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Prevalence of multi-drug resistance tuberculosis MDR-TB and associated risk factors among patients in Vhembe Region of Limpopo. South Africa
No full textMNMMMSDepartment of Biochemistry and MicrobiologyBACKGROUND: The increasing prevalence of drug-resistant tuberculosis (DR-TB) poses a critical and significant obstacle in the management of tuberculosis (TB) worldwide. This driven by the emergence of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) strains and co-infection of TB with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) have become major challenge in eradicating TB especially in low- and middle-income countries. Approximately half a million cases of rifampicin-resistant tuberculosis were reported in 2020, with 78% of these cases developing into MDR-TB.
AIM: This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of MDR-TB and its associated risk factors in Vhembe region (Limpopo, South Africa).
METHODOLOGY: A structured questionnaire was used to collect data on plausible risk factors. A total of 50 participants from the overall study were enrolled and sputum samples were obtained from patients receiving treatment from 20 healthcare facilities. Each patient blood sample was first tested for HIV using rapid test. For this study DNA was extracted from the sputum samples using reagents from multiplex real-time PCR kit (Allplex). Multiplex realtime PCR (Anyplex/ Allplex) was used to confirm the presence of TB and to detect MDR-TB respectively. MassArray was used to detect any mutation on the SNPs for rpoB and katG and inhA promoter region of the MTB.
RESULTS: Out of the 50 TB patients, 18% (9/50) were found to be MTB, 18% (9/50) to be MTB+NTM and (27/50) were NTM and 10% (5/50) could not be amplified. In this study, it was found that 2 samples were DR-TB from the patients that were MTB and MTB+NTM positive. Overall, the percentage of DR-TB was 4% (2/50). HIV prevalence in the population was 64% (32/50). The risk factors that showed high significance level of association are educational level (52%), occupation (60%), religion (80%), dusty area (72%), wearing protective mask (72%) and family support (90%). Sequence analysis showed no mutation in one patient and for the other patient the DNA not successfully genotyped.
Conclusion: There are several risk factors that are associated with TB, this includes education level, occupation, and religion. High prevalence of TB (32%) was found. However, there was low prevalence (4%) of DR-TB found (Rifampicin resistant, isoniazid resistant). Furthermore, after genotyping the resistant SNPs using MassArray, the results obtained showed that there was no mutation identified. It was observed that adolescents and young adults are more susceptible to acquiring TB and DR-TB. Timely detection of medication resistance is
imperative for the efficient management of the disease and dissemination of information related to TB and MDR-TB is vital especially in low- and middle-income countries.National Research Foundation (NRF
Parental engagement in the education of Grade 1 learners during COVID-19 Pandemic in Rakwadi 2 Circuit
No full textM. Ed. (Early Childhood Education)Department of Early Childhood EducationThe study sought to investigate parental engagement in the education of Grade 1 learners during the Covid-19 pandemic in Rakwadu 2 Circuit in Limpopo province. The Covid-19 pandemic led to an abrupt closure of all South African schools on the 18th of March 2020. Therefore, the closure of schools was the right decision to control the spreading of the virus among learners and teachers.
However, learners’ performance was severely affected as they languished at home without any curricular assistance from parents. The study was guided by Joyce Epstein's theory, subsumed under the interpretive research paradigm. An explorative qualitative research design was employed, and data were collected through face-to-face interviews, observations and document analysis. Observations were conducted with the teachers only. Teachers were observed while collecting work from the learners and further analysed thematically. A purposeful sampling procedure was employed to select twelve (12) participants from two (2) primary schools; two (2) Grade 1 teachers per school (the total number of teachers was 4) and eight (8) parents whose learners were in Grade 1. There were four parents from each sampled school. The findings revealed distinctive challenges of insufficient parental engagement in the school setting. The study recommended parents to get involved in education to improve learners’ performance amidst the impact of the Covid19 pandemic.National Research Foundation (NRF
Synthesis and application of ion imprinted polymers for selective extraction of metal ions from different matrices
No full textDepartment of ChemistryExposure to toxic metal ions such as Zn2+ and Pb2+ can lead to several diseases including cancer on human being. This study aims to synthesize Zn2+and Pb2+ ion imprinted polymers (IIPs) for removal of Zn2+ and Pb2+ from various sample matrixes. Polymerization was achieved by mixing the methacrylic acid (MAA) as a functional monomer, ethylene glycol di-methacrylate (EGDMA) as a cross-linker, azobis (isobutyronitrile) (AIBN) as initiator and methanol as a progen. The temperature was increased to 80 oC while stirring for 7 h. The identical procedure was used to make non- imprinted polymer (NIP), but no template was used. Imprinted polymers were extracted with 2 M HCl for the removal of templates.
