Suburb Of Cape Town Research Articles

An exploration of the use of technology by congregations

The internet, cell phones and, more broadly speaking, the social media, have changed the world over the past twenty years, resulting in what is called “the network society”. What is the response of South African congregations to the use and role of technology in congregational life? The aim is to provide an empirical and theoretical description of the situation in this regard. An empirical survey was conducted among congregations in the eastern suburbs in Pretoria and the northern suburbs of Cape Town and it was found that congregations communicate mostly information through the social media. Congregations that function within a fluid network society should earnestly consider devising a proper and effective digital and electronic communication strategy for the congregational ministry. Congregations that wish to remain relevant within the aetas digitalis must undergo a shift from being mere providers of the correct information, to becoming mentors, co-travellers and wise guides who assist one another, as well as others, to make sense of this information in order to apply it, to the glory of God and for the benefit of others.

Open-plan suburb to fortified suburb: home fortification in Soneike, Cape Town, South Africa

The management of crime and violence finds expression in the built environment. Citizen-driven home fortification has changed the character of established residential suburbs as the populace attempts to mitigate unacceptably high crime rates in South Africa. By employing the crime prevention through environmental design (CPTED) thesis this study uses a mixed-methods approach to track how a suburb in Cape Town, South Africa, initially developed as an open-plan suburb, has undergone transformation into a suburb which has become increasingly fortified. The spatio-temporal dimensions of residential securedness, an assessment of residential crime and the reasons for citizen-driven home fortification in combating residential crime are explored. Walls, fences and an assortment of security paraphernalia added to existing houses are attempts by citizens to fortify themselves against residential burglaries and robberies. Residents maintain that fortification not only reduces the possibility of crime victimisation, but that it also insulates them from contact with people deemed to be “out of place” in the suburb. Home fortification also impacts negatively on neighbourhood interactions between residents as the suburb has desegregated from being previously whites-only to a racially and culturally mixed suburb.

White, middle-class South Africans moving through Cape Town: mobile encounters with strangers

Drawing on photo-elicitation interviews with 60 middle-class, white residents of two privileged suburbs of Cape Town, this paper focuses on the particularities and the potential effects of mobile encounters with strangers. Starting from discourses about different means of transportation, it is demonstrated, first, that middle-class, white South Africans prefer cars over public transit not only for safety reasons or matters of practicality but also to circumvent interactions with those whom they consider to be strangers. Yet, based on the ambiguous and ambivalent sensations of fear, shame, guilt, sympathy, apathy and anxiety provoked by glances and glimpses of strangers on drives through the city, it is clarified that particular forms of visual encounter which develop on-the-go can stimulate privileged residents of a very unequal city to develop new engagements with strangers. By analyzing how unfocused interactions through the windshield add up to focused interactions at home and at work, it is shown, more specifically, how different types of encounters at different places complement each other to encourage middle-class, white residents to see the humanity of those whom they had considered to be strange or dangerous before.

Compassionate leadership? Some reflections on the work and life of Michael Lapsley

In June 2007, I had the privilege of attending a Healing of Memories workshop lead by Father Michael Lapsley, one of the founder members of the Institute for Healing of Memories. The purpose of the workshop was to help the predominantly white members of a middle class Dutch Reformed congregation in the Northern Suburbs of Cape Town and the predominantly coloured members of a congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Elsies River on the Cape Flats, to share their stories of the past with regard to apartheid with each other. Apart from the stories that were told and the sharing of experiences about the apartheid history that took place, I was struck by the way in which Father Lapsley conducted the workshop. There was a deep compassion for all the participants as was embodied through the way in which he treated each of us with respect. But apart from his cordiality in leading the workshop, one could sense a deeper source of compassion, a source revealing a compassionate understanding of God�s presence amidst the violence and turmoil in our broken world. The aim of this article is to reflect on whether one could speak of something like �compassionate leadership�, and to take a closer look at the relationship between compassion and God images in the life and work of Michael Lapsley. Special attention will be given to the way in which he exercises leadership through his many involvements related to his own personal story of trauma.Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: This article presents literary research on the notion of compassionate leadership as a specific kind of leadership. The results indicate that the leadership of Father Michael Lapsley does indeed portray features of this kind of leadership. The research can become the source for finding new strategies for religious leadership.

