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The implementation of municipal by-laws in the provision of recreational facilities in Greater Giyani Local Municipality
No full textMPMThis study was based on the implementation of municipal by-laws in the provision of recreational facilities in Greater Giyani Local Municipality. Municipal by-laws play a crucial role in regulating various aspects of local governance and community life. However, the success of municipal by-laws largely hinges on proper implementation and enforcement by the municipalities. The study was conducted utilizing a qualitative method to explore the complex dynamics at play. The researcher sampled relevant documents, reports, and other secondary sources related to the study to ensure a comprehensive understanding of the impact of municipal by-laws on the provision of recreational facilities. Data was collected through desktop and observations. Desktop research involves the collection and analysis of existing data, information, and resources from various sources without conducting direct interactions or experiments. Through desktop, secondary sources related to the recreational sector were employed. Thematic Analysis was used to analyse data in the study. The results of this study made clear how important by-laws are for promoting social cohesion, nation- building, and environmental protection. They guarantee that recreational areas are accessible to everyone, including those with impairments and lower-income populations. Municipalities may redress historical injustices, advance social justice, and support the region's overall socioeconomic development by making sure that these facilities are accessible and fairly distributed. The recommendations include the alignment of municipal by-laws with these frameworks to guarantee thoughtful placement, equitable distribution, and upkeep of recreational facilities. In order to determine their needs and make sure that the facilities are applicable and extensively used, it is imperative that local communities be involved in the planning process
Strategies enhancing community engagement in local government: a case study of Thulamela Local Municipality
No full textM. Admin.Department of Public and Development AdministrationThis study investigated strategies for enhancing community engagement in Thulamela
Local Municipality. Community engagement is critical to effective governance and
service delivery in local municipalities. The extent of community involvement in
municipal services has been inconsistent, leading to a gap between public
expectations and service provision. Through a comprehensive literature review, the
research examines critical themes such as the role of communication, public
engagement, transparency, and accountability in fostering community engagement.
The researcher used a mixed research methodology. Quantitative data was gathered
through a structured questionnaire distributed to residents and municipal employees,
allowing for statistical analysis of current engagement levels and public satisfaction
with municipal services. Qualitative data was collected through a Semi-structured
interview schedule, while quantitative data was collected through a structured
questionnaire from community leaders, municipal officials, and other stakeholders.
The study used the pragmatic approach paradigm and convergent research design to
allow the simultaneous collection of quantitative and qualitative data. The study used
purposive sampling to select the techniques of skilled and knowledgeable
respondents, experienced and knowledgeable respondents, and a probability
sampling technique to ensure a representative sample of participants and allow for the
generalization of findings to the broader population. The data analysis process
involved combining quantitative and qualitative methods, including using techniques
such as SPSS Statistics 29 and Microsoft Excel for quantitative data and thematic
analysis for qualitative data following Creswell's steps. This dual approach ensures a
comprehensive understanding of the issue from multiple perspectives. This pragmatic
approach paradigm framework offered practical recommendations for improving
communication channels, increasing community engagement in decision-making
processes, and fostering a culture of accountability within the municipality. The
findings from this study can potentially be valuable to policymakers, municipal
managers, and community leaders, as they provide insights into practical strategies
for improving community engagement in local governance.
Key findings of the study:
• Current engagement practices are more consultative than collaborative,
leading to dissatisfaction among residents.
