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African female doctoral graduates account for success in their doctoral journeys
(AOSIS, 2022) Tsephe, Lifutso; Potgieter, Cheryl
Doctoral education is regarded as a crucial engine for development by the knowledge economies, thereby making the research capacity of scholars play a critical factor towards development. Widening participation within doctoral education is seen as a way of enhancing this capacity. However, African scholars produce only 1.4% of all published research, indicating that Africa lacks research capacity. Even though both men and women contribute to the development of their continent and their countries, the number of women holding doctoral degrees on the African continent remains low across all nationalities. In high-income countries, there are 3963 PhDs per million people, whereas in some African countries (such as Tunisia, Egypt and Kenya), the number ranges from 100 to over 1500; however, in most lowincome countries (such as Ethiopia, Uganda and Tanzania), the number is less than 100. Much research in doctoral education examines the reasons for low graduation rates and high attrition rates, but little research examines the contributors to the doctoral study for African women, especially in these times when doctoral education is viewed as a driver of the economy. Based on a qualitative study that interviewed 14 women from African countries, this article aimed to investigate how women account for completing doctoral studies. Data were gathered through semistructured interviews and analysed thematically using a capabilities approach as a theoretical framework. The findings suggest that institutional support, peer support and academic support played a role in their achievement. Contribution: The article contributed to doctoral education scholarship of African women and indicated that religion contributed to African women’s success in doctoral programmes, granting them strength to push until completion. This research may greatly encourage more women to enrol in doctoral programmes when reading other women’s success stories
A cluster-randomized controlled trial to reduce Diarrheal disease and dengue entomological risk factors in rural primary schools in Colombia
(National Centre for Biotechnology Information, 2016-11-07) Overgaard, Hans J.; Alexander, Neal; Matiz, María Inés; Jaramillo, Juan Felipe; Olano, Victor Alberto; Vargas, Sandra Lucía; Sarmiento, Diana; Lenhart, Audrey; Stenström, Thor-Axel
Background As many neglected tropical diseases are co-endemic and have common risk factors, inte-grated control can efficiently reduce disease burden and relieve resource-strained public health budgets. Diarrheal diseases and dengue fever are major global health problems sharing common risk factors in water storage containers. Where provision of clean water is inadequate, water storage is crucial. Fecal contamination of stored water is a common source of diarrheal illness, but stored water also provides breeding sites for dengue vector mosquitoes. Integrating improved water management and educational strategies for both diseases in the school environment can potentially improve the health situation for students and the larger community. The objective of this trial was to investigate whether interven-tions targeting diarrhea and dengue risk factors would significantly reduce absence due to diarrheal disease and dengue entomological risk factors in schools. Methodology/Principal Findings A factorial cluster randomized controlled trial was carried out in 34 rural primary schools (1,301 pupils) in La Mesa and Anapoima municipalities, Cundinamarca, Colombia. Schools were randomized to one of four study arms: diarrhea interventions (DIA), dengue interven-tions (DEN), combined diarrhea and dengue interventions (DIADEN), and control (CON). Interventions had no apparent effect on pupil school absence due to diarrheal disease (p = 0.45) or on adult female Aedes aegypti density (p = 0.32) (primary outcomes). However, the dengue interventions reduced the Breteau Index on average by 78% (p = 0.029), with Breteau indices of 10.8 and 6.2 in the DEN and DIADEN arms, respectively compared to 37.5 and 46.9 in the DIA and CON arms, respectively. The diarrhea interventions improved water quality as assessed by the amount of Escherichia coli colony forming units (CFU); the ratio of Williams mean E. coli CFU being 0.22, or 78% reduction (p = 0.008). Conclusions/Significance Integrated control of dengue and diarrhea has never been conducted before. This trial pres-ents an example for application of control strategies that may affect both diseases and the first study to apply such an approach in school settings. The interventions were well received and highly appreciated by students and teachers. An apparent absence of effect in primary outcome indicators could be the result of pupils being exposed to risk factors out-side the school area and mosquitoes flying in from nearby uncontrolled breeding sites. Inte-grated interventions targeting these diseases in a school context remain promising because of the reduced mosquito breeding and improved water quality, as well as educa-tional benefits. However, to improve outcomes in future integrated approaches, simulta-neous interventions in communities, in addition to schools, should be considered; using appropriate combinations of site-specific, effective, acceptable, and affordable interventions.
