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Item Open Access Differential expression of microRNAs in drought-stressed sorghum roots(University of the Free State, 2024) Hlakotsa, Ntumeleng Malefa Mamokoakoa Selinah; Ngara, Rudo; Swanevelder, Dirk Z. H.Sorghum (𝘚𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘩𝘶𝘮 𝘣𝘪𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘳) is an important source of food, fibre, and fuel. While it is a drought-tolerant crop, its yield is still affected by drought stress, threatening food security. Therefore, there is a need to study the drought responses of plants to develop more drought-resilient crops. This study aimed to identify drought-responsive microRNAs in sorghum roots to understand the gene regulatory processes in drought stressed sorghum. ICSB 338 (drought-susceptible) and SA 1441 (drought-tolerant) sorghum seeds were germinated and grown for three weeks with adequate watering. Subsequently, the plants were divided into two groups: A drought-stressed group, where water was withheld for 15 and 28 days to induce mild and moderate drought stress, respectively, and a control group that continued to receive adequate watering. The results showed a significant decrease in pot weight, soil moisture content, and stomatal conductance for both sorghum varieties under drought stress conditions. The leaf relative water content of ICSB 338, significantly declined following the 15 and 28 days of drought stress treatment compared to the controls. The physiological responses of the two sorghum varieties differed, with ICSB 338 being more affected by drought stress than the SA 1441. The molecular responses of sorghum to drought stress were investigated using small RNA sequencing performed on the watered controls and drought-stressed root samples of both varieties. The MGI DNBSEQ-G400 sequencing technology was used to identify the differentially expressed microRNAs. A total of 81 and 83 constitutively expressed miRNAs were identified in the watered control samples of ICSB 338 and SA 1441, respectively. Among these constitutively expressed miRNAs, 73 were common in both sorghum varieties, while eight and 10 miRNAs were unique to ICSB 338 and SA 1441, respectively. The analysis also revealed that four of the constitutively expressed microRNAs were differentially expressed between ICSB 338 and SA 1441 plants (p ≤ 0.05). The target genes of the constitutively expressed sorghum root microRNAs were predicted using the psRNATarget database, which also revealed that most of the miRNA inhibited their target genes through messenger RNA cleavage. Gene Ontology analysis of the target genes revealed that the constitutively expressed microRNAs regulate a wide range of genes with diverse cellular locations, molecular functions and biological processes in sorghum roots. Drought-responsive microRNAs (p ≤ 0.05) were identified using the CLC Genomics Workbench software (Qiagen) by comparing the watered controls and drought-stressed miRNAs using the Differential Expression for RNA-seq tool. Out of the 111 identified miRNAs in both varieties, only four and nine miRNAs were differentially expressed in ICSB 338 and SA 1441, respectively. miRNAs sbi-miR6233-3p and sbi-miR821a were up-regulated, while sbi-miR5566 and sbi-miR6224a-5p were down-regulated in ICSB 338 sorghum roots. Bioinformatics analyses predicted a 𝘗𝘶𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘯 𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘭𝘺 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘪𝘯 𝘈𝘵5𝘨57200 gene as a potential target for sbi-miR6233-3p, while sbi-miR821a targeted an unknown gene. The targets for sbi-miR5566 and sbi-miR6224a-5p were an 𝘜𝘯𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘻𝘦𝘥 𝘓𝘖𝘊8057912 and 𝘜𝘯𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘻𝘦𝘥 𝘓𝘖𝘊8055016, respectively. For SA 1441, two microRNAs (sbi-miR5564c-5p and sbi-miR6232b-3p) were up-regulated while seven (sbi-miR168, sbi-miR2118-5p, sbi-miR395a, sbi-miR5387b, sbi-miR5568c-3p, sbi-miR6229-5p, sbi-miR6235-5p) were down-regulated. The descriptions of the predicted target genes of SA 1441 included 𝘕𝘈𝘊 𝘥𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘯-𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘪𝘯 83, 𝘓𝘰𝘸 𝘢𝘧𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘴𝘶𝘭𝘧𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘦𝘳 3, 𝘓𝘦𝘢𝘧 𝘳𝘶𝘴𝘵 10 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘤𝘶𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘦𝘱𝘵𝘰𝘳 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘪𝘯 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 2.1, 𝘊𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘥𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘤𝘺𝘤𝘭𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘪𝘯 123 𝘩𝘰𝘮𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘨, and 𝘐𝘯𝘥𝘰𝘭𝘦-3-𝘢𝘤𝘦𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘩𝘺𝘥𝘦 𝘰𝘹𝘪𝘥𝘢𝘴𝘦. Overall, the findings of the current study contribute to our knowledge of the mechanisms sorghum uses to cope with drought stress.Item Open Access Physiological, biochemical and molecular analyses of the drought stress responses of two contrasting wheat varieties(University of the Free State, 2024) Moloi, Sellwane Jeanette; Ngara, Rudo; Chivasa, StephenWheat (𝘛𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘶𝘮 𝘢𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘶𝘮) is the second most widely grown cereal crop worldwide. It is primarily used for human consumption, animal feed, and industrial biofuels. However, the production of wheat is negatively affected by drought, and current climate models are predicting more frequent and severe drought episodes in the future. As such, agricultural productivity will be negatively affected. Therefore, understanding plant responses among plant varieties with different drought phenotypes could help identify traits related to drought tolerance and aid in developing more drought-tolerant crops. This study compared the physiological, biochemical, and molecular responses of the drought-tolerant (BW35695) and drought-susceptible (BW4074) wheat varieties to drought stress. The wheat plants were grown in potting soil for two weeks in a growth chamber before withholding water for 28 days. Drought stress significantly decreased soil moisture content in the water-deprived pots of both varieties relative to the well-watered controls. However, there was no significant difference in soil moisture content between the varieties, suggesting comparable levels of water deficit stress. Physiological and biochemical parameters such as leaf chlorophyll, carotenoid and relative water content (RWC), lipid peroxidation, reactive oxygen species (ROS), osmolyte content, and enzymatic antioxidant activities revealed striking differences between the varieties. The drought-tolerant wheat variety, BW35695, demonstrated remarkable resilience to the imposed drought stress by exhibiting higher leaf RWC, chlorophyll, carotenoid, and osmolyte content compared to the drought-susceptible variety, BW4074. Additionally, BW35695 mitigated drought-induced oxidative stress