The point of zero, or pHPZC, was determined and infrared spectroscopy was used to characterize the final products. The results of the Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) analysis demonstrated the removal of ion templates by broad O-H peak at a wavelength of 3500 cm-1 and pHPZC results revealed that, at acidic solution, the imprinted polymers carried positive charges, and at basic solution pH, the imprinted polymers carried negative charges the PHPZC was found 6.98 and pH level was 7.0.
The maximum percentage of Zn2+ removal using the Zn-IIP was found to be 80% when the solution pH of 7.0, adsorbent dose was 5 mg, contact time at 15 min at shaking speed of 100 rpm and initial metal ion concentration of 25 mg/L were used. The adsorption kinetic data corresponded to pseudo-second order reaction kinetics with R2 = 0.99, indicating that the process occurred by chemisorption. The Langmuir isotherm showed an excellent fit with an adsorption capacity of up to 9.03 mg g-1 and R2 = 0.99, implying that adsorption was on a monolayer surface. This study shows that zinc ion imprinted polymer has higher efficiency towards Zn2+ in the solution. The finding indicates that zinc ion imprinted polymer has high adsorption efficiency of 94.00 (mg/g) in removing zinc ion from the honey sample.
The removal of Pb (II) from wastewater using Pb (II) IIP was found to be 90%. Further the re-usability study was evaluated 7 times and the adsorption efficiency was high at 90%, for this study the waste material can be beneficial for reused. The functional groups of both the imprinted polymer and the non-imprinted polymer were characterized by FTIR, and the point of zero charge was determined using the optimum conditions of 50 mg adsorbent dose, initial solution pH 9, and 15 min contact time. The adsorptive nature of the IIP and NIP was evaluated by means of Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms. The Langmuir adsorption isotherm modelled
the data better, as shown by the Langmuir and Freundlich correlation coefficients of 0.999 and 0.975, respectively.
An inventive answer has evolved in the form of ion-imprinted polymer, which was produced using the molecular imprinting approach as a basis. Higher selectivity coefficients have been demonstrated by IIPs compared to non-imprinted polymers.National Research Foundation (NRF
Examining the impact of the Recruitment Process Plan in Ba-Phalaborwa Local Municipality
No full textM. AdminDepartment of Public and Development AdministrationThe struggle to maintain effective recruitment, selection and retention has been a serious concern and one of the most important factors in today‘s competitive business environment. Many public and private organisations all over the world are struggling to recruit, select and retain competent, self-motivated, self- committed and enthusiastic personnel who can support their success, survival, and prosperity. Despite their contribution to the economic growth of Mopani Districts Municipalities, municipalities are facing a tremendous drop in performance outcomes and high labour turnover. The purpose of the study is to analyse the influence of recruitment, selection, and retention on performance outcomes of Mopani District Municipalities in Limpopo province, South Africa. The primary purpose of this research study was to pinpoint and categorise relevant theories for the study of key domains in the field of Public Administration. The secondary purpose is contributing towards improving the scientific rigour of research within Public Administration in general, and postgraduate studies (i.e. Master’s and doctoral research) in particular. This is done by reflecting on the significance of incorporating theory into research designs, methods, and findings. Furthermore, the research study intends to underscore the importance of theory development (i.e. grounded theory) to enhance the maturity level of Public Administration’s corpus of knowledge. For these purposes, desktop research and an extensive literature survey were used. Although the author fully recognises the paradigmatic developments of Public Administration as a study domain (e.g. postmodernism, managerialism and governance), the term “Public Administration” is used in this study. Research findings indicated that though Ba-Phalaborwa Local Municipality conducts its recruitment and selection practices based on a drafted recruitment and selection policy, its implementation is sometimes questionable. It is clear that even though human resources play an essential role in the recruitment and selection process, crafting recruitment and selection methods cannot be the responsibility of an individual. This could result in inconsistency, unreliable, opaque and unjust recruitment and selection methods. This study recommends that the municipality develop a policy on recruitment and selection procedures which is compliant with basic legislative frameworks on recruitment and selection. When such
a policy is developed would ensure that there is uniformity in the entire municipality with regard to how employees are recruited.NR
The psychological experiences of learners who have undergone the loss of a parent at Collins Chabane Municipality schools
