2694 research outputs found
Sort by
The impact of administrative staff acquisition strategies on organisational performance: A case of Greater Tzaneen Municipality
No full textMPMDepartment of Public and Development AdministrationThis study examined the impact of administrative staff acquisition strategies on the performance of the Greater Tzaneen Municipality. The study aimed to understand the current state of administrative staff acquisition in municipalities, explore the relationship between staff acquisition and municipal performance, investigate potential challenges faced in staff acquisition strategies, and propose recommendations for improving staff acquisition practices to enhance organizational performance. The study adopts a qualitative research approach, employing interviews and document analysis as data collection tools within an exploratory research design. Through this methodology, key findings reveal several challenges in developing employees, particularly in terms of skills development and training. Additionally, the study finds that the municipality's performance recognition system for administrative staff is relatively low, which may hinder motivation and productivity. Furthermore, the study uncovers a disparity in employment opportunities between urban and rural areas, suggesting a lack of inclusivity and diversity within administrative staff acquisition practices. Financial constraints pertaining to recruitment and training of employees also emerge as significant challenges faced by the municipality. Based on the findings, the study proposed recommendations to improve staff acquisition practices and enhance organizational (municipal) performance. These recommendations may include implementing comprehensive skills development and training programs to enhance employees' capabilities and productivity. Additionally, the municipality should consider revamping the performance recognition system to motivate and reward administrative staff adequately. To address the issue of inclusivity and diversity, the study suggests implementing fair and unbiased recruitment processes. This can be achieved by actively sourcing candidates from both urban and rural areas, providing equal opportunities for employment regardless of geographical location. The municipality needs to address the financial constraints associated with staff acquisition. This may involve exploring alternative funding sources or reallocating existing resources to recruitment and training initiatives.NR
A communal holistic therapeutic approach for psychosocial health management among Southern African indigenous communities
No full textD.NURDepartment of Advanced Nursing ScienceBackground: Mental health remains on the backseat of the global healthcare system. With more than a third of people suffering from mental health having no access to mental health services. Consequently, this research realizes that communality and Ubuntu are considered the epitomes of living systems in African indigenous communities. Therefore, the aim was to develop, confirm, and validate a Middle-range Theory of psychosocial health management among indigenous Southern African communities.
Methods: An explorative sequential mixed methods design was conducted. For the qualitative strand (Phase One), a qualitative approach was used where classical Grounded Theory was employed as a design. Makgotla were used as data collection method, and theoretical sampling was used for participant selection. In Phase Two, a qualitative approach followed where a critical, integrative literature review was conducted. Purposive sampling was employed for the literature collection. Finally, for the quantitative strand, a quantitative approach was used where content validity index (CVI), content validity ratio (CVR), and Kappa statistic were used to confirm and validate the emerging theory. Purposive sampling was used, where experts were selected for the confirmation and validation of the emerging theory.
Findings: This research presents an emerging Middle-range theory referred to as the ‘Inclusive Holistic Communal Psychosocial Health Management Approach.’ This approach is informed by the shared cultural belief system, co-living system, and communal therapeutic techniques. Fundamental to the emerging Middle-range theory are the five cultural axioms found in this research to be of evidential value to culturally congruent and needs-aligned psychosocial health management. Embedded in the belief that life is a holistic-circlic continuous process independent of living, wherein the point of equilibrium (good health) is the sense of balance between life and living. Furthermore, it has been found that the emerging Middle-range theory expressed through the 40-item instrument is content valid and comprehensive as all the items were found to be relevant and acceptable with I-CVI values greater than 0.79 and Kappa values above 0.74.NR
Socioeconomic impact of low volume in rural gravel roads in three selected communities of South Africa, Makhado Local Municipality