by enhancing the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and guaiacol peroxidase (GPX) in both leaves and roots and reduced ROS accumulation and membrane lipid damage. The leaf proteome of the wheat varieties was analysed to identify drought-responsive leaf proteins using the isobaric tags for absolute and relative quantitation (iTRAQ) method coupled with mass spectrometry. A total of 1062 and 882 leaf proteins were positively identified in BW4074 and BW35695 wheat varieties, respectively, of which 69 and 110 were drought responsive. Most of the drought-responsive leaf proteins in BW35695 were involved in energy (28%) and protein synthesis/folding/degradation (25%). For BW4074, primary metabolism (23%), energy (23%) and protein synthesis/folding/degradation (20%) were the most represented protein functional groups. The rest of the drought-responsive leaf proteins had putative functions in defence/ROS detoxification (20% and 10%), transcription (4% and 7%), secondary metabolism (6% and 3%), and cell structure (2% and 1%) in BW4074 and BW35695, respectively. A Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analysis revealed that the two most significantly enriched pathways in BW4074 were alanine aspartate and glutamate metabolism, and arginine biosynthesis, while photosynthesis-antennae and photosynthesis were most enriched in BW35695. The KEGG pathway enrichment analysis supported the putative functional groupings data, which suggests that drought stress affects various biological processes in wheat leaves, particularly primary metabolism in BW4074 and photosynthesis in BW35695. Protein-protein interactions of the drought-responsive proteins were analysed using the Search Tool for the Retrieval of Interacting Genes/Proteins (STRING) database. The results showed that primary metabolism and protein synthesis were the main interacting functional groups for BW4074, while photosynthesis and protein synthesis were prominently interacting in BW35695. Photosynthesis-related proteins were significantly suppressed in BW35695, possibly as a strategy to reduce ROS-induced cell damage, while protein synthesis-related proteins were increased, possibly to enhance the biosynthesis of other stress-responsive proteins. Six drought-responsive proteins were selected from the iTRAQ data for quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) analysis. The gene expression results revealed that a 𝘥𝘦𝘭𝘵𝘢-1-𝘱𝘺𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦-5-𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘣𝘰𝘹𝘺𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘴𝘺𝘯𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘴𝘦 (𝘞5𝘈𝘊𝘔8) gene involved in proline biosynthesis significantly increased in BW4074, which correlated with the iTRAQ data. For BW35695, all six target genes were not differentially expressed, possibly suggesting that the abundances of the proteins and transcripts differentially accumulate at different time points. These qRT-PCR results, call for multi-time point experimental designs for validating iTRAQ data. Overall, the study provides insight into the drought-responsive mechanisms of BW4074 and BW35695 wheat varieties. This information can serve as a reference in studies exploring the differences between plant varieties under drought stress conditions and assist in plant breeding programmes for improved drought resilience.Item Open Access Leadership and finances in African congregations: a practical theological study of congregations in the Reformed Church in Zambia(University of the Free State, 2024) Kalito, Michael Dennis; Mostert, Nicolaas JacobusThis practical theological study explores the intricate relationship between leadership and finances in congregations within the Reformed Church in Zambia. This research investigates how leadership practices impact on financial management and sustainability in African congregations. The study reveals that effective leadership, characterised by financial transparency, accountability, and stewardship, is crucial in promoting optimal financial management. The research proposes that upholding these leadership tenets can create flourishing congregations. The research proposes a contextualised leadership model, integrating biblical principles and African values, to enhance financial oversight and integrity in congregations. The findings contribute to the broader discourse on leadership, finance, and sustainability in African churches, offering practical and actionable recommendations for denominational leaders, pastors, and congregational members, empowering them to influence their congregations positively. The research highlights two key recommendations for RCZ congregations. Firstly, the research recommends the need for intentional leadership development in terms of training and capacity building. Secondly, in view of the well-established RCZ financial policies, the research recommend financial stewardship, where abuse of congregation finances should be avoided by adhering to the rules that govern congregation finances.Item Open Access A model of paperless technology continuance use intention by business end-users: a dyadic perspective(University of the Free State, 2023) Gore, Langton; Nel, J.; Human, G. J. P.The ambiguity of paperless technology use in offices prevails, and there is a lack of paperless technology adoption information that can be used to inform strategy within the office automation industry. Office automation organisations require information on the continuance use of paperless technology to ascertain technological improvement areas and strengthen their marketing strategies. This study aimed to identify how the perception of business end-users regarding paperless technology and the buyer-supplier relationship influence their continued use of office paperless technology. By applying the behavioural reasoning theory, the study used an often overlooked behavioural theory in technology use literature and business-to-business marketing literature to investigate the continuance use of paperless technology. The model developed comprises ‘reasons for’ and ‘reasons against’ relating to technological and buyer-supplier factors that impact the continuance use intention of business end-users. Empirical data was collected using an online survey, and quantitative methodology was applied. A total of 297 responses from customers (end-users of an office automation organisation in South Africa) were statistically analysed. The results showed that both attitude towards the technology and attitude towards the supplier significantly influence the continuance use intention of paperless technology. Attitude towards the supplier had a lower influence on continuance use intention but also influenced attitude towards the technology. Compatibility, ease of use, usefulness, and reliability shortcomings were confirmed as factors influencing attitudes toward the technology. However, the influence of capability shortcomings was not statistically significant. Goal congruence, trust, commitment, and distrust were supported factors influencing attitudes toward the supplier, while the influence of opportunism was