Nelson Mandela University

Agonistic interactions and vocalizations among Procellariiformes in multi-species feeding aggregations, observed through bird-borne cameras

Abstract Marine predators frequently aggregate at food sources, where interactions can range from cooperative group hunting to interference competition for resources. To investigate interactions at feeding aggregations among procellariiforms, we equipped wandering albatrosses Dio...

Multi-predator feeding aggregations in pelagic waters

Abstract Multi-predator feeding aggregations (MPFAs) are temporary co-occurrences of several species of predators simultaneously exploiting the same prey resource. Pelagic waters are home to the largest and most diverse MPFAs on the planet, however, our knowledge of the mechanism...

Heat treatment technique and fuelwood density shape silcrete flake-edge geometry

Silcrete heat treatment was a transformative technological innovation in the Middle Stone Age, enabling toolmakers to improve the flaking properties of this raw material. Recent research has highlighted that silcrete heat treatment is not a uniform process, different silcrete sou...

In Search of the double-dividend effect in South Africa: threshold impacts of environmental taxes on carbon emissions and economic growth

This study examines the threshold effects at which environmental taxes simultaneously enhance economic growth and improve environmental quality in South Africa. Using data from 1994:Q1 to 2022:Q4, we estimate both kinked regressions and formal threshold regressions. The results i...

Micro-foundations of sustainability: entrepreneurial identity and interaction patterns in plant-based food microenterprises

Purpose The paper aims to identify how entrepreneurs’ identities intersect with interaction patterns to facilitate sustainability-driven activities in microenterprises. In addition, it proposes a typology of sustainable entrepreneurs, ranging from Mission-Embedded Activists to In...

Socio-economic transformation and inequality in South Africa: a regional analysis

Socio-economic transformation is the process through which the main sources of national income, output, and employment shift away from primary sector activities such as agriculture towards more productive sectors like manufacturing and services. This transition is widely recognis...

Dispensing Patterns of Influenza and Pneumococcal Vaccines in the Private Healthcare Sector in South Africa for 2017 to 2021: A Longitudinal Study

ABSTRACT Purpose The primary aim was to conduct a longitudinal pharmacoepidemiological study on the dispensing patterns of the influenza and pneumococcal vaccines in a section of the private healthcare sector in South Africa in the presence of the COVID‐19 vaccine to document the...

Lead-time management and supply chain performance in Ugandan public health institutions

Purpose This study examines the association between lead-time management and supply chain performance in Ugandan public health institutions by investigating whether the order-to-delivery cycle and the cash-to-cash cycle are associated with supply chain flexibility, reliability an...

Anxiety and Depressive Symptoms among Undergraduate Health Sciences Students at a Rural South African University: Prevalence and Multivariable Correlates

Introduction/Objective Health sciences students may experience substantial anxiety and depressive symptoms, yet evidence from rural South African faculties remains limited. This study estimated the prevalence and severity of anxiety and depressive symptoms and examined associated...

Contact and recruit – the importance of acoustic communication in the foraging strategy of a flightless seabird

While foraging, seabirds use various cues to navigate, including other predators to signal the presence of inconspicuous prey. Transfers of information have been conceptualised in flying seabirds as local enhancement and foraging networks, with visual signals used over a few kilo...

Spot the difference: Turbidity‐driven plasticity and variation in spotted grunter ( Pomadasys commersonnii ) spot patterns

Animal body markings such as spots, stripes and patterns play important roles in camouflage and visual communication. This study investigated phenotypic plasticity in the spot patterns of spotted grunter Pomadasys commersonnii, an estuarine-dependent haemulid species. First, an a...

Perceptions of Wearable Health Data Governance Among Wearable Users and Health Professionals in South Africa

Personal health management and clinical health systems are increasingly being transformed by data-driven smart technologies that enable remote monitoring, predictive analytics, and digitally mediated care. Wearable technologies contribute to this transformation by continuously ge...

Boundaries Between Freedom of Expression and Hate Speech: The Case of Struggle Songs Current Perspectives From the Global South

This discussion article addresses the historical, political and social context of struggle songs in South Africa and the circumstances in which such songs should be considered prohibited hate speech. The analysis is framed around the decision in AfriForum v Malema , in which the...

Forgotten reservoirs: an attempt to revive field research on rodent malaria parasites in their main natural host, the thicket rat Grammomys poensis (formerly Thamnomys rutilans)

<title>Abstract</title> Rodent malaria parasites have long served as essential experimental models for understanding human malaria, yet little is known about their ecology and evolution in the wild. The thicket rat <italic>Grammomys poensis</italic> (formerly <italic>Thamnomys ru...

Economic and Environmental Framework of Producing Green Hydrogen from Groundwater in South Africa: A Systematic Review

The hydrogen economy has emerged as a promising pathway to address climate change and ensure long-term global energy security, with water electrolysis powered by renewable energy as a key enabler of sustainable hydrogen production. Recent advances in various electrolyser technolo...

“A Bushman Story:” An Opaque Reference to Eugène Marais’s Dwaalstories in Eben Venter’s Decima

Decima, South African bilingual novelist Eben Venter’s most recent and critically acclaimed work, can be described as vintage Venter. As in his other writings, the novel explores questions of the “...

Galactic Brains, Zombie Apocalypse, and the Poiesis of an Ecology of Metamodern Myths

Old myths have lost their power, while current mythologies fail to guide us through the coming metacrisis. The hypermodern salvation myth of galactic brains is inapplicable. The postmodern myth of the zombie apocalypse provides no positive vision. A new kind of mythopoiesis is ne...

Baseline characterization of inshore reef soundscapes and noise dynamics along the southeast coast of South Africa

Underwater noise has risen in certain parts of the world, driven by continued growth of maritime economic activity. In South Africa, increasing economic development threatens to elevate underwater noise levels in marine habitats, yet knowledge of marine soundscapes remains very l...

Early Childhood Singing in Diverse Socioeconomic Backgrounds in South Africa

Abstract Research highlights the benefits of singing in early childhood for the development of cognitive, language, emotional and social skills. Grounded in this theoretical framework, this article draws on data from Statistics South Africa’s, The General Household Survey (2023),...