Communication skills as a subject in the programme cost and management accounting at a South African University
(International Foundation for Research & Development, 2013-07) Naidoo, Suntharmurthy Kristnasamy; Garbharran, Hari Lall
The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the communication proficiency of the Cost and Management (CMA) students and to assess whether the studying of the subject,, ”Communication Skills”, is having any positive influence on students’ skills development. The research design for this paper was descriptive, quantitative and cross-sectional. The target population was 556 CMA students. A census survey was conducted. Findings, which were analysed with the aid of descriptive statistics, indicate a significant correlation between skills in English proficiency and better grades in CMA. This paper recommends the implementation of a screening mechanism and the provision for the acquisition of communication skills for first-year university students.
Community-based tourism research in academic journals: a numerical analysis
(AJOL, 2015) Mtapuri, Oliver; Giampiccoli, Andrea; Spershott, Claire
This article examines the growth of Community-Based Tourism within the broader discipline of tourism. New topics in the field have emerged such as responsible tourism, pro-poor tourism, sports tourism and moral impacts of tourism. This phenomenon also reflects the multidisciplinarity of tourism. In this article, using the Title, Abstract and Keywords (TAK) for instances in which the words (Community-based Tourism, Community Tourism and Community-Based Eco-Tourism) to subsume Community-Based Tourism (CBT), a search was made in various databases and found that CBT as a sub-specialty of tourism started to emerge in the late 1970s and early 1980s. The number of articles published specifically on CBT has been growing phenomenally. The major contribution of this article is that we now know the evolution of CBT and we also now know its trajectory of growth which has been upward. While the number of articles on CBT is growing, there is no journal dedicated solely to CBT.
A comparative study of operations of liquids in Barwe and Central Shona
(Taylor and Fancis Online, 2016) Mangoya, Esau; Gift, Mheta
One universal characteristic of a language is that it has particular speech sounds that are organised and governed by rules. This article presents an analysis of functions and operations of liquids in Barwe. Barwe is a variety of Eastern Shona, a cross-border language spoken in Zimbabwe and Mozambique. The article draws comparisons between liquids in Barwe and those that obtain in Central Shona dialects, mainly Zezuru, spoken in and around Zimbabwe’s capital Harare, and Karanga, which is spoken in the Masvingo and Midlands provinces of Zimbabwe. Liquids are found to occur in all the varieties that constitute the Shona group. According to Trask (1996), liquid is a conventional label for any non-nasal sonorant. In this paper, added focus is on three sounds which are: the lateral [l], the flap [ɾ] and the trill [r]. We thus make a comparative study of the laterals as they operate in Barwe and Central Shona. A phonological comparative analysis aids us in identifying the sound operations in the two varieties under discussion. The comparative study is conducted through analysis of corpora of these varieties which are in written and audio form. The phonological data are analysed using Kiparsky’s (1982) Lexical Phonology Theory, which accounts for the systematic organisation of sounds in languages.
Destination South Africa: comparing global sports mega-events and recurring localised sports events in South Africa for tourism and economic development
(Taylor and Francis, 2015) Giampiccoli, Andrea; Lee, Seungwon; Nauright, John; Nauright, John
This contribution examines the comparative value of sport mega-events such as the 2010 FIFA (FeÂ´deÂ´ration Internationale de Football Association) World Cup of soccer held in South Africa and recurring sporting events (SPEs) such as the Comrades Marathon held each year in KwaZulu-Natal Province in South Africa. Through an examination of case studies of the World Cup and regional SPEs in South Africa, with particular focus on Durban and surrounding areas of KwaZulu-Natal, we seek to expand debate on the efï¬ cacy of various SPEs on tourism and local and regional economic development strategies. We present a detailed literature review of the role of these events to economic development and impacts on tourism and legacy planning then examine extant data produced around the 2010 World Cup (realising that we only have a partial picture to date) and compare that to SPEs held regularly in the region. Our aim is to generate intelligent debate around the role of sports and tourism in economic development strategies and suggest that alternative focus will yield more sustainable and predictable returns that locate beneï¬ ts in host communities.
Detection of all four dengue serotypes in Aedes aegypti female mosquitoes collected in a rural area in Colombia
(Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Ministério da Saúde, 2016-04) Pérez-Castro, Rosalía; Castellanos, Jaime E.; Olano, Victor Alberto; Matiz, María Inés; Jaramillo, Juan Felipe; Vargas, Sandra Lucía; Sarmiento, Diana; Stenström, Thor-Axel; Overgaard, Hans J.