No full textMURPDepartment of Urban and Regional PlanningThe transport network (including roads, railways, airports etc.) constitute the backbone of a country’s infrastructure and the frame of a country’s socioeconomic development (Ayele, 2017:34). A well planned, located, designed, constructed, and maintained low-volume rural gravel road system is essential for community development, flow of goods and services between communities, and resource management activities (Low-Volume Roads BMPs, 2017:21). Thus, the study is aimed at examining the socioeconomic impacts of low volume rural gravel roads within three selected communities in Makhado Local Municipality, South Africa. To accomplish the research objectives, the study made use of both primary and secondary data sources. In line with this adopted approach, both qualitative and quantitative data type were employed. A sample size of 75 households was selected from the study area by making use of the random sampling technique. The researcher adopted use of surveys, observations, questionnaires, focus groups, interviews as a method of data collection. The study applied both quantitative and qualitative data analysis method. The literature shows that the contribution of low volume rural gravel roads on the socioeconomic growth is high. The study shows that there was a serious challenge of rural road provision in Ward 37. The residents did not have adequate access to educational facilities, public health care centres, agricultural sector, and shopping complex due to poor gravel road condition, lack of public transport, lack of community participation, and lack of employment opportunities etc. The study findings reveal that there were other factors contributing to socioeconomic and rural roads provision challenges. These include lack of effective socioeconomic and rural roads enhancement strategies or development plans by the municipality and responsible sector departments to provide access to improved socioeconomic and rural roads services. The study showed that Ward 37 had a serious backlog in provision of an improved rural road and maintenance of the existing low volume rural gravel road by Makhado LM which needs to be addressed urgently. The study recommended the following; Involvement of the community in the planning, design, construction, and maintenance of the road, application of funding to assist in improving the condition of the existing low volume rural gravel road, the immediate road maintenance and rehabilitation of the existing low volume rural gravel road, as well as upgrading of the existing gravel to tar road, the implementation of Shova Kalula program to assist learners, and lastly, the local municipality should acquire the district roads management rights to district roads, in order to mitigate the identified problems in the study area.NR
The Implementation of the procurement system in Local Government: a case of Ba-Phalaborwa Local Municipality, Limpopo Province
No full textMPMOliver Tambo School of Governance and Policy StudiesThis study was about the Implementation of the procurement system in local government with a focus on Ba-Phalaborwa Local Municipality. Reports from the Auditor-General, Public Protector, Special Investigating Unit, media, Whistle blowers and other institutions tasked with the responsibility of ensuring that constitutional democracy is upheld have widely testified that ineffective and unethical conduct by the public sector in the procurement of goods and services. Nonetheless, the delivery of services in the South African public sector is confirmed by the current procurement system wherein service delivery is accomplished through staff and the service providers whereby the staff execute and manages the procurement process, and the service providers have to deliver the goods and services through a well-defined competitive process. Consequently, the effects of inadequate procurement practices on communities remain negative as this derails service delivery and development. Sampling will be done from the identified role-players. Additionally, analysis of existing documents such as the Ba-Phalaborwa Local Municipality Supply Chain Management Code of Conduct, Policy, Procedure Manual, Delegations of Authority, Bids Committee Charter and any source document related to procurement available from the Municipality will be dealt with in detail. Confirmatory interviews will be conducted with the participants to support the data collected from the municipality source documents. The findings in this study revealed that the procurement system adopted by the Ba-Phalaborwa Municipality depicts the footsteps of the National Treasury as the powerhouse of procurement within the republic. This is due to the fact that the municipal procurement systems and procedures are congruent to that expounded by the national treasury. As part of the recommendations, it has been proposed that the department responsible for planning the delivery of basic and essential services have to be acquainted with sub-activities to be carried out until the project gets delivered. In this way, they will then be obliged not to contribute to the lack of service delivery. Thus, the notion of oneness within the various departments will be enhanced and the path to delivery of services will be governed by all role-players.NR
Bioaccumulation and the human health risk of p,p'-DDT, p,p'-DDD, p,p'-DDE in freshwater fish species from the north-eastern Limpopo River valley, Vhembe District, Limpopo Province, South Africa
