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The application of actinobacterial extracts for plant growth promotion
(University od the Western Cape, 2025) Kota, Busisiwe
Environmental stress conditions such as drought and salinity are some of the limiting factors affecting crop yield. The frequency of these environmental stress conditions is predicted to increase with the effects of climate change over the years posing a threat to global food security. To overcome these declines, farmers depend on chemical fertilisers which are both expensive and increasingly becoming a major health concern. The use of plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB) as bioinoculants is viewed as a promising avenue for sustainable agriculture, especially under environmental stress conditions. In this study, 27 actinobacterial strains isolated from South African medicinal plants Aloe ferox and Sutherlandia frutescens, were evaluated for their potential as candidate bioinoculants under normal and stressed (drought and salinity) conditions. Phenotypic analysis of the isolates using International Streptomyces Project (ISP) media, coupled with molecular identification through 16S rRNA and gyrB gene sequencing revealed that the studied isolates were predominantly Streptomyces strains, alongside two rare actinobacterial strains – Micromonospora and Thermomonosporaceae. Isolates were screened for both direct - (including ammonia production, siderophore production, and IAA activity) and indirect - (including antimicrobial activity and hydrolytic enzyme production such as cellulase and xylanase activity) plant growth-promoting properties. Several isolates had broad activity across all assays, suggesting a multifaceted plant growth-promoting potential. Nine isolates were selected for inclusion in plant growth trials comparing actinobacteria-treated plants to untreated control plants grown under normal, drought, and salinity stress conditions. Notably, some actinobacteria-treated plants were observed to have enhanced plant height, root development, and improved stress tolerance especially under drought conditions. These findings suggested the potential of these isolates in mitigating osmotic stress. Furthermore, genome sequencing coupled with antiSMASH analysis revealed the presence of several of biosynthetic gene clusters associated with stress mitigation and plant growth promotion. Particularly, gene clusters encoding ectoine, siderophores, and naringenin biosynthesis were identified, suggesting potential evidence for the observed drought tolerance in plant growth trials. Overall, the findings of this study revealed that medicinal plants are a potential pool of untapped microbial diversity with promising potential as bioinoculants. Integrating culture-based methods with molecular techniques provided a comprehensive understanding of the functional potential of these actinobacterial isolates as potential bioinoculants, especially under drought stress conditions. This polyphasic approach highlights the potential of actinobacteria associated with medicinal plants as a sustainable alternative for plant growth and stress mitigation.
Interbrand switching behaviour among Cape Town consumers: A field experiment
(University of the Western Cape, 2026) Norman, Maxine
This thesis investigates the consumer switching behaviour that takes place from national brands to private labels in the South African retail sector, particularly traditional supermarkets. It focuses on the influence of pricing, demographics and systemic or otherwise macroenvironmental factors such as unemployment or inflation that may play a role. The study developed a multi-theoretical framework by integrating three conceptual frameworks, namely the push-pull-mooring (PPM) model, theory of planned behaviour (TPB), and general systems theory (GST) to better understand the antecedents of switching behaviour. Through a combination of field experiments and qualitative semi-structured interviews, the study identified numerous triggers for switching behaviour. The research indicates that although product familiarity and brand loyalty are important, price consideration, particularly in economically strained environments, offer greater explanatory power for consumers’ decisions to switch brands. Habitualisation, the positive repeated purchase of private labels leading to long-term loyalty, is explored. The study provides insights into how retailers can optimise their private label strategies to continue to position themselves competitively in the market. Additionally, the study explores how habitual switching driven by economic factors, socio-economic influences and consumer attitudes, may contribute to long-term loyalty towards private labels. The shift could also have an influence on reshaping the dynamics of South Africa’s retail sector by altering the competitive landscape. The study highlights the importance of adapting retail strategies to consumer preferences shaped by economic pressures and intrinsic factors. The study also provides a foundation for future research to explore the model’s applicability in broader retail contexts, including e-commerce and other sectors, including a quantitative research design.
Utilisation of digital educational technology amongst undergraduate nursing students in the Western Cape
(AOSIS (pty) Ltd, 2026) Bimerew, Million; Ticha, Victoire; Chipps, Jenifer
Background: Despite increased integration of digital technologies in higher education, nursing students face major barriers in resource-limited settings. Aim: The study investigated the utilisation of digital educational technologies amongst undergraduate nursing students in the Western Cape. Setting: The study was conducted at the school of nursing at a higher education institution in the Western Cape. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional survey design with a self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data from a sample of 253 participants. Descriptive analysis was conducted to determine the frequencies and percentages; the mean score and Chi-square test were conducted to determine the association between the variables. Results: Nearly 90% of participants had experience in the use of digital educational technology, 94.5%, learning management system and Facebook, and 93.7% used PowerPoint, communication and collaboration tools. The gender differences in technology use are consistent with the literature. The results suggest female respondents' frequent use of social networks. Male respondents reported more frequent use of bibliographic and web conferencing technologies. Although overall use was very low, gender remains an important factor in understanding technology use. In contrast, blogs, discussion forums and immersive technologies were amongst the least utilised educational technologies. Conclusion: Most nursing students use basic digital tools like learning management systems, Facebook and PowerPoint, but advanced tools such as blogs, forums and immersive technologies are underused, revealing a gap in digital competence that limits collaborative learning and clinical simulation. Contribution: This study provides evidence on digital technology use amongst undergraduate nursing students, showing frequent use of basic tools but limited engagement with advanced, interactive technologies.
Perceptions of facilitators, barriers and adaptations for provision of obstetric fistula surgery and care: a qualitative descriptive study of service providers in selected hospitals in Busoga sub-region, eastern Uganda
(Frontiers Media SA, 2026) Mukasa, Peter Kivunike; Kinney, Mary; Jackson, Debra
Introduction – Obstetric fistula is a devastating childbirth injury common in low-resource settings, with many women failing to access surgical repair due to health system challenges. However, limited evidence exists on the health system factors shaping the provision of fistula care and surgery. The study aimed to explore facilitators, barriers encountered, and adaptation mechanisms employed by healthcare providers in the provision of fistula surgery and care. Methods – We conducted 20 qualitative interviews in two hospitals providing fistula surgery and care in the Busoga sub-region, a government and a private not for profit hospital between June and December 2024. In-Depth Interviews (n = 12) were conducted with purposively selected healthcare providers and facility administrators. We also conducted Key Informant Interviews (n = 8) with purposively selected national fistula experts/surgeons, policy makers and implementing partners. Data were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim and analyzed using a deductive thematic analysis, guided by the World Health Organization (WHO) health system blocks framework. Results – Seven themes emerged from the findings including: 1) human resources, 2) equipment and supplies, 3) infrastructure, 4) financial resources, 5) access to services, 6) adaptation mechanisms, and 7) recommendations for improved provision of obstetric surgery and care. Facilitators to provision of fistula surgery and care included government coordination and stewardship, availability of trained specialists during fistula camps, donor-supported equipment and supplies, community mobilization, and financial support to patients. However, significant barriers including inadequate and poorly compensated staffing, high staff turnover, inconsistent supplies and equipment, limited ward space leading to overcrowding, and an overreliance on external donor funding constrained routine service provision. Access barriers included stigma, limited awareness and high transport costs involved in seeking care.
Wopko Jensma: en ebullient, reckless spender of words
(Routledge, 2026) Sheik, Ayub
Wopko Jensma’s three volumes of poetry, Sing for Our Execution (1973), Where White is the Colour, Where Black is the Number (1974), and I Must Show You My Clippings (1977), together with his unpublished manuscript ‘Blood and More Blood’, constitute an interesting and idiosyncratic response to the strife and turmoil in South Africa in the 1970s. His experimental poetry harnesses the signatures of jazz lyrics, concrete poetry, the avant-garde as well as African dance forms in bizarre cameos of underclass misery and racial oppression. In lieu of metrical regularity and rhyme the aesthetic experience is simulated by asemantic qualities of speech, sound, and rhythmic undulations in a poetry characterized by a ‘withdrawal of semantic crutches’. Jensma’s diction of private idiomatic language, the use of syncopation, neologisms, portmanteau words, disparate argots, syntactic dislocation, fragmentation, and experimental typography express an insurgent, anti-authoritarian politics which has significant shared affinities with the Beat poetic canon. Protest against state oppression, consumer culture, materialism and the privileging of the underclasses and everyday experiences are key motifs in his poetry and resonate with Beat counterculture. The use of anaphora and repetition also foreground the surreal and hallucinogenic nature of his poetry. Although written predominantly in English and Afrikaans, Jensma’s poetry draws on multiple languages and township argot, as well as an Americanized slang influenced by the rhythms and lexical items of jazz. Jensma’s poetry is also an imaginative critique of ‘constituted realities’ and its ambient ideologies which have exiled the other outside the pale of common humanity.