen using a snowball and convenience sampling technique. Data was analysed using various descriptive and inferential statistical techniques, namely, multiple regression and the standard deviation.FindingsThe finding of the study shows that family dynamics significantly influenced business performance both directly and indirectly through effective leadership. Besides, the family firms with larger employee sizes have better effective leadership that positively contributes to the business performance.Research limitations/implicationsThe study recommends that family businesses should train their members to ensure leadership effectiveness.Originality/valueThis study is unique in that it was conducted in Black Townships and focusses mainly on businesses owned by families of Indian descent that need to prepare for leadership/ownership. It also contributes to academic literature on family dynamics and will encourage families to recognise the importance of strong leadership in controlling family dynamics to improve business success.

Investigating toxic metal levels in popular edible fishes from the South Durban basin: implications for public health and food security.

Contamination of the ocean by heavy metals may have ecosystem-wide implications because they are toxic even if present in trace levels, and the relative ease of their bioaccumulation by marine organisms may affect human health, primarily through consumption of contaminated fish. We evaluated metal concentrations in six different popular edible fish species and estimated the potential health risks from consumption of contaminated fish. There was no correlation between fish length and average metal accumulation although the fish species tended to accumulate significantly more Al and Zn (P < 0.05) than any of the other metals. Significantly higher Mn concentrations were found in fish gills compared to other body parts in all fish species. Bronze seabream, Catface rockcod, and Slinger seabream had significantly higher mean Cr concentration in the liver than in either the tissues or gills. The highest concentration of Zn in fleshy tissue was in Horse mackerel (56.71μgg-1) followed by Bronze seabream (31.07μgg-1). Al levels ranged from 5.6μgg-1 in Atlantic mackerel to 35.04μgg-1 in Horse mackerel tissue while Cu and Cr concentrations were highest in the tissues of Horse mackerel (6.83 and 1.81μgg-1, respectively) followed by Santer seabream (3.15; 1.09μgg-1) and Bronze seabream (3.09; 1.30μgg-1), respectively. The highest tissue concentration of Mn was detected in Bronze seabream (8.23μgg-1) followed by Catface rockcod (6.05μgg-1) and Slinger seabream (5.21μgg-1) while Pb concentrations ranged from a high of 8.44μgg-1 in Horse mackerel to 1.09μgg-1 in Catface rockcod. However, the estimated potential health risks from fish consumption as determined by the target hazard quotient (THQ) and hazard index (HI) were significantly lower than 1, implying that metals were not present in sufficiently high quantities to be of any health and/or food and security concern in the studied fishes.

The utility of biochemical, physiological and morphological biomarkers of leaf sulfate levels in establishing Brachylaena discolor leaves as a bioindicator of SO2 pollution

The negative impacts of air pollution have made monitoring of air quality increasingly important, especially in heavily industrialized areas such as the South Durban Basin (SDB), in South Africa. Bioindicators such as trees can complement conventional air quality monitoring and be used to prioritise vulnerable areas. This study assessed the utility of Brachylaena discolor DC. tree leaves as a bioindicator of sulfur dioxide pollution. This involved correlating ground level sulfur dioxide concentrations ([SO2]) with B. discolor leaf sulfate concentrations ([sulfate]) at three industrial (treatment) sites within the SBD and control site at which [SO2] was significantly lower for all four seasons. Based on this significant positive correlation between the aforementioned (p = 0.005; ρ = 0.667) leaf sulfate levels were related to various biochemical (intracellular hydrogen peroxide production, total aqueous [TAA] and enzymic antioxidants [superoxide dismutase and catalase], lipid peroxidation [LPO] and electrolyte leakage), physiological (leaf chlorophyll fluorescence [LCF] and relative chlorophyll content) and morphological (leaf area [LA]) biomarkers of stress measured on leaves from trees at the treatment and control sites. Annual [SO2] and leaf [sulfate] at the treatments were significantly (p < 0.05) higher than the control and high by global standards. TAA, LPO, electrolyte leakage, LCF, and LA were significantly (p < 0.05) correlated with seasonal [sulfate]. Except for superoxide dismutase, catalase and relative chlorophyll content all other biomarkers could differentiate between the treatment sites and the control. However, TAA, electrolyte leakage and LA were the only biomarkers sensitive enough to reflect differences in annual [sulfate] across the treatment sites; these should be used to establish B. discolor leaves as a bioindicator of SO2 pollution.