not statistically significant. The supported model contributed to theory building and enabled the development of marketing strategies and strategies to manage the paramount buyer-seller relationships.Item Embargo Destination Europe: migration governance along the Nigeria-Libya route(University of the Free State, 2024) Oso, Adedeji Odunayo; Chibwana, Musavengana; Mushonga, MunyaradziWhile migration in terms of push-pull factors has received considerable scholarly attention (Adesina, 2021; P. Obi-Ani, Obi-Ani & Isiani, 2020; Mafu, 2019; Flahaux & De Haas, 2016; Adepoju, 2016), its governance architecture remains under-researched and under-theorised. The increasing cross-border movement along the Nigeria-Libya Route to Europe has become a significant challenge to Nigeria, Niger, Libya and countries of first entry in Europe such as Italy and Malta. Moreover, the risky journey has also led to sexual exploitation, human commodification, physical abuse, human insecurity and the death of thousands of African migrants. Consequently, this interdisciplinary study aims to diagnose and address these challenges, paradoxes, and predicaments through the lens of migration governance along the Route toward solution-driven strategies for safer, regular and effective migration management in Africa. The study deploys the World System Theory, Aspirations-Capabilities Model and Statist-Controlled Model as theoretical frameworks to understand the migration governance of the Nigeria-Libya route. Methodologically, this qualitative research employs the pragmatic paradigm to unpack the real-life challenges of migration governance to generate real-life solutions. It also adopts the case study design and qualitative content analysis. The data sets generated through the key informant interviews, in-depth interviews and online questionnaires were collected from the 20 sampled governmental actors, institutions, and stakeholders in 5 major states of southern and northern regions of Nigeria. The data sets were analysed using NVivo 14 software to critique the extant normative frameworks addressing migration challenges in Africa, understand the dynamics of migration dangers along the route, evaluate the effectiveness of migration policy frameworks and institution architecture of the transnational and national spaces of the route and uncover strategies for effective migration governance of the route. Three major categories of findings emerged. The first key findings revealed that the extant migration normative frameworks addressing the subject of migration cannot grapple with the contemporary realities of migration in the case of the Nigeria-Libya Route. The second key findings crystallised the perils of the route, which include the environmental-determinism risks (hunger, thirst, desert scare, body weakness and sickness), gender-related risks (physical abuse and sexual exploitation of migrants, forced marriage and labour, susceptibility to STDs) and migrants’ brush with death experiences (loss of organs and death). The third major findings showcased the strengths and weaknesses of target migration policies and major institutions such as the International Organization for Migration, the European Union, the African Union, the Economic Community of West African States, and the Arab Maghreb Union at the transnational space. At the same time, the weaknesses and strengths of Nigeria’s migration institutional architecture and the national migration policy in the national space of the Nigeria-route were also documented in the study. The restrictive cross-border control, capacity deficits and lack of monitoring mechanisms, among others, were revealed as the drawbacks of migration governance in the transnational space of the route. Meanwhile, migrants’ agnotology, inadequate funding, restrictive visas, poor data management, and inter-agency rivalry emerged as the factors undermining migration governance architecture in Nigeria – the national space of the route. Finally, the study recommended a proposed migration governance framework (MGF) toward safe and orderly migration through pre-departure, transit, entry, and stay for effective migration governance in Africa, particularly along the Nigeria-Libya Route to Europe. The recommended framework (MGF) offers informed policies to states, migration institutions and migration policymakers in Nigeria, Niger, Libya and European countries and beyond. The MGF also encapsulates and elicits actionable strategies for migrants themselves and future researchers.Item Open Access The application of a seamless learning approach in the year 9 of the LGR-22 music curriculum using the SLED framework: a case study(University of the Free State, 2024) Coetzer, Johannes Stephanus; de Villiers, Frelét; Hambrock, HelgaDespite numerous studies on seamless learning in education, little is known about its application in music education. In this study, I deal with a gap in the literature on the application of a seamless learning approach in the Year 9 LGR-22 Music Curriculum at a primary school in Stockholm, Sweden. To meet the differentiated needs of 21st-century students, a traditional music curriculum was modified using the Seamless Learning Experience Design (SLED) framework. A qualitative case study was used, including classroom observations, semi-structured interviews (with 13 students), end-of-lesson questionnaires (50 students) and end-of-unit reflective questionnaires (181 reflections). To consolidate my findings and develop a coherent narrative, thematic coding together with an inductive approach was used to categorise the themes within the qualitative data. The data analysis indicated that the seamless learning approach offered a range of advantages that allow for a personalised learning experience for students. In this research, I attempt to indicate the significance of teaching and learning approaches in catering to students’ content consumption, interaction, creation and presentation preferences and promoting self-directed and student-centred learning environments. Additional advantages of the way a seamless learning approach can improve a traditional music curriculum to meet the needs of contemporary students are also emphasised, rendering the learning environment more dynamic, inclusive and flexible. Helpful recommendations to teachers are provided on how to apply the SLED framework in their subjects with a view to creating pragmatic learning experiences that enhance students’ overall learning experience.Item Open Access Portrayal by a selection of South African media of Nigerians residing in South Africa(University of the Free State, 2011) Amaechi, Celestine Emeka; Naudé, J. A.; Lake, J.