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The examination on the extend of the application of the occupational health and safety ACT 85 of 1993 to semi-skilled and migrant workers in South Africa
Get PDFThesis (LLM. (Labour Law)) -- University of Limpopo, 2023Refer to the documen
Factors contributing to poor adherence to a fixed dose combination treatment among patients living with Human Immunodeficiency Virus at HC Boshoff Community Health Centre in Sekhukhune District, Limpopo Province
Get PDFThesis (M. (Nursing)) -- University of Limpopo, 2024The South African Department of Health introduced the use of Fixed Dose Combination antiretroviral regimens to adhere to treatment in 2012, which reduce drug toxicity, keep patients on life-long ART, prevent the progression of HIV disease and prevent HIV/AIDS-related death. Since the introduction of Fixed Dose Combination (FDC), it has become the cornerstone in the treatment of HIV. FDCs' fundamental benefit is that they simplify a patient's regimen. When compared to the individual components, the usage of FDCs has been associated with reduced pill load and improved adherence.
RESEARCH METHOD
In this study, a qualitative research approach was used. This approach was considered to be appropriate and relevant in this study as the researcher was intended to describe factors contributing to poor adherence to a fixed-dose combination treatment among patients living with HIV at HC Boshoff CHC in Sekhukhune District, Limpopo Province. Data was collected through semi-structured face-to-face interviews and was analysed using open coding where themes and sub-themes were developed.
RESULTS
The study revealed that there are several factors that contributes to poor adherence to HIV positive patients who are on FDC, they are divided into 6 themes and 14 subthemes. Strategies were developed to improve adherence to a fixed-dose combination treatment among patients living with HIV.
CONCLUSION
The study concluded that patient has several factors that hinder their adherence to FDC at HC Boshoff CHC in Limpopo. These factors include psychological experiences, social disclosure, behavioural constraints, side effects, et
The policing of burglary at a residential premises in the Ga-Molepo Village, Limpopo Province
Get PDFThesis (M. A. (Criminology)) -- University of Limpopo, 2023The primary aim of this study was to explore policing of burglary at a residential prem-ises within the Ga-Molepo community. From a qualitative standpoint, data was gath-ered through semi-structured In-depth Individual Interviews (IDIIs). The participants were selected from Tshebela, Rampheri, Mogano and Tshebela. Moreover, a compre-hensive review of the relevant literature and the Broken Window Theory (BWT) was conducted and reviewed to obtain a better understanding of this study. A thematic content analysis procedure was followed to analyse the gathered data.
This study was guided by the following objectives:
The prevalence of burglary at a residential premises in the Ga-Molepo community.
To identify the problems experienced by the Ga-Molepo community with policing of burglary.
The effectiveness of policing of burglary in the Ga-Molepo community.
The researcher identified that more training is required and more forensic investigators are needed in the South African Police Service (SAPS), because the police are not capable of preventing residential burglary but only respond to crimes that have already been committed (Reactive-policing) and only deal with the burglary backlogs of cases that are already in the SAPS system. The study implemented the Broken Window Theory as a guide for exploring the policing of burglary at a residential premises. The employed theory (Broken Widows Theory - BWT), in reference to societal order, pro-poses that societies must be cautious against the least criminalities. If such disorders or small crimes are not taken seriously, more serious crime can be committed as a result. The police must take all crime as seriously, irrespective of its nature. If the police uphold their old-style role as night guards in opposition of threats to order, then the society flourishes. To advance policing in South Africa through BWT or other ap-proaches we need to raise a culture and capability of planning and evaluating police practice
Examination of the potential anticancer activities and moleculer mechanics of drimia calcarata buld exctracts against different cancer cells