Metal concentration in the tourist beaches of South Durban: An industrial hub of South Africa

South Durban basin of South Africa has witnessed tremendous urban, industrial expansion and mass tourism impacts exerting significant pressure over marine environments. 43 sediment samples from 7 different beaches (Bluff beach; Ansteys beach; Brighton beach; Cutting beach; Isipingo beach; Tiger Rocks beach; Amanzimtoti beach) were analyzed for acid leachable metals (ALMs) Fe, Mg, Mn, Cr, Cu, Mo, Ni, Co, Pb, Cd, Zn and Hg. The metal concentrations found in all the beaches were higher than the background reference values (avg. in μgg−1) for Cr (223–352), Cu (27.67–42.10), Mo (3.11–4.70), Ni (93–118), Co (45.52–52.44), Zn (31.26–57.01) and Hg (1.13–2.36) suggesting the influence of industrial effluents and harbor activities in this region. Calculated geochemical indexes revealed that extreme contamination of Cr and Hg in all the beach sediments and high Cr and Ni levels poses adverse biological effects.

Responses of Trichilia dregeana leaves to sulphur dioxide pollution: A comparison of morphological, physiological and biochemical biomarkers

Industrial zones in eThekwini, South Africa, such as the South Durban Basin (SDB) are often characterised by extremely poor air quality owing to industrial emissions. This study investigated the effects of SO2 pollution on selected stress biomarkers in the leaves of Trichilia dregeana to assess the utility of this species as a bioindicator of this pollutant. Leaves were sampled from trees growing at three industrial (treatment) sites (Prospecton, Ganges and Southern Works) within the SDB and from greenhouse-located trees (ex situ control). Sampling accommodated for directional and seasonal wind effects and yielded a sample size of n = 24 for all four seasons. Ground-level SO2 concentrations ([SO2]) measured at each site were positively correlated with leaf sulphate contents and both [SO2] and leaf sulphate levels of the control were lower than the treatment sites. Values for the various biomarkers did not differ significantly for leaves from different cardinal points within sites, but seasonal variations were evident. Except for leaf chlorophyll fluorescence, all biomarkers could discriminate between treatment and control leaves. Though seasonal data for a number of these biomarkers were significantly correlated with leaf sulphate content, none of the biomarkers were sensitive enough to reflect differences in leaf sulphate levels across the treatment sites. Furthermore, the results suggest that leaf area and relative chlorophyll content should be measured in combination with each other. Leaf sulphate content is a reliable proxy for SO2 pollution. All biomarkers, except for chlorophyll fluorescence, can be used to establish T. dregeana leaves as a bioindicator of SO2 pollution.

Examining the utility of hyperspectral remote sensing and partial least squares to predict plant stress responses to sulphur dioxide pollution: a case study of Trichilia dregeana Sond.

The use of air quality monitoring stations is expensive, with pollution data being either unavailable or inaccessible. Hence, effects of atmospheric sulphur dioxide (SO2) levels on biomarkers related to environmental stress were investigated for Trichilia dregeana tree leaves, in order to assess their bioindicator potential. Leaves were sampled randomly from trees at three industrial sites within the South Durban Basin, and an ex situ control, across two seasons (n = 28, per season). Ground-level SO2 concentrations were measured daily and ranged between 1 and 25 ppb. There were significant (p < 0.001) differences across sites and seasons for leaf area and leaf chlorophyll content. Partial least squares regression (PLSR) was used to quantify the relationship between biomarkers and hyperspectral data. For leaf chlorophyll content and leaf area, r2 values ranged from 0.325–0.475 to 0.429–0.586, with root mean square error of prediction (RMSEP) ranging between 8.75–8.98 and 9.20–12.52. The variable importance in projection (VIP) method was utilized and significant hyperspectral wavebands were identified, within the red-edge region, at 552 and 704 nm for spring, and at 552 and 708 nm for summer. Notably, PLSR was able to relate hyperspectral data-sets to both biomarkers, showing promise in identifying stress in T. dregeana leaves. However, the interaction between leaf chlorophyll content and leaf area suggests that a simultaneous prediction of these biomarkers may be more suitable.