No full textM.A. (Psychology)Department of PsychologyA parent's death is a significant life event, and children must absorb, grieve, and deal with their feelings and emotions in their own way. During learning, a learner should be in a good state of mind and emotional well-being to be at the optimal level of learning, and the area of learning must be conducive. School performance may suffer as a result of the drawn-out and painful process of grieving and sorrow. The purpose of the study was to examine the experiences of students who have undergone the loss of a parent at Collins Chabane Municipality Schools, Limpopo Province. The phenomenological design was the main emphasis of the qualitative research methodology. Purposive sampling was the method used by the researcher to choose twenty (20) participants. The researcher stopped collecting data when no new information was expected to be added to enhance the study's findings. Semi-structured interviews were used to gather study data; the interviews were documented in Xitsonga and, after that, transcribed into English. Interpretative phenomenological analysis was utilised to examine the information. The outcome of the research was useful in sharing knowledge about the experiences of loss with the learner. In exploring the coping skills and identifying the protocols put in place to support the learners going through the experience of losing a parent, the research centred on examining the perspectives of students who have undergone the loss of a parent at Collins Chabane Municipality Schools. Additionally, moral precepts like informed consent and confidentiality were observed in that study, and the recommendations were based on the findings.National Research Foundation (NRF
Unravelling the contestation between traditional and modern governance in South Africa: a case of Mopani District
No full textPhD (Political Science)Department of Development StudiesThis study sought to unravel the contestation between traditional and modern governance in South Africa, using Mopani District as a case study. There is political power contestation between traditional authorities and post-1994 local government structures. Traditional leaders claim, with some justification, that the government has usurped their powers. The inclusion of traditional leaders in governance is crucial in the South African government’s entrenchment of constitutional democracy. Notwithstanding the country’s democratic trajectory, the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa (1996) does not assign powers to traditional leaders to the same comparable extent as to elected municipal councillors. The theoretical framework underpinning this study is traditionalism theory. The study employed a qualitative approach, with the data collected using semi-structured interviews and secondary data analysis. Twenty-three (23) participants, comprising 11 traditional leaders, 1 SALGA Executive, 6 elected municipal councillors, 1 member of provincial legislature, 2 members of Parliament of the Republic of South Africa, and 2 Ministry (COGTA and COGHSTA) officials were purposely sampled for the study. Data were analysed using a thematic approach and findings were reported using the narrative approach. The findings revealed that, while legislations enshrined in the Constitution of the RSA (1996), White Paper on Local Government (1998), White Paper on Traditional Leadership and Governance 2003 and Local Government Municipal Structures Act (1998) have provided for the participation of the traditional leadership in local government; they fail to categorically stipulate traditional leaders’ meaningful participation beyond their ex-officio roles. The results showed that the current system of local governance was established without the knowledge of the traditional leadership’s role in local governance. The study recommends an inclusive rural governance framework that will meaningfully involve traditional leaders in the modern local governance. The inclusive rural governance framework will assist government in promoting a cohesive approach to governance. The framework is important for a coordinated service delivery in rural areas.NR
An evaluation of Intergrated Development Planning Stategies and their implications on service delivery in Greater Giyani Local Municipality
No full textMPMOliver Tambo Institute of Governance and Policy StudiesThe Greater Giyani Municipality is confronted with the challenges of service backlogs,
high unemployment, high illiteracy levels and slow economic growth, as outlined in the
Integrated Development Plan (2014: 29-30), despite the development and
implementation of the IDP’s. This study aimed to offer an evaluation of integrated
development planning strategies on service delivery in the Greater Giyani Municipality
in Limpopo province. In this study, the mixed methods design was used wherein the
researcher employed the use of both qualitative and quantitative methods to
triangulate the data. The use of the mixed methods research design in this study was
augmented by data analysis that involved quantitative and qualitative techniques. For
quantitative data analysis, the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS)
version 25 was used. For qualitative data analysis, the Atlas TI software was used.
The findings emanating from the study have useful implications for the Greater Giyani
Municipality in their formulation of integrated development planning initiatives for
better delivery of services within municipality. Findings made in this study suggest that
a participatory and transparent approach, with a strong emphasis on implementation
and capacity development, can contribute to more efficient service delivery and overall
development in the study area. These results are deemed to be useful for the Greater
Giyani Municipality in delivering services to the communities that need these services.
The findings show that the need for transparency keeps on emerging as the main
theme that most participants revealed in addition to accountability and corruption. In
order to enhance the progress of the IDP, it is necessary for the municipality to group
the communities by their streets into zones. This approach ensures the creation of a
smaller IDP specifically tailored for each of these groups or areas. These mini IDPs
are then merged into the ward IDP, which is eventually submitted to the municipal
council during the developmental phase. The recommendations made in this study
include prioritizing community-raised service issues, reaching agreements on top
priorities, and treating all areas as business areas for informed IDP incorporation.