𝗕𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗥𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗲 Many young (21–50 years) Nigerians are located across the length and breadth of the South African Republic. The cities of Gauteng are home to the bulk of these people from all walks of life. Unofficially, there are approximately 50 000 Nigerians living in limbo as refugees (Tromp, 2006:8). Indeed, the Nigerian community in diaspora has become part and parcel of the great nation of South Africa. In the South African community, there is a stereotyping of Nigerians with regard to issues relating to justice, crime, security and home affairs. The South African media has severely ‘accused’ Nigerians, especially those in the private sector of the economy, of causing certain suburban problems and with the mayhem often found in the city centres. That a gigantic number of 50 000 undocumented Nigerians are said to reside in South Africa, clearly supports the allegation that “foreigners are unacceptably encroaching on the informal sector and therefore on the livelihoods of our huge numbers of unemployed people” (Danso & McDonald, 2001:124). In the words of Fowler (1991:121): “It stands to reason that a newspaper is likely to project such beliefs as are conducive to the commercial success of its proprietors generally”. The South African media, i.e. television, radio and print media play a role in the entrenchment of this stereotyping. It is therefore of value to launch an investigation into how Nigerians are portrayed by the South African media, and by newspapers in particular. The project will serve as a relevant contribution to the field of Critical Linguistics (CL) and it is hoped that it will provide study material for aspiring critical linguists and teachers of language. Furthermore, as the South African print media has published widely on the activities and attitudes of Nigerian nationals residing here, it has become necessary to conduct research on this phenomenon thereby, thus setting the stage for other researchers to delve further into this domain. 𝗥𝗘𝗙𝗘𝗥 𝗧𝗢 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗔𝗧𝗧𝗔𝗖𝗛𝗘𝗗 𝗗𝗢𝗖𝗨𝗠𝗘𝗡𝗧 𝗙𝗢𝗥 𝗔 𝗙𝗨𝗟𝗟 𝗦𝗨𝗠𝗠𝗔𝗥𝗬! ___________________________________________________________________Item Open Access Indigenous knowledge systems, spatial planning and planning legislation: the case of Windhoek, Namibia(University of the Free State, 2021) Billawer, Wilson Hungiree; Nel, VernaSince the independence of Namibia in 1990, the social problems of the low-income areas persist despite the amendments of the laws to improve their well-being. However, planning in Namibia adopted a market-led approach to solve urban problems, and the good intentions of the various new policies and programmes did not reach all the residents in urban areas. The case study of the Havana settlement, a low-income area in Windhoek containing both formal and informal sections, exemplifies the skewed relationships between planning officials and residents. Although planning focuses on the provision of services and housing in low-income areas, the Havana case study demonstrated that there are other pressing needs which planning does not take into consideration. The lack of accessible and useful community open spaces for various sociocultural activities is a major concern. As a result, increased stress levels were observed in the Havana community, with negative consequences for the well-being of both the area and its residents. Having adopted an indigenous knowledge system (IKS) lens, the study first elaborated on the past planning practices to illustrate how planning was involved in creating such deficits in the low-income areas, and how such approaches were re-adopted by the post-apartheid administrations and continue in different forms, despite amended legislation and policies. The evolution of the conventional modernist planning approaches was elaborated upon, followed by various post-modern critiques raised against planning tools such as collaborative and participatory planning practices. To foreground IKS as an alternative or complementary planning approach, the study explored various cultural open spaces of two indigenous communities as case studies. The exploration was to identify which spatial IKS, still existing and useful, could be harnessed by planning as important tools that can assist in improving the well-being of the communities in low-income areas. The two cultural open spaces, the 𝘰𝘭𝘶𝘱𝘢𝘭𝘦 of the Ovawambo community, and the 𝘰𝘮𝘶𝘷𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘢 with its 𝘰𝘬𝘶𝘳𝘶𝘶𝘰 of the Ovaherero community, provided important insights in this regard. Aspects such as community respect, well-being, cooperation, environmental respect and care, are all issues which are being taught, lived and experienced at these cultural open spaces; hence their foregrounding in this study as essential spaces. The spatial IKS aspects revealed that planning, despite being caught up in neoliberal market-led policies, could still engage local knowledges to address the plight of the majority residents in low-income areas. These spatial IKS include cultural frameworks that empower local communities to help themselves and craft a better future for themselves and their long-term well-being. The study thus proposed for these spatial IKS to be included in legislation, policies and practices in Windhoek and the rest of the country. The study was largely qualitative research. Interviews, informal discussions, group circles (focus groups) storytelling approaches, and participant observation in various traditional events were engaged to obtain as much information as possible. The findings and analysis deduced that planning policies and practices continue to exclude the marginalised urban communities such as those in Havana, some due to reliance on a single rational process of solving problems. The study revealed that spatial IKS does exist and could help planning in addressing the well-being of low-income residential areas and their residents. It is hoped that the recommendations made in this study will enable, and lead to the improvement of relations through additional IKS input, between planners and their local communities, which could eventually lead to low-income areas such as Havana to be treated differently than in its current practice form. It is in this light, and the low levels of spatial IKS research and awareness in Namibia, that suggestions were made for further research on this topic be given increased consideration.Item Open Access Corporate governance and corporate collapse: the failure of Steinhoff(University of the Free State, 2023) De Kock, Hyla Magdalena; Snyman-Van Deventer, E.This research will evaluate the corporate governance practices of Steinhoff International Holdings N.V. from December 2017, when the scandal started, until 30 April 2023. The assessment contains several newspaper articles that reflected the timeline of the events as they unfolded. The annual reports of Steinhoff are the most important documents that were produced by the company reflecting the corporate governance policy and practices during a specific financial year. The research aims to examine the role of corporate governance measures in South African company law to prevent future corporate collapses. The failure of Steinhoff International N.V.