UWCScholar

This repository serves as a digital archive for the preservation of research outputs from the University of the Western Cape

Communities in UWCScholar

Select a community to browse its collections.

Now showing 1 - 5 of 11

Recent Submissions

Developing guidelines to strengthen the human capabilities of parents with children with developmental disabilities using an Interdisciplinary team approach
(University of the Western Cape, 2025) Magidigidi-Mathiso, Lumka
A diagnosis of developmental disability (DD) in a child initiates a lifelong journey for parents, often marked by emotional, physical, and logistical challenges. While caring for a child with DD can be deeply meaningful, parents frequently assume multiple roles such as coordinator, caregiver, and advocate within a complex and fragmented support system. This study explores the role of interdisciplinary team collaboration in strengthening the human capabilities of parents of children with DD, particularly in primary health care settings. Despite the involvement of various professionals such as physiotherapists, occupational and speech therapists, social workers, and paediatricians, coordination across services remains inconsistent. Parents are often left to navigate disjointed systems, juggling services across public, private, and school-based sectors with limited formal communication between providers. Drawing on Martha Nussbaum’s Human Capabilities Approach, which emphasises dignity and well-being, this study aimed to develop evidence-based guidelines for supporting parents through a cohesive interdisciplinary model. A mixed-methods design was employed, combining a systematic review of international interventions with qualitative data gathered from parents, health professionals, and community stakeholders in three historically disadvantaged communities in the Western Cape. Purposive sampling yielded 13–23 parents and 12 professionals, all of whom consented to voluntary participation under strict ethical protocols (Ethics clearance: BM23/1/10, University of the Western Cape).
Impacts of land use land cover changes in Mountainous Catchments – A case study of Klaserie Catchment, Mariepskop Mountain
(Universty of the Western Cape, 2026) Yono, Anothando
Land use and land cover (LULC) change remains a central driver of ecological transformation, particularly in semi-arid mountainous catchments where terrain complexity, limited data availability, and climate variability intersect with increasing human population and activity. This study examines the drivers, spatial–temporal patterns, and hydrological implications of LULC change in the Klaserie Catchment, located in the semi-arid eastern region of South Africa, over a 34-year period (1990–2024). The study employed a remote sensing–based methodological framework integrating Landsat and Sentinel-2 imagery with machine learning algorithms, specifically Simple Non-Iterative Clustering (SNIC) and the Random Forest classifier, processed within Google Earth Engine (GEE). This approach was used to detect and delineate spatiotemporal changes across four major LULC categories: vegetation, bare land, built-up areas, and water bodies. Classification accuracies averaged (91–97%) with Kappa values of 0.84–0.94. Built-up areas increased by 199%, bare land declined by 30%, vegetation expanded slightly, and water bodies remained stable. The detected shifts in vegetation, bare land, and built-up areas further imply potential disruptions to hydrological processes in this mountainous catchment. Increased open surfaces and vegetation change may alter runoff generation, reduce infiltration, and affect baseflow regulation, with implications for streamflow variability, sediment transport, and water availability downstream. These findings underscore the urgent need for integrated land use planning, sustainable resource management, and climate-resilient policies to balance development pressures with the conservation of ecosystems and water security in semi-arid catchments.
The negative mental health consequences of social media use in South Africa: the role of smartphone addiction
(Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI), 2026) Pretorius, Tyrone Brian; Padmanabhanunni, Anita
The use of smartphones and social media has become an increasing feature of daily life among university students. Although technology use can offer benefits, growing evidence links heavier engagement to poorer mental health outcomes. This study examined the associations between social media use and indices of psychological distress among South African university students, and it tested whether smartphone addiction represents a pathway linking social media use to distress. Participants (n = 491) were students who completed the Social Media Use Integration Scale, the Smartphone Application-Based Addiction Scale, the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale-10, the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist for DSM-5, the Beck Hopelessness Scale-9, and the trait scale of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory-5. Mediation analyses with the PROCESS macro was conducted to examine smartphone addiction as a possible pathway between social media use and indices of psychological distress. The results of the mediation analysis indicated that social media use and smartphone addiction had significant positive direct effects on depression, PTSD, and anxiety, but not on hopelessness. In addition, social media use had significant indirect effects via smartphone addiction on depression, PTSD, and anxiety, pointing to the partial mediating role of smartphone addiction. The results highlight the importance of incorporating targeted support within student mental health services. Interventions aimed at reducing distress may benefit from targeting problematic smartphone engagement alongside broader efforts to promote healthier social media practices.
Energy optimization for wireless sensor networks using hierarchical routing techniques
(University of the Western Cape, 2015) Abidoye, Ademola Philip; Bagula, Antoine B.
Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) have become a popular research area that is widely gaining the attraction from both the research and the practitioner communities due to their wide area of applications. These applications include real-time sensing for audio delivery, imaging, video streaming, and remote monitoring with positive impact in many fields such as precision agriculture, ubiquitous healthcare, environment protection, smart cities and many other fields. While WSNs are aimed to constantly handle more intricate functions such as intelligent computation, automatic transmissions, and in-network processing, such capabilities are constrained by their limited processing capability and memory footprint as well as the need for the sensor batteries to be cautiously consumed in order to extend their lifetime. This thesis revisits the issue of the energy efficiency in sensor networks by proposing a novel clustering approach for routing the sensor readings in wireless sensor networks. The main contribution of this dissertation is to 1) propose corrective measures to the traditional energy model adopted in current sensor networks simulations that erroneously discount both the role played by each node, the sensor node capability and fabric and 2) apply these measures to a novel hierarchical routing architecture aiming at maximizing sensor networks lifetime. We propose three energy models for sensor network: a) a service-aware model that account for the specific role played by each node in a sensor network b) a sensor-aware model and c) load-balancing energy model that accounts for the sensor node fabric and its energy footprint.
Public participation in the law-making process in Uganda and the enactment of the Uganda peoples’ Defence forces (amendment) act (2025)
(Cambridge University Press, 2026) Mujuzi, Jamil Ddamulira
The Constitution of Uganda does not expressly provide for citizens’ right to participate in law-making processes. However, it can be inferred from the National Objectives and Directive Principles of State Policy and Article 38(1) of the Constitution. The drafting history of Article 38 shows that Ugandans are expected to participate in all affairs of government. In Male Mabirizi and Others v Attorney-General and Others, Supreme Court judges invoked foreign case law to interpret Article 38 as requiring meaningful public participation in the law-making process; however, in Hon. Fox Odoi and Others v Attorney-General and Others, it was held that those criteria were not applicable. I argue that the Constitutional Court erred in this, and that the process followed to pass the Uganda Peoples’ Defence Forces (Amendment) Act (2025) did not meet the criteria of meaningful participation. It was also contrary to the practice adopted by Parliament in processing other bills.