Allocation of capital resources, clustering communities into zones, and developing
localized assessment reports and maintenance plans are advised.NR
Nkambisiso wa vundzeni bya dikixinari ya ririmi ra Xitsonga hi M. M. Marhanelele na V. Bila hi ku komgomisa eka mavitovito lama kongomisaka eka vahnu
No full textM.A. (Xitsonga)Department of African LanguagesNdzavisiso lowu wu kongomanile na ku kambisisa vundzeni bya mavitavito lama kongomisaka eka vanhu lama nghenisiweke eka Tihlungu ta rixaka Dikixinari ya ririmi ra Xitsonga (2016) hi M.M Marhanele and V. Bila. Ku na swilo swimbirhi leswi ndzavisiso lowu wu nga langutana na swona ngopfu, ku nga tihlamuselo na xivumbeko xa mavitavito lama kongomisaka eka vanhu. Ndzavisiso lowu wu endliwe hi ku landza tidizayini timbirhi, ku nga dizayini ya nkoka na dizayini ya ntalo. Mahungu ma ndzavisiso lowu ma hlengeletiwile hi ku tirhisa endlelo ra khophasi kusuka eka dikixinari leyi boxiweke na ku tlhela ma xopaxopiwa hi ku tirhisa nxopaxopo wa vundzeni bya dokhumente. Ndzavisiso lowu wu tlhele wu va lowu wu nga simekiwa ehenhla ka mianakanyo ya tithiyori ta Function theory of lexicography na Linguistic theory. Eka mavitavito lama ma malombiwa na lama ma nga riki malombiwa, ku kumiwile leswaku ku na mavitavito lama pfelelaka kusuka eka swihluvi swin’wana swa mbulavulo na lama nga pfeleliki kusuka eka swihluvi swin’wana swa mbulavulo hi ku landzelerisa eka swikatsa swinharhu, leswi ku nga mavitavito lama fambelanaka na rimbewu ra xinuna, ra xisati, na lama nga kombiki ku fambelana na rimbewu ro karhi. Ku ya hi ndzavisiso lowu, ku kumekile leswaku mavitavito ma malombiwa lama kongomisaka eka leswinene lama pfelelaka kusuka eka swihluvi swin’wana swa mbulavulo ku kumekile 34, kasi lama kongomisaka eka leswo biha i 17, lama ma welaka eka leswinene ya ri ya nkampfelelo i 29, lama ma kongomisaka eka leswi nga riki swinene i 9; na lama nga riki malombiwa ma kambisisiwile laha ku kumekeke leswaku lama ma pfelelaka kusuka eka swihluvi swa mbuluvulo lama ma kongomisaka eka leswinene i 79, kasi eka leswo biha i 78. Eka xiphemu xa lama ma nga nkampfelelo lama ma kongomisaka eka leswinene i 39 kasi lama kongomisaka eka leswo biha ku kumekile 26 wa mavitavito. Leswi hinkwaswo swi hi kombisa vukona bya ku nghenisiwa ka mavitavito ya vanhu eka dikixinari kun’we leyi boxiweke laha henhla na tihlayohlayo ta wona leswi swi kalaka eka milavisiso leyi nga endliwa nkarhi lowu nga hundza.NR
The sustainability of Home-Based Businesses (HBBs) operating in Vhembe District Municipality
No full textM. Com (Business Management)Department of Business ManagementDespite all the advantages of Home-Based Businesses (HBBs) and the acknowledgement that small businesses have the potential to address some of South Africa's socioeconomic problems, such as unemployment, poverty, and inequality, the country's small businesses, particularly those in rural areas, continue to face several challenges that frequently result in their premature failures. Due to their small size, HBBs have not gotten much to no interest from scholars studying sustainability, despite representing an increasingly significant form of entrepreneurial activity. Most empirical studies have concentrated on the HBBs operating in urban than rural areas and most studies about HBBs have been done in Europe, America, India, and Australia with little reference in African context. Therefore, the study attempts to fill a gap on the literature of sustainability of HBBs in rural areas especially within South African context particularly in Vhembe District Municipality. The study's specific objectives were firstly to study the characteristics of HBBs, secondly to assess the sustainability of HBBs, thirdly to develop a model of sustainability of HBBs operating in rural area, and lastly to recommend strategies that could be applied to enhance sustainability of HBBs. This study used a mixed approach to address these objectives. A sample of 398 respondents consisting of HBBs’ owners who have been operating HBBs for 2 years and above and 10 participants consisting of local community leaders and local municipal officials was chosen using a non-probability sampling method. An explanatory method with a combination of closed and open questions was employed to gather primary data. Interviews and questionnaires were utilized as data collection techniques. Collected qualitative data was analysed utilizing a thematic analysis aided by ATLAS.ti. Furthermore, the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 22.0 was used to assist in the analysis of quantitative data using descriptive statistics. The research findings added to the frame of knowledge pertaining sustainability of HBBs operating in rural setting.
