UWCScholar

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An evaluation of the information communication technology (ict) based adjudication process in civil proceedings in Uganda
(University of the Western Cape, 2025) MUKIIBI, PAUL
This study examines the ICT-based adjudication process in Uganda’s judiciary and its implications for the constitutional right to a fair hearing in civil matters. It argues that the rapid expansion of digital adjudication during and after the COVID-19 pandemic occurred without sufficient regard for safeguards inherent in the right to a fair hearing. Guided by four research questions, the study assesses the consistency of international and domestic standards, the effectiveness of Uganda’s legal and institutional frameworks, the extent to which e-case management and e-courtroom systems protect fair-hearing guarantees, the shortcomings that persist, and insights that may be drawn from other jurisdictions. Employing a doctrinal legal research methodology, it reviews international human rights instruments, national legislation, and pertinent scholarly commentary. The study finds that, although Uganda’s constitutional and statutory provisions generally reflect international norms, gaps—particularly discretionary derogations and non-harmonised, pre-digital laws—pose risks. It concludes that ICT-based adjudication may strengthen access to justice if digital infrastructure, legal reforms, privacy protections, and safeguards for counsel, vulnerable persons, and timely trials are prioritised.
Examination of special economic zones’ contribution to sustainable development in South Africa: using coega idz and musina-makhado sez as examples
(University of the Western Cape, 2025) PAMELA TSOLEKILE DE WET
This study investigates the extent to which Special Economic Zones (SEZs) in South Africa— specifically the Coega Industrial Development Zone (IDZ) and the Musina-Makhado Special Economic Zone (MMSEZ)—enable or disable sustainable development. SEZs are often promoted as tools for industrialisation, job creation, and regional growth, yet their socio- economic and environmental impacts remain contested. The study adopts a qualitative multisite case study approach, focusing primarily on communities adjacent to the SEZs. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which restricted mobility and altered community engagement, data collection relied heavily on virtual and socially distanced interviews, complemented by document analysis, observation, and policy review. The methodology was adapted to merge social and economic dimensions, as community perceptions of employment, skills development, and local enterprises’ growth were deeply intertwined. Environmental sustainability was also examined through the lens of livelihoods, recognising that local communities’ well-being depends on access to and management of natural resources. Data was analysed thematically, using Miles and Huberman’s approach, with findings interpreted through the Triple Bottom Line, Institutional Theory, and the Capability Approach. The findings reveal that while SEZs contribute to job creation, skills development, and improvements in infrastructure, they also present challenges related to environmental degradation, inequitable benefit distribution, and exclusion of local voices from decision- making. Livelihoods were particularly affected by tensions between industrial expansion and access to natural resources. The study highlights gaps between policy intentions and implementation, emphasising the need for inclusive, context-sensitive governance frameworks that integrate socio-economic and environmental considerations. The research contributes to the understanding of SEZs as instruments of sustainable development, offering insights for policymakers, practitioners, and scholars seeking to balance industrial growth with social equity and ecological sustainability, particularly in the context of emerging crises such as COVID-19.