No full textMSc (Zoology)Department of Biological SciencesDichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethane (DDT) has been used globally as an agricultural pesticide since the early 1940s, and both the United States and Canada banned its use in 1972. DDT is still used in the malaria-endemic region of South Africa for vector control through indoor residual spraying (IRS). Studies have reported a link between DDT exposure and prostate cancer risk and/or aggressive disease presentation in Italy, Canada, and the United States. Epidemiological analysis of men with prostate cancer (PCa) in South Africa showed an increased PCa risk in Vhavenda people, the predominant population of Vhembe. The Vhembe District municipality falls in the malaria-endemic region, where DDT is used for vector control. The region of interest is fed by three major tributaries of the Limpopo River, which provide communities with agriculture, washing/bathing and portable water as well food (fish). Therefore, environmental levels of p,p-DDT, p,p-dichlorodiphenyldichloroethane (DDD) and p,p- dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (DDE) were measured before and after of the 2022 malaria high-transmission period (HTP), through sampling fish, from the Mutale and Mutshindudi rivers, and Thathe Vondo Dam. Fishes were bought from fishermen at the Thathe Vondo Dam and along the Mutale and Mutshindudi rivers. The fish's edible part (muscle), one piece raw and one piece cooked was tested for DDTs. Fish from the Mutshundudi River had higher DDT residuals than all other sites before the IRS. None of the DDTs were present after the yearly IRS. Daily exposure of DDTs for consumers was estimated by comparing estimated daily intake (EDI) with different criteria. The results revealed that the EDIs in our study were all lower than those criteria. Target hazard quotient (THQ) and risk ratio (R) were used to evaluate non-carcinogenic (toxic) and carcinogenic risks. There was no carcinogenic or toxic risk for humans consuming fish from the Mutale and Mutshindudi rivers and Thathe Vondo Dam. This indicates that DDT, DDD, and DDE in fish are not affecting the PCa burden in the Vhavenda men living in remote communities.NR
Landfill gas monitoring, assessment of potential health risks and the development of a zero-waste conceptual framework for rural landfills in South Africa
No full textPh.D. (Environmental Sciences)Department of Geography and Environmental SciencesA landfill is a piece of land where waste (hazardous and non-hazardous) is taken to and buried under the ground; this is oldest and cheapest form of waste management technique. In South Africa, approximately 90% of MSW (Municipal Solid Waste) generated is deposited in a landfill, once it is deposited in the landfill, it undergoes decomposition which generates harmful gases like - methane (CH4), carbon dioxide (CO2) - and trace gases like - hydrogen sulphide (H2S), benzene (C6H6), carbon monoxide (CO), nitric oxide (NO), ammonia (NH4) and toluene (C₆H₅CH₃). These landfill gases (LFG) generated can migrate beneath the sub-surface of the waste into the surrounding landfill area and further extend outside of the boundaries of the landfill. Furthermore, LFG generated can be emitted into the surrounding atmosphere, thereby, contributing to an increase in air pollutants, in the environment. As a result, in South Africa, monitoring the subsurface flow of gases is a mandatory requirement for landfill operators. The objective of this study was to conduct a comprehensive analysis of LFGs from a selected Thohoyandou landfill and develop a zero-waste conceptual framework, based on the Swedish Boras model.
To monitor the sub-surface flow of the LFGs, eighteen gas sample probes were constructed with PVC pipes and placed approximately 3 meters below the landfill; these were placed approximately 100 meters apart on the boundaries of the site. A GA 2000 landfill gas analyser was used to monitor the CH4 and CO2 generated from the sub-surface of the landfill. The monitoring of the LFGs was conducted over a period of two years, taking into consideration the wet and dry seasons of the year. Furthermore, to measure the surface emission (near-ground emissions) of the LFG, a flux chamber was constructed from a strong ceramic PVC material with a sharpen based to conceal the flow of LFGs. The LFG samples were collected from the flux chamber using a tedler bag, in the early hours of the day and late hours in the evenings. These LFG samples were immediately taken to the laboratory and a gas chromatography (GC) was used to analyse them. The results from the GC were compared to results generated from the LandGEM model. To monitor the ambient air quality of the surrounding landfill, American Meteorological Society/Environmental Protection Agency Regulatory Model (AERMOD) was used to simulate the LFG emissions in the ambient air. From this process, it was possible to compare these results with real time measurements from the TROPOspheric Monitoring Instrument (TROPOMI) satellite imagery. In addition, the cancer risk of the residents living close to the landfill was assessed.
The results of the study revealed that CO2 concentrations were most abundant and surpassed the CH4 concentrations; this is a result of the oxidation process in the landfill. The results indicate that in 2020, CH4 emissions ranged from 0.54 % vol/vol to 2.22 % vol/vol and for the year 2021, the CH4 concentration ranged from 0.24% vol/vol to 2.33% vol/vol, which were found in the months of March and November, respectively. Similarly, the CO2 concentrations for the year 2020 ranged from 4.66% vol/vol to 6.37% vol/vol and in 2021, the CO2 concentration ranged from 3.55% vol/vol to 6.56% vol/vol, which were found in the months of June and September, respectively.