The findings for the study are as follows:
•
This study found that the characteristics are convenience service or product provision, formal existence, family members labour dependent and informal operations. This study revealed that HBBs provide convenience in accessing products and services to the communities in which they are situated. This convenience access saves the community members or customers time and money which they could have exhausted travelling to centres where there are larger retailers. Additionally, HBBs are also
characterized by formal existence with illegal operation of business in their owners’
residential place.
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This study found that the assessment of HBBs is based on plethora indicators that are employment creation, social responsibility involvement, community support and local economic development contributors. This study found that HBBs play a pivotal part in employment creation for HBBs owners and the community at large. This employment generation capacity of these business models provides the basis for indicating that they are sustainable. In addition, HBBs are also involved in social responsibility through donations and assisting in community projects. This means that the capacity of these entities to donate and assist with community projects shows that they are indeed sustainable business ventures.
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To recommend strategies that could be applied to improve sustainability of HBBs, this study found that the strategies that can be adopted are workshops, information sharing, innovative approach orientation and business forum establishment. Thus, study found that workshops that are focused on providing business management skills to the HBBs are crucial towards ensuring that those running these enterprises have the requisite skills to ensure that they are sustainable. Another strategy of enhancing the sustainability of HBBs is information sharing which implies that the sharing of opportunities to HBBs and government departments is crucial towards the sustainability of HBBs.
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The study was also able to construct a model of sustainability of HBBs operating in Makhado and Thulamela Municipality under Vhembe District. The study found that the sustainability of HBBs is dependent on the four factors namely: value creation, value proposition, legal compliance, and management experience. In addition, the model has also provided specific elements that influence each of the sustainability factors; value creation in sustainability of HBBs is influenced by the affordability of products or services offered by HBBs, customers that buy from HBBs, service delivery provided by HBBs and reliable suppliers that HBBs entrepreneurs source their products from. Consequently, value proposition in sustainability of HBBs is influenced by transparency between the customers and HBBs, creation of competitive advantage to
gain more customers, product research to ensure that customers’ needs are satisfied
and knowing target market of the business.
Legal compliance also plays a crucial role in the sustainability of HBBs as businesses must comply with bylaws that govern certain activities of businesses especially HBBs in this case. Legal compliance is influenced by the registration of HBBs with relevant stakeholders, complying with environmental laws since they operate at owner’s residential instead of commercial place which poses many challenges to the residential and surrounding areas, health, and safety regulations to ensure safety of the family members and community members at large, financial regulations, and compliance with latest laws that apply to the type of business. Lastly, the sustainability of HBBs is dependent on management experience of the owners which is influenced by previous relevant management experience, management skills, and continuous training that HBBs’ owners receive to enhance their managerial skills. This model can act as a guide towards the sustainability of the HBBs.National Research Foundation (NRF
The impact of long-term sustainability of community involvement in school of Soutpansberg West Circuit during COVID-19 pandemic
No full textMEDEMDepartment of Educational ManagementSchool-community collaboration has a significant impact on the learners’ lives, both academically and socially. The involvement of the community in schools seems to hold the potential to fulfil the right to education. Although communities are trying hard to participate in any activities happening and help their children to learn through with the adjusted way of teaching and learning but were limited due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This study investigated the impact of the long-term sustainability of community involvement in schools of Soutpansberg West Circuit of Vhembe District. The study applied interpretivism as a research paradigm. The research design of this study was Ethnography. The study applied a qualitative research method. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews and observation. The population for this study were teachers, principals and parents at Soutpansberg West Circuit. The sample for this study constituted of two principals, four teachers and four parents from two schools. After data collection, the researcher’s interpretations were applied. This was done after reading and classifying similar themes together. Data was then analysed through a thematic analysis which involved interpretation in the processes of selecting codes and constructing themes. The creation of a community environment that provides full support to learners was considered, as it creates a beneficial climate for learners to learn to their potential. Findings of this study indicated that parental involvement in the education of their children plays a big role in promoting positive learning space and contributing towards learners’ academic success. The study recommends that parents should directly involve themselves in the education of their children in order to enhance their children’s academic performance. Parents must fulfil their duties in ensuring that learners are assisted in the process of learning as well as providing educational support.NR