Issue #4 (cont.) (Volume 7 2016)

Climate change and extractive industry are two important global streams that are linked to each other in that risks associated with the former can adversely affect different areas of the extractive sector, while the activities of the latter can contribute to climate change. Yet, this nexus is hardly clearly articulated in the context of implications for the environment and economic considerations in Africa. Assessing key literature on the two themes, the paper argues that the link of extractive industry with climate change can have both negative and positive implications for environmental protection and the economy in Africa. The nexus of climate change and the extractive sector can be negative in that unsustainable extractive processes in terms of their outcome of deforestation and energy use are an important source of carbon emission contributing to global warming. The nexus can be positive in that it involves initiatives that can contribute to sustainable extractive sector and thereby reduce carbon emissions underlying climate change.

Keywords: Africa, climate change, extractive sector, environmental protection, economic implications.
JEL Classification: Q51, Q58, N5

Using a triangulation of three research methods led by an exploratory intent, the investigation was lodged into the informal businesses conducted by the Somali and native South Africans in a local township; its pervading intention to seek out similarities or differences between both groups. The survey questionnaire, personal interview and focus group discussions were the preferred data collection tools. Unsurprisingly perhaps, the results suggest that there are more differences between both groups than there are similarities. While the areas of similarities included issues confronting all businesses in the township such as legislation and crime, the authors believe that the differences contribute to the perceived competitive advantage accorded Somalis, hence, the tension between both groups. On the one hand, the inter-group differences that worked in favor of Somalis included the fact that because of the factors influencing their displacement, their need to succeed was exaggerated from the onset: they prove to be younger, more motivated, harder working, co-operative and charge less – the combination gives them an undeniable competitive edge. On the other hand, the natives have the following factors in their favor: they pay less rental or none, are more educated, depict a higher level of business training, as well as prior business experience. Though the anecdoctal evidence does not guarantee an accurate prediction of who has the competitive advantage, it, nonetheless, supports the view that labor market discrimination and the fueled desire to survive gives immigrants the motivation to succeed in entrepreneurial ventures in the host country.

Keywords: immigrant entrepreneurs, informal trading, South African townships and xenophobia.
JEL Classification: M1

Purpose: Water management issues in poor communities in South Africa were never addressed directly by apartheid policies. The 1956 water policy was found not to be holistic in the management of the resource within the country. The growing economy of South Africa resulted in explosive urbanization, which gave rise to an increasing number of townships. The purpose of the paper is, therefore, threefold, namely: it outlines the water management challenges resulting from the 1956 water policy, it outlines the progression of implementing the apartheid ideologies in water management and, lastly, it relates the old policy of water management to today’s environment. The 1956 water policy had a colonial perspective, thus, this has created an observable challenge in the current endeavors of the water management regime. These challenges are presented in the paper in an effort to illustrate that the failures of today’s policies are largely historically embedded.
Design/methodology/approach: A comprehensive framework of the evolution of the water management regime from the DWA’s library was used. Databases that contained historical policies of South Africa were also used to do a rigorous literature review. Because of the nature of the research, the study, therefore, uses both qualitative and quantitative methods of investigation.
Findings: The old apartheid policies created a challenging ideological environment in the townships. This has resulted in the difficulty of implementing the current water policy in water management. The unintended consequences are difficult to factor into the current policies. Over time, communities collaborated and became defiant. The defiance of the water policy by the communities resulted in non-payment for the use of the resource.
Implications: The challenges surfacing in the paper seem to imply that the current policy implementation in water management has an observable challenge that has a potential of hindering policy discourse in water management.
Originality/value: New democracies have a tendency of being overly ambitious about the inclusive nature of the policy discourse. Ideologically, this means that implementation of the new policies cannot be done without challenges. This paper attempts to highlight that the 1956 water policy systematically created certain social norms and ideologies that have the potential to hinder new policy ideals in the townships.

Keywords: water policy, black townships, apartheid ideologies, social dilemmas and water management practices.
JEL Classification: Q25, J71

Agriculture is the backbone of Zimbabwe’s economy with the majority of Zimbabweans being rural people who derive their livelihood from agriculture and other agro-based economic activities. Zimbabwe’s agriculture depends on the erratic rainfall which threatens food, water and energy access, as well as vital livelihood systems which could severely undermine efforts to drive sustainable economic growth. For Zimbabwe, delivering a sustainable economic growth is intrinsically linked to improved climate modelling. Climate research plays a pivotal role in building Zimbabwe’s resilience to climate change and keeping the country on track, as it charts its path towards sustainable economic growth. This paper presents a simple tool to predict summer rainfall using standardized Darwin sea level pressure (SDSLP) anomalies and southern oscillation index (SOI) that are used as part of an early drought warning system. Results show that SDSLP anomalies and SOI for the month of April of the same year, i.e., seven months before onset of summer rainfall (December to February total rainfall) are a simple indicator of amount of summer rainfall in Zimbabwe. The low root mean square error (RMSE) and root mean absolute error (RMAE) values of the proposed model, make SDSLP anomalies for April and SOI for the same month an additional input candidates for regional rainfall prediction schemes. The results of the proposed model will benefit in the prediction of oncoming summer rainfall and will influence policy making in agriculture, environment planning, food redistribution and drought prediction for sustainable economic development.

