Gay men, leisure space and South African cities: the case of Cape Town

In response to the current paucity of geographical research into post-apartheid development of gay leisure space, the paper focuses on the nature and extent of gay leisure space development in De Waterkant, South Africa’s first “gay village”, located in the Cape Town CBD periphery. Despite a new liberal constitutional environment, the gay spaces generated in post-apartheid De Waterkant are not inclusive of most gay South Africans. On the contrary, the legacy of apartheid race, gender and class inequality persists, generating a wealthy, White, male leisure space enclave. As a consequence, De Waterkant’s potential to function as a site of identity formation, development and re-affirmation, seen in many gay villages found in other Western societies, appears unlikely.     

Gis-aided land evaluation and decision-making for regulating urban expansion: A South African case study

A computerised aid to the land use planning process is demonstrated on the urban edge of Cape Town, South Africa. Multi-criteria analysis is performed in the IDRISI GIS package to evaluate development suitability for four land use categories according to appropriately measured and weighted criteria. The four suitability images are then subjected to multi-objective land allocation to demarcate optimum locations for each land use type. The decision-making process entails execution of seven consecutive steps which are discussed in detail and applied in the case study. Technical decisions are rationalised and results displayed. The paper concludes with a call for the development of applications which can incorporate public participation in this type of decision-making process to ensure the wider acceptance of advanced GIS technology as appropriate technology.     

The African Renaissance and its relation to the geosciences: a South African perspective

Implicit in the African Renaissance is the synergy between government, the private sector, the educated minority and the disadvantaged majority. For this concept to work, belief and commitment must arise first from the African individual, whatever his or her potential contribution may be. The geosciences in South Africa provide a currently vibrant example of such cooperation, which has the potential to contribute significantly to the upliftment of the country and its neighbouring states. Based largely on personal interviews with various role players, from the Presidency of South Africa, through ministerial levels, the corporate sector and down to the individual, we present a spectrum of viewpoints and initiatives which are starting to result in practical implementation of the African revival. An end to conflict and xenophobia, the entrenchment of democratic government and corporate expression of the entrepreneurial spirit are essential to provide the framework within which the individual African can become a “Renaissance Man or Woman”.     

South African geography and post-apartheid reconstruction

South African geography and post-apartheid reconstruction     

Sun international: The making of a South African tourismus multinational

Sun International is a tourism multinational corporation (MNC) based in South Africa. The aim is to examine the formation and geographical spread of activities of this South African MNC engaged in casino-resort development and luxury tourism. Within the geographical literature on MNCs the study of Sun International underlines both the importance of country of origin as a factor in interpreting the heterogenous character of MNCs and of the distinctiveness of South African MNCs. The spatial scope of Sun International (including its ancestor, Southern Sun) operations was influenced by the enterprise's association with apartheid. Despite several efforts to mask its South African origin through restrictive corporate disclosure and corporate camouflage, planned international expansion was continually frustrated by the stigma of apartheid. Sun International was confined in its international operations to those African states which either were economic or political satellites of South Africa or to the group of independent Bantustans, which were creations of apartheid.     

Japan's hidden involvement in South African manufacturing

This paper examines the development of Japanese involvement in South African manufacturing. In the extensive literature dealing with the growth and spread of Japanese investment abroad the unique situation of Japanese companies in South Africa has been overlooked. Despite the introduction of a ban on direct investment in South Africa there is a considerable hidden Japanese presence in local manufacturing which resulted from licensing arrangements. In particular, Japanese enterprise is strongly represented in the South African motor-vehicles sector where it is at the forefront in innovating new flexible production systems.     

From Mafeking to Mafikeng: the transformation of a South African town

Within the scant literature on third world urban form the concept of a post colonial city is receiving increasing attention. The changes experienced in the Mafikeng area since the independence of Bophuthatswana in 1977 are presented as a case study of the colonial city in transition. The importance of the transformation in the economic base of the town is linked to changes in access to residential accommodation. This process of transformation is shown to be dependent upon the dominance of the state as employer and provider of housing.     

Copula-based evaluations of drought variations in Guangdong, South China

Changing characteristics of hazardous weather-related events have been arousing considerable public interest in recent years. Guangdong is an economically developed province in China and is prone to natural hazards. Using monthly precipitation data covering a period of 1956?C2008 from 127 rain gauge stations, the probabilistic behaviors of SPI-based droughts were investigated with copulas functions. Results indicated a higher risk of droughts along the coastal regions and the western Guangdong, particularly the Pearl River Delta (PRD) region. Joint probabilities of droughts with higher intensity and longer duration were found to have relatively even geographical distribution across Guangdong. The northern parts of Guangdong are higher in altitude and have a lower risk of droughts. Identification of regions characterized by droughts of different severity and durations across Guangdong is important for scientific management of water resource and agricultural activities and also the development of social resilience under the influence of climate changes.     