Race and the Micropolitics of Mobility

Th is article takes an autoethnographic approach in exploring the micropolitics of mobility with particular reference to race, class, and identity on one South African bus service. For his daily commute between an inner-city Cape Town suburb and a worksite near the metropolitan edge, the author explores personal, embodied, and political dimensions of mobility in a context where race continues to dictate the expected parameters of mobility practice. When socioeconomics might allow for private car ownership and use (and when timegeographies almost require it), the autoethnography at the heart of this article requires the author to question the politics of choosing not to drive; to be a public transport passeng er when one is expected to be a driver. In spite of the author’s intentional status in the member group of bus passengers, experience of six months of everyday bus use sheds light on hidden dimensions of mobility inequality. It contributes toward filling a gap in empirical evidence on contemporary bus passengering and the continuing role of race in contexts of visibly differentiated and differentiating everyday mobility.

Risk factors for falls in older adults in a South African Urban Community.

BackgroundStudies on falls in older adults have mainly been conducted in high income countries. Scant, if any, information exists on risk factors for falls in the older population of sub-Saharan African countries.MethodsA cross-sectional survey and a 12-month follow-up study were conducted to determine risk factors for falls in a representative multi-ethnic sample of 837 randomly selected ambulant community-dwelling subjects aged ≥65 years in three suburbs of Cape Town, South Africa. Logistic regression models were fitted to determine the association between (1) falls and (2) recurrent falls occurring during follow-up and their potential socio-demographic, self-reported medical conditions and physical assessment predictors.ResultsPrevalence rates of 26.4 % for falls and 11 % for recurrent falls at baseline and 21.9 % for falls and 6.3 % for recurrent falls during follow-up. In both prospective analyses of falls and recurrent falls, history of previous falls, dizziness/vertigo, ethnicity (white or mixed ancestry vs black African) were significant predictors. However, poor cognitive score was a significant predictor in the falls analysis, and marital status (unmarried vs married) and increased time to perform the timed Up and Go test in the recurrent fall analysis but not in both. Other than the timed Up and Go test in recurrent falls analysis, physical assessment test outcomes were not significant predictors of falls.ConclusionOur study provides simple criteria based on demographic characteristics, medical and physical assessments to identify older persons at increased risk of falls. History taking remains an important part of medical practice in the determination of a risk of falls in older patients. Physical assessment using tools validated in developed country populations may not produce results needed to predict a risk of falls in a different setting.

Prevalence of Falls in an Urban Community-Dwelling Older Population of Cape Town, South Africa.

Falls are a major cause of disability and mortality in older adults. Studies on falls in this population have mainly been conducted in high income countries, and scant attention has been given to the problem in low and middle income countries, including South Africa. The aim of the study was to establish a rate for falls in older adults in South Africa. A cross-sectional survey with a 12-month follow-up survey. Three purposively selected suburbs of Cape Town: Plumstead, Wynberg Central and Gugulethu. Eight hundred and thirty seven randomly sampled ambulant community-dwelling subjects aged ≥ 65 years grouped according to ethnicity in three sub-samples: black Africans, coloureds (people of mixed ancestry) and whites. Data were collected on socio-demographic and health characteristics, and history of falls using a structured questionnaire and a protocol for physical assessments and measurements. Of the total baseline (n=837) and follow-up (n=632) survey participants, 76.5% and 77.2 % were females with a mean (S.D) age of 74 years (6.4) and 75 years (6.2), respectively. Rates of 26.4% and 21.9% for falls and of 11% and 6.3% for recurrent falls, respectively, were calculated at baseline and follow-up. Fall rates differed by ethnic sub-sample at baseline: whites 42 %, coloureds 34.4% and black Africans 6.4 % (p=0.0005). Rates of 236, 406 and 354 falls per 1000 person years were calculated for men, women and both genders, respectively. Recurrent falls were more common in women than in men. Falls are a significant problem in older adults in South Africa. Effective management of falls and falls prevention strategies for older people in South Africa, need to be developed and implemented.

Environmental Monitoring Of Pesticide Residues From Farms At A Neighbouring Primary And Pre-School In The Western Cape In South Africa.

