Explore the vast range of titles available.

In post-apartheid South Africa, section 17 of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa 1996 permits, safeguards and guarantees the right of the citizens to demonstrate and protest. However, nowhere in the South African law or any international law instruments is it indicated that violent protests are permitted, rather there are different restrictions imposed on violent protests. However, violence has been symbolic in social protests in both the pre-1994 and post 1994 contexts. Recently, it has been the epitome of dissatisfaction among local residents on issues of water, sanitation, housing and roads among other things. It is widely accepted that the post-1994 violent protests are associated with lack of service delivery or slow pace of service delivery in some cases. Amongst other things, the aim of this paper is to critically analyse the laws or legal frameworks governing the right to protest in South Africa. These laws include the aspects of the Constitution and Regulation of Gatherings Act 205 of 1993 (RGA) which protect peaceful protests. It argues that while the right to protest is available to protesters to utilise for their grievances against the government, it should be exercised within the confine of the law. Furthermore, this paper looks at international and regional instruments safeguarding the right to protest. The judiciary plays a critical role in upholding this right and this paper examined salient Courts‘ decisions on the right to protest and restrictions against violent protests. This paper uses qualitative research methodology and used secondary data from the library, case law, scholarly works and legislation.

The paper deals with the cultivation of the right to protest in South Africa as regulated by section 17 of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996 (Constitution), and the Regulation of Gatherings Act 205 of 1993 (RGA). Although the Constitution and the RGA acknowledge the importance of the right to protest, it appears that the very same regulative mechanisms on the right to protest are being administered by government officials including municipalities and police officials in a way that undermines the right itself. These officials continuously misinterpret the notification process as a permission-seeking exercise. As a result, protesters are halted by police officials on the basis that the convenor failed to show a permit proving that the march/protest has been approved by the municipal officials. Instead of facilitating the right to protest, the processes in these regulative mechanisms are being misread or misinterpreted to stifle the right to protest. This paper recommends that the legal fraternity must establish some mechanisms of further conscientising citizens about the constitutionality of peaceful protests and the right to organize them without infringing on the Law.

Highly prevalent conditions with multiple and complex underlying etiologies are a challenge to public health. Undernutrition, for example, affects 20% of children in the developing world. The cause and consequence of poor nutrition are multifaceted. Undernutrition has been associated with half of all deaths worldwide in children aged <5 years; in addition, its pernicious long-term effects in early childhood have been associated with cognitive and physical growth deficits across multiple generations and have been thought to suppress immunity to further infections and to reduce the efficacy of childhood vaccines. The Etiology, Risk Factors, and Interactions of Enteric Infections and Malnutrition and the Consequences for Child Health (MAL-ED) Study, led by the Fogarty International Center of the National Institutes of Health and the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health, has been established at sites in 8 countries with historically high incidence of diarrheal disease and undernutrition. Central to the study is the hypothesis that enteropathogen infection contributes to undernutrition by causing intestinal inflammation and/or by altering intestinal barrier and absorptive function. It is further postulated that this leads to growth faltering and deficits in cognitive development. The effects of repeated enteric infection and undernutrition on the immune response to childhood vaccines is also being examined in the study. MAL-ED uses a prospective longitudinal design that offers a unique opportunity to directly address a complex system of exposures and health outcomes in the community—rather than the relatively rarer circumstances that lead to hospitalization—during the critical period of development of the first 2 years of life. Among the factors being evaluated are enteric infections (with or without diarrhea) and other illness indicators, micronutrient levels, diet, socioeconomic status, gut function, and the environment. MAL-ED aims to describe these factors, their interrelationships, and their overall impact on health outcomes in unprecedented detail, and to make individual, site-specific, and generalized recommendations regarding the nature and timing of possible interventions aimed at improving child health and development in these resource-poor settings.

The overall goal of The Etiology, Risk Factors and Interactions of Enteric Infections and Malnutrition and the Consequences for Child Health and Development (MAL-ED) cohort study is to evaluate the roles of repeated enteric infection and poor dietary intakes on the development of malnutrition, poor cognitive development, and diminished immune response. The use of 8 distinct sites for data collection from Latin America, sub-Saharan Africa, and South Asia allow for an examination of these relationships across different environmental contexts. Key to testing study hypotheses is the collection of appropriate data to characterize the dietary intakes and nutritional status of study children from birth through 24 months of age. The focus of the current article is on the collection of data to describe the nature and adequacy of infant feeding, energy and nutrient intakes, and the chosen indicators to capture micronutrient status in children over time.

Although genetics, maternal undernutrition and low birth weight status certainly play a role in child growth, dietary insufficiency and infectious diseases are key risk factors for linear growth faltering during early childhood. A primary goal of the Etiology, Risk Factors and Interactions of Enteric Infections and Malnutrition and the Consequences for Child Health and Development (MAL-ED) study is to identify specific risk factors associated with growth faltering during the first 2 years of life; however, growth in early childhood is challenging to characterize because growth may be inherently nonlinear with age. In this manuscript, we describe some methods for analyzing longitudinal growth to evaluate both short- and long-term associations between risk factors and growth trajectories over the first 2 years of life across 8 resource-limited settings using harmonized protocols. We expect there will be enough variability within and between sites in the prevalence of risk factors and burden of linear growth faltering to allow us to distinguish some of the key pathways to linear growth faltering in the MAL-ED study.