CareerQuestXR: Mapping Your Future in Extended Reality (XR) through virtual aptitude testing
(University of the Western Cape, 2026) Gamieldien, Fatima
South African universities face persistently high first-year dropout rates (exceeding 40%) driven by inadequate career guidance, academic misalignment, and inefficient allocation of public funding. Current guidance tools rely predominantly on self-report inventories and narrow cognitive constructs that fail to capture the multidimensional behavioural and psychological factors influencing academic success. This proof-of-concept study investigated whether CareerQuestXR, a custom-built Extended Reality (XR) aptitude assessment system, could address this gap by generating differentiated multidimensional student profiles and evidence-based academic stream recommendations. CareerQuestXR evaluates students across four domains: Intellectual (verbal and numerical reasoning), Cognitive (working memory and spatial processing), Psychological (stress management and emotional regulation), and Behavioural (persistence and adaptability). Objective VR performance metrics are integrated with Holland’s RIASEC model and the Big Five personality framework to generate Academic Alignment Index (AAI) scores indicating student-programme fit across 21 University of the Western Cape (UWC) academic programmes. A pilot study (N = 15) was conducted using purposive sampling, with domain scores, behavioural indicators, psychometric profiles, and AAI recommendations analysed through descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, and strategic case sampling across three research questions (RQ). The study demonstrates: • (RQ1) Operational functionality, with full task completion and clear performance differentiation; • (RQ2) Multidimensional Profiling, with partial domain distinctness (mean |r| = 0.732): the Intellectual domain showed moderate independence from a highly coherent Cognitive-Psychological-Behavioural grouping, yielding two complementary constructs: Academic Capability and Self-Regulation Capacity (C-P-B); • (RQ3) Academic Stream Recommendations, with all participants receiving theoretically coherent programme recommendations reflected in graduated AAI scores. Behavioural-performance correlations (r = +0.927) exceeded those of the Intellectual domain (r = +0.782), providing preliminary evidence for VR’s ecological validity in capturing authentic persistence patterns. While predictive validity remains unestablished, the findings demonstrate that immersive VR assessment can produce theoretically coherent multidimensional profiles beyond traditional cognitive-only approaches. The study further proposes an institutional partnership model through which XR-based career guidance could inform funding decisions, improve academic alignment, and support student retention in South African higher education.
Elite household perceptions of social justice and off-grid electricity: A case study of elite households in Cape Town, South Africa.
(University of the Western Cape, 2025) Isaac, Miguel
In the context of South Africa’s deep-rooted energy inequality, this study critically interrogates the relationship between wealthy households’ defection from the electricity grid and the evolving concept of social justice in Cape Town. While the installation of solar photovoltaic (PV) systems by affluent residents is often framed as a sustainable and autonomous response to state failure and rolling blackouts, this research explores the broader socio-political consequences of such practices. Through thematic analysis of interviews and participant observations, it reveals how solar adoption, far from being a neutral act, is reshaping urban energy infrastructures in ways that entrench privilege and exacerbate marginalization. This study conceptualizes social justice from the ground up, questioning whether energy self-sufficiency for the wealthy can truly be just in a city grappling with poverty, infrastructural decay, and fiscal strain. It argues that while the solar transition among elites reduces dependency on a failing grid, it simultaneously accelerates revenue losses for municipalities undermining their ability to subsidize electricity for low-income households. As a result, the grid becomes both materially and symbolically fragmented, giving rise to a semi-grid that privileges the few while destabilizing collective equity. By focusing on the under-researched solar practices of the wealthy, the study offers critical insights into the infrastructural, political, and social implications of decentralized energy transitions in the Global South. It contributes to the broader discourse on just transitions by exposing how alternative energy technologies, when unregulated and unequally distributed, risk reinforcing the very inequities they aim to dismantle. In doing so, it challenges dominant narratives of progress and sustainability, and calls for energy governance frameworks that foreground justice and inclusivity, across social divides.
The trophic ecology of 12 mesopelagic fish species in the northern Benguela Current ecosystem contributes to species coexistence
(National Inquiry Services Centre Ltd, 2026) Zacarias, Lourenço; van der Lingen, Carl David; Gibbons, Mark J.
Mesopelagic fishes are abundant and play an important role, even if incompletely understood, in the ecology and functioning of the global ocean. Mesopelagic fishes are predominantly carnivorous, and assemblages may comprise species that feed on similar zooplankton resources. Yet, their species diversity remains generally high. This study examined the trophic ecology of 12 of the most common mesopelagic fish species found in the northern Benguela Current ecosystem in an effort to understand interactions between species. Integrating morphometric traits, stomach content analysis, and stable isotope values revealed complex, multidimensional niche partitioning within the mesopelagic assemblage. Though morphological similarities suggested potential competition, systematic gape-size analysis demonstrated a clear scaling relationship with prey-size spectra, providing a mechanical basis for resource partitioning. Stomach content analysis confirmed this partitioning, with species-specific preferences for distinct zooplankton groups. These dietary differences were reflected in stable isotope biplots of carbon and nitrogen, which delineated a clear trophic hierarchy. By combining these three methodologies, our study indicates that coexistence is achieved through a synergy of morphological specialisation and trophic positioning, rather than spatial segregation alone.