Abstract Concerns about pesticide drift from neighbouring vineyards affecting children attending school on a farm adjacent to an urban suburb of Cape Town, Western Cape in South Africa were investigated. The study involved a before–after design, measuring levels of environmental exposure before and during pesticide application activities on the neighbouring farms. Samples were collected in air, dust and grass cuttings at the preschool and primary school located on the farms during September–December in 2010 and tested for pesticides using multi-pesticide methods. Eleven different pesticides were detected in the various samples. Six of these chemicals (endosulfan, dimethomorph, penconazole, cyprodinil, boscalid and bromopropylate) were on the spraying schedules of the two farms neighbouring the schools and the timing and location of detection were generally consistent with farm application. Three pesticides detected (chlorpyrifos, cypermethrin, permethrin) are agents commonly used in household applications and one (pyriproxifen) is used in pet treatment agents. Kresoxim-methyl, the other pesticide detected, is likely to come from drift from other farms in the area. The concentration of pesticides was all lower than 0.1 μg/m 3 in air and 0.1 μg/kg in dust and grass apart from permethrin and cypermethrin. The findings confirm the presence of drift onto the school premises and concentrations found in this study were generally low in comparison to that detected in other studies. Regular monitoring to track the effectiveness of containment and mitigation measures that reduce drift is recommended.

Social Media Use as Urban Acupuncture for Empowering Socially Challenged Communities

This paper explores potential roles of social media in community empowerment, based on a study of a non-profit NGO in a socially challenged suburb of Cape Town, South Africa. In particular, it focuses on the relation between online and offline behavior, and how the use of social media can counteract negative influences in the community, e.g., drug abuse and gangsterism. Interviews with staff and participants reveal that using social media in a socially challenged community results in different social media use and different connections between online and offline activities than earlier social-media research reported.. These differences may inform design and social innovation for disruptive interaction to address negative influences, such as drugs and gangsterism, in socially challenged communities.

Inventory Management Systems used by Manufacturing Small Medium and Micro Enterprises in Cape Town

Inventory management is regarded as one of the most important influencers of competitiveness, and is also seen as a key operational performance measure for Small Medium and Micro Enterprises (SMMEs) in inventory-intensive industries. Prior research shows that manufacturing SMMEs are confronted with increased competition from businesses that purchase and sell ‘cheaper’ manufactured products from countries such as China and India, among other; resulting in these manufacturing SMMEs to consequently struggle to develop. As such, it is imperative that SMMEs formalise their internal structures and systems in order to become more competitive. Moreover approximately 80% of SMMEs are believed to fail within their first 4 years of existence. Stemming from the latter the authors formulated the perception that SMMEs’ overall existence is adversely influenced as a result of ineffectively managing its inventory, which evidently affects operations, production, customer relations and profitability, among other areas. The main objective of this study was to ascertain the how effectively inventory was managed by SMMEs, specifically in the manufacturing industry; situated in Cape Town. The study was descriptive in nature and was conducted using quantitative research methods. Data were collected by means of questionnaires from 21 SMMEs leaders in the manufacturing industry in the northern suburbs of Cape Town. It was found that although majority of respondents were aware of formal inventory management systems, they did not extensively make use of them. Ironically the inventory management systems which were used by respondents, though informal to a large extent, were found to be working for them. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2015.v6n1p382

Subjective Well-Being of Adolescent Boys Living in Single-Mother Households in a Cape Town Suburb, South Africa

The aim of the study was to explore experiences of a group of adolescent boys, living in single-mother households, regarding their satisfaction with various aspects of their family life. An interpretive/constructivist paradigm was adopted for describing and interpreting participants The study adopted interpretive/constructivist approach to investigate the subjective well-being of a group of adolescent boys in terms of their satisfaction with their family status, financial resources, social support and living environment of their single-mother family lives.Fifteen adolescent boys (aged 15 to 17 years)living in single-mother households were observed, interviewedindividually and on the collages they compiled and in groups. The study found the adolescent boys reported experiences to be characterized by negative emotionality and display of at-risk behaviour tendencies. The adolescent boys reported dissatisfaction with their family status, financial resources, social support and their family living environment to indicate their generally poor subjective well-beings. The study concludes that since financial insecurity of single-mother households is a major contributor to children’s negative cognitive, emotional and behaviouraloutcomes, their optimaladjustment to life or well-being in single-mother households have to be provided for through public or government financed parental healthcare and support systems. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2014.v5n23p2017

