ResearchSpace
ResearchSpace is the institutional repository of the University of KwaZulu-Natal, unlocking knowledge, empowering impact, and preserving UKZN's research legacy.
Recent Submissions
Optimizing maintenance strategies through data-driven analysis: case study of a manufacturing company in South Africa Pietermaritzburg.
(2025) Zuma, Sandile Aubrey.; Taylor, Simon.
The increasing complexity of industrial systems and pressure on businesses to achieve operational excellence have made maintenance a strategic function in modern manufacturing. This study examined how data extracted from IBM Maximo can be leveraged in the process of evaluating and optimizing maintenance strategies within a South African manufacturing firm. The research focused on eight key production departments within the organization and analysed historical maintenance data spanning the period 2021 to 2025. The study adopted a quantitative, postpositivist research approach and employed structured methods to extract, process, clean and integrate workflows to transform raw maintenance records into analytical datasets. Descriptive statistics, correlation and regression analyses were applied to uncover the relationships between maintenance activities and asset reliability. The findings revealed significant variations across departments in maintenance workload distribution, work type composition, and asset performance. Preventive maintenance was found to increase breakdowns in the month of execution but demonstrated lagged reliability improvements in subsequent months. At the same time, predictive maintenance was underutilized, resulting in statistically insignificant effects. Corrective maintenance exhibited the most significant immediate impact on breakdown frequency, increasing failures during the month of execution. The study concluded that (Computerised Maintenance Management System (CMMS) data holds great potential for driving continuous improvement when converted into actionable insights. The observed interdepartmental differences and maintenance behaviour patterns formed the foundation for recommending a targeted approach to reliability enhancement. A data-driven feedback loop is proposed to support maintenance teams in refining task intervals, focusing attention on high-risk assets, and systematically tracking the long-term impact of maintenance interventions.
Characterizing fish species diversity in the uThukela marine protected area using environmental DNA metabarcoding.
(2025) Miya, Xolisile.; Macdonald, Angus.
The uThukela MPA, located on the east coast of South Africa in central part of the Natal Bight region is one of the 22 MPAs declared by the minister of environmental health as part of Operation Phakisa in 2018. The uThukela MPA is a significant area of larval retention used by many local fish species as a spawning and nursery site. Its environmental and biological factors are largely influenced by the oceanographic features such as the Agulhas current, Durban eddy and Richards Bay upwelling cell, and the uThukela River. eDNA is evolving as an effective tool for diversity monitoring. Living organisms leave their genetic material in their environment through the shedding of their hair, scales, skin, blood, and other biological secretions, resulting in a combination of genetic material in the environment known as environmental DNA (eDNA). eDNA makes it possible to detect different species from a single environmental sample through a process known as eDNA metabarcoding. This study aims to use environmental DNA metabarcoding to assess the spatial, temporal, and environmental variation in fish species diversity within the uThukela MPA and surrounding none-protected areas outside the MPA, to add to the growing baseline knowledge of fish species diversity and community composition in the uThukela MPA. This was achieved by assessing spatiotemporal variability in fish diversity and environmental variables at different spatial scales within uThukela MPA and in the nonprotected areas outside the MPA. Water samples were collected from various depths in 12 and 14 reefs inside and outside the uThukela MPA winter of 2012 (June) and 2023 (July) respectively. DNA was extracted from the filtered water samples, amplified using the CO1 mitochondrial gene primers, and then later used to determine the species diversity of the fish community. eDNA detected spatial and temporal variation in alpha and beta diversity in the uThukela MPA at different spatial scales. Environmental variables showed various patterns at different spatial scales. The results indicated hydrodynamic and oceanographic factors are crucial in establishing and maintaining spatial variability and ecological connectivity in the uThukela MPA.
A retrospective review of patients with Transposition of the Great Arteries complex (TGA) that underwent surgical repair at a regional cardiac referral centre in South Africa.
(2025) Maharaj, Yasteel Rajendra Mohanpersadh.; Reddy, Darshan.
