OpenUCT is the open access institutional repository of the University of Cape Town (UCT). It preserves and makes UCT scholarly outputs digitally and freely available, including theses and dissertations, journal articles, book chapters, technical and research reports, as well as open educational resources.
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Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices (KAP) of Namibian football players towards injury prevention
(2026) Chinyama, Munashe; Manie, Shamila; Burgess , Theresa
Background Namibian football has substantial support and enthusiastic fan engagement. However, it has been consistently identified that football is associated with significant injury risk, including time-loss injuries that may impact both player careers and team performance. As a result, injury prevention strategies are important across all levels of football. Research that describes injury prevention knowledge and practices among Namibian football players is needed to improve the understanding of factors that may contribute to injury development. Aims and Objectives The aim of the present study was to explore the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) of Namibian football players concerning injury prevention. The specific objectives were to: (a) describe the demographic, training, and performance characteristics of Namibian football players; (b) explore the KAP of these players regarding injury prevention; and (c) identify factors (such as demographics, socioeconomic status, and training) that may be associated with players' KAP of injury prevention. Methods Adult Namibian football players across non-professional, amateur, semi-professional, and professional levels were eligible for inclusion. Football players who lacked access to the internet or WhatsApp, or who did not provide informed consent, were excluded. Participants were recruited via social media platforms and through a study advertisement shared with the Namibian Football Association. A snowball sampling technique was then further employed. Participants were requested to complete a self-developed questionnaire that included information on sociodemographic and training characteristics, and football players' KAP regarding injury prevention. Results Most football players (n = 27, 65.9%) had insufficient knowledge regarding injury prevention. There were no significant differences in knowledge scores between male and female football players. A key finding was the lack of access to information, with most of the football players (n = 24, 58.5%) being unaware of the FIFA 11+ injury prevention programme. Most of the football players reported negative attitudes towards injury prevention, with an average score of 44.3% ± 14.8% (range 11.0% - 72.0%). There were no significant associations between football players' KAP and sociodemographic or training characteristics. Conclusion An important gap in injury prevention knowledge in Namibian football players was identified, as well as inconsistent injury prevention practices. These findings highlight the need for multi-stakeholder educational initiatives that promote player wellness and safety. Further research is needed to understand the injury burden and training loads among Namibian football players. Future studies should explore the KAP regarding injury prevention in youth and academy football players, as this is an important cohort in football development in Namibia.
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Open Access
Integrating Fine Grinding options in Platinum Processing Circuits
(2026) Chottu, Dinesh; Mainza, Aubrey
Platinum producers have invested significant capital in the pursuit of efficient operations to achieve high metal recoveries. However, studies on how various technologies can be linked together in circuits to reduce PGM losses to the final tailings have lagged. These losses may be due to insufficient liberation of PGMs, flotation inefficiencies, or a combination of both. The biggest opportunity to maximise recovery is linked to fine grinding and understanding flotation techniques to support recovery of fine PGM particles. However, the integration of fine grinding technologies such as the IsaMill™ and HIGmill™ into circuits and their combined impact on continuous flotation performance, remains underexplored. This study evaluates how different comminution configurations can be integrated into staged millfloat circuits, in a Flexi-Float Pilot concentrator plant, to improve the flotation response of PGM bearing ores. Process flows investigated were mill-float-mill-mill-float (MFM2F) and MFM2FMF. Four Flexi Float continuous pilot campaigns were conducted using combinations of ball milling, IsaMill™ tertiary milling, and HIGmill™ quaternary milling. Target grinds ranged from 80% passing 75 µm to 95% passing 53 µm, enabling a direct comparison of MF2 and MF3 type circuit behaviour under controlled conditions. Results demonstrate that PGM recovery was driven primarily by fineness of grind rather than mill selection. Increasing the grind from 80% to 90% passing 75 µm raised the overall 2E recovery from 86% to ~90% and was consistent with laboratory batch flotation. Ultrafine grinding to 95% passing 53 µm yielded a marginal additional recovery (~92.1%) but required a substantial increase in specific energy input (from 17.6–20.8 kWh/t to 45.6 kWh/t), as well as increased depressant and frother demand to manage liberated phyllosilicates and excess fines observed in the tertiary rougher flotation stage. The findings confirm that while ultrafine grinding can improve metallurgical performance, the additional cost associated with higher energy utilisation and reagent consumption outweighs the small incremental gains in recovery. For this batch of ore, the optimal trade-off between recovery, energy, and reagent use occurred at 90% passing 75 µm with two flotation stages, representing a practical and economically favourable configuration.
