Tracey JM McKay

University of South Africa | unisa · Department of Environmental Sciences

The expectations placed on students with respect to appropriate academic writing may hinder successful participation in Higher Education. Full participation is further complicated by the fact that each discipline within the University constitutes its own community of practice, with its own set of literacy practices. While Writing Centres aim to hel...

The potential contribution of geotourism in environmental protection and sustainable development in Cameroon Abstract Geotourism is a relatively new concept that enhances and promotes the particularity of a region based on the complex connection between tourism and the geology, heritage, culture, aesthetics, the health of the surrounding environm...

This study explores the media portrayal of a highly controversial cableway proposed for the Northern Drakensberg, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The project is being driven by the provincial government, specifically, the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs, purportedly to develop tourism in this poor, p...

Extracellular vesicles are unique structures released by the cells of all life forms. Bacterial extracellular vesicles (BEVs) were found in various ecosystems and natural habitats. They are associated with bacterial-bacterial interactions as well as host-bacterial interactions in the environment. Moreover, BEVs facilitate bacterial adaptation to a...

Supporting agriculture is crucial if food security and poverty alleviation are to be assured. In that regard two crucial aspects - water and land are central to supporting smallholder farmers. This is especially true for the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa with its high rates of poverty and food insecurity. However, attention is seldom given...

In Lesotho, large dams supply South Africa with water, earning Lesotho royalties, as well as supplying this small nation with water and electricity. This study investigated the perceptions of residents regarding the impacts of one of these dams, namely the Metolong Dam and Reservoir. The methodology was qualitative in nature, using document analysi...

Despite rolling blackouts, high electricity prices, a favorable climate and the size of the South African economy, rooftop photovoltaic (PV) solar products have low levels of middle-income residential market penetration. This study sought to establish the reasons for this. It was found, firstly, that households opt rather for demand side management...

There is a huge demand for housing in Johannesburg, South Africa, due to significant in-migration as well as the legacy of apartheid. Rental housing supply in Johannesburg is particularly constrained. Despite this, little is known about the formal rental market in terms of middle income access. Thus, this explorative qualitative study seeks to part...

Against the backdrop of a growing population and increased demand for tertiary education, South Africa’s private higher education sector has grown considerably since 1994. However, it has long been beset by perceptions of poor quality. This study surveyed private university students to gauge their satisfaction with their institutions. It also explo...

The Parkrun, a community-based, shared leisure-time activity, allows people to come together to run, jog or walk, and interact socially, in park-like surroundings. Although the Parkrun started with only 13 participants in 2004, at Bushy Park, London, United Kingdom, it is now staged in 23 countries across the world, making it is a global ‘social mo...

School choice and commuting in Ladybrand’s three high schools was explored. While all were numerically dominated by Black African children, only the fee-charging former whites-only public school, in the heart of Ladybrand, had a multiracial learner profile. Black African learners enrolled in this school hailed from mostly middle-class homes in the...

Inspired by the most promising green technology for xenobiotics degradation, this work proposes novel visible-light-responsive L-Methionine (CNS tripledoped)-TiO2/ZnO photocatalysts successfully synthesized by sol-gel technique with various loadings of L-methionine and different mass ratios of TiO2/ZnO. Subsequently, their application for photodegr...

It is estimated that by 2050 as many as five billion bicycles could be in use globally. Reasons for this growth vary, with utility cycling strong in Europe and Asia; while in the United States of America, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand cycling is a sport and leisure activity, with cycling deemed the ‘new golf’. Within this co...

Airports stimulate tourism and trade and are a vital link in any country’s tourism infrastructure and economy. Large airports such as South Africa’s busiest airport, the OR Tambo International Airport, in Ekurhuleni, Gauteng, are usually located on the periphery of cities, usually on land that forms part of the peri-urban economy, reserved perhaps...

Licorice processing industry produces a characteristic wastewater with a high chemical oxygen demand (COD), high turbidity, and intense color. Direct disposal of untreated licorice processing wastewater into water bodies can pose a serious risk to the human health and environment. The main objective of this study is to evaluate the performance of a...

Water and land are vital resources essential to ensuring sustainable and productive rural economies. They are also essential for safeguarding food security and socio-economic development. In spite of this, the concept of water-land-food (WLF) security nexus has generally been examined from a top-down manner with women mostly disenfranchised in the...

Urban parks play a crucial role in conserving the biophysical environment, yet conservation efforts mostly focus on biodiversity hotspots, iconic mammal species, and nature conservation areas. A challenge in enhancing the role of urban parks in conservation relates to the varied, and often conflicted, priorities of communities and city authorities...