¹ ("Steinhoff") will serve as a case study to indicate the success or failure of corporate governance measures in South Africa.This study investigates corporate governance and the board of directors’ responsibilities in South African companies with specific reference to Steinhoff to investigate whether the directors of Steinhoff fulfilled these responsibilities. Therefore, the thesis's primary objective is to investigate and evaluate corporate governance measures and interventions in order to determine why the measures do not prevent corporate collapses. Secondly, the thesis aims to evaluate legislation and other measures in South Africa, Germany, Australia and the United States of America to make recommendations for preventing future corporate catastrophes. The global corporate governance failures were severe. It seems as if fraud and corruption may be the major sources of these corporate collapses. In most instances, there is either the active involvement of the directors and managers in these fraudulent or corrupt practices, or there is either a negligent or even intentional failure to act by directors to prevent these activities. The study shows that the prevention of corporate failure remains a complex endeavour. Legislation, codes of conduct, structures, and processes cannot resolve all problems on their own. The ethical and responsible behaviour of company directors, managers, and officers is crucial. Regardless of the outcome of any legal proceedings, the collapse of Steinhoff demonstrates the crucial role of the companies’ board, company secretary, auditors, directors, shareholders, and other stakeholders in assuring compliance with all applicable legislation and it operates with integrity and transparency. I believe that, similar to Enron, Steinhoff will become the new benchmark for corporate governance failures.Item Open Access Assessing Multiple Regression Analysis (MRA) model fit for forecasting air traffic movements using log transformation: a case study on ATNS air traffic movement dataset during COVID-19 pandemic(University of the Free State, 2024) Masekoameng, John Lehlaka; Girmay, ElizabethThe COVID-19 pandemic introduced unprecedented challenges to the aviation industry, significantly impacting air traffic movements (ATM). This study investigates the effectiveness of log transformation in evaluating the goodness of fit of multiple regression models in predicting ATM within the South African aviation sector. Specifically, it compares the performance of a standard Multiple Regression Analysis (MRA) model with a log-transformed MRA model to determine whether log transformation enhances model accuracy and reliability. The research explores traditional model fit assessment techniques, including R-squared (R²), Adjusted R-squared (R²adj), p-values, F-tests, residual analysis, Mean Squared Error (MSE), and normality tests such as the Shapiro-Wilk Test. Using data from Air Traffic and Navigation Services (ATNS), the study applies MRA to assess the impact of key predictors such as revenue, lockdown levels, confirmed COVID-19 cases, COVID-19-related deaths, exchange rates, GDP, and population on ATM. Findings indicate that the standard MRA model outperforms the log-transformed model in terms of explained variance, predictive accuracy, and coefficient significance. While the log-transformed model offers slight improvements in residual normality and insights into non-linear relationships, it does not surpass the standard model in overall predictive power. As a result, the study concludes that, for practical forecasting and decision-making in air traffic management, the standard MRA model is preferable. However, future research exploring non-linear relationships may benefit more from advanced modeling techniques, such as polynomial regression or machine learning, rather than a simple log transformation.Item Open Access A rhetorical analysis of South African presidents' state of the nation addresses post-1994(University of the Free State, 2024) Nkosi, Robson Siphosihle; du Plessis, R.; Breshears, D.In South Africa, a State of the Nation Address (SONA) is considered an important speech in the nation’s political calendar. As notable and consequential as the SONA is, it remains a limitedly explored research avenue, especially from a dramatistic criticism point of view. This dramatistic criticism study was conducted to bridge this gap by unveiling and developing an in-depth understanding of the underlying motive behind each democratically elected South African President’s first State of the Nation Addresses post-apartheid. The study employed a pentadic analysis approach owed to Kenneth Burke (Cholid et al., 2019) to analyse a corpus of four purposively selected State of the Nation Addresses. The findings suggested the pentadic element Scene as the motive behind all the analysed State of the Nation Addresses. However, the label for the pentadic element Scene slightly varied across the four SONA speeches. Consequently, the study concludes that the underlying motive behind each democratically elected South African President’s first State of the Nation Address was to induce cooperation of the SONA audiences in addressing the sociopolitical and economic challenges of the state post-apartheid.Item Open Access Academic resilience of children who overcome adversity(University of the Free State, 2022) Channon, Dane; Louw, A. E.; Esterhuyse, K. G.; Louw, D. A.Children in South Africa walk a fragile path to adulthood. This sentiment by UNICEF in 2012 remains relevant for children in the country a decade later. Youth face a myriad of threats to development. Despite many children succumbing to such risks, some children bounce back from adversities to foster resilient outcomes. This qualitative, multiple case study research aimed to explore how children navigate, negotiate, and engage with their social ecologies to overcome adversity and demonstrate academic resilience. Four adolescent participants were purposefully selected from East London schools in the Eastern Cape. These learners were identified by their school ecologies as having achieved positive academic outcomes despite experiences of significant adversity. The social ecology of resilience framework (SERT) was used to conceptualise the study. Multiple data collection sources were used, contributing to the descriptive and explanatory analyses of the data. Five phases of analytical data analysis aligned with case study research were employed to uncover contextually relevant themes of resilience building. The case studies yielded rich and detailed information on the biological vulnerabilities, challenging social and physical environments, specific negative life events and compound socio-demographic risks experienced by these children, the personal, relational, structural, and spiritual/cultural resilience enablers in their ecologies, and the processes by which these children identified and used these enablers across their social ecologies. This study contributed to theory building for SERT as a framework for understanding how children transact resources and opportunities within their social ecologies in culturally and contextually meaningful ways. The strengths, implications and limitations of the study are indicated, and recommendations are offered.Item Open Access Synthesis of redox-responsive tetrathiafulvalene derivatives with amphiphilic properties to be used in soft materials(University of the Free State, 2024) Tshehla, Paulos