The results from the flux chamber show that most of the LFG (near ground) fluxes were from areas close to where there were landfill activities. The study showed that during the wet seasons, CH4 emission in the capped area, had a high concentration of 360819.80 mg/m3, with an average emission rate of 433.00 g/m2/day, resulting in 6363.43 Mg/year. The active sample areas had the highest values, with a concentration of 419863 mg/m3, an average emission rate of 503.86 g/m2/day, and annual emissions of 7031.57 Mg/year. The virgin areas had the lowest values, with a concentration of 45922.52 mg/m3, an average emission rate of 55.11 g/m2/day, resulting in 605.72 Mg/year. Similar results were obtained during the dry season, as the concentrations and emission rates in all areas of the landfill were lower, compared to the wet season. The active and capped sample area had the highest values in comparison to the leachate and virgin sample areas, as experienced during the dry season.
The study concluded with the development of a strategic framework for an appropriate MSW management technique, especially, for rural landfills. The designed framework incorporated strategies to - reduce waste, promote recycling, and maximise resource recovery. Thulamela Municipality can encourage waste sorting, recycling infrastructure, and explore innovative technologies in landfill operations, so as to reduce the generation of harmful gases. This study should enhance the understanding of stakeholders in Thohoyandou, around LFG emissions in by providing actionable measures for improving waste management practices, safeguarding community health, and advancing sustainable solutions for environmental challenges.NR
Use of information communication technology as a tool for preserving Tshivenda Proverbs
No full textM. A. (African Studies)Department of Indigenous Knowledge Systems and Heritage StudiesThis study explored the use of Information Communication Technology in preserving the Tshivenḓa proverbs. From time immemorial, proverbs were valuable cultural practices of oral tradition, which were used to empower the young generation on morals, norms, behaviour, education, and other African values. It has been noticed that due to modernisation and lack of preservation, proverbs have been abounded by the majority of Vhavenḓa youths, which seems to be resulting in moral degeneration because youth no longer acquire moral knowledge and skills through proverbs. The overall objectives were to examine different ways of gaining knowledge and understanding about proverbs and Information Communication Technology, to explore the role of information Communication Technology in preserving proverbs within Vhavenḓa communities, and to explore strategies to mitigate challenges associated with the preservation of Tshivenḓa proverbs through the use of Information Communication Technology. The study was grounded in socio-cultural and diffusion of innovation theories. This study intended to adopt a qualitative research design. Therefore, participants were selected using Purposive and snowballing samplings. Furthermore, semi-structured and focus group discussions were used to collect data. Thematic data analysis was used to analyse data. The envisioned findings of the study could be convenient in preserving the Vhavenḓa proverbs.National Research Foundation (NRF
Physicochemical, antioxidant and microstructural properties of malted finger millet (Eleusine coracana) flour(s) and their use in gluten-free biscuits.
No full textMSCFSTDepartment of Food Science and TechnologyFinger millet is a gluten-free crop with outstanding malting qualities, and a low glycaemic index. The study aimed to determine the physicochemical, antioxidant, and microstructural properties of malted finger millet flours (light and dark brown) and their use in gluten-free biscuits. The two varieties of finger millet grains were germinated for 0, 24, 48, and 72 hours (h) and kilned for 8 h at 30°C. The lightness (L*) values of malted finger millet flours significantly increased (p ≤ 0.05), with light brown having the highest L* value of 76.62. The moisture, ash, fibre, protein, mineral, total phenolic and total flavonoid contents and DPPH activity of both malted finger millet flours and biscuits significantly increased (p ≤ 0.05). Both malted finger millet flours' solubility index, water and oil absorption capacity increased significantly, while the packed and loose bulk density decreased. A significant decrease in the viscosity of the cooked paste in both finger millet flours was observed. Malting resulted in an increase in the onset, peak, and conclusion temperatures. FTIR showed that malting slightly changed the peaks of both finger millet flours. Scanning electron microscopy showed that malting altered the microstructural characteristics of finger millet flours. The yellowness and whiteness index of FM biscuits significantly increased, ranging from 41.47 to 42.12 and 42.21 to 45.47 (light brown) and from 67.78 to 70.97 and 71.92 to 75.41 for dark brown, respectively. The weight, diameter, thickness, and spread ratio significantly decreased with an increase in malting in both FM biscuits. The hardness of the biscuits significantly increased from 762.53 to 1720.28 g (light brown) and 747.50 to 1918.71 g (dark brown). The LB biscuits had more desirable sensory attributes as compared to the DB biscuits. It was concluded that malted FM flour can be used to prepare nutritious and healthier gluten-free bakery products.NR
The role of parents regarding teenage pregnancy and school attendance in the rural village of Thomo in Mopani District Limpopo Province
No full textMCurDepartment of Advanced Nursing ScienceThe Department of Education has stated that parents and guardians may not be absolved from their responsibilities regarding their pregnant child, and they should take the lead in working with the school to support and monitor their child’s health and progress. The purpose of this study was to explore and describe the role of parents regarding teenage pregnancy and school attendance in the rural village of Thomo in Mopani District Limpopo Province.