This paper examines community-based water supply management (CBWSM) in three rural districts of Northwest Cameroon as well as a review of the literature focusing on some successful community-based natural resource management initiatives in sub-Saharan Africa. Using empirical and secondary data collected through participatory research methods, it is...

The drive to ensure regular and reliable access to domestic water supplies is a major challenge for governments across sub-Saharan Africa. This study investigated the rural water systems in North-West Cameroon across rural districts using the lenses of Cultural Theory and Systems Thinking Analysis (STA). Different social groups were classified usin...

The Camino Pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela is an institution that has been operative for more than 1200 years. The European summer months see hundreds of thousands of pilgrims, whether they be persons of faith, agnostics or even atheists, walking the different routes to the city of Santiago de Compostela in the north-west of Spain. To be offic...

A health-conscious mindset has grown rapidly among South African middle-class consumers. This can be seen by their embrace of sports watches, reward-based programmes, and participation in organised leisure activities such as cycling and running. Within this context, trail running is becoming increasingly popular; however, research on the nature of...

Cultural tourism is a fast growing sector in Africa, with many museums and art galleries offering cultural experiences. South Africa, with a large array of cultural products, is actively promoting cultural tourism due to its ability to foster local economic growth and job creation. One such locality in dire need of economic growth is Limpopo Provin...

Green infrastructure, such as wetlands, provide significant benefits to urban populations. They are, however, vulnerable to destruction and degradation due to competing land uses, weak local government and poor management. This is especially true when local governments are appointed guardians but have competing mandates and a shortage of funds. Dra...

Many rural communities in sub-Saharan Africa have a long history of community cooperation and local-led development projects harnessed to improve the delivery of water services. This study examined issues of local leadership across various community-built rural water supply (CBRWS) in the Mbengwi, Njinikom and Ndu districts of Northwest Cameroon. T...

Creating different redox conditions in different regions can be effective for nutrient removal in a single bioreactor. Jet loop-airlift bioreactors are presented as an innovative system that can provide regions with different oxidation–reduction potentials (ORP). In the present study, the performance of a novel jet loop-airlift bioreactor for the s...

Although water is critical for human wellbeing, being able to access a reliable supply of water remains a major challenge affecting rural communities in the developing world. Regrettably, most governments of the developing world have not managed to provide potable water to their rural communities. In some cases, such communities have had to build a...

With over 65% of the South African population now urbanised, the country needs to tackle its urban transport problems head on if economic growth and social cohesion are to be fostered. However, historical urban planning decisions undermine the ability of South Africa’s urban areas to have a sustainable transport system. The long term impact of hist...

Great White shark (Carcharodon carcharias) tourism is a highly controversial, iconic niche form of shark tourism that forms part of the nature-based adventure tourism or wildlife tourism market. As such it straddles hard adventure, nature-based adventure as well as marine ecotourism. Great White shark cage diving tourism in South Africa started in...

Between 2011 and 2016, South Africa witnessed a threefold increase in the number of official trail running events. Given South Africa’s historical love affair with ultra-long-distance road running, and with health and physical activity becoming increasingly important, such growth is not surprising. This growth reflects international sports trends,...

Non-profit organisations (NPOs) operating in South Africa are financially weak and the sustainability of their organisations is often at risk. Post-2008, large numbers have ceased to operate, in part, because of the weak state of the South African economy. This study sought to determine the financial conditions NPOs operate under, to establish why...

Conference presentation

Scientific textbooks are often seen as critical teaching and learning tools for undergraduate students. Furthermore, textbooks can shape and define students’ comprehension and internalisation of academic disciplines. Despite this, textbooks are not necessarily error free. Additionally, textbooks can be laden with hidden representational presumption...

South Africa’s education system has changed from one divided by race to one divided by class. Those with financial and sociocultural capital are accessing quality education and, consequently, realise substantial academic success. Broadly speaking, this class is urbanised, resides in the economically-dominant provinces of Gauteng and the Western Cap...

The 2015/16 #FeesMustFall protests brought the insufficient tertiary-level student funding problem into the national consciousness, with students arguing they are being excluded from higher education as they do not have sufficient funds. But, the relationship between academic success and access to student funding is not clear. Thus, this study soug...

A case study of a Soil Science teaching intervention for second year university students is presented here. The purpose was to address post-first year student underpreparedness for higher education. The curriculum was redesigned to iteratively develop students' academic writing skills: with particular regard to environmental report writing, whilst...