An overview is available in a PDF.
Transformation of early childhood development and responsive learning environments: a collective case study in outer-west eThekwini, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.
(2024) Cloete, Magdalena Catharina.; Khalema, Ernest Nene.; Alegre, Alexandra.
The purpose of this research was to explore the relationship between responsive learning environments and policy transformation in South Africa. The research problem considered how the relationship between quality childhood development and quality learning environments is not recognised in South African policies to support early childhood development. This oversight has led to the implementation and development of early childhood development (ECD) policies that disregard the potential for quality education that is generated through responsive learning environment designs. The theoretical lens employed for the study first included phenomenology, through the concepts of ‘place’, ‘third space’, and ‘third teacher’. Secondly, it included reconceptualization of the ecological systems theory tied to pattern language, and thirdly, it included social and spatial justice. This approach was rooted in children’s rights and the global sustainable development goals, considering the inequality of the ECD context in South Africa. The study followed a multimethodology that included phenomenology, architectural and environmental psychology, and participatory research within a collective case study situated on the outskirts of Durban (eThekwini), KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The research sites included two centres in a high socioeconomic area and six smaller centres in a low socioeconomic area, enabling comparison. The research design combined evaluative methods from architecture with the constructivist approaches of observations and interviews with participants, providing them with a voice within the interpretive/transformative paradigm. The research findings illustrated how the interrelated relationship between children and their environment forms the basis for quality ECD. Furthermore, the research indicated that the ECD sector in South Africa is under tremendous pressure in terms of the provision of centre-based care and learning, and there are a range of challenges hindering the progress towards transformation. These challenges stand in contrast to the transformation agenda of the National Development Plan and the Integrated Development Plan for ECD, which aim to provide equal access to quality ECD for all children. The research concluded that the transformation of early childhood development is related to the quality of the learning environments. The research identified the need for a review of the role of architecture, the potential of collaboration, and the policy framework as critical to addressing the inequality of learning environments in the country.
Exploring perceptions of talent management in the Finance Department at the University of KwaZulu-Natal.
(2025) Qwabe, McLord Lungani.; Gerwel, Proches, Cecile Naomi.; Singh, Nikita.
The global Higher Education (HE) sector faces intense competition, rapid transformation, and escalating financial pressures, which make the strategic management of human capital essential for institutional sustainability. Although scholars widely recognise Talent Management (TM) as a key driver of organisational performance, existing research has largely focused on academic staff. This emphasis creates a significant gap in understanding the perceptions and experiences of professional and administrative support staff, particularly within the complex environment of South African higher education institutions. This study addresses this gap by examining the perceptions of professional staff in the Finance Department at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) regarding institutional TM practices. Guided by Inclusive Theory, the study critically evaluates the equity, accessibility, and transformative capacity of these practices. The research adopted a qualitative, exploratory design and draws on semi-structured interviews conducted with a sample of ten senior line management professional staff in the UKZN Finance Department, due to their managerial roles and experience in overseeing staff within the department. Thematic analysis enables an in-depth interpretation of participants’ lived experiences and identifies areas of alignment and misalignment between institutional TM policies and their practical implementation. The findings reveal a dual perception of TM. Participants recognise its benefits, particularly in enhancing departmental productivity through the effective use of institutional knowledge and contextual competence, which they regard as more valuable than external recruitment. Effective TM also strengthens employee retention and commitment by supporting career progression and reinforcing the psychological contract. However, participants highlight systemic challenges, including fragmented digital systems, described as functioning as a “digital filing cabinet”, and rigid career pathways that restrict cross-functional mobility and data-informed decision-making. The study concludes that while UKZN’s TM framework holds strategic value, systemic inflexibility and limited data integration undermine its effectiveness and equitable reach. By foregrounding the perspectives of non-academic staff, the study contributes context-specific insights to TM scholarship and offers practical recommendations to inform more inclusive, flexible, and data-driven TM strategies in South African HE.