Faculty of Management Sciences
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Item Healing from violence: An action research project among survivors of Gukurahundi, Zimbabwe(University of Peace, 2015) Ngwenya, Dumisani; Harris, Geoffrey ThomasBetween 1983 and 1987, an estimated 20 000 people from Matebeleland and parts of Midlands Province in Zimbabwe were killed by Zimbabwean government forces in an operation code named Gukurahundi. Since that time no official apology, justice, reparations or any form of healing process has been offered by the government which was responsible for these atrocities. The question that this research project seeks to answer is whether the survivors of Gukurahundi can heal themselves? Using a participatory action research approach, the research sheds some light on what communities can do on their own to deal with the wounds of their members. It finds that through actions such as creating safe and empathetic spaces for storytelling, group-based healing workshops and other psychosocial approaches, it is possible for traumatised individuals and communities to attain a measure of relief from their emotional and psychological wounds.Item A theory of war economies formation, maintenance and dismantling(Taylor and Francis Online, 2015) Liebenberg, Sybert; Haines, Richard; Harris, Geoffrey ThomasThis article presents a proposed theory of how war economies are formed and maintained, as well as an integrated policy framework to guide the dismantling of war economies emanating from the proposed theory. Additionally, six potential areas for future research pertaining to the dismantling of war economies are also presented.Item Barriers to use of refractive services in Mozambique(American Academy of Optometry, 2015-01) Thompson, Stephen; Naidoo, Kovin; Gonzalez-Alvarez, Carmen; Harris, Geoffrey Thomas; Chinanayi, Farai; Loughman, JamesPurpose. Uncorrected refractive error remains a leading cause of visual impairment (VI) across the globe with Mozambique being no exception. The establishment of an optometry profession in Mozambique that is integrated into the public health system denotes significant progress with refractive services becoming available to the population. As the foundations of a comprehensive refractive service have now been established, this article seeks to understand what barriers may limit their uptake by the general population and inform decision making on improved service delivery. Methods. A community-based cross-sectional study using two-stage cluster sampling was conducted. Participants with VI were asked to identify barriers that were reflective of their experiences and perceptions of accessing refractive services. A total of 4601 participants were enumerated from 76 clusters in Nampula, Mozambique. Results. A total of 1087 visually impaired participants were identified (884 with near and 203 with distance impairment). Cost was the most frequently cited barrier, identified by more than one in every two participants (53%). Other barriers identified included lack of felt need (20%), distance to travel (15%), and lack of awareness (13%). In general, no significant influence of sex or type of VI on barrier selection was found. Location had a significant impact on the selection of several barriers. Pearson W2 analysis indicated that participants from rural areas were found to feel disadvantaged regarding the distance to services (p e 0.001) and adequacy of hospital services (p = 0.001). Conclusions. For a comprehensive public sector refractive service to be successful in Mozambique, those planning its implementation must consider cost and affordability. A clear strategy for overcoming lack of felt need will also be needed, possibly in the form of improved advocacy and health promotion. The delivery of refractive services in more remote rural areas merits careful and comprehensive consideration.Item Economic inequality as a source of interpersonal violence : evidence from sub-Saharan Africa and South Africa(SAJEMS, 2015) Harris, Geoffrey Thomas; Vermaak, ClaireThis article examines whether the close association of income inequality and violence identified for high income countries applies also to sub-Saharan Africa and, in particular, to South Africa. Cross sectional analysis across sub-Saharan countries provided no evidence of such an association. However, using homicide rates and several measures of inequality across South Africa’s 52 districts does provide evidence of a significant positive relationship between homicide rates and expenditure inequality. A one percent increase in inequality is associated with an increase in the homicide rate of 2.3 to 2.5 per cent. This relationship remains significant after controlling for other characteristics of the district.Item The development of a public optometry system in Mozambique: a cost benefit analysis(BioMed Central, 2014) Thompson, Stephen; Naidoo, Kovin; Harris, Geoffrey Thomas; Bilotto, Luigi; Ferrão, Jorge; Loughman, JamesBackground: The economic burden of uncorrected refractive error (URE) is thought to be high in Mozambique, largely as a consequence of the lack of resources and systems to tackle this largely avoidable problem. The Mozambique Eyecare Project (MEP) has established the first optometry training and human resource deployment initiative to address the burden of URE in Lusophone Africa. The nature of the MEP programme provides the opportunity to determine, using Cost Benefit Analysis (CBA), whether investing in the establishment and delivery of a comprehensive system for optometry human resource development and public sector deployment is economically justifiable for Lusophone Africa. Methods: A CBA methodology was applied across the period 2009–2049. Costs associated with establishing and operating a school of optometry, and a programme to address uncorrected refractive error, were included. Benefits were calculated using a human capital approach to valuing sight. Disability weightings from the Global Burden of Disease study were applied. Costs were subtracted from benefits to provide the net societal benefit, which was discounted to provide the net present value using a 3% discount rate. Results: Using the most recently published disability weightings, the potential exists, through the correction of URE in 24.3 million potentially economically productive persons, to achieve a net present value societal benefit of up to $1.1 billion by 2049, at a Benefit-Cost ratio of 14:1. When CBA assumptions are varied as part of the sensitivity analysis, the results suggest the societal benefit could lie in the range of $649 million to $9.6 billion by 2049. Conclusion: This study demonstrates that a programme designed to address the burden of refractive error in Mozambique is economically justifiable in terms of the increased productivity that would result due to its implementation.Item Technical efficiency differentials among HIV/AIDS affected farm households in Malawi : evidence from time variant and invariant inefficiency models(African Crop Science Society, 2012) Simkawa, Kisu; Harris, Geoffrey Thomas; Ferrer, S.The Malawi Government has made various attempts to raise the productivity of the agricultural systems in the country. However, the impact of this effort within the context of HIV/AIDS epidemic has not been investigated. This paper examines the levels of efficiency for affected and non-affected small-scale farm households in Malawi. Time-variant and invariant inefficiency models of production were used. Results show that the technical efficiency levels for non-affected households were higher than those of the affected households. In general, Malawian farmers are technically efficient, implying that government policy of subsidising hybrid maize seeds and fertilisers since the 2006/06 agricultural season enhanced technical efficiency of small-scale farmers. Nevertheless, there was more scope for improvement of the productivity as some farm households, particularly affected female headed households that had cases of mortality of a prime adult member, were still operating at low levels of efficiency. Two main policy issues emerge from this study. First, all types of obstacles that could limit the use of farm inputs should be removed. This should include complete liberalisation of purchase and distribution of such inputs and the development of some low-cost technology to reduce labour constraints on the farm. Second, there is need to develop social capital in smallholder farming through the recommencement of farmers’ clubs, or by setting up agricultural cooperatives.