Protest and Participation in Durban: A Focus on Cato Manor, Merebank and Wentworth

This paper considers how Durban citizens understand protest and what other methods of participation they employ in their pursuit of service delivery, democratic citizenship and social change. It is based on a sample of 20 households drawn from Cato Manor, a ‘hotspot’ for ‘service delivery’ protest as well as Merebank and Wentworth situated in the South Durban basin well known for its civil society/community opposition to local petrochemical refineries. The paper employs theories of ‘invited’ and ‘invented’ spaces of participation and ‘participation as citizenship’ to understand protest and participation among Durban's low-income, urban citizens. It argues that protest and formal participation methods are used in parallel, but with differing levels of intensity across communities depending on how people view agency and democratic citizenship. The paper also considers the role of social movements and non-governmental organisations, arguing that their initiatives to effect ‘transformative’ participation have their limits.

A revision of communication strategies for effective disaster risk reduction: A case study of the South Durban basin, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

The study examined how effective forms of communication are, or could be, impacting themore traditional forms of emergency and disaster management communication throughthe print and electronic media and how an integrated communication strategy involving allstakeholders could prove to be successful. This study was of an exploratory and descriptivenature, using a case study of the South Durban basin to demonstrate how media analysis,community discussions and internal and external evaluations of current practices in use bymajor industrial players in the basin has thus far failed to reach its full potential for effectivedisaster risk reduction. Strongly emerging from this study was the finding that, as a resultof these evaluations, new systems are now being planned to incorporate social media as anintegral part of an overall communication strategy, which could have far-reaching implicationsfor corporate communicators and strategic planners.

Towards the Creation of Healthier City Neighbourhoods for Marginalised Communities in South Africa: a Case Study of the South Durban Industrial Basin in the City of Durban

This paper critically evaluates efforts to mitigate the adverse effects of pollution on residential communities that are located next to polluting chemical industries in the South Durban Basin area, in the city of Durban, South Africa. The economic agenda ignored socio-environmental imperatives as poor residential communities and polluting chemical industries were juxtaposed, which made the area prone to environmental and health hazards. Empirical research is conducted focusing on the relations among industry, the people, housing, health and the neighbourhood built environment. The paper notes that efforts to create healthier livable city neighbourhoods in Africa, and South Africa in particular, are hampered by the superimposition of industrial capitalism over social and environmental aspects of sustainable development. In this context, the paper argues marginalised neighbourhoods need to proactively articulate their environmental concerns in ways that foster the cooperation and remedial action of other stakeholders of urban governance especially the state and private sector.

Environmental conflicts in the South Durban Basin: Integrating residents’ perceptions and concerns resulting from air pollution

With a complex mix of large scale industries and major transport networks, the South Durban Basin (SDB) residential area has been subjected to a considerable amount of environmental impacts and conflicts. A major concern in the area is the effects of air pollution on human health and ecology that are caused by the emissions of unacceptable levels of toxins, chemical waste and a large content of sulphur dioxide, which are characteristic of industrial processes and activities. Perceptions regarding environmental conflicts in the area were recorded by eliciting residents’ concerns. Fieldwork in the form of questionnaires was undertaken. These were administered to 200 households in Merebank and Wentworth in the SDB to determine residents’ knowledge, perceptions and concerns about industrial activities and potential impacts. This paper therefore explores residents’ perceptions of environmental impacts and highlights the key issues which contribute to community conflicts – including those conflicts related to government, employment, race and community health.

Integrating qualitative methodologies into risk assessment: Insights from South Durban

In the field of risk management, there is growing recognition that traditional tools of analysis may be limited in their ability to arrive at a textured understanding of risk as it is actually experienced by communities. This paper begins with the premise that risk is socially constructed by lay people, as well as by scientists, and that this recognition has important implications for the development of risk management approaches. Technical risk assessments can be complemented by qualitative methodologies that are designed to reveal lay or local knowledge of risk. Such research tools were employed in working with respondents from residential communities in the highly industrialised South Durban Basin in KwaZulu-Natal. Here, as in other urban industrial contexts, risk is constructed by residents through their own experience and histories, their understanding of science, and their response to technical management tools. The qualitative approach adopted in this research provided new insight into residents' responses to chronic and acute risk, drew attention to a widening gap between people's actual experiences and the claims of science and risk management experts and exposed currently hidden, everyday risk narratives that are not directly related to the dominant environmental hazards connected with industry, but which significantly impact people's living environments.