Get PDFThesis (Ph.D. (Biochemistry)) -- University of Limpopo, 2023Cancer remains uncurable, and the current treatment strategies are associated with inefficiency and adverse side effects. The majority of the populace relies on traditional doctors who prescribe medicinal plants to treat a plethora of ailments. Even with the existence of modern medicine, traditional medicines have sustained their therapeutic popularity for cultural and historical reasons. Natural products such as earthly plants are said to have directly or indirectly contributed to 74% of therapeutic drugs developed today, and have served as a platform from which novel therapies could be developed. Drimia calcarata (D. calcarata) is one of the plants used by Pedi people to treat a plethora of ailments; however, the anticancer therapeutic use of D. calcarata is less understood. The anticancer potential of this plant has been reported from cell viability study, but there is little information on its anticancer molecular mechanisms; thus, the aim of this study was to investigate the potential anticancer activities and molecular mechanisms of D. calcarata bulb extracts against different human cancer cells. The phytochemicals of the D. calcarata bulb extracts were analysed using the Thin Layer Chromatography (TLC), qualitative phytochemical tests, and Liquid Chromatography Mass Spectrometry (LC-MS), while the antioxidant activity of the plant was investigated using the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging and Ferric Reducing Antioxidnt Power (FRAP) assays. The Total Phenolic content (TPC), Total Tannin (TTC) and Total Flavonoid Content (TFC) were also determined. The inhibitory effects and half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) values of D. calcarata extracts were determined using the MTT and Muse® Count and Viability assays. Induction of cellular apoptosis was assessed using fluorescence microscopy, the Muse® Cell Analyser, and gene expression analysis by Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR).The proteins expressions were analysed using Immunocytochemistry (ICC), Western blotting analysis and Proteome protein Profiler Arrays. This study demonstrated that the Drimia calcarata bulb water and methanol extracts possessed significant amounts of tannins and flavonoids with antioxidant activities. Using LC-MS, several phytochemicals were identified in D. calcarata bulb extracts, with most implicated in anticancer activities. Psoralene was identified as the major compound in D. calcarata water and methanol fractions, which can be attributed to the antioxidant activity observed from the D. calcarata bulb water and methanol extracts. These suggest that D. calcarata plant contain healthy and beneficial phytochemicals that can be targeted for disease prevention and drug development, especially against different cancers. In this study, the anticancer activities of the D. calcarata bulb extracts were investigated against different human cancer cell lines. Both the methanol and water extracts demonstrated safety against non-canceruous HEK-293 cells and selective anticancer activities against colorectal cancer cells. The methanol extract inhibited the growth of colorectal Caco-2 cancer cells; however, the same cells showed resistance against the water extract. On the other hand, the colorectal HT-29 cancer cells showed sensitivity to both extracts (P˂0.001). The D. calcarata methanol extract significantly (P˂0.001) induced cell death through an intrinsic p53-dependent apoptotic pathway in both cell lines, while the water extract induced the extrinsic apoptosis pathway in HT-29 cells. The methanol extract upregulated TP53 and downregulated BCL-2, STAT1, STAT3, and STAT5B in HT-29 cells. Additionally, the methanol extract induced caspase-dependent apoptosis. The anticancer effect of the D. calcarata extracts were not only limited to colorectal cancer but other cancer cells, including cervical cancer. The D. calcarata ME and WE showed safety against non-cancerous KMST-6 cells after treatment with the concentrations 62.50-1000 μg/mL. The extracts exhibited anticancer activity against HeLa, with no significant cytotoxic effect against the Ca-Ski cells. The WE increased the Ki67 positive Ca-Ski population, while both ME and WE arrested HeLa cells at G2/M phase, and Ca-Ski cells in G0/G1 phase. AO/EB staining, Annexin V