The study is qualitative, explorative, descriptive and contextual in nature. The population comprised of the selected parents and caregivers residing at Thomo village of Mopani District. Purposive sampling was used to select 10 parents and 5 caregivers. Sampling size was determined by data saturation. Data was collected through in-depth individual interviews, guided by unstructured questions, data analysis was through open coding. Trustworthiness was ensured through credibility, dependability, conformability and transferability and ethical issues were adhered to. One main theme with four sub - themes emerged from the raw data; namely, parents /caregivers skills and personal factors that affect behaviour change; parents / caregivers intention to change the teenagers’ behaviour; environmental and cultural factors as facilitators/ barriers to pregnancy prevention and parent-school partnerships. Recommendations were made that included the following: awareness campaigns regarding prevention of teenage pregnancy; establishment of the compulsory education subject; review of existing teenage pregnancy policies; engaging parents on youth programs; using churches to strengthen youth education on the dangers of sex before marriage; as well as capacitating parents on effective communication with their children.NR
Innovative Extraction and Identification of Rutin Flavonoid from Moringa oleifera Leaves Using UHPLC-qTOF-MS and Computational Metabolomics Tools
No full textPh. D. (Chemistry)Department of ChemistryMoringa oleifera is a tree that has been studied extensively and it has been found to host a variety of medicinal and nutritional properties. Owing to these properties, it has often been referred to as a ‘miracle tree’. M. oleifera contains a variety of metabolites such as flavonoids, glucosinolates, phenolic acids, tannins, and carotenoids that are responsible for the pharmacological properties of this plant. In this study, the metabolite of interest in M. oleifera was the rutin flavonoid. Rutin has various pharmacological properties and its presence in M. oleifera makes the plant more bioavailable. In this study, the presence of rutin was evaluated in M. oleifera plants in households from different villages within the Vhembe District. The Molecular Networking (MN) approach was utilized to revisit the chemical space of flavonoids in M. oleifera. The aim was to establish the biochemical modifications responsible for the chemical diversity of these compounds, which have been reported to be associated with the purported pharmacological properties of this plant. Modern extraction methods such as ultrasonic-assisted aqueous two-phase extraction (UA-ATPE) and pipette tip micro-solid phase extraction (PT-μSPE) were explored in the extraction of the most bio-available and most sought-after flavonoid, rutin, in M. oleifera leaf extracts. This work has been divided into four experimental chapters.