Much has been made of the glamour, efficiency and effectiveness of the Gautrain, an urban rapid rail transport system operating in the province of Gauteng, South Africa. However, little research has been done on the spatial layout of stations and the user experience of commuters. In particular, while the Gautrain has brought speed and convenience t...

Adventure tourism activities generally take place in remote wilderness areas, and are, therefore, not normally a typical feature of cities. Thus, it is surprising that Cape Town, a metropolitan area, dominates the South African adventure tourism market in terms of operator numbers. While this may in part be due to the City of Cape Town listing adve...

It is argued here that an effective regulatory regime could assist the South African adventure tourism sector to grow, which could benefit the embattled South African tourism economy as a whole. Firstly, appropriate regulation of the industry would enable owners and employees of adventure enterprises to know precisely which laws (and sections there...

Finding the Local in the Global: Taking a Critical Lens to Soil Science Narratives - Presentation at Society of South African Geographers 2018 Biennial Conference - 30 September 2018

This study contributes to the literature by documenting the working conditions as well as the socio-economic and demographic profile of teachers employed in Johannesburg’s inner city low-fee private schools. A total of 42 teachers, working in 10 randomly selected inner city private schools, participated in a self-administered questionnaire survey....

Presentation at Unisa Decoloniality Conference – Decolonisation and Re-Afrikanisation: A Conversation – 7 August 2018

The Blesbokspruit wetland system is a high-altitude Ramsar site of global significance. It is the largest permanent wetland in the Highveld region of South Africa, with significant bird and ecological diversity, in part due to its four open water bodies. Nonetheless, the wetland has been subjected to sustained and extensive environmental degradatio...

Tracks the issues pertaining to a significant provincial road in an economically important province of South Africa. Recommends better road management, especially regarding truck loading. It also presents evidence of an extraordinary long commute for residents of South Gauteng.

Amongst the first of the challenges facing prospective first-year university students is the need to procure funding for their studies. Indeed, demand for funding for students to access higher education far exceeds supply in South Africa. One solution has been the creation of a government loan scheme, the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFA...

The efficient use of lignocellulosic materials for pharmaceutical and chemical production relies on the hydrolysis of their components into their building blocks (e.g. hexoses and pentoses), which can be converted later into chemicals of interest. This study aimed to isolate cellulase- and xylanase-producing bacteria for the bioconversion of lignoc...

South Africa has many of the physical resources that support an adventure tourism industry. Thus, since the 1990s, adventure tourism has grown enormously and is now a significant industry in its own right. Geographically it is spread across the entire country. The industry, however, suffers from policy neglect – both from South African tourism auth...

Ligninolytic bacteria are considered a major source of ligninolytic enzymes, which are widely used in a variety of industrial and biotechnological processes. The present study aimed to isolate ligninolytic bacteria with the ability to simultaneously produce laccase, lignin peroxidase (LiP) and manganese peroxidase (MnP) with high enzyme activity. L...

This small scale exploratory study investigated the reasons behind fast food purchasing decisions. Respondents were multi-racial, mixed gender, multi-ethic with self-declared different religious affiliations. All respondents were based in Johannesburg, which is South Africa’s largest and wealthiest city. In terms of the hospitality industry, the ke...

The international adventure tourism literature is remarkably silent on the geographical nature of the industry. This study seeks to provide a geographical analysis of the sector within the context of South Africa. The spatial analysis was undertaken by metropolitan area, secondary towns and small towns, using a dataset of adventure tourism enterpri...

Adventure Tourism offers a tailored, individualised small scale tourist service to high-end tourists (Robinson & Novelli, 2005). The focus on high-spending tourists means that the potential profit-to-cost ratio and return on capital is significant (Sung, 2004; Petreas & Tzanakis, 2010). Therefore, this kind of Niche or Special Interest Tourism offe...

Address at the gala dinner of the SSAG Student’s Conference, University of Mpumalanga, 18-21 June 2017

The utilization of lignocellulosic materials to produce a variety of building blocks (e.g. fermentable sugars) is an interesting alternative approach to meeting the growing demand for high value chemicals. Cellulose and hemicellulose can be hydrolyzed by cellulase and xylanase enzymes into their respective building blocks (hexoses and pentoses), wh...