and Caspase 3/7 Activation revealed that the extracts significantly (P˂0.001) induced apoptosis in HeLa cells. In HeLa cells, the ME downregulated TP53 variants, while WE upregulated both TP53 variants in HeLa cells. Additionally, both extracts decreased the STAT5A and STAT5B mRNA expression in HeLa cells; however, these extracts upregulated cancer-promoting STAT3 in Ca-Ski cells. Moreover, these extracts inactivated the PI3K signaling pathway in HeLa cells but not in Ca-Ski cells. The resistance of the Ca-Ski cells to the D. calcarata extracts may be due to the upregulation of STAT3 and persistent activated PI3K signaling pathway. The cytotoxicity and apoptosis induction in HeLa cells by D. calcarata extracts may be attributed due to downregulation of STAT5A survival mechanisms. D. calcarata extracts also displayed antineoplastic effects against T47D and MDA-MB31 breast cancer cells (P˂0.001); however, T47D cell line showed higher sensitivity to the methanol extract. Fluorescence microscopy and Annexin V showed that both extracts induced apoptosis in breast cancer cells; but ME significantly induced a caspase-dependent apoptosis in T47D cells, while the WE significantly (P˂0.001) induced a caspase-dependent apoptosis in MDA-MB-231 cells. RT-PCR showed that the D. calcarata extracts induced p53-dependent apoptosis where the ME upregulated TP53 splice variant 1 and down-regulated splice variant 2 while the WE had an opposite effect on the TP53 splice variants. Additionally, the D. calcarata methanol extracts downregulated BCL2. The Drimia calcarata extracts upregulated the expression of STAT3 and downregulated the expression of STAT5A in both breast cancer cell lines. Treatment of the MDA-MB 231 resulted in downregulation of CLB, cIAP1 and cIAP2 proteins. Interestingly, Caspase-8, p53, β-TrCP1 and FBXO15 protein expressions were upregulated by ME and Curcumin. The data suggest that D. calcarata extracts do not target STAT3-related pathway. Importantly, D. calcarata extracts effectively induced growth inhibition and p53-related apoptosis in human breast cancer T47D and MDA-MB-231 cells through STAT5A regulation. Moreover, the present study indicates that D. calcarata extracts exhibited their anticancer activities against breast cancer MDA-MB-231 cancer cells through the suppression of cIAP1, cIAP2, TNF-R1 proteins while ME and Curcumin also supported the expression of tumour suppressor proteins, FBXW7 and p53, which are known for their anticancer activities. The extracts further demonstrated safety against non-cancerous lung MRC-5 fibroblasts and exhibited significant (P˂0.001) anticancer potency against the H1437 (IC50 values: 62.50 μg/mL ME and 125 μg/mL WE), H1573 (IC50 value: 125 μg/mL for both extracts) and A549 (IC50 value: 500 μg/mL ME). The water extract had no effect on the cell viability of A549 cells. Treated H1437 cells underwent p53-dependent apoptosis and S-phase cell cycle arrest while H1573 treated cells underwent p53-independed apoptosis and G0/G1 cell cycle arrest through upregulation of CDKN1A mRNA expression levels. The expression levels of STAT1, STAT3, STAT5A and STAT5B genes increased significantly following the treatment of H1573 cells with ME and WE. Treatment of H1437 cells with ME upregulated the STAT1, STAT3, STAT5A and STAT5B mRNAs. The results indicate that the proliferative inhibitory effect of D. calcarata extracts on A549 and H1573 cells is correlated with the suppression of BCL2, STAT3 and STAT5B while that is not the case in H1437 cells. Thus, these results suggest that the dysregulation of anti-apoptotic molecules, BCL2, STAT3, STAT5A and STAT5B, in H1437 may play a role in cancer cell survival, which may consequently contribute to the development of TP53-mutated non-small human lung cancer. The growth inhibition of human lung cancer cells by D. calcarata extracts was also observed and was found to be associated with induction of apoptosis and G0/G1 and S-phase cell cycle arrest. D. calcarata anticancer activities against lung cancer cells was attributed to the activation of TP53 tumour suppressor gene, and inhibition of the anti-apoptotic gene, BCL-2, and cancer-related gene, RBBP6, which has been implicated in both cell cycle and apoptosis regulation. All the anticancer activities that were deciphered in different cell lines can be attributed to anticancer compounds that were detected in D. calcarata bulb extracts.