In Experimental Chapter 4, the presence of rutin was evaluated in the leaves of 135 M. oleifera plants from households in different villages within the Vhembe District of Limpopo Province of South Africa. The metabolite extraction was carried out using the conventional liquid extraction method using 80% MeOH and the resulting extracts were analyzed using UHPLC-qTOF-MS. The results from the UHPLC-qTOF-MS showed that only 15 plants produced rutin. This was confirmed using tandem mass spectrometry (MS2) and an authentic standard, which further validated the detected ion as a true representation of rutin. It was concluded that different cultivars of this plant are being grown in various households within the Vhembe District. These differences are expected to result in a negative perception towards Moringa plants, and as such, knowledge of the cultivar-chemical relationship should be made public with the intention to encourage the cultivation of proper plant species. The extraction of rutin from M. oleifera leaves using UA-ATPE was reviewed in Experimental Chapter 5. An ethanol/salt ATPE was formed for the extraction of rutin. Ultrasonication was used to assist in the extraction of rutin from the leaves. Central composite design (CCD) was used to design experiments and two factors which were optimized
are ultrasonic time and ultrasonic temperature. The ammonium sulphate ((NH4)2SO4), sodium chloride (NaCl), and magnesium sulphate (MgSO4) salts were used to form the ethanol/salt ATPE two phase system. The resulting Response Surface Model (RSM) was observed to be a linear fit for the ethanol/(NH4)2SO4 and the ethanol/MgSO4 ATPE systems, with R2 values of 0.7339 and 0.5782, respectively, as obtained from the analysis of variance (ANOVA). The ethanol/NaCl ATPE system yielded a quadratic fit with R2 = 0.7865 and was observed to be the best performing in the extraction of rutin from the M. oleifera leaves with optimum extraction at a temperature of 25 ºC and time of 22.5 minutes. Based on multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) through the UHPLC-qTOF-MS technique, the concentration of rutin extracted by the ethanol/NaCl ATPE system was 240 μg L-1. According to ANOVA, temperature (the B-term) was found to be the significant term with a p < 0.0500 that the extraction of rutin through UA-ATPE is temperature-dependent. Therefore, it was concluded that the extraction of rutin from M. oleifera leaves favors low temperatures. The results of the current study further demonstrate the usefulness of simple extraction techniques, such as heated water with additives like salts, as a feasible method to enrich pharmacologically relevant metabolites from plants. This reaffirms traditional protocols that are currently used by communities which include boiling plants in water to extract useful chemical compounds for the treatment of common ailments such as colds and headaches. In Experimental Chapter 6, PT-μSPE was applied in the extraction of rutin from M. oleifera leaves using activated hollow carbon nanospheres (HCNSs) as the sorbent. The activated HCNSs were characterized using FTIR, which confirmed the presence of the functional groups of interest such as OH stretch, -COO- vibration, and C=O stretch. TGA thermogram showed a difference in the thermal stability of the raw and activated HCNSs, proving that the raw HCNSs are more stable than the activated HCNSs, and SEM displayed the difference in the morphology of the raw and activated HCNSs by observing the difference in the coalescence of the material. Parameters such as loading cycles, elution solvent, concentration of rutin, pH, loading volume, and mass of sorbent were optimized. The analysis of the extracts was conducted with a UV-Vis spectrophotometer to ascertain the recovery of rutin. The optimal conditions for rutin recovery using PT-μSPE were determined to be 15 loading cycles, i-PrOH as the elution solvent, a 2 ppm as standard concentration of rutin, a pH of 2, 500 μL as loading volume, and 1.5 mg of sorbent. The LOD, LOQ, and RSD values were found to be 0.604 mg L-1, 1.830 mg L-1, and 3.26%; respectively. It was thus confirmed that the PT-μSPE method is effective in the extraction of rutin even at trace levels based on the low LOD
value obtained and the RSD value obtained proved that this method is a reliable pre-concentration technique and is thus repeatable for the analysis of complex samples. Therefore, in cases where some plants produce these compounds in minute concentrations, methods such as this one presented herein can be used to estimate and concentrate the pharmacologically relevant compounds.
Molecular networking (MN) was used to study the global metabolic profile of M. oleifera and is outlined in Experimental Chapter 7. Herein, Global Natural Products Social (GNPS) platform was used to generate the MN from the LC-MS data obtained from the methanolic leaf extracts of M. oleifera. The MN was viewed and analyzed using Cytoscape. Through MN, it was observed that M. oleifera contains a variety of metabolites. Other GNPS tools such as network annotation propagation (NAP), DEREPLICATOR, MS2LDA, and MolNetEhancer were further used to compliment the classical MN model. To this end, MS2LDA was used to annotate the flavonoids found within M. oleifera. Kaempferol, quercetin, and isorhamnetin flavonoids were successfully annotated by MS2LDA. Additionally, Chrysin-6,8-C-diglucoside was also annotated and reported for the first time in M. oleifera leaves. The results of this study further suggest MN models as useful tools for chemical exploration, enabling the discovery of new metabolites by leveraging existing knowledge as "chemical charms" to unearth hidden metabolites.National Research Foundation (NRF