Conflict, Collaboration and Climate Change: Participatory Democracy and Urban Environmental Struggles in Durban, South Africa

AbstractThe South Durban Basin on the eastern coast of South Africa is home to both a large‐scale petrochemical industry and a highly mobilized residential community. In a conflict cemented by apartheid‐era planning, the community's campaigns to improve local air quality provide a test case for the value of conflict for participatory democratic structures. In the context of the work of the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the South Durban Basin also provides an opportunity to push the boundaries of the established links between participation and the design and implementation of responses to a changing climate. Contributing to one of the main themes of the symposium, this article argues that the focus on collaboration and compromise within studies of governance and participation overlooks both the reality of conflict and its potentially positive effects. Addressing this requires particular attention to how power relationships influence processes of governance, and the role of civil society in balancing the influence of the private sector on the state. It also calls for a better understanding of conflict and collaboration as mutually re‐enforcing elements of an ongoing and dynamic political process. Together, the elements of this critique help to build a more nuanced view of participatory urban governance: one that both better describes and may better facilitate the ability of urban populations to collectively, effectively and rapidly respond to the challenges of a changing climate.Résumé Le bassin Sud de Durban, situé sur la côte Est de l'Afrique du Sud, abrite à la fois un vaste secteur pétrochimique et une communauté résidentielle particulièrement mobilisée. Dans une lutte cimentée par un urbanisme datant de l'apartheid, les campagnes communautaires pour améliorer la qualité de l'air local testent la valeur de la lutte en faveur de structures démocratiques participatives. De plus, dans le cadre des travaux du Groupe d'experts intergouvernemental sur l'évolution du climat (GIEC), le bassin Sud de Durban offre une occasion de repousser les limites des liens établis entre la participation, d'une part, et l'élaboration et la mise en œuvre de réponses au changement climatique, d'autre part. Contribuant à l'un des principaux thèmes du symposium, cet article montre que, compte tenu de leur focalisation sur la collaboration et le compromis, les études sur la gouvernance et la participation négligent la réalité de la lutte autant que ses effets positifs potentiels. Pour ce faire, il examine comment les relations de pouvoir modulent les processus de gouvernance ainsi que le rôle de la société civile visant àéquilibrer l'influence du secteur privé sur l'État. Il convient également de mieux appréhender lutte et collaboration comme des composantes qui se nourrissent mutuellement dans un processus politique permanent et dynamique. Les éléments de cette analyse critique, une fois réunis, aident àélaborer une vision plus nuancée de la gouvernance urbaine participative. Cette vision offre une meilleure description et peut faciliter l'aptitude des populations urbaines à réagir de façon collective, efficace et rapide aux défis du changement climatique.

“You're not a man if you hit a girl”: Coloured high-school boys articulating more peaceable expressions of heterosexual masculinity

abstract Wentworth, a predominantly ‘Coloured’ working class community in the south Durban basin of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, is characterised by a high prevalence of HIV and AIDS, poverty and unemployment—the socio-economic context from which participants in this study emerge. This article draws from a completed doctoral study drawing from ethnographic methods and included semi-structured, open-ended interviews and participant observation of 13 ‘Coloured’ high-school boy (Anderson, 2010). The findings suggest that despite a misogynistic and violent culture in this community, some boys resist and abhor sexual and physically violent practices that serve to dominate and subjugate girls. This article captures the conflicting constructions and manifestations of masculinity which demonstrate the ambivalences and confusions that permeate the everyday experiences and performances of these boys. Demonstration of alternate, non-violent and non-sexist masculinities among this group can be interpreted in ways that suggest pro-feminist dispositions, and can provide opportunities for working with these boys to create awareness in schools as catalysts for change in such gender relations. This paper focuses largely on the more exemplary, alternate and non-violent masculine articulations, destabilising the negative perception of all ‘Coloured' males as essentially violent. Evidence points to the existence of caring maternal and familial relationships that translate into the boys’ desire for respectful and peaceful relationships with girls. However, the lack of alternatives to the existing violent expressions of masculinities is real and it is therefore crucial to provide boys with other, more exemplary versions of masculine behaviour.