Scillaren A, Protocatechuic acid, Vanillic acid, Chlorogenic acid and Limonin showed safety against the non-cancerous HEK-293 cells. Scillaren A showed potent activity against the HeLa and T47D cancer cells. Furthermore, the study has shown that Protocatechuic acid, Vanillic acid, Chlorogenic acid and Limonin exhibited selective cytotoxicity against Ca-Ski, MDA-MB-231 and T47D. Therefore, D. calcarata extracts and its constituents could be useful for therapeutic use against various human cancer cells. Further studies are required to determine the identity and biological functions of the unknown compounds that were detected in methanol and water D. calcarata bulb extracts. In vivo studies should be considered, post this study, to study novel formulations derived from Drimia calcarata phytochemicals. Taking into account all these suggestions will help in identifying novel compounds with less to no side effects.National Research Foundation (NRF
An assessment of traditional birth attendants as an untapped human resource to help sustain the health system in South Africa
Get PDFJournal article published in International Journal of Development and Sustainability Volume 12 Number 2 (2023): Pages 39-51The purpose of this study is to explore motivations and experiences of women who became traditional birth attendants in South Africa. The study was designed to clarify some potential advantages of their integration into the health system to sustain maternal and child health services. A qualitative thematic analysis of 15 transcripts of semi-structured interviews with traditional birth attendants from seven provinces of South Africa, obtained from Human Sciences Research Council repository, was conducted. Data was analysed thematically guided by the framework analysis approach. Findings show that a critical situation characterised by lack of access to health facilities, skilled birth attendants, and ambulances, motivated women to learn the required skills to assist pregnant women in their communities. They learned the required skills through observation and practice under the guidance of experienced elders and some nurses. Traditional births attendants operated without government support but continued to provide valuable services to communities. Given the devastating impact of COVID-19 on the health system and persistent challenges with access to skilled birth attendants, the role of traditional births attendants should be revived to participate in maternal and child health services as partners with government. This will strengthen safe and accessible birth and other health services for women within their communities
Handling of grievances in the South African Police Service: a case of Pretoria Policing Area
Get PDFThesis (Ph.D. (Public Administration)) -- University of Limpopo, 2023Over the years, the South African Police Service (SAPS) has been recording the highest
number of employee grievances in comparison to other government institutions in South
Africa. Some of the grievances reported by employees remain unresolved. For these
reasons, the primary aim of this study was to determine the causes of the high rate of
grievances in the Pretoria policing area of the SAPS. To achieve the primary aim of the
study, concurrent mixed methods were applied, in particular the survey questionnaire,
interviews and document study. On the one hand, the SPSS version 26 software was
used to analyse quantitative data collected through a survey questionnaire. On the other
hand, qualitative content analysis was used to analyse data collected through interviews.
The findings of this study illustrate that the common sources of grievances in the SAPS
are promotions, unpaid leave, unfair treatment and rejection of application for transfers.
The findings of this study confirmed that autocratic supervisory behaviour as a
management factor is among the major factors that account for the high rate of
grievances in the SAPS. The study has found that in the process of applying the
grievance procedure to address grievances, the SAPS complied with timelines linked to
each grievance phase only to a slight extent. In relation to the causes of unresolved
grievances, the study found that the involvement of legal representatives in grievances,
lack of impartiality of the part of grievance officers, the grievants’ failure to provide
testimony and failure to gather adequate evidence pertaining to grievances contributed
to the high rate of unresolved grievances. This study has, however, concluded that
despite the challenges experienced in grievance handling, the SAPS has the capacity
and resources to turn the situation around thereby ameliorating the current situation
pertaining to grievances
Nutrition knowledge, food insecurity and coping strategies amongst Health Care Science students at the University of Limpopo
Get PDFThesis (M.Sc. (Dietetics)) -- University of Limpopo, 2023Introduction: Nutritional knowledge is essential for selecting healthy and nutritious
meals. However, access to consistent, adequate and nutritious food was unattainable
for university students, despite the fact that food was considered a human basic right.
Food insecurity is a real issue in South African universities, but it is poorly documented.
Numerous studies have used one approach to measure food insecurity rates in various
universities, either quantitative or qualitative. There is a scarcity of data on food
insecurity among students in institutions of higher learning in Limpopo Province. Food insecure students used a variety of coping mechanisms such as, borrowing money,
buying cheap food, skipping meals, sharing food, and reducing portion size in order to
cope with food insecurity.