Keywords: sustainable economic growth, standardized Darwin sea level pressure anomalies, southern oscillation index, summer rainfall prediction, Zimbabwe.
JEL Classification: Q16, Q25, Q54, Q55, Q58

The purpose of the paper is to determine the students’ perceptions on the development management curricula in relation to education in green economy, as no previous research has been conducted to evaluate the perceptions of the students enrolled for this course. The study seeks to answer the following question: To what extent were students exposed to the skills and competencies required for engaging in green economy and its effect on their home and work environment.The study used the quantitative approach where the students were given a questionnaire to complete. The findings indicated that the sustainable development attributes were adequately covered with strong focus on global issues, time management and systems theory and thinking. Personal attribute awareness gained during the course included leadership skills, critical thinking and decision making that could enhance the understanding of the economy and environmental management. The study also highlights the students’ perceptions that they could make significant contributions towards the green economy both at work and home. The study recommends that the course be redesigned to include aspects of green economy, the assessment strategies be made more relevant at the program level to include the tenets of engaged scholarship. The study is important for curriculum developers and higher education policy developers to ensure that the course content is relevant to addressing economic relations in the area of environmental management.

Keywords: re-curriculum, student, perceptions, sustainable, development, higher education.
JEL Classification: I23, Q56

Malaria prevention and control programs in Zimbabwe have been hampered by low levels of cooperation by local communities. The study sought to assess the impact of community participation on cooperation in malaria prevention and control programs in Binga, Gokwe and Kariba districts in Zimbabwe.
This study is aimed at synthesizing, comparing and contrasting data from these three districts which are, arguably, the most prone to malaria in the country. An intensive and extensive review of related literature was done on the impact of community participation on cooperation in malaria prevention and control. The literature reviewed was focusing on three districts in the country, namely, Binga, Gokwe and Kariba. Typologies of participation were used for the measurement of levels of participation, while analysis was descriptive. Findings revealed that the levels of participation in malaria prevention and control programs in Binga and Gokwe were low, but high in Kariba. The findings from Kariba showed that where the level of community participation was high, cooperation in malaria prevention programs by communities was also high.
This study demonstrates the importance of community participation for the success of the malaria prevention and control programs. Although community participation was also very low in Binga and Gokwe malaria prevention and control programs, in Kariba, the program by Save the Children Fund (UK) showed high levels of participation which might have contributed to the high levels of cooperation by community members. Another important issue to emerge from the study is the effectiveness of environmental management methods of vector control, because they are community-based, hence, the success of the Save the Children Fund (UK) program in Binga and Kariba districts.
The study revealed that community participation at higher levels on the participation typologies contributes in a significant way to cooperative behavior by community members in malaria prevention and control programs. This is significant, since it improves the effectiveness of malaria control programs. Recommendations made include increased community participation in malaria prevention and control programs to enhance cooperation and educational programs on causes, prevention and treatment of malaria.

Keywords: community participation, malaria prevention, malaria control, cooperation.
JEL Classification: I12, I18, I14

The growing severe damage and sustained nature of the recent drought in some parts of the globe have resulted in the need to conduct studies relating to rainfall forecasting and effective integrated water resources management. This research examines and analyzes the use and ability of artificial neural networks (ANNs) in forecasting future trends of rainfall indices for Mkomazi Basin, South Africa. The approach used the theory of back propagation neural networks, after which a model was developed to predict the future rainfall occurrence using an environmental fed variable for closing up. Once this was accomplished, the ANNs’ accuracy was compared against a traditional forecasting method called multiple linear regression. The probability of an accurate forecast was calculated using conditional probabilities for the two models. Given the accuracy of the forecast, the benefits of the ANNs as a vital tool for decision makers in mitigating drought related concerns was enunciated.

Keywords: artificial neural networks, drought, rainfall case forecast, multiple linear regression.
JEL Classification: C53, C45

The authority of South Africa is in the midst of a profound economic crisis precipitated by high levels of unemployment and inequality, marked by political shifts unprecedented in scope subsequent to the 2016 local government elections. The recent election outcomes reveal disturbances in the social, political and economic systems of the country. These disturbances have been precipitated by low economic growth trajectory and poor investment in service delivery infrastructure. The central thesis of this paper is that in addressing the triple challenge of poverty, inequality and unemployment, a symptomatic approach of addressing social ills and service delivery will not work. This paper draws from institutional theory as a sense-making mechanism to produce a scientific approach to integrated service delivery. Using the tenets of the critical reflecting methodological approach, institutional theory is deconstructed to provide an understanding of how to operationalize integrated service delivery across functions in a scientific fashion.

Keywords: service delivery, institutional theory, poverty, inequality and unemployment.
JEL Classification: L8, J64, J71, I32