Recommendation based on findings of the study:
• The Municipality should establish sustained and inclusive community
engagement platforms to enhance participation and accountability in
governance
Population structure and local adaptation in red foxes across an environmental gradient
No full textM. Sc. (Zoology)Department of Biological SciencesThe red fox (Vulpes vulpes) is one of the most successful species across the globe, found on five continents and in diverse habitats across various climatic and environmental conditions. Increasing Arctic warming has allowed the red fox to expand and occupy the Arctic environment. This new environment presents unique selective pressures, characterised by long, dark winters and short, continuous light summers. Arctic animals must endure extended periods of food scarcity, extremely cold conditions, and very short periods of resource abundance. Although red foxes do not exhibit physical adaptations specialized for surviving in the Arctic conditions, they continue to thrive despite these challenges. To investigate whether there are genetic adaptations in the red fox populations in the Arctic region, I used whole genome sequencing to detect signatures of positive selection across the whole genome. To achieve this, I used population branch statistics (PBS). PBS is a three-population test that identifies loci under selection by comparing the pairwise FST between the focal group (here the Arctic population) and a sister population (here Central Europe), controlling for ancestral polymorphisms using an outgroup population (here Israel). The regions found to have unusually high Fst in the focal population are potential candidates for selection. Because only low coverage genomes were available for this project, the test was conducted at two different depths (-setMinDepthInd 1 and -setMinDepthInd 3) to test whether the results were reliable with more or fewer SNPs. The two tests combined identified 123 candidate genes. Among them were genes involved in lipid metabolism, fertility, olfaction, circadian rhythm, response to hypoxia, thermogenesis and some were disease-related. I found that the Arctic population of red foxes exhibited a high genetic diversity and there was clear genetic structuring among populations. However, significant genetic contact remained between the Arctic and Central European populations. Gene-flow analysis also indicated potential signatures of ancient gene-flow between Central Europe and Israel. Despite the relatively low coverage of the available genomes, this study has identified several genes that could play a role in cold adaptation in red foxes. These genes and some of their orthologs, such as those involved in fatty acid metabolism, thermogenesis, circadian rhythm and response to hypoxia, have been identified in other arctic species like polar bears, reindeer, muskox and marmots as adaptive.National Research Foundation (NRF
Barriers to utilization of primary health care facilities by pregnant women during labour in Mopani District, Limpopo Province
No full textMaster of NursingDepartment of Advanced Nursing ScienceBackground: Facilities of primary health care were with intent to increase accessibility to health care services by communities in the facilities’ locality, with higher priority for previously disadvantaged communities.
Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine barriers to the utilization of PHC facilities by pregnant women during labour in Mopani District, Limpopo Province.
Methodology: Qualitative approach following exploratory, descriptive, and contextual designs was used. The study was conducted in Greater Giyani Local Municipality. All post-natal women consulting at primary health care facilities in the Greater Giyani Local Municipality were for the study. Convenience sampling was used to select 30 post-natal women from selected facilities. Purposive sampling was used to select one Community Health Centres and four clinics. Data was collected using unstructured individual. Ethical principles were adhered to, and trustworthiness was ensured through dependability, consistency, credibility, and confirmability.
Findings: This study revealed barriers to the utilization of PHC facilities by pregnant women during labour in Mopani District as described according to the following themes: Patient-related barriers to giving birth in clinics, service-related barriers to giving birth in clinics, resource-related barriers to giving birth in clinics, as well as participants’ views on addressing barriers to giving birth in clinics.
Recommendations: The Department of Health should invest in human resources through the employment and training of competent health care service providers to provide quality care in the facilities for 24 hours. The department should further invest in physical resources through the procurement of medical equipment to support health care workers in providing quality, safe and sufficient care in these facilities
Development of an acid mine drainage treatment technology and recovery of minerals
No full textPhDENVDepartment of Geography and Environmental SciencesAcid mine drainage (AMD) is known to have negative environmental impacts due to low pH, high concentrations of toxic metals which can pollute freshwater sources. There is need for development of a technology which treats and recover beneficial minerals from AMD. Samples of AMD, water, sediments from the field and sludge from neutralization batch experiments were characterised for their chemical compositions using advanced research techniques. In designing the treatment method, hydrogeochemistry of decanting AMD from Mpumalanga was studied. Findings from this study revealed that decanting AMD continues to threaten the environment due low pH, high Electrical Conductivity (EC) and precipitation of secondary minerals. Simulated AMD prepared by choosing concentrations of worst-case scenario from Mpumalanga was used in batch experiment comparing flocculation and sonication techniques in treatment of AMD with calcined magnesite. Sonication