The goal of the study was to investigate the level of nutrition knowledge, food
insecurity, and coping strategies among students at the School of Health Care
Sciences. at the University of Limpopo, South Africa.
Methodology: The explanatory sequential mixed-method approach was used in this
study. The quantitative survey employed convenience sampling, with 237
undergraduate participants from the Health Care Sciences. Nutritional knowledge was
assessed using a multiple-choice questionnaire adapted from the Perlstein study.
Food security status was assessed using the eight (8) questions from Food Insecurity
Experience Scale. Fourteen purposefully selected in-depth qualitative interviews were
conducted to explore life experiences and coping strategies of food-insecure students.
Statistical analysis was performed using STATA version 11.0, Fischer’s exact test to
test the association between food insecurity and nutritional knowledge with regards to
age, gender and study level and thematic analysis for the qualitative data.
Findings: Students were on average 21 years old, in level II and level III years of
study. Fifteen percent (n=36) had poor nutritional knowledge, 69% (n=164) had
moderate nutrition knowledge, and 14.7% (n=35) had good nutritional knowledge.
Both males and females in the current study had a fair amount of dietary knowledge.
Twenty-four percent (n=57) experienced moderate food insecurity and 16% (n=37)
had severe food insecurity. The rate of food insecurity in the study exceeded the
national rate. Lack of budgeting skills, delayed distribution of bursary money,
unforeseen costs, and household obligations were among the factors that aided in
food insecurity.
Food-insecure students applied numerous coping mechanisms, such as borrowing
money from friends, sharing food, buying cheap food, and cutting portion sizes. The
study found a significant association between a study level and nutrition knowledge
with a P-value of 0.02 for both study levels less than and more than two years. Six
themes emerged from interviews with food-insecure students i.e., coping strategies,
nutrition knowledge, hunger and academic effect, competing expenses, health triangle
and contributing factors to lack of money to buy food.
Conclusion: This study provided insight into the food insecurity levels and the
nutritional knowledge of the students in the Health Care Sciences at the University of
Limpopo. It further offered an understanding of how students experienced food
insecurity and the various coping mechanisms employed to deal with the situation.
The rate of food insecurity in the study exceeded the national rate. Nutrition education
programmes and interventions that address food insecurity are important and the
strengthening of existing support systems to ensure that students cope and succeed
in their studies. Future research is needed to cover a large scale of students
The effect of citric acid supplementation on growth performance, carcass weight, tibia bone breaking strength, and ash content of male ross 308 broiler chickens
Get PDFThesis (M.Sc. (Animal Production)) -- University of Limpopo, 2023Two experiments were conducted to determine the effect of citric acid inclusion level in the diet on growth performance, carcass weight, tibia bone breaking strength and ash content of male Ross 308 broiler chickens aged one to 35 days. The first experiment determined the effect of citric acid inclusion level in the diet on growth performance traits of male Ross 308 broiler chickens aged one to 21 days. The experiment commenced with 200 male day-old Ross 308 broiler chickens with an initial average live weight of 40±1.6g per chick. The chicks were assigned to five treatment groups in a completely randomized design, each replicated five times, and each replicate having ten chicks. The citric acid inclusion levels were at 0, 12.5, 25 or 50g per kg DM of feed. The second experiment determined the effect of citric acid inclusion level in the diet on growth performance, carcass weight, tibia bone breaking strength and ash content traits of male Ross 308 broiler chickens aged 22 to 35 days. The experiment commenced with 180 male Ross 308 broiler chickens aged 22 days. The chickens were assigned to four treatment groups, each having three replicate pens of eight chickens per replicate in a completely randomized design. Data was analysed using the General Linear model (GLM) procedures of the Statistical Analysis of System, version 9.3.1 software program. Where there were significant differences (P0.05) daily feed intake, body weight gain and feed conversion ratio of male Ross 308 broiler chickens aged one to 21 days. The inclusion of citric acid did affect (P<0.05) live weight, body weight gain, feed conversion ratio and growth rate of chickens aged 22 to 35 days. Citric acid inclusion levels used in the present study influenced (P<0.05) DM and CP digestibility, ME intake and N-retention of male broiler chickens aged 22 to 35 days. The results of the current study showed that citric acid inclusion in a diet improved (P<0.05) chicken bone morphology. Thus, positive relationships were observed between citric acid inclusion level and right tibia bone weight, diameter, calcium, phosphorous and Magnesium contents of chicken bones aged 35 days. There were positive relationships between citric acid inclusion level and breast weight of male Ross 308 broiler chickens aged 35 days. Further studies are recommended to ascertain these findings.National Research Foundation (NRF