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Open Access
Socio-Economic Challenges and the Impact of Unsuccessful Offender Rehabilitation on Recidivism: A Case Study in the Western Cape, South Africa
(2026) Chinyama, Maud; Holtzhausen, Leon; Hoosain , Shanaaz
Socio-economic challenges contribute hugely to unsuccessful offender rehabilitation, which leads to an increase in recidivism rates. The study has aimed to explore the socio-economic challenges causing ineffective offender rehabilitation in correctional settings, leading to an increase in recidivism in the Western Cape Province of South Africa. The effects of unsuccessful offender rehabilitation was also explored. This qualitative study employed purposive sampling to select participants and conduct semi-structured, face-to-face interviews with 12 participants working within criminal justice system organisations. A qualitative case study research design was used for this study. Thematic data analysis was used to analyse the data. The findings revealed that unemployment, corruption in correctional facilities, and understaffing in correctional facilities are the socio-economic factors affecting service delivery and leading to unsuccessful offender rehabilitation in correctional settings. Travel cost barriers to reintegration attendance, and lack of post-release housing and support were identified as challenges that hinder successful offender reintegration and increase recidivism. The study also revealed that the basic human rights of offenders as well as victims were violated due to a lack of victim-offender mediation and therapeutic services for victims. The study findings recommend that the Department of Correctional Services (DCS) should provide pre-release reintegration support, basic needs support, and criminal record support for ex-offenders. The study also suggested that the DCS should partner with other stakeholders to improve the quality of prison programmes, monitor prison staff, and adhere to monitoring reports from the Judicial Inspectorate for Correctional Services (JICS), as well as provide funding support for reintegration agencies. It is recommended that policymakers should equally promote the rights of both the offenders and victims during the rehabilitation and reintegration process. It is recommended that future research use comparative studies to include other provinces to gain different perspectives and experiences. A mixed method on the topic is recommended to develop a comprehensive understanding of the topic. It is recommended that future studies should include government stakeholders to provide a more comprehensive understanding of systematic challenges and to complement the insights obtained from NGOs.
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Open Access
Monitoring fleet vehicle usage using GPS data
(2026) Chimuti, Ropafadzo; Clark, Allan; Silal , Sheetal
Efficient fleet management is essential for enhancing resource allocation and operational performance, particularly in demand-driven contexts. This study examines the utilisation of the Eastern Cape Department of Health's white fleet vehicles, with three objectives: (1) assessing utilisation at site and site-group levels, (2) distinguishing typical from atypical trips, and (3) identifying over- and underutilised vehicles. Drawing on GPS data from 498,601 trips over one year, the analysis applied metrics such as trip counts, inactivity ratios, and simultaneous use ratios, alongside anomaly detection methods (Isolation Forest and DBSCAN), to flag 58 vehicles with irregular usage patterns. Findings highlight substantial disparities in utilisation: hospitals generally demonstrate higher efficiency, while administrative offices and community health centres show both underutilisation and heavy reliance on a small number of vehicles. Recommendations include redistributing vehicles to balance demand, adopting dynamic scheduling, investigating atypical trip patterns, and implementing predictive maintenance strategies. The study offers not only actionable insights for the Eastern Cape but also a scalable framework for enhancing fleet management in public health systems more broadly.
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Open Access
The role of local pension funds in advancing SDGs in Sub-Saharan Africa
(2026) Chimsasa-Phirie, Kimberly; Alhassan, Abdul Latif
Sub-Saharan Africa (“SSA”) has experienced periods of economic growth over the past two decades, yet this progress has not translated into meaningful structural transformation or sustained productivity improvements. Many economies continue to rely on low-productivity agriculture and resource-based activities, with slow diversification into higher-productivity manufacturing and modern services. Against this backdrop, policymakers have increasingly emphasised both Foreign Direct Investment (“FDI”) and domestic investment as central to industrialisation, productivity enhancement, and long-term development. However, empirical evidence on their relative and joint effects in SSA remains mixed, fragmented, and context dependent. This study examines the effects of FDI and domestic investment on structural transformation as measured by manufacturing value added and labour productivity as measured by GDP per person employed across SSA from 2000 to 2022. Using an unbalanced panel of up to 42 countries, the analysis employs two complementary approaches: (i) Two-Way Fixed Effects regression to control for unobserved heterogeneity, and (ii) dynamic system General Method of Moments (“GMM”) to address persistence and endogeneity in investment–growth relationships. The results indicate no significant direct effect of FDI or domestic investment on structural transformation or productivity once country-specific characteristics are controlled for. Instead, institutional quality, human capital, inflation, financial sector depth, openness, and natural resource dependence emerge as more consistent determinants of both outcomes. Dynamic GMM results confirm strong persistence in manufacturing and productivity levels and indicate that natural resource dependence negatively affects manufacturing performance, while domestic investment shows only limited positive effects. The findings suggest that investment alone, whether foreign or domestic, is insufficient to drive transformative structural change without supportive conditions, including institutional effectiveness, macroeconomic stability, financial development, and adequate absorptive capacity. The study contributes to the literature by highlighting the conditional nature of investment-led development and offers policy-relevant insights for strategies aimed at promoting sustainable structural transformation in the region.