An obituary for pioneering South African biomedical scientist, academic leader, entrepreneur and professor Shirley Caroline Keolebogile 'Keo' Mamotswere Motaung, who died on Nov 12, 2025, is presented. Born in Kagiso, Krugersdorp, on Jan 2, 1964, Motaung completed her schooling at Manoane Primary School and matriculated from Nkakane High School in 1982. She pursued a distinguished academic path, earning a National Diploma in Medical Technology (Technikon Pretoria, 1992), a BTech in Biomedical Technology (Technikon Witwatersrand, 1996) and an MTech in Biomedical Technology (Technikon Pretoria, 2003). In 2010, she completed her Doctor of Technology through the Tshwane University of Technology in partnership with the University of California, Davis, as a Fulbright Scholar. She further complemented her scientific training with specialized programs in tissue engineering, biotribology, innovation, leadership and higher education management.

This study was aimed at evaluating the adsorption capacity of novel banana peel activated carbon (BPAC) modified with Al3O2@chitosan for the removal of cadmium (Cd2+) and lead (Pb2+) from wastewater. Characterization techniques such as X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, Fourier transformed infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller analysis confirmed the synthesized BPAC@Al3O2@chitosan composite material. The univariate approach was used to study the influence of different experimental parameters (such as adsorbent mass, sample pH, and contact time) that affects simultaneous removal of Cd2+ and Pb2+ ions. Kinetic results showed that adsorption favored the pseudo-second-order kinetic model, whereas the adsorption of Cd2+ and Pb2+ was best described by the Langmuir model and the adsorption capacity for Cd2+ and Pb2+ was 46.9 mg g−1 and 57.1 mg g−1, respectively, for monolayer adsorption. It was shown the BPAC composite can be re-used until the third cycle of adsorption–desorption (% Re > 80). Based on the obtained results, it can be concluded that the prepared BPAC@Al3O2@chitosan composite material is cost effective, as it is generated from waste banana peels and can be re-used. In addition, the prepared material was able to remove Cd2+ and Pb2+ up to 99.9%.

Seedling production under smallholder farming systems can be negatively affected by both abiotic and biotic factors. Seedling damping-off caused by Rhizoctonia solani is one of the major biotic factors which causes significant yield reduction. Management is mainly based on the application of synthetic fungicides and cultural practices. However, both methods have limitations which result in their inefficiency. Several studies have repor ted on the use of plant extracts and biological control to manage plant diseases. The aim of this study was to formulate an effective and practical approach to manage tomato seedling dampingoff using extracts of Monsonia burkeana and Moringa oleifera and a biological control agent Trichoderma harzianum. The efficacy of both extracts was investigated under laboratory conditions to determine the most suppressive concentration to R. solani growth. Methanolic extracts from both plants significantly suppressed pathogen growth at different concentrations. M. burkeana significantly reduced R. solani growth at 8 g/mL (71%) relative to control whilst Moringa oleifera extract reduced pathogen growth by 60% at a concentration of 6 g/mL. The highest suppressive concentrations were fur ther evaluated under greenhouse conditions to test their efficacy on seedling damping-off. In damping-off treatments, both plant extracts and T. harzianum also significantly reduced (p=0.5) pre- and post-emergence dampingoff incidence. M. burkeana recorded the highest suppression at 78%, followed by M. oleifera at 64%. Trichoderma harzianum reduced incidence of damping-off by 60% and this was higher than both plant extract treatments.

Introduction: The role of cockroaches in the cause of disease or human infections is not immediately obvious. The present study aimed to review the currently available research on the potential role of cockroaches in the transmission of pathogenic bacteria and bacteria with antibiotic resistance. Methodology: A scoping review included the studies published for a period between January 2001 and December 2020. A search was performed through five databases, namely, PubMed, Sage, Springer, Sabinet, and Science Direct. A search strategy used was conducted according to the principles of Preferred Reporting Item for Systemic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA). From 97 studies identified, 32 studies were included in the scoping review. Results: The findings indicate that cockroaches may be a potential vector for a diverse range of pathogenic bacterial agents. Most bacterial agents isolated are antidrug-resistant and antibiotic-resistant which is considered the greatest threat to public health in the current period. Conclusions: Cockroach infestation should be considered as a serious concern, given the possible role of cockroaches as reservoirs of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Further research is needed which can provide a comprehensive understanding of the role of cockroaches in transmitting human infections.

BackgroundLimited access to improved water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) facilities disproportionately affects low- and middle-income nations, impacting human well-being, health, education and income.AimThis study aimed to assess access to water, improved sanitation and hygiene practices as well as to describe the occurrence of diarrhoeal illnesses in the Greater Letaba Municipality (GLM) in Limpopo, South Africa.SettingThe study was conducted in the villages of Ward 2 of the Bolobedu region under GLM.MethodsA cross-sectional study sampled 120 households through a multistage probability sampling design. Data on WASH access and diarrhoeal episodes were collected through a pre-tested structured interview questionnaire and analysed with STATA 18.0.ResultsAlthough all households had toilets, primarily pit latrines (92%), access to improved water sources was limited, with 62% depending on communal taps. Seventy-four per cent of households had access to handwashing facilities with soap and water. Eighty-one households (68%) reported that family members consistently washed their hands with soap and water after using the toilet. Most households (67%) experienced occasional diarrhoea over the past year. Diarrhoea prevalence was significantly correlated (p ≤ 0.001) with water storage practices, availability of handwashing facilities and the frequency of post-toilet handwashing.ConclusionDespite universal toilet access, WASH infrastructure remained inadequate.ContributionThe study highlights the association between precarious water storage, handwashing practices and diarrhoeal illness, emphasising the importance of promoting hygiene alongside infrastructure development in rural areas.