The Aedes aegypti vector for dengue virus (DENV) has been reported in urban and periurban areas. The in-formation about DENV circulation in mosquitoes in Colombian rural areas is limited, so we aimed to evaluate the presence of DENV in Ae. aegypti females caught in rural locations of two Colombian municipalities, Anapoima and La Mesa. Mosquitoes from 497 rural households in 44 different rural settlements were collected. Pools of about 20 Ae. aegypti females were processed for DENV serotype detection. DENV in mosquitoes was detected in 74% of the analysed settlements with a pool positivity rate of 62%. The estimated individual mosquito infection rate was 4.12% and the minimum infection rate was 33.3/1,000 mosquitoes. All four serotypes were detected; the most frequent being DENV-2 (50%) and DENV-1 (35%). Two-three serotypes were detected simultaneously in separate pools. This is the first report on the co-occurrence of natural DENV infection of mosquitoes in Colombian rural areas. The findings are important for understanding dengue transmission and planning control strategies. A potential latent virus res-ervoir in rural areas could spill over to urban areas during population movements. Detecting DENV in wild-caught adult mosquitoes should be included in the development of dengue epidemic forecasting models.
Ecological functionality of the Upper and Middle Vaal Water Management areas
(2012-12-05) Dzwairo, Bloodless; Otieno, Fredrick Alfred O.; Ochieng, George M.
A harmonised in-stream water quality guideline was constructed for the Upper and Middle Vaal Water Management Areas (WMAs) using ideal catchment background values for the sub-catchments; Vaal dam, Vaal barrage, Klip River and Blesbokspruit/Suikerbosrant Rivers. Data for years 2003 to 2009 was interpolated to a daily time-step for 2526 days at 21 monitoring sites covering both WMAs. Conductivity was used as a surrogate to capture the variability in water quality. This provided an ecological functionality model of the study area, coded for ranges 10-18, 19-45, 46-80, 80< and 81-100 mS/m. The Upper and Middle Vaal basin is currently extremely vulnerable to changes in water quality, uncertainty about changes which it can tolerate, and the fact that there are very limited options for mitigating effects of poor water quality in the basin, overall. Thus a precautionary approach is being proposed in this paper, in order to protect the ecological functionality of the aquatic ecosystem. The proposed harmonised guideline presents a crucial model to pre-determine the ecological functionality for any water point in the study area, in order to provide upstream-downstream pollution trading and other decision support processes towards sustainable basin management
Exploring the potential reservoirs of non speciﬁc TEM beta lactamase (blaTEM) gene in the Indo-Gangetic region : a risk assessment approach to predict health hazards
(Elsevier, 2016) Singh, Gulshan; Vajpayee, Poornima; Rani, Neetika; Amoah, Isaac Dennis; Stenström, Thor-Axel; Shanker, Rishi
The emergence of antimicrobial resistant bacteria is an important public health and environ-mental contamination issue. Antimicrobials of -lactam group accounts for approximately two thirds, by weight, of all antimicrobials administered to humans due to high clinical efﬁcacy and low toxicity. This study explores -lactam resistance determinant gene (blaTEM) as emerging con-taminant in Indo-Gangetic region using qPCR in molecular beacon format. Quantitative Microbial Risk Assessment (QMRA) approach was adopted to predict risk to human health associated with consumption/exposure of surface water, potable water and street foods contaminated with bac-teria having blaTEM gene. It was observed that surface water and sediments of the river Ganga and Gomti showed high numbers of blaTEM gene copies and varied signiﬁcantly (p < 0.05) among the sampling locations. The potable water collected from drinking water facility and clinical set-tings exhibit signiﬁcant number of blaTEM gene copies (13 ± 0.44–10200 ± 316 gene copies/100 mL).
Integrating quality and cost of surface raw water : upper and middle Vaal water management areas South Africa
(IWA Publishing, 2010) Dzwairo, Bloodless; Otieno, Fredrick Alfred O.
