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23 February 2021 | Story Dr Nitha Ramnath | Photo Supplied
Mankopane Tsosane.
Juggling work and studies while creating work-life balance can be quite challenging for many. Mankopane Tsosane managed to do just that. A staff member in the Department of Public Administration and Management on the Qwaqwa Campus, Tsosane will receive her MAdmin degree at the University of the Free State virtual graduation ceremony on 24 February 2021.

Promoted by Prof Liezel Lues, the title of Tsosane dissertation is, The influence of human resource development challenges on public health service delivery in Mangaung.  The study examined the human-resource development (HRD) challenges facing the administrative staff of the National, Pelonomi Regional, and the Universitas Academic hospitals.

“I am extremely excited and honoured to have gone through this journey and completed my master’s degree,” says Tsosane. This was no easy task, as I was supposed to balance my work and study. But this couldn’t have happened if it had not been for the continued support of my supervisor, Prof Liezel Lues. She has been a pillar of strength throughout, and for that I am forever indebted to her. “I have learned that the future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams and anything is possible if you put your mind to it, with the right amount of discipline and dedication.”

An article written by Tsosane was accepted for publication in the next issue of the Journal of Public Administration titled: ‘Leadership Accountability and the Development of Administrative Staff at Prominent Hospitals in the Mangaung Metropolitan Health Area’.

The dissertation accepts that there is an increasing demand from the public for quality health-service delivery, as shown in the high number of public protests against poor health-service delivery. The study concludes that the Free State Department of Health (FSDoH) is still faced with the problem of a skills audit and insufficient budget allocations. Therefore, there is a dire need by the FSDoH to acquire skilled HRD professionals or to upgrade their skills and knowledge to meet the requirements of the now changing public sector.

News Archive

Researchers reach out across continents in giraffe research
2015-09-18

Dr Francois Deacon and Prof Fred Bercovitch
busy with field work.

Researcher Dr Francois Deacon from the Department of Animal, Wildlife, and Grassland Sciences at the University of the Free State is conducting research with renowned wildlife scientist, Prof Fred Bercovitch, from the Center for International Collaboration and Advanced Studies in Primatology, Kyoto University Primate Research Institute in Japan.

Dr Deacon’s ground-breaking research has attracted international media attention. Together with Prof Nico Smit, he equipped giraffes with GPS collars, and conducted research based on this initiative. “Satellite tracking is proving to be extremely valuable in the wildlife environment. The unit is based on a mobile global two-way communication platform, utilising two-way data satellite communication, complete with GPS systems.”

Prof Bercovitch was involved with GPS tracking from elephants to koala bears.

Some of the highlights of the joint research on giraffes by Dr Deacon and Prof Bercovitch focus on:
 
• How much time do certain giraffes spend with, and away from, one another
• How do the home ranges of herds and individual giraffe overlap
• Do genetically-related animals spend more time together than non-genetically-related animals
• How much time do the young bulls, adult bulls, and dominant bulls spend with cow herds
• Herd interactions and social behaviours of giraffe
• The role of the veld and diet on animal behaviour and distribution

 

Their research article, “Gazing at a giraffe gyroscope: Where are we going?”, which was published in the African Journal of Ecology, assesses recent research by exploring five primary questions:

- How many (sub) species of giraffe exist?
- What are the dynamics of giraffe herds?
- How do giraffe communicate?
- What is the role of sexual selection in giraffe reproduction?
- How many giraffe reside in Africa?

They conclude this article by emphasising that the most essential issue is to develop conservation management plans that will save a wonderful species from extinction, and which will also enable scientists to conduct additional research aimed at answering their five questions.

In addition, they are working together on a grand proposal to get National Geographic to cover their work.

 

 

 

 

 

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