Dennyford Mafa

Background: There is a lack of literature regarding the relationship that exists between body composition and physical fitness amongst primary school learners in South Africa. For the sake of public health purposes, it is important to investigate how body composition relates to physical fitness amongst primary school learners in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa.Aim: The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between body composition and physical fitness amongst South African primary school children.Setting: The study was conducted on a cohort of primary school learners in the Eastern Cape province, which is a predominantly rural province in South Africa.Methods: A school-based cross-sectional survey was conducted amongst 870 primary schoolchildren aged 9–14 years. Body composition and physical fitness measurements were measured and recorded using standardised measurement scales.Results: Of the 870 participants, 40.34% (n = 351) were boys and 59.66% (n = 519) were girls. The mean age of the participants was 11.04 ± 1.50 years. Boys had a significantly (p = 0.002) higher mean age (11.24 ±1.51 years) as compared to girls (10.91 ± 1.48 years). The results of the non-parametric Spearman’s rho correlation coefficients revealed several significant and negative relationships between physical fitness and body composition measurements, which were stronger in girls than in boys.Conclusion: The findings call for public health authorities and other relevant policymakers to initiate the development and implementation of policies and interventions targeted at encouraging physical activity participation and healthy lifestyle amongst primary school learners in South Africa, especially amongst girls.Contribution: The study findings supports a relatively rich literature which suggests that girls are more flexible than boys and that negative relationships between body composition measurements and physical fitness characteristics exists, which are stronger in girls than in boys.

Background: This study was designed to assess physical activity (PA) levels and sedentary behaviour amongst primary school learners in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa.Methods: A cross-sectional study was adopted to assess the patterns and levels of PA and sedentary behaviour using the Physical Activity Questionnaire for Older Children (PAQ-C). The sample consisted of primary school learners, both boys and girls, aged 9–14 years. The learners were randomly selected from rural, urban and peri-urban areas in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa.Results: Using a complete case analysis, 870 randomly selected participants (boys = 351 and girls = 519) aged 9–14 years were retained. Overall, the sample had a low mean PAQ-C score of 2.33 ± 0.43. The mean of PA in boys was significantly higher (p = 0.003) in comparison with the girls. The 13- to 14-age group had significantly higher PA levels (p = 0.014). Learners from urban areas (n = 136; 77.3%) engaged more in sedentary behaviour compared to those from rural areas (n = 252; 54.9%).Conclusion: The findings demonstrated low levels of PA and high engagement of sedentary behaviour across the combined gender groups, which have negative implications on health, growth and development of children. The study, therefore, recommends relevant stakeholders to implement interventions aimed at promoting an increase in PA and a reduction in sedentary behaviours for primary school learners in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa.

This paper seeks to explore the desirable (panacea) and undesirable (perfidy) factors associated with indigenization as a driver to avert Zimbabwean youth unemployment. The paper uses a literature review methodology. The following factors have been considered a panacea associated with Zimbabwean indigenization: emphasis on ownership of the local resources by the indigenous people, encouraging land reform as a tool of indigenization, having mining activities in the hands of the locals, and the government encouraging the non-local companies to partner with local companies or government. The phenomenon of indigenization is considered undesirable (perfidy) because it has lowered capacities to utilize land and mining, small-holder farming has replaced large-scale mechanized farming, unavailability of capital by the local people to optimally utilize the land and other resources, the policy is driven by political selfishness as opposed to economic goals and objectives, and it has been associated with economic sanctions. The paper recommends to the government to prepare its people through training and funding so that they can position themselves for indigenization.