The user-pays principle encourages use of a water tariff structure that incorporates pollution and/or depletion of a water resource because that water represents a capital resource base. Development of a tool that models variability of surface raw water quality in order to predict cost of treatment thus makes economic sense. This paper forms the backbone for an on-going doctoral study in South Africa's Upper and Middle Vaal Water Management Areas (U&MVWMAs) of the Vaal River (VR). Specific objectives of the overall research are; to carry out pollutant tracer hydrochemistry of specific reaches of the U&MVWMAs including producing an integrated ecological functionality for the whole study area, and to develop a tool that models the variability of surface raw water quality using surface raw water tariffs and water quality data for years 2003–2008. This paper concluded that downstream water boards (WBs) paid a higher water resources management charge (WRMC) for more polluted raw water than upstream WBs. It was recommended that a quality-cost model be incorporated at tier1 of the cost chain for water services to ensure fairness of service delivery and spread of burden to consumers.
Introduction : theorising curriculum approaches and praxis
(BRILL, 2020-01-01) Khoza, Simon Bheki; Fomunyam, Kehdinga George; Fomunyam, Kehdinga; Simon, Khoza
Curriculum studies is at the core of the educational endeavour: it informs what happens in every educational institution. As a result of the criticality or primacy of the curriculum, every educational practitioner appears to claim expertise in curriculum matters, and in the direction the field of curriculum studies should take. The curriculum practitioner, especially in Africa, has been given little or no space to theorise, orienting the future of the field in Africa. Instead, European and American curriculum theorisers have been allowed to exert a marked influence on the nature and direction of African theoretical and philosophical underpinnings, especially in relation to curriculum studies. This situation raises fundamental questions about the future of education in Africa in general, and curriculum studies in particular. While Europe and America seem to be experimenting with new philosophical paradigms in curriculum studies, Africa seems to be trailing behind by ten or fifteen years. A case in point is the implementation in South Africa in the late nineties of outcomes-based education (OBE) (a European and American theoretical enterprise), although there was clear evidence that it would not work. Is Africa, therefore, doomed to repeat the mistakes of Europe and America in curriculum studies? Has educa-tion in Africa preconditioned the theoriser only to explore traditions from the global North, rather than experimenting and articulating alternative pathways for education in Africa? Must curriculum theorising in Africa slavishly follow the traditions of theorising laid down by the global North, or can such tradi-tions be used as springboards for the articulation of alternative perspectives, as we strive to develop African curriculum matters?
My African husband did not conform to gender roles while supporting me through doctoral studies
(2023-11-21) Ts'ephe, Lifutso
Both men and women with doctorates are known to have significantly contributed to the advancement of continental and national growth through knowledge and skills acquired while conducting research in the pursuit of a doctorate. However, the percentage of women on the African continent with PhDs is still low across all nationalities. Students enrolled for PhD programmes have been known to exit at some stage for a variety of reasons, including financial hardships, obligations to one's family, and demotivation engendered by prolonged research. Some women seek divorces because they believe that their husbands hindered their paths to accomplishing their goals. This article presented a research narrative on an African woman PhD graduate who attended a university in South Africa. Mandisa talks about how her husband assumed gender roles perceived to be that of a woman to help her successfully complete her doctoral studies. This qualitative research was underpinned by the interpretivist paradigm. Through the lens of the capabilities approach, this article demonstrated how spousal support is essential for a wife to achieve success in PhD studies. The results revealed that Mandisa's husband inspired her to succeed in her doctoral studies by relieving her of taking care of the household chores. The article envisions promoting doctoral education scholarship through highlighting the value of familial support, especially for African women.
A reformulation of the 3 SS model for community-based tourism : towards an alternative model
(Serials Publications, 2014) Mtapuri, Oliver; Giampiccoli, Andrea
This article posits a 7S’s model to expand from the 3S’s model of Sun, Sea, and Sand as anchors for tourism development. It extends the discussion by arguing that within the 7 S’s model Government/community relationship must be elevated to take a new meaning – with Government as a facilitator and the community providing the decision-making platforms in a reconfigured bottom-up approach in the interest of holistic development. Thus, the 3S’s model is expanded to include Safari, Surfing, Shopping and Ski-ing to form a 7S’s model including Sun, Sea and Sand. The model is based on the soundness of leveraging on indigenous knowledge, community ownership of tourism resources, re-formulation of fitting and apt legislation and identity definition to achieve ecological, economic, social and cultural sustainabilities without which tourism cannot properly thrive. Based on this, the article argues that the tourism sector is particularly well positioned to enhance holistic development especially within particular historical-geographic contexts.