Milk and management: breastfeeding as a project

Ideas about motherhood among middle-class women in South Africa recently seem to have shifted toward more “intensive mothering,” partly enabled by class privilege resulting from highly unequal labour relations. In this context breastfeeding and other mothering practices are approached as a “project” that can be managed through planning, measuring and the application of medical expertise. Tracing the breastfeeding experiences of highly educated, middle-class women in the southern suburbs of Cape Town, I outline the paradoxical claims to personhood that women experience when trying to be “good mothers.” The “project approach” can be seen as a means to assemble contradictory expectations and values of motherhood and integrate them into everyday life. It also implies that these managerial approaches are suggestive of approaches to life more broadly.

The ongoing challenge of restorative justice in South Africa: How and why wealthy suburban congregations are responding to poverty and inequality

South Africa remains one of the most unequal societies in the world and any discussion around poverty and the church’s response cannot exclude this reality. This article attempts to analyse the response of wealthy, ‘majority white’ suburban congregations in the southern suburbs of Cape Town to issues of poverty and inequality. This is attempted through the lense of restorative justice, which is broadly explored and defined through a threefold perspective of reconciliation, reparations and restitution. The first part explores a description of the basic features of poverty and inequality in South Africa today, followed by a discussion on restorative justice. This is followed by the case study, which gives the views of clergy and lay leaders with regard to their congregations’ perspectives and responses to poverty and inequality within the context of restorative justice. Findings from the case study begin to plot a tentative ‘way forward’ as to how our reality can more constructively be engaged from the perspective of congregational involvement in reconstruction of our society.

Environmental monitoring of pesticide residues from farms at a neighbouring primary and pre-school in the Western Cape in South Africa

Concerns about pesticide drift from neighbouring vineyards affecting children attending school on a farm adjacent to an urban suburb of Cape Town, Western Cape in South Africa were investigated. The study involved a before–after design, measuring levels of environmental exposure before and during pesticide application activities on the neighbouring farms. Samples were collected in air, dust and grass cuttings at the preschool and primary school located on the farms during September–December in 2010 and tested for pesticides using multi-pesticide methods.Eleven different pesticides were detected in the various samples. Six of these chemicals (endosulfan, dimethomorph, penconazole, cyprodinil, boscalid and bromopropylate) were on the spraying schedules of the two farms neighbouring the schools and the timing and location of detection were generally consistent with farm application. Three pesticides detected (chlorpyrifos, cypermethrin, permethrin) are agents commonly used in household applications and one (pyriproxifen) is used in pet treatment agents. Kresoxim-methyl, the other pesticide detected, is likely to come from drift from other farms in the area. The concentration of pesticides was all lower than 0.1μg/m3 in air and 0.1μg/kg in dust and grass apart from permethrin and cypermethrin.The findings confirm the presence of drift onto the school premises and concentrations found in this study were generally low in comparison to that detected in other studies. Regular monitoring to track the effectiveness of containment and mitigation measures that reduce drift is recommended.

Negotiating difference in post-apartheid housing design

This article considers the visual qualities of design practice in post-apartheid housing for the poor. We specifically address the visual power of social mapping within the context of a ‘coloured’ housing development in the Cape Town suburb of Mitchells Plain. Considering South Africa's history, expanded design practice helps to commence the undoing of apartheid's embedded and lingering impact by mitigating power differentials between planners and designers, on the one hand, and informal housing residents, on the other.