Mine closure and acid mine drainage (AMD) are major interrelated challenges facing South Africa’s Witwatersrand gold mines. As a result of mining, the East, West and Central Rand compartments of the Witwatersrand Basin are interconnected, making AMD a regional problem. Consequently, the South African National Department of Mineral Resources recomme...

If South Africa’s Gauteng Province is to become a more ‘sustainable’, urbanised region, attention needs to be paid to building a transportation network that aligns with sustainable development principles. Currently, public transport passenger levels are low, whilst the geographical area it serves is large and becoming larger. This study analysed th...

Whilst many sub-sectors of the South African adventure tourism sector have been operating for decades, the body of academic scholarship on adventure tourism in South Africa is still in the emerging phase. Consequently, the body of knowledge is limited, as this study will reveal. What is more, it may be that in some instances idiocentric interests d...

Lignin degradation produces multiple aromatic monomers which can act as platform chemicals for the production of high value products. In this study, two lignin-degrading bacterial strains identified as Bacillus thuringiensis Lland Bacillus safensis Lllwere isolated from soil,screened for their ligninolytic ability,and tested for their lignin deg...

Tension exists between broadening access to tertiary education and ensuring throughput; as simply enrolling underprepared students into three-year degree programmes can be counterproductive, leading to failure and an increased dropout rate. Thus, correct placement of students and effective teaching interventions are crucial. On this basis, the Univ...

This is a case study of a scaffolded Soil Science practical curriculum in the context of a large second year class at a South African contact institution of higher learning. The practical in question aimed to consolidate and develop skills relating to teamwork, mapping, mathematical literacy, scientific vocabulary and scientific report writing with...

Electricity supply issues have resulted in widespread blackouts and increased utility costs in South Africa. This is placing financial pressure on universities as they have limited means of increasing their income to cover the additional energy costs and, at the same time, are energy-intensive due to peculiar usage patterns and sprawling campuses w...

The spatial organisation of the adventure tourism industry in South Africa is presented based on an analysis of a national dataset of adventure tourism suppliers. At a national level, the spatial distribution of adventure tourism in South Africa is geographically uneven. The Western Cape is by far the most important province in terms of adventure,...

The number of students enrolled in higher education outside their countries of originincreased from 0.8 million in 1975, to 2.1 million in 2000, and to 3.7 million in 2009(Ryan, 2012). This growing trend of student mobility leads to increased universitycompetition for students around the globe. However, little is known about the experiencesof inter...

Typical of most developing world cities, the City of Johannesburg, South Africa, faces many waste management challenges. One of which is a lack of awareness of, and compliance with, waste management legislation, recycling and composting by the general public. Thus, the city has to deal with high levels of solid waste generation and subsequent press...

Abstract Globally, efforts to conserve the natural environment are usually focused on biodiversity hotspots and iconic mammal species. Much less attention is given to urban parks within large urban areas. Mofolo Park in Mzilikazi Street, Mofolo, Soweto is one such park used for recreational and commonly hosts music concerts, cycling and running eve...

In Douala, Cameroon, solid waste volumes and disposal costs are rising, placing pressure on a municipality that has a small tax base and multiple demands for its meagre resources. Initially the municipality outsourced the collection and disposal of solid waste to the private sector, but collection rates are declining. Informal solid waste pickers o...

School education in South Africa has seen much progressive change in the last 20 years. Yet educational outcomes are poor and many argue that a dual education system exists. Those with financial and socio-cultural capital access resourced schools, while poor South Africans are relegated to schools still suffering from apartheid resource neglect. Th...

School education in South Africa has seen much progressive change in the last 20 years. Yet educational outcomes are poor and many argue that a dual education system exists. Those with financial and socio-cultural capital access resourced schools, while poor South Africans are relegated to schools still suffering from apartheid resource neglect. Th...

Although bungee jumping is a global phenomenon, Africa lags the world in terms of this particular sub-sector of adventure tourism, with commercial bungee jumping only taking place in Uganda, Zambia and South Africa. As South Africa " s bungee sector is the most developed, research was undertaken in order to establish the nature of both the supply o...

This study undertook to chart the spatial footprint and size of South Africa’s white water rafting industry. It was found that distribution of the 49 white water rafting operators is geographically uneven, with the majority located in the Western Cape and the Free State. There was a significant dearth of operators in Mpumalanga, the Eastern Cape an...

This study explores school choice and school commuting within the City of Johannesburg, with specific reference to enrolment in low cost inner city private high schools. The study found that the majority of learners enrolled in these schools were black and hailed from upper working class or lower middle class homes. Although most commuted to school...