technique was more effective in treatment of AMD because it raised pH faster and it enhanced precipitation of minerals than flocculation. Due to the superiority of sonication, it was used for recovery of metal oxides from AMD with calcined magnesite through sequential selective precipitation and recycling of metal enriched sludge over several cycles using filtration and pH adjustment. The technology enriched Fe -rich and Al-rich sludge up to cycle 3 while Mn-sludge up to cycle 2. Fe, Al, and Mn in product water were below the guidelines for irrigation water, while Ca, Mg, and SO42- remained at higher levels. The technology may not be used for recovery of Mn due to co-precipitation with Mg. Future studies recommends the treatment of product water to recover portable water and salts and upscaling the technology to pilot for industrial applications. The high purity of recovered metals suggests their potential use for industrial applications such as catalysts, batteries, fertilizer, and pigment manufacturing
The Role of School Management Team in Improving the Academic Performance of Grade 12 Learner in Malamulele North-East Circuit, South Africa
No full textMED in Educational ManagementDepartment of Educational StudiesThe aim of this study was to investigate the role of School Management Teams in improving the academic performance of Grade 12 learners. Despite STMs’ roles, articulated in various policies, on learner academic performance, there are challenges facing SMTs in improving the academic performance of learners. The study employed the interpretive research paradigm, which also informed the use of the qualitative research methodology. Exploratory research design was used as a blueprint of the study. The population of the study included principals, deputy principals, departmental heads and teachers. To achieve the objectives of the study, purposive sampling method, as a non-probability sampling, was used to choose ten (10) participants, four (04) principals, two (02) deputy principals, two (02) departmental heads and two (02) teachers who were teaching Grade 12 learners. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews and thematically analysed. The findings revealed that SMTs must lead and manage teaching and learning by monitoring lessons, providing teaching and learning resources, and ensuring stakeholder collaboration. The findings also revealed challenges for SMTs’ roles, such as inadequate knowledge of roles, lack of resources, lack of stakeholder collaboration as well as teacher and learner ill-discipline. Strategies to overcome these challenges were proposed. The study recommended that the Department of Education should provide continuous professional development to SMTs and provide adequate resources to all schools. The findings would contribute to the body of knowledge on the role of SMTs in improving learners’ academic performance
Analysis of punctuation errors committed by Grade 10 learners in English First Additional Language at a private school in Vhembe District of Limpopo Province
No full textM.A. in LinguisticsDepartment of English, Media Studies and LinguisticsThe study analyses punctuation errors committed by Grade 10 learners at a private school in the Vhembe District of Limpopo Province. It focuses specifically on punctuation mark errors committed by Grade 10 learners in English First Additional Language within the context of transactional writing, which is common both at school level and beyond. There is a concern by teachers and researchers on how and why learners overlook punctuation. Although often overlooked, punctuation plays a crucial role in conveying meaning and ensuring that written texts are clear and understandable. The quality of written work is judged not only on its content but also on the correct use of punctuation—such as capital letters, commas, full stops, sentence construction and paragraph boundaries. The study is guided by the Pause and Effect Theory by Parkes, which posits that punctuation serves as a tool to enhance the understanding of a text and historically received considerable attention from those tasked with correcting manuscripts. A case study design was adopted, employing a qualitative research method with purposive sampling. The total population of the school is 561 learners, from which 51 Grade 10 learners’ texts were purposively sampled. Of these, 20 written texts were randomly selected for detailed analysis in English First Additional Language and to give each individual potential participant an equal chance of participation. These twenty (20) essays texts were analysed using both quantitative and textual analysis to establish learners’ competence in punctuation. The findings were then analysed thematically and statistically. Data were grouped according to themes; presented in tables and compared using percentages. The study found that learners commonly make punctuation errors in their essays. These included misplacement, omission, and unnecessary addition of punctuation marks. The study further revealed contributing factors to these errors: carelessness, writing in haste, confusion, lack of skill and knowledge in using punctuation, lack of motivation and practice, intra-lingual and inter-lingual influences, and most notably, inadequate teaching of punctuation rules by language teachers
Spatial variation of historical and future seasonal rainfall trends in the Luvuvhu River Catchment, Limpopo Province, South Africa