Katlego; Azov, V. A.The well-known electron-rich donor system, Tetrathiafulvalene (TTF) has gained excessive interest in the field of supramolecular chemistry and complex ligand research. Continuous advancements in synthesis has allowed TTF along with its derivatives to be integrated into various intricate molecular systems. Such that, these systems have been investigated for their potential applications as sensors, models for electron transfer, molecular machines and many other applications. The study displayed in this piece of writing will examine the incorporation of TTF moieties through preparation by synthesis, as well as their characterisation. With the motive to add to the recent and existing synthetic advances, for utilization in constructing versatile systems of broad applications. A series of functionalised bis- and tetra-tetrathiafulvalene derivatives has been prepared. A result stemming from a series of synthesis producing TTF intermediates, later used as key precursors for the successful synthesis of TTF derivatives. Amongst those, is the TTF thiolate anion used as a key intermediate which has shown to be quite a versatile reagent for this purpose. Shelf-stable precursors of the TTF thiolate anion have been prepared, making the preparation of novel, highly functionalised, amphiphilic cationic / anionic TTF derivatives 4 and 5 feasible. The series of steps include various reactions: cyclization, cross coupling and self-coupling, de-protection, re-alkylation, and nucleophilic substitution reactions. This synthetic pathway allows the tailoring of the properties of the TTF entity by the variation of the substitution pattern. For feasibility of the amphiphilic character, the analogues prepared constitute of long alkyl chains at different positions. This character adds in rendering these entities as versatile electron donor systems, well suited for use in construction of novel redox assemblies. Through careful adjustments and development of methodologies, a range of symmetrical and unsymmetrical TTF derivatives of different substituents was covered. From alkyl-halides bearing TTF derivatives to the 1-methyl-imidazole units fused to the TTF frameworks. Certain compounds were obtained in significantly high yields. Such as the 1-methyl-imidazole bearing TTF derivative, 4,5-bis(1-methylimidazole-3-propylthio)-6,7-bis(propylthio)tetrathiafulvalene 4a at a yield of 94%. With its identity qualitatively confirmed by high-resolution mass spectroscopy and NMR analysis. In the study, several purification techniques were implemented with the hopes of producing highly pure and well isolated compounds. Some of the reactions produced several products which were difficult to separate. An attempt to conduct electrochemical studies on the new multi-TTF derivatives, was deemed unsuccessful for various reasons covered in the discussion.Item Open Access The impact of structures and processes on intergovernmental processes in the Sol Plaatje Municipality(University of the Free State, 2020) Ntsenge, Buhle; Coetzee, T.When the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996 (Act 108 of 1996) came into operation on 4 of February 1997, it represented the historical culmination of a focused process of constitution-writing which commenced in December 1991. This process came as a result of the initiation of the Convention for a Democratic South Africa (CODESA), a national multi-party constellation established to negotiate a transition to inclusive democracy (Venter, 2014: 2). Groups or individuals cannot exist without regulations or laws. Even when these laws are put in place, there is a need to implement and govern them, hence the need for a body or structure that will oversee the adherence to these rules and regulations: a constitution. This constitution is the supreme law of the Republic; law or conduct inconsistent with it is invalid, and the obligations imposed by it must be fulfilled (Ngcukaitobi, Brickhill, & Stein, 2012: 319). Chapter 3 of the Constitution of South Africa sets out the principles of Cooperative Governance; all spheres must observe and adhere to the principles in this chapter and must conduct their activities within the parameters that the chapter provides (Mhone & Edigheji, 2003: 156). Intergovernmental Relations begin to have importance where there is a separation of powers amongst different spheres of government (Ismail, Bayat & Meyer, 1997: 138). South Africa has three spheres of government, namely national, provincial, and local (municipal). National government is then divided into three branches: law-making (legislative authority), the actual operations of governing (executive authority), and the courts (judicial authority). All these structures of government are interdependent and need each other to function and to operate effectively. This practice is known as Intergovernmental Relations. Intergovernmental Relations (IGR) is defined as the processes and institutions through which governments within a political system interact (Phillimore, 2013: 229). These institutions function as interacting networks of institutions at all levels; they are created to enable the various parts of government to form a unified whole, with cooperative governance playing a larger role as it derives mandate from the constituency at regional levels (Phillimore, 2013: 229). Ismail et al (1997: 139) asserts that cooperative governance is a new idea to resolve issues associated with Intergovernmental Relations seeking to address the difficulties pertaining to the coordination of government functions and streamlining of government’s administrative responsibilities (Ismail et al., 1997: 139). The value of Intergovernmental Relations in South Africa is evident with the integration of local government and traditional affairs as the defining element of cooperative governance. cooperative governance alludes to all types of government that adopt political flexibility, negotiation, compromise, and less reliance on the rigid distribution of powers between the three spheres of government (Tau, 2015: 801). The powers and authority of local government with its mandate to regulate its own laws and matters pertaining to its jurisdiction is recognised by the Constitution in South Africa. Section 151 (4) of the South African Constitution states that national and / or provincial government spheres may not compromise or prevent the functions of local government (Ismail et al., 1997: 139). 