Schools as potential risk sites for Vector-Borne disease transmission: mosquito vectors in rural schools in two municipalities in Colombia
(The American Mosquito Control Association, Inc., 2015) Olano, Victor Alberto; Matiz, María Inés; Lenhart, Audrey; Cabezas, Laura; Vargas, Sandra Lucía; Jaramillo, Juan Felipe; Sarmiento, Diana; Alexander, Neil; Stenström, Thor-Axel; Overgaard, Hans J.
Dengue and other vector-borne diseases are of great public health importance in Colombia. Vector surveillance and control activities are often focused at the household level. Little is known about the importance of nonhousehold sites, including schools, in maintaining vector-borne disease transmission. The objectives of this paper were to determine the mosquito species composition in rural schools in 2 municipalities in Colombia and to assess the potential risk of vector-borne disease transmission in school settings. Entomological surveys were carried out in rural schools during the dry and rainy seasons of 2011. A total of 12 mosquito species were found: Aedes aegypti, Anopheles pseudopunctipennis, Culex coronator, Cx. quinquefasciatus, and Limatus durhamii in both immature and adult forms; Ae. fluviatilis, Cx. nigripalpus, Cx. corniger, and Psorophora ferox in immature forms only; and Ae. angustivittatus, Haemagogus equinus, and Trichoprosopon lampropus in adult forms only. The most common mosquito species was Cx. quinquefasciatus. Classrooms contained the greatest abundance of adult female Ae. aegypti and Cx. quinquefasciatus. The most common Ae. aegypti breeding sites were containers classified as “others” (e.g., cans), followed by containers used for water storage. A high level of Ae. aegypti infestation was found during the wet season. Our results suggest that rural schools are potentially important foci for the transmission of dengue and other mosquito-borne diseases. We propose that public health programs should be implemented in rural schools to prevent vector-borne diseases.
Stable isotope evidence for trophic niche partitioning in a South African savanna rodent community
(Oxford University Press, 2015) Codron, Jacqueline; Duffy, Kevin Jan; Avenant, N. L.; Sponheimer, M.; Leichliter, J.; Paine, O.; Sandberg, P.; Codron, Daryl
Abstract Species’ partitioning of resources remains one of the most integral components for understanding community assem-bly. Analysis of stable carbon and nitrogen isotopes in animal tissues has the potential to help resolve patterns of partitioning be-cause these proxies represent the individual’s diet and trophic niche, respectively. Using free-ranging rodents in a southern Afri-can savanna as a model community, we find that syntopic species within habitats occupy distinct isotope niches. Moreover, spe-cies with strongly overlapping isotope niches did not overlap in their spatial distribution patterns, suggesting an underlying effect of competitive exclusion. Niche conservatism appears to characterize the behaviour of most species in our sample – with little or no observed changes across habitats – with the exception of one species, Mastomys coucha. This species displayed a generalist distribution, being found in similar abundances across a variety of habitats. This spatial pattern was coupled with a generalist isotope niche that shifted across habitats, likely in response to changes in species composition over the same spatial gradient. The case for M. coucha supports contentions that past competition effects played a significant evolutionary role in shaping community structures of today, including the absence of strong interspecific niche overlaps within particular habitats. Our study highlights the value of stable isotope approaches to help resolve key questions in community ecology, and moreover introduces novel ana-lytical approaches to quantifying isotope niche breadths and niche overlaps that are easily comparable with traditional metrices [Current Zoology 61 (3): 397–441, 2015].
Tourism development in Qatar: towards a diversification strategy beyond the conventional 3 Ss
(2015) Giampiccoli, Andrea; Mtapuri, Oliver
Research on tourism development in oil-dependent countries is still in its infancy arguably because the tourism sector itself is new in those countries. This paper makes a contribution filling this gap with a focus on the diversification strategy which Qatar seems to be pursuing. The pursuit of the conventional 3 Ss model of Sea, Sand and Sun by Qatar in terms of its tourism development trajectory seems to be the only focus of its tourism development strategy. Against a backdrop of phenomenal growth, Qatar then incorporated the 4Ss of Safari, Skyscrapers, Sport, Shopping, and Surgery to offer a diversified product which appeals to sport enthusiast; a shopper; safari adventurer; a landscape and architectural admirer; health enthusiast (or just patients) for surgery; and a holiday maker for sea, sand, sun thereby establishing its own competitive advantage in the tourism sector. The framework of Qatar’s offerings and model of tourism development of Qatar are this paper’s major contributions as they open up new research areas as to whether endowments can be expanded/diversified as is the case of Qatar and whether growth trajectories are context specific. For Qatar, Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, Exhibitions, Festivals, History, Heritage, Desert, Sea, Nature reserves and Safari are all part of a single experience.