No full textMENVSCI in Hydrology and Water ResourcesDepartment of Earth SciencesThis study focused on determining the spatial variation of historic and future seasonal rainfall trends in the Luvuvhu River Catchment. Trend analysis studies hold considerable scientific and practical importance in assessing hydrological hazards and soil erosion monitoring. Rainfall trends are a valuable tool for assessing the impacts of climate change and offering guidance on how to mitigate its negative effects on agriculture. Rainfall in the Luvuvhu River Catchment exhibits significant variability. Alterations in precipitation patterns and trends can lead to an increase in the frequency of extreme events such as drought and floods. Rainfall data was sourced from the Department of Water and Sanitation, South African Weather Services and the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project six. The Innovative Trend Analysis (ITA) and Auto-regressive Moving Average (ARIMA) were used to compute historical and future seasonal rainfall trends for a period of about 135 years from 1950 to 2085. The standard deviation, coefficient of variation, seasonality index and kriging were used to determine spatial variations. The ITA and ARIMA results showed dominantly decreasing trends during summer and all other seasons for both historical and future rainfall data. The results from the ITA method are in agreement with the results of the ARIMA method. The homogeneity test using the Standard Normal Homogeineity Test and the Pettit test was done for the rainfall data. The Standardised Precipitation Index (SPI) was used to check the possible causes of the changes during dry and wet seasons. The historic results of the standard deviation range from 11 in winter to 463 in summer, the coefficient of variation from 0.401 to 1.037 and the seasonality index from 0.02 in winter to 2.358 in summer. The future results indicate that the standard deviation ranges from 2 in winter to 86 in summer, the coefficient of variation from 0.286 to 4.120 and the seasonality index from 0.09 in winter to 3.950 in summer. The kriging results show high variability in the north east side of the catchment where stations such as the Pafuri and Punda Maria are situated for both the historic future seasonal trends . The breaks or changes from the homogeneity tests occurred in the years 1962, 1975, 1979, 1982, 1986, 1987,1996, 2005, 2008 and 2012. The results of the two methods compared fairly well. The SPI results indicated that causes of changes were indicated by breaks periods of flooding and periods of drought on the data that occurred in the years 1975, 2000,1990, 2046, 2036, 2076, 2043 and 2073. Trend analysis and forecasting for the catchment using satellite data is recommended in order to compare the results of the current study and other studies that have been done in the catchment. The results in this study indicate that there is a dominant decreasing trend in the catchment, it is therefore recommended that a plan be developed for efficient and sustainable water use, localized climate adaptation strategies be developed and further research be done expanding on the current study
Spatial planning strategies to curb emerging informal settlements in Vrede Town, South Africa
No full textMaster of Urban and Regional PlanningDepartment of Urban and Regional PlanningSpatial planning strategies as a sustainable urban strategic framework can advocate for the creation of a compact town with sustainable human settlements. The strategies will address the issues of land invasion and informal settlements that have been a challenge in Vrede town in a quest to create a more sustainable and inclusive town. Vrede town is a small, fast-growing, and developing town that has shown potential in agriculture and light industries. The two sectors have not only attracted Vrede residents but also people from other provinces, as they are situated in the middle of KwaZulu-Natal, Gauteng, and Mpumalanga.
Not all residents currently have access to adequate basic services; however, the Phumelela Spatial Development Framework has highlighted the need for spatial planning as a strategy to provide these services to residents easily. Mixed-use development within the town, along with infill development of existing sites, will attract investors and developers, creating employment opportunities and enhancing the town's economy. It is crucial to use space sustainably and efficiently, guided by policies, as this will eradicate urban sprawl, which has been a persistent challenge in town to date
Exploring the impact of the shortage of resources in the midwifery units of the Capricorn District, Limpopo Province
No full textMaster of NursingDepartment of Advanced Nursing ScienceBackground: Healthcare facilities in many countries worldwide face a shortage of resources in midwifery units those in South African district healthcare facilities.
Purpose: This study aimed to determine the impact of the shortage of resources in the midwifery units of the Blouberg local municipality in the Capricorn district, Limpopo province.
Methodology: The study was conducted in the Blouberg local municipality of the Capricorn district, Limpopo province, and follows a qualitative research approach A purposive sampling technique was used to recruit a total of 16 midwives, each with a minimum of 2 years’ experience working in the midwifery units. Additionally, two community health centers and two clinics with high delivery rates were purposefully selected as study sites. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews using an interview guide and recorded using an audio recorder. Data analysis was done thematically to identify key terms and patterns.
Findings: The study resulted in five themes. These were (1) the impact of the shortage of staff on midwives’ performance, (2) midwives’ emotional well-being negatively affected, (3) patients’ dissatisfaction caused by lack of human and material resources, (4) the value of adequate staff members in the midwifery units and (5) availability of material resources is vital in the midwifery units.
Conclusion: The shortage of resources has a negative impact on the provision of adequate healthcare in the midwifery units of the Capricorn District. Better workforce planning, improved working conditions, and strategies to retain experienced midwives while supporting skill development for newer staff in the midwifery units should be considered.
Recommendations: It was recommended that the Department of Health in the Limpopo province should be accountable and provide all PHC facilities in the Capricorn District with adequate human and material resources