𝗥𝗘𝗙𝗘𝗥 𝗧𝗢 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗔𝗧𝗧𝗔𝗖𝗛𝗘𝗗 𝗗𝗢𝗖𝗨𝗠𝗘𝗡𝗧 𝗙𝗢𝗥 𝗔 𝗙𝗨𝗟𝗟 𝗦𝗨𝗠𝗠𝗔𝗥𝗬! ___________________________________________________________________Item Open Access The impact of the awarding of state tenders and quotations on black economic empowerment in the Free State Province in the 2000-2006 financial years(University of the Free State, 2008) Mohokare, Sesheme Meshack; Bekker, J. C. O.The first democratic government of South Africa that was inaugurated into office in 1994, inherited a society that was divided between the haves and the have nots. The haves were mainly whites who benefited economically under the National Party led government. The have nots were mainly blacks who were in the majority. The blacks were not allowed to participate in the economy of South Africa. The task that faces the new democratic government is to redress the wrong-doings of the past. The democratic government is faced with the challenge of improving the lives of the blacks politically, economically and socially. The democratic government did not hesitate to make its intentions clear of redressing the imbalances of the past. The votes of the electorate who voted the new government into office, were interpreted by the politicians as a mandate to redress the wrongs committed by the National Party government. The government engaged in rigorous policy making processes and new policies were passed in both the national and provincial governments. The government is faced with a number of challenges. When the current government took over, the number of blacks participating in the economy was very small. The current government is faced with the challenge of increasing the number of blacks participating in the mainstream economy of the country. In order to bring in more blacks into the mainstream economy, the state had to channel state tenders to blacks. The debate that is going on is on the successes and the failures of the government both national, provincial and local in bringing blacks into the mainstream economy through the channeling of state tenders. Much has been said about factors that have had a negative and positive impact on black economic empowerment. This dissertation is a study of the impact of tenders awarded to blacks by the Free State Provincial Government on black economic empowerment. The focus in the dissertation will be on whether the Free State Government is actually succeeding in empowering the blacks economically. In this rubric, the following will be outlined: Background and reasons for the study, problem statement, hypothesis formulation, objective of the research, research methodology, key words and concepts and the scope of the dissertation.Item Open Access Performance management within the inspectorate division of the department of public works in Bloemfontein(University of the Free State, 2023) Mathibe, Refiloe; Markham, LyleThe purpose of this study is to highlight several reasons why performance management is important. Performance management provides the opportunity to create training opportunities, developmental strategies, and clarity within the organisation for both the employer and the employees. It encourages productivity by increasing confidence and open communication channels as a result, increasing employee retention through rewards and recognition. The research design that was followed for this study was that of a qualitative nature through the use of semi-structured interviews. The researcher utilized qualitative data collection to collect the data which was then used to compile the study by analysing the collected data. The key findings of the study were as follows: ▪ The work attendance had a negative impact on the participants in general as it affected their performance negatively. This resulted in slow progress in achieving team goals, which had a negative impact on the overall performance of the organisation. ▪ To boost productivity, three components must be considered, namely instrumentality, expectancy, and valence. Instrumentality is dependent upon the trustworthiness of the employee, the expectation is dependent on whether the employee has the skills for the job they are performing, and valence reinforces the values of rewards and consistency with reaching goals, needs, preferences, and values. If all three components are considered and achieved, the employees will be motivated to perform. ▪ The impact of having mentors and mentorship programmes is vital for retaining talent, aligning the goals of the employees with those of the organisation and enhancing career development. Mentorship in the engineering and built environments will enable people to register as professionals in their fields. ▪ Organisations gain productivity from working from home and the fifty percent work life, an enabler to this is technology and digitalisation. It is, therefore, beneficial for the Free State Department of Public Works to introduce digitalisation to the workplace and provide all the required resources so that the productivity and performance of individuals can increase. The main conclusions of the study indicated that the performance management review of the department could be effective if it was used properly. Instead, the participants highlighted that it was used to obtain cash bonuses. The participants did not feel motivated because there were gaps due to lack of communication about the reviews and they also mentioned the unwillingness of managers to ensure that they receive the support they require to improve themselves. It could, therefore, be concluded that management should get leadership training that would assist them in leading the teams effectively. The work attendance had a negative impact on the participants in general; digitalisation could assist in this regard, as would the provision of resources to enable the employees to do their daily tasks.Item Open Access Towards formulating a management model to enhance inclusivity at a teacher training college in Zimbabwe(University of the Free State, 2024) Ncube, Nozinhle; Dube, B.; Chimbi, G.The aim of this study was to formulate a management model to enhance inclusive education at a teacher training college in Zimbabwe. Throughout the world student teachers with disabilities face many barriers in teachers’ training colleges and other higher education institutions. People with disabilities constitute some of the poorest economically and are socially excluded and marginalized. In Zimbabwe, people with disabilities constitute about 7% of the population, yet they make up 20% of the poorest people at the national level. The purpose of this study was to explore the barriers to academic and social inclusion faced by students with disabilities at a teacher training college in Zimbabwe. The objectives were to determine the challenges faced by student teachers with disabilities at tertiary institutions, explore policies on students with disabilities at tertiary institutions and suggest possible strategies that could be adopted to overcome these challenges. The study is located in critical emancipatory research (CER) and adopted the transformative paradigm. Qualitative research methods, specifically participatory action research (PAR), were employed. The study used purposive sampling which is synonymous with qualitative research. The target population comprised all students with disabilities at a teacher’s training college in Zimbabwe. Research instruments were triangulated by using interviews and focus group discussions. Qualitative data analysis was done through the thematic analysis of responses from both lecturers and students. The study revealed that there was no inclusive education policy at national level as well as in teachers’ training colleges in Zimbabwe, only circulars were in place. The study also found that students with disabilities had some barriers on physical access to different