Transforming the teaching and learning process in South African higher institutions
(Horizon Research Publishing Co., Ltd., 2022) Matola, Noluthando; Fomunyam, Kehdinga George; Moyo, Sibusiso
Teaching and learning is a complex process, which deals with different individuals with different expectations from diverse backgrounds, with different cultural and social capital involved in this process. The teaching and learning process in most South African institutions of higher learning has been plagued by several challenges over the last decade. In this research, the experiences of international postgraduate student lecturers teaching at a university in KwaZulu-Natal were examined. Utilizing the curricular spider web as its framework, it evaluates the experiences of international students lecturing at a university in KwaZulu-Natal, in order to identify the challenges faced by students in this institution during the teaching and learning process, and create a transformation path that can be adopted by other South African institutions of higher learning. This framework utilizes ten different components, each answering some key questions, and all stemming from the rationale for teaching and learning. Using a qualitative case study approach, this research conducted semi-structured interviews involving six participants who were pursuing different postgraduate degrees at the University. Interviews with each participant were conducted in English, lasted about 60 minutes each, and were digitally recorded and transcribed afterwards. Data were analyzed using an open coded process and findings reveal that transforming the teaching and learning process at these institutions of higher learning will largely involve making major changes to the curriculum content, learning activities, and learning resources.
Treating high nitrate groundwater using surfactant modified zeolite in fixed bed column
(Taylor and Francis, 2011-05-02) Masukume, Mike; Eskandarpour, Akbar; Onyango, Maurice S.; Ochieng, Aoyi; Otieno, Fredrick Alfred O.
High levels of nitrate in South African groundwater used for drinking purposes are a cause of concern due to the possible human health risks associated with consuming nitrate contaminated water. In this study, nitrate removal using surfactant modified zeolite (SMZ) in fixed bed column is explored. The performance of SMZ is studied as a function of bed height, initial concentration, flow rate, and bed diameter. The number of bed volumes processed and capacity of the bed at breakthrough point are used as performance indicators. The bed performance improves with a decrease in bed height while column diameter has no influence on bed performance. Within the studied flow rate range, the highest number of bed volumes processed and bed capacity are observed at a flow rate of 5 mL/min. In an adsorption-desorption process, the performance of SMZ is found to be poor in the subsequent cycle suggesting that the media is suited for single-use only.
Water security in South Africa: perceptions on public expectations and municipal obligations, governance and water re-use
(Creative Commons Attribution Licence, 2016-07-03) Sershen, S.; Rodda, N.; Stenström, Thor-Axel; Schmidt, S.; Dent, M.; Bux, Faizal; Hanke, N.; Buckley, C. A.; Fennemore, C.
South Africa is a water-scarce country with increasing pressure on its water resources. Urgent interventions are needed to protect water security within this rapidly developing country. This paper reports on an interdisciplinary Water Security Colloquium, convened by the South African Young Academy of Science in 2014. A selected group of water professionals from academia, civil society and local government was brought together to discuss water security under three focus themes: ‘public expectations and municipal obligations’, ‘water security and governance: challenges and advances’, and ‘water re-use: health and infrastructural considerations’. Participant perceptions were generated using a focus group methodology, combined with participatory data collection methods. Under each theme, inputs were categorised as ‘challenges’, ‘gaps in knowledge’, and ‘solutions/recommendations’ and these inputs were thereafter ranked in order of importance via a ‘voting’ process. Major challenges perceived included a lack of both skills and political will in government, a need to restore citizen trust in government intention and capability to deliver water-related services, and a failure to up-scale existing water re-use technology. Participants identified understanding of the process and implications of the Green and Blue Drop Programmes, knowledge transfer to the public, and the role of educators as major knowledge gaps. The top suggestions proposed included creating public awareness around and buy-in to initiatives to improve water security, accessible and user-friendly conversion of research results to implementation, and ensuring an active role for educators in creating awareness around water security. In view of the concerns identified, participants suggested as potential solutions: improving government and public understanding around water issues, incentivising water re-use and conservation, introducing rising block tariffs and improving human capacity development in the water sector. Developing the ecological infrastructure that protects both quantity and quality of water and building strong partnerships among all stakeholders were also recognised as key.