The availability, use, and impact of instructional materials in the teaching and learning of life sciences in secondary schools in the Ehlanzeni District, Mpumalanga
Get PDFThesis (M.Ed. (Science Education)) -- University of Limpopo, 2023The teaching and learning of Life Sciences requires teachers to use various teaching tools, but it becomes a challenging task when the resources are not available or when they are available but are not being utilised. To promote the conducive teaching and learning of Life Sciences, it is necessary for educators to improvise and utilise instructional resources in their classrooms. This study was conducted in the Ehlanzeni School District, in Mpumalanga to determine the availability, use and impact of instructional resources in the teaching and learning of Life Sciences. The study adopted cross-sectional survey research design in which closed-ended questionnaire was administered to 75 Life Sciences teachers; randomly selected from the 15 Education circuit. The data was collected for a period of seven weeks. A Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) Version 27 was utilised for analysing the data.
Descriptive statistics were used and resulted presented in form of graphs, percentages as well as frequency counts. Inferential statistics were utilised to make inferences and generalisations of the research findings. All the inferential statistics tests were calculated at a p < 0.05 level of confidence. The results from this study showed that there were more visual instructional resources in secondary schools than audio and audio-visuals. For instance, the study found out that there were 98.7% textbooks, 90.7% chalkboards and 84.0% charts that were available in Ehlanzeni District's secondary schools. The findings also revealed that there is a statistical significance between the availability and utilisation of instructional materials as x2(4) =38.865, p= <.001. Through the utilisation of various instructional materials, the learners might improve their academics and educational efficacy in the Life Sciences. The findings illustrated that projectors, models and microscopes were available in schools yet they resources were rarely used and some of the teachers lacked skills in using some of the instructional materials. The research recommends that the Department of Basic Education must support the schools by providing them with audio-visual instructional materials especially smartboards and Edu boards. The educators must also be equipped through training on how to effectively utilise the various teaching materials during the delivery of the lessons
Analysing onion market integration in major South African fresh produce markets, 2009-2019
Get PDFThesis (M.A. Agricultural Management (Agricultural Economics) -- University of Limpopo, 2023Onion is the third most important staple vegetable in South Africa, due to the gross
value of vegetable production and export revenues. Almost all of South Africa's
provinces grow onions, but the Western Cape (Ceres), Northern Cape, Free State,
North West, and Limpopo provinces are the main producers. Fresh Produce Markets
(FPMs) are the primary distribution channel for onions. Onion producers are
concerned about the high degree of onion price variations in the FPMs. Markets are
essential for the delivery of fresh goods as well as for price development and
discovery. The study aims to analyse onion market integration in Cape Town,
Bloemfontein, Durban and Johannesburg Fresh Produce Markets.
The study investigated spatial market integration among geographically separated
onion markets in South Africa using average monthly prices from January 2009 to
December 2019. The Augmented Engle-Granger Cointegration and Error Correction
Model (ECM) were employed to examine the presence of market integration among
the onion producing and onion consuming markets in the country. The time series
analysis revealed that average monthly onion prices in Johannesburg move in
together with those in Cape Town, Durban, and Bloemfontein over time, indicating the
existence of a cointegration relationship. The ECM findings show that after a shock
that causes disequilibrium, it takes economic agents around a month to get back to
equilibrium. Price signals are transmitted within a month, which suggests that certain
onion markets are well integrated