The Socio-Economic Trajectories of Migrant Street Vendors in Urban South Africa

This study investigated the means used by immigrants for their insertion into the economic landscape of the entrepreneurial cities of their host countries using street vendors in Cape Town as a case study. The concept of social network was central in the explanation of the mechanism of immigrant insertion in the entrepreneurial city. It helped to explain some of the strategies used by immigrants for their insertion into the market space of urban areas in the destination country. The study was based on a survey of two hundred and eight (208) immigrant vendors from other African countries in five suburbs of Cape Town. The study adapted a mix research approach in which a survey questionnaire, focus group discussions, personal interviews, and observation were utilised to collect and analyse the data. The results of the analysis showed that nationality underpinned by social networks was a major factor in the socio-economic trajectories of immigrants in urban South Africa. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2013.v4n2p109

Berg-en-See street boys: merging street and family relations in Cape Town, South Africa

Despite a wealth of research exploring street children's lives, this has tended to focus on the micro-scale, rarely drawing connections with wider society. Yet, it is rare for street children to sever all ties with home and this paper explores these connections by taking a relational approach to the production of street life. Drawing on in-depth qualitative research with 12 boys living on the streets in a coastal suburb of Cape Town, the paper identifies that street children are part of powerful inter- and intra-generational relations that connect them to their families: interdependent but sometimes forced and contested. The paper concludes by identifying that street children are not isolated on the street, but rather positioned relationally in between street and family life building relations within and across spatial boundaries. This has implications for the way in which we conceptualise street children's lives and adds to wider theoretical understandings of childhood as relational.

The 30-year cardiovascular risk profile of South Africans with diagnosed diabetes, undiagnosed diabetes, pre-diabetes or normoglycaemia : the Bellville, South Africa pilot study

The aim of this pilot study was to assess the 30-year risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD) in the South Africa population of mixed-ancestry in individuals with non-diabetic hyperglycaemia, and undiagnosed and self-reported diabetes. Participants were drawn from an urban community of the Bellville South suburb of Cape Town. In total, 583 subjects without a history of CVD were eligible for lifetime CVD risk estimation. Gender-specific prediction for CVD risk was calculated using the 30-year CVD interactive risk calculator. High CVD risk (> 20%) was evident in normoglycaemic and younger subjects (under 35 years). The significant predictors of CVD were sibling history of diabetes, and triglyceride, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and glycated haemoglobin levels (p < 0.001). The high lifetime risk in normoglycaemic and younger subjects may be considered a warning that CVD might take on epidemic proportions in the near future in this country. We recommend the inclusion of education on CVD in school and university curricula.

Validation study of cause of death statistics in Cape Town, South Africa, found poor agreement

Objective The validity of the underlying cause of death on death notification forms was assessed by comparing it to the underlying cause determined independently from medical records. Study Design and Setting Retrospective study of 703 deaths in two suburbs of Cape Town, South Africa. Two medical doctors completed a medical review death certificate to validate the registration death certificate for each decedent. Agreement, sensitivity, and positive predictive value were measured for underlying causes of death using the World Health Organization (WHO) mortality tabulation list 1. Results Agreement was poor, with only 55.3% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 51.7, 59.0) of diagnoses matching at WHO mortality tabulation list 1 level. Validity of reported causes of death was poor for HIV, cardiovascular diseases, and diabetes. With correct reporting, the cause-specific mortality fraction for HIV increased from 11.9% to 18.3% (53.6%; 95% CI: 36.9, 77.6), for ischemic heart disease from 3.3% to 7.3% (121.7%; 95% CI: 53.5, 228.7), and for hypertensive diseases from 3.3% to 5.7% (73.9%; 95% CI: 14.4, 167.8). For diabetes, the mortality fraction decreased from 6.0% to 2.3% (−64.3%; 95% CI: −77.1, −37.8) and for ill-defined deaths from 7.4% to 2.3% (−69.2%; 95% CI: −81.0, −51.6). Conclusion Current cause-specific mortality levels should be cautiously interpreted. Death certification training is required to improve the validity of mortality data.

Experiences of Father Absence Adolescents from a South African Community

The study adopted interpretive/constructivist approach to examine father absence experience in teenage South African boys. Ten adolescent boys (with mean age of 15 years) from an impoverish suburb of Cape Town participated in the study. Mixed method data collection techniques were used including observation, interview and compilation of collage. Data were collected on participants' emotional and behavioural reactions to the absence of their fathers in their households. The results revealed that participants considered fathers as role models to teach them safe behaviours, male interests, values and activities. Participants' perceived fathers as providers and protectors who occupy positions of authority and control.