This article describes a teaching intervention, which was informed by a community of practice approach, undertaken to manage a plagiarism problem at the University of Johannesburg (UJ), South Africa. In particular, many final year students were submitting assignments which were, to a large extent, plagiarised. As this problem posed a threat to the...

There is a large body of literature aimed at directing mining towards positively contributing to sustainable development. Much of this literature advocates frameworks and principles, which if abided to, should ensure such a sustainable contribution, specifically with respect to mine closure. Despite this, achieving sustainable mine closure remains...

As in many other countries, gentrification and urban regeneration occurs across South Africa. Despite this, geographical research on gentrification in South Africa is limited. This study adds to the literature by presenting the case of Parkhurst, a Johannesburg surburb. The study found that Parkhurst displays numerous characteristics of gentrifi...

Many urban wetlands in South Africa are either lost or degraded in the name of development. Of those remaining, most are less than pristine, even canalised, dredged, drained or filled. This is partly because urban wetlands are often found in strategic locations, and, as such are considered prime development land. A typical example is that of the Li...

Bungee jumping is a global phenomenon and is an important sector of the adventure tourism market, acknowledged as an iconic form of hard adventure. Commercial operators are located in North and South America, Asia, Europe and Australasia. In Africa, commercial bungee jumping takes place in Uganda, Zambia and South Africa. This paper fills a gap in...

. Bungee jumping is a global phenomenon and is an important sector of the adventure tourism market, acknowledged as an iconic form of hard adventure. Commercial operators are located in North and South America, Asia, Europe and Australasia. In Africa, commercial bungee jumping takes place in Uganda, Zam-bia and South Africa. This paper fills a gap...

In South Africa, prior to 1994, the racially defined geographical neighbourhood in which a child resided usually determined which school they could enrol in. Post 1994, this changed to legally allow enrolment in any public school. Unfortunately, due to the legacy of apartheid, in particular, resource allocation inequity, schools in African areas se...

Kayaking and rafting on white water is viewed as core adventure activity in both the adventure recreation and adventure tourism literature. Additionally, many argue that the activity also represents a segment of extreme or lifestyle sport. This case study of the Ash River, South Africa demonstrates how, with specific reference to white water kayaki...

The international tourism industry is becoming increasingly segmented with the growth of different “niches” or “segments” of tourism. One notable and rapidly expanding niche segment in the international tourism economy is that of adventure tourism. Although adventure tourism has attracted a growing international scholarship, research on adventure t...

Since 1994, the South African adventure tourism industry, both in its hard and soft manifestations, has grown rapidly, and its geographic footprint is now wide. Despite this, little is known about the industry in South Africa. In particular, data on the demand for, and supply of, this type of tourism product are lacking. This paper seeks to contrib...

Research conducted by the authors involving Writing Centre consultants and first-year science students at their university revealed that assessment rubrics may not serve as effective assessment mediation tools. This prompted a reflection on the use of rubrics at their university. To this end, a research project was developed, the aim of which was t...

This article reports on an innovative teaching intervention model involving the integration of geographical content into academic literacy programmes and vice versa at the University of Johannesburg (UJ). This model involved the 'movement' of academic literacy support as an independent and isolated function of the Academic Development and Support (...

Transportation infrastructure, in the region, has been molded to a large degree by the history of the dominant cities found in the region. That said, the provision of infrastructure is crucial to the further economic development of Gauteng, especially in the face of a massive rise in the population of the province, thus, it is critical to understan...

Historically, education in South Africa was divided along strict racial lines. Post-apartheid South African society, however, is becoming increasingly stratified along ‘class’ lines, i.e. income and socio-economic status, more than race, strongly influence access to educational resources. This empirical study investigated the extent to which socio-...

Quantitative research was undertaken in Gauteng to establish the current baseline of water conservation knowledge and practice amongst urban South African children, in both high and low income groups. It was found that most children do not seriously engage in any water conservation activities. The success of numerous water education programmes aime...

The water services system is unsustainable in its current form as it does not make sustainable use of the water resource, nor is the service economically and socially sustainable (Naidoo, 1999). Any Local Agenda 21 programme undertaken by any local authority in South Africa will have to acknowledge that current water use patterns need to be audited...

The concept of "underclass" was used as a primary tool of analysis in this attempt to disaggregate the socio-economic and demographic profile of Hillbrow, an inner city suburb of Johannesburg. The "underclass" was defined as a group of economically weak, politically marginal and socially isolated people. Such individuals are also understood by many...