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Force majeure in international contracts with particular reference to the English and South African legal systems
(University of the Western Cape, 2024) Mohammed, Abdulfattah Abdulqader Qaid; Mupangavanhu, Yeukai
Force majeure, or supervening change of circumstances, is still one of the main issues that impact national and international contracts. International contract law and national legal systems apply different rules to achieve contractual justice. The study analyses the exceptions to the principle of pacta sunt servanda in the case of supervening circumstances under South African law, English law, the Vienna Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods (CISG) and the UNIDROIT Principles of International Commercial Contracts (UNIDROIT Principles). This study examines the nature and effects of force majeure events on contracting parties under these laws. The position of the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) under the CISG and UNIDROIT Principles is ascertained, as is its position under English and South African law. COVID-19 was a litmus test for the maturity of these important doctrines of modern law.
Petrophysics‑based machine learning assessment of siliciclastic reservoir sediments for CO2 storage in the Bredasdorp Basin, Offshore, South Africa
(Springer Science and Business Media Deutschland GmbH, 2026) Olayinka Yinka Ayodeji; Opuwari Mimonitu; Eruteya Ovie Emmanuel
Carbon capture and storage (CCS) is a significant mitigation approach for decreasing carbon emissions, particularly in coal-dominated energy systems like South Africa, where coal combustion accounts for around 80% of national CO2 emissions. The availability of credible datasets for subsurface characterisation, on the other hand, poses a significant problem for geological carbon storage. In other words, even with suitable geology, a lack of high-quality, comprehensive, and accessible subsurface data significantly limits the chance of identifying and quantifying viable storage locations, as well as predicting the long-term behaviour of stored CO2. Therefore, this study aims to evaluate the CO2 storage potential of a depleted oil reservoir in the Bredasdorp Basin of South Africa. We used an integrated approach (petrophysics, machine learning, and petrography). This was achieved by adopting a robust methodological workflow that incorporated reports from thorough sedimentary petrography of thin-sectioned cored samples, coupled with wireline logs, which were subjected to petrophysical analysis using a combination of standard empirical relationships, six (6) different machine learning techniques, and core petrophysical analysis. As a result, the sandstones in the reservoir's cored intervals (sand AF) in both wells are compositionally and texturally quite similar and homogenous. The average volume of shale measured in the reservoir reveals that the sand is clean, with secondary porosity discovered in all of the porous sandstone samples following the breakdown of a precursor carbonate cement. When compared to empirical methodologies, the introduction of XG-Boost and Neural Network improved reservoir poroperm predictions, which were then calibrated using core data. As a result, the average porosity values of 15% and 16%, along with the reservoir permeability values of 193 mD and 160 mD, respectively, across the two wells indicate a good estimation of the CO2 storage potential, significantly enhancing the performance of formation evaluation. The average fluid (water) saturation of the reservoir across both wells yields good values suitable for CO2 injection, and the absence of reactive clays in the reservoir sheds light on sand AF's potential as a safe CO2 sink in South Africa's Bredasdorp Basin. The findings from this work have shown that it is critical for South Africa to tap into its geologic CO2 storage potential in hydrocarbon reservoirs, as it would be challenging to swiftly phase out fossil fuel energy sources in the near future and avoid an energy shortage crisis. Hence, the implementation of sustainable solutions is pertinent in order to mitigate climate change.
Ballingskap en vervreemding in die werk van Vernon February en Julian de Wette
(University of the Western Cape, 2025) van der Westhuizen, Chànde Frania
Identity plays an important role in the work of writers who are in exile. Exile and alienation in the writing of South African authors are well document with a focus on writers like Alex La Guma, Dennis Brutus, Lewis Nkosi, Nat Nakasa and others. It received little attention in the Afrikaans literary studies. The development of identity in the work of black Afrikaans writers such as Vernon February and Julian de Wette will be the core focus of this study. The study aims to do a comparative analysis of the two writers and the influence of apartheid, exile, the adoption of a new country and by default a redefinition or reimagining of their identities. The focus on identity and place places the study within a postcolonial framework. Concepts such as hybridity and the Other within postcolonialism will also be discussed.
The relationship between personality preference and career anchors amongst police officers within the western cape
(University of the Western Cape, 2006) Van Sittert, Vanessa; Heslop, Karl
The objective of this study was to determine whether a relationship exists between the personality preference and career anchors of police officers. The idea that personality relates meaningfully to the kinds of careers people choose and how they perform in these careers, has a long history in career psychology. A large body of empirical evidence suggests that the career choice behaviour of individuals can be predicted through personality assessment (Tokar, Fischer & Subich, 1998). Increasing research is being done on the role of personality in adapting effectively to new career demands. The operating environment of the South African Police Service is both challenging and demanding; often putting the life of the active police officer in great danger (Marks, 2003). This begets the question why any person would choose the career of being a police officer, what type of personality preference would the person choosing such a career have and what career anchors would have an influence in this choice of career. It is anticipated that the results of this study can provide more clarity and assist police officers in planning their career.
The relationship between psychological capital and employee wellness in organisations in the manufacturing industry in the western cape
(University of the Western Cape, 2014) Solomon, Shihaam; Thomson, Elza
Psychological capital (PsyCap), the four dimensions of PsyCap and Perceived Wellness are viewed as positive constructs. Research indicated these positive constructs has a beneficial or positive effect on the organisation's financial performance .. Furthermore, health and wellness awareness is lacking especially in the production-driven manufacturing industry where the profit motive is of paramount importance. The research study used a cross-sectional design, measuring Psychological capital and perceived wellness using questionnaires in the form of the Psychological Capital Questionnaire (PCQ) and the Perceived Wellness Survey (PWS), respectively. These questionnaires are self-report measures, which were distributed to a sample of employees from the manufacturing industry (n = 160) in the Western Cape. Various studies both locally and abroad confirmed that the respective measures are both valid and reliable, However, the applicability in South African organisations requires further exploration. The present study aimed to determine what effect the factors of psychological capital had on the wellness of employees. The relationship between psychological capital and its effect on employees' wellness was assessed using Pearson correlation, Analysis of variance and Multiple regression analysis. Based on the findings, there was no significant relationship found between psychological capital and the wellness amongst the sample employees in the manufacturing industry. This is however contradictory to what studies found researching similar constructs.