places at the college under study. The study also established that staff’s lack of competencies was one of the major barriers that hindered the implementation of inclusive education in teacher training colleges in Zimbabwe. There was no effective inclusive policy in teacher training colleges that could promote the implementation of inclusive practices. Stigma and discrimination among students and staff regarding students with disabilities was also prevalent. The rigid curriculum was another major barrier against the implementation of inclusive education in teacher training colleges in Zimbabwe. The study also revealed that there was a lack of funding to purchase equipment and assistive devices for students with disabilities. The study recommended that the inclusive management model should consider easy accessibility to all places that are currently inaccessible to students with disabilities. The other recommendation was that staff members ought to be trained on inclusive education through workshops and staff development programmes. There is a need to review syllabi in order to accommodate students with disabilities, especially in practical subjects. The study also recommended that there was need to have a working policy for inclusivity in teacher training colleges so as to implement inclusive practices.Item Open Access Identity construction and reconstruction among male teachers in early childhood settings(University of the Free State, 2024) Mofokeng, Mahudi Magdelina; Ndlovu, B. N.Identity construction and reconstruction among male teachers in early childhood education (ECE) settings has brought attention to the teaching of young children, where male teachers expect to redefine themselves among young learners. Research shows that few male teachers have constructed and reconstructed their identities through training in early childhood development. The research was framed using two theoretical constructs: identity theory and social identity theory. The study employed phenomenology, focusing on the commonality of the lived experiences within a particular group to understand the problem in its context in this case, construction, and reconstruction of identity among male teachers in ECE, and provided a comprehensive description of individuals’ subjective experience of an event or phenomenon. Phenomenology emphasises that only those who have personally encountered things can convey them to the external realm. The qualitative approach tests the theories and intervention techniques, using the snowball sampling technique to find five participants from 5 rural schools in the Thabo-Mofutsanyane District of the Free State province, with generation of data using semi-structured and focus group interviews. The study recommends recruitment strategies in ECE settings so that young children may be exposed to both genders in these settings. Workshops need to be held for male teachers, to advise them on how to deal with challenges that they will face from society and encourage them to stand firm with their career choice.Item Open Access Towards a facilitation framework for effective learning and teaching for first-year students in the building measurement module(University of the Free State, 2024) Els, Mart-Mari; Loots, S.; Holtzhausen, S. M.The purpose of this study is twofold. First, it aims to identify the pedagogical challenges faced by first-year students and lecturers in the building measurement module in South African universities. Second, it seeks to investigate the constructivist teaching approach, with a particular focus on the applicability of Vygotsky’s theory of sociocultural development, as a potential solution to these challenges. As such this study employed two separate but complementary research designs. Due to the limited contextual knowledge in the learning and teaching environment of first-year students in the building measurement module, it is essential to investigate and establish the challenges they face, as there is currently very little information available on this topic. The second methodology examines and proposes a potential solution to these challenges. The chosen research designs for this study are a convergent mixed-methods approach and a case-study design. Data collected through a baseline survey, focus-group discussions, and semi-structured interviews in the first methodology informed the case-study design. In this case study, data from pre- and post-tests, participant observations, and reflections yielded significant results. The first methodology identified various challenges faced by first-year students and lecturers in the building measurement module. These challenges were then addressed and tested in the second methodology. The findings of the research suggest that a constructivist teaching approach, more specifically Vygotsky’s theory of sociocultural development are successful and can be applied through a facilitation framework. The value of this research study is the enhancement of first-year learning and teaching experience in Quantity Surveying Education.Item Open Access An appreciative inquiry into the entrepreneurial attributes of three young African entrepreneurs(University of the Free State, 2024) Bucheli, Zosia; Pretorius, J. P. H.The research is an Appreciative Inquiry into the Entrepreneurial Attributes of three young African Entrepreneurs. It recognised the vital role that entrepreneurial attributes play in entrepreneurial success. The study aimed to inquire into and identify the positive and most life-giving entrepreneurial attributes that these three individuals have developed through their entrepreneurial endeavours. The study assumed an Appreciative Inquiry perspective which accentuated and focused on strengths-based positive attributes. The research employed 5D Appreciative Inquiry Cycle workshops for each of the three African entrepreneurs to gather in-depth information regarding their most effective entrepreneurial attributes. Through the use of an appreciative lens, the study aimed to uncover the individual strengths and life-giving attributes of each entrepreneur which empowered them to further development to advance their entrepreneurship. These were encapsulated by the positive entrepreneurial attributes which emerged through the workshops. The results of this research highlight the best entrepreneurial attributes of these three African entrepreneurs. Each article provides unique results specific to the entrepreneur studied. The entrepreneurs’ individual experiences, cultural backgrounds, communities and entrepreneurial journeys have impacted the development of their positive entrepreneurial attributes. Further, the research provides necessary literature on entrepreneurial attributes. It also contributes towards the individual experiences and strategies utilised by three African entrepreneurs to further enhance and develop their entrepreneurial attributes. Aspiring entrepreneurs on the African continent may employ these practical implications in their entrepreneurial endeavours. It fosters the identification of effective entrepreneurial attributes which propels economic growth and development in South Africa and elsewhere.