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Assessment of minor ions and trace element chemistry in groundwater in Luvuvhu catchment, Limpopo province, South Africa.
No full textA thesis submitted to the Faculty of Science, Agriculture and Engineering in fulfilment of the requirements for the Master of Science in the Department of Hydrology at the University of Zululand, South Africa, 2022.Agricultural activities are often associated with contamination of water, which
resulted in high concentration of nutrients and trace metals in the shallow aquifer.
Occurrence and distribution of nutrients and trace metals in the groundwater of
intensively irrigated region of Luvuvhu catchment was carried out to determine the
status of groundwater quality and its suitability for drinking. Groundwater samples
were collected and analysed for physiochemical parameters. The results suggest that
the concentration of nutrients and trace metals in the groundwater are below the
permissible limit of drinking water standards recommended by the World Health
Organization and South African standards except pH, K and Pb. Low pH (51%),
potassium (31%) and lead (100%) restrict the groundwater usage for drinking. Relation
between groundwater flow direction and EC, sulphate, nitrate, and ammonium
contents indicate that it is mostly constant towards the centre of the study area, but
sudden enrichment is noticed in the downstream. Silica and fluoride has increased
along with the direction of groundwater flow. Trace metals (B, Pb and Zn) show
decreasing trend in the flow direction. However, pH, K, Li, