UWCScholar

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Navigating green protectionism: analysing the impact of the European union carbon border adjustment mechanism on African trade
(University of the Western Cape, 2025) Ogada, Obila Hezron
This mini-thesis investigates the legal and policy implications of the European Union's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (EU CBAM) for African trade, with a particular focus on how the measure intersects with international environmental and trade law. While the EU CBAM is presented as a legitimate climate tool designed to prevent carbon leakage and ensure fair competition, its unilateral imposition raises significant concerns for developing countries. The study critically examines whether the EU CBAM complies with the principle of Common But Differentiated Responsibilities (CBDR), a foundational tenet of international climate law embedded in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the Kyoto Protocol, and the Paris Agreement. It further evaluates the extent to which the EU CBAM aligns with select principles in the World Trade Organisation’s General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), including national treatment, most favoured nation treatment, transparency and predictability and quantitative restrictions as well as its potential justification under Article XX. Using Africa as a regional case study, the thesis analyses the disproportionate burdens placed on exporters who often lack the institutional, financial, and technical capacity to meet the EU CBAM’s compliance requirements. It argues that EU CBAM may function as a form of green protectionism, restricting market access under the guise of environmental integrity. The research concludes by exploring legal and policy responses available to African states, with the aim of promoting a more equitable and development-sensitive approach to climate-related trade measures.
Aspects of consent in sexual offences: an analysis of emerging case law and calls for legislative reform in South Africa
(University of the Western Cape, 2025) Sonjica, Nothemba Jessica
The interpretation and definition of consent have been at the centre of challenges when it comes to the prosecution of sexual offences. However, due to conflicting views there seems to be no consensus regarding the type of legislative reform required. The various links between mens rea, intention, implicit and express consent, subjective and objective belief of consent has led to calls that absence of consent as a key aspect of sexual offences should be removed entirely, with some arguing that only certain aspects of consent should be removed. This research paper will explore the discourse around the concept of consent in sexual offences trials in South Africa. Case law will be used to highlight issues of interpretation and the subjective beliefs of presiding officers that has led to confusing case law precedents. Lastly, this research paper will explore legal reform arguments that have been made through case law. Additionally, before I make my own recommendations, I will explore recommendations made through available literature with regards to closing the gap in common law and legislation when it comes to consent and sexual offences.
Barriers in implementing quality improvement initiatives amongst health care workers at a regional hospital, eSwatini
(University of the Western Cape, 2025) Ngwenya Juliet Siphiwe
The quality and safety of healthcare depend on the capacity of healthcare professionals to continuously implement quality improvement (QI) processes in service delivery. However, QI initiatives often fail to be fully integrated into daily practice due to barriers that hinder effective implementation. This sought to identify and describe factors influencing the uptake and implementation of quality standards among healthcare workers, with the goal of informing strategies to close the gap between expected and actual performance. A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted at Raleigh Fitkin Memorial Hospital (RFMH), a regional hospital in Manzini, eSwatini guided by the Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF). A stratified systematic sampling method with proportional allocation was used to select 134 healthcare workers across medical, nursing, and allied cadres. Data were collected through a validated self-administered questionnaire distributed both electronically and in hard copy. The instrument contained structured Likert-scale items and open-ended questions assessing individual, organisational, and contextual barriers to QI implementation. Data were analysed using excel to generate descriptive statistics, supported by qualitative thematic insights from open-ended responses. From the findings, it was revealed that although most participants understood QI concepts and recognised their importance, practical application remained imperfect. For example, 77.8% of respondents reported clarity of roles, and the belief in QI’s value was strong, with 90.4% acknowledging its positive impact. Moreover, organisational endorsement of QI was relatively high (83.7%), but financial limitations (21.5%) and moderate self-efficacy (60%) hindered effective implementation. Major barriers included insufficient resources, weak day-to-day management support, inadequate training, low confidence in QI delivery, and limited peer collaboration. Staff thus believed QI enhances patient outcomes but felt constrained by poor organisational systems and perceived lack of active management engagement. The study concludes that, for these barriers to be addressed, it requires a stronger leadership engagement, adequate resourcing, continuous in-service training, and the integration of QI activities into routine hospital operations. Strengthening mentorship, communication, and feedback mechanisms is also essential for sustaining QI practices.
MIGHTEE: the dark matter haloes, duty cycle, and mechanical feedback from radio-AGN up to z ∼ 2.5
(Oxford University Press, 2026) Jarvis, Matthew; Whittam, Imogen H
Radio-AGNs (active galactic nuclei) are observed to be more strongly clustered than non-active galaxies, though it is unclear whether this is simply due to their preference for massive host galaxies, or if they reside in distinct environments beyond this mass dependence. Using data from three fields covered by the MIGHTEE survey, we measure the angular two-point cross-correlation functions with a large, stellar mass-limited population of near-infrared selected galaxies, overcoming limitations of previous single-deep-field studies. By fitting halo occupation distribution models, we infer the galaxy bias parameters, b, for radio-AGN in three redshift ranges with median redshifts of (Formula presented), (Formula presented), and (Formula presented), finding (Formula presented), (Formula presented), and (Formula presented), respectively. The typical dark matter halo mass decreases with increasing redshift: (Formula presented), (Formula presented), and (Formula presented), which we attribute to the increased abundance of cold gas required to fuel AGN activity at earlier times. The AGN duty cycle is determined to be (Formula presented) per cent, and we estimate that the total energy radiated by radio-jets over (Formula presented) is (Formula presented) per halo, which is sufficient to account for the observed excess heating of gas beyond that of gravitational collapse. Comparing the typical dark matter halo masses to the values obtained for the control sample, we find that the halo masses of radio-AGN are (Formula presented), (Formula presented), and (Formula presented) times greater than those of the stellar mass- and redshift-matched galaxies. This difference could arise because AGN feedback suppresses stellar mass growth while leaving halo mass unchanged, or because radio-AGN preferentially reside in earlier forming haloes which are more strongly clustered.
Fathomer survey. Iii. Preliminary higalaxy identification results
(American Astronomical Society, 2026) Shu, Shuanghao; Li, Yichao; Yang, Wenxiu; Wang, Jiaxin; Hu, Wenkai; Deng, Furen
We present the H i galaxy observation results of FATHOMER, a pilot drift scan survey by the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical radio Telescope (FAST). The survey comprises 28 hr of observations over seven nights in 2021, covering a 60 deg2 sky area in the frequency range 1.05–1.45 GHz. The H i galaxies are identified using both a matched-filtering algorithm and the SoFiA source-finding pipeline, which yield consistent detections. We derive the velocity width (W50), flux density, and Hi mass for detected galaxies. A total of 702 galaxies are identified with H i mass above 106.2 M⊙, signal-to-noise ratio greater than 5, and redshift z < 0.09. Among these, 331 are previously known from the ALFALFA survey. Of the newly detected sources, 9 have spectroscopic confirmation from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS), 285 are matched to SDSS or DESI photometric data, and 77 lack optical counterparts–possible candidates for dark or faint galaxies. Comparison with ALFALFA shows that FAST enables the detection of galaxies at higher redshifts and with lower Hi fluxes, despite the radio frequency interference (RFI) and partial data masking. A preliminary Hi mass function analysis reveals a higher characteristic mass and steeper low-mass slope than ALFALFA, indicating FAST’s enhanced sensitivity to massive and distant H i systems. These results demonstrate FAST’s strong potential for future deep H i surveys and highlight the importance of improved RFI mitigation and completeness correction.