The spatial formation of the South African City

The south African social formation is characterised by a distinctively large social distance. This paper traces the evolution of the social formation, identifies some of its parameter and demonstrates its on the urbanisation process and the urban structure. Within this framework, a Segregation City and an Apartheid City are recognised, representing two sequential but interrelated phases of urban development separated by the acceptance of a formal Apartheid ideology and development strategy from 1948 onwards.     

Spatiotemporal meteorological drought assessment: a case study in south-east Australia

Natural Hazards - An understanding on different aspects of droughts is crucial for effective water resources management. Australia has experienced notable droughts in recent years. The present...     

Regional analysis of streamflow drought: a case study in southwestern Iran

Droughts are complex natural hazards that, to a varying degree, affect some parts of the world every year. The range of drought impacts is related to drought occurring in different stages of the hydrological cycle and usually different types of droughts such as meteorological, agricultural, hydrological, and socio-economical are the most distinguished types. Hydrological drought includes streamflow and groundwater droughts. In this paper, streamflow drought was analyzed using the method of truncation level (at 70 % level) by daily discharges at 54 stations in southwestern Iran. Frequency analysis was carried out for annual maximum series of drought deficit volume and duration. 35 factors such as physiographic, climatic, geologic and vegetation were studied to carry out the regional analysis. According to conclusions of factor analysis, the six most effective factors include watershed area, the sum rain from December to February, the percentage of area with NDVI <0.1, the percentage of convex area, drainage density and the minimum of watershed elevation, explained 89.2 % of variance. The homogenous regions were determined by cluster analysis and discriminate function analysis. The suitable multivariate regression models were ascertained and evaluated for hydrological drought deficit volume with 2 years return period. The significance level of models was 0.01. The conclusion showed that the watershed area is the most effective factor that has a high correlation with drought deficit volume. Moreover, drought duration was not a suitable index for regional analysis.     

Researching the South African tourism and development nexus

Under apartheid, tourism was essentially anti-developmental in focus and tourism research largely centred on the recreation of white South Africans. Since the 1994 democratic transition tourism has become recognised as an increasingly important sector for South Africa's economy and for achieving the government's goals for reconstruction and development. In this paper a review and critical analysis is presented of the changing directions and foci of tourism scholarship in South Africa. It is shown that South African scholars are beginning to respond to the challenges posed by tourism as a developmental focus. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

The grey dawn of South African racial residential integration

The over-arching influence of the Group Areas Act continues to manifest itself, when its principal objectives are no longer realised. Grey areas, or zones of illegal racial residential integration, are superficially immune to the effects of the Group Areas Act. Upon further study, however, their character is inextricably linked to the Act. South Africa's present retention of the Group Areas Act has led some observers to question the sincerity of her current policy shifts. Despite the intentions of the reform programme, the effect of the GAA remains far larger than the simple legislation. Accordingly, the Group Areas Act will continue to haunt South African urban life even after its final repeal.     

Limestone lithofacies from the South African continental margin

Carbonate sedimentation has played an important part in the Cainozoic history of the South African offshore areas. The Agulhas Bank sector of the continental shelf and upper slope is covered by a patchy veneer of relict and Recent sediment. Under this thin cover of sediment lies a succession of Cainozoic carbonate rocks very different from those exposed onshore. The Agulhas Bank rocks have been divided into the following lithofacies: (1) lagoonal-quartzose lime wackestones; (2) pelagicforaminiferal lime packstones; and (3) infralittoral-skeletal lime packstones. The rocks within each lithofacies are not necessarily time-equivalents; indeed any one lithofacies may have a considerable time range.     

Volatile contents of phlogopite micas from South African kimberlite

Phlogopite micas from nodules in South African kimberlites were analyzed for major elements with the electron microprobe and for volatile contents by high temperature mass spectrometry. The micas are from primary- (deformed) and secondary- (undeformed) textured grains in perodotite xenoliths, glimmerites, MARID (mica-amphibole-rutile-ilmenite-diopside) suite nodules and a mica megacryst. The major element and volatile contents of micas exhibiting these modes of occurrence overlap to a greater extent than indicated in previous studies. Concentrations of volatile species occupying structurally defined crystallographic sites (H₂O, F, Cl) are greater for many of the micas than predicted on the basis of the mica formula, particularly for the glimmerite and MARID suite samples. A correlation exists between micas with tetrahedral and octahedral cation deficiencies and those with excess H₂O, F and Cl. Substitution of H⁺ for tetrahedral and possibly octahedral cations may be responsible for the excess H₂O in these micas. Except for one sample, the major element and volatile data for the peridotite, glimmerite and MARID suite micas indicate that they crystallized at oxygen fugacities below the quartz-fayalite-magnetite buffer. F and K₂O are in the correct proportion in the micas to provide the source for these elements in alkali basalts, but not in mid-ocean ridge basalts. Kaersutite amphibole is a more likely source of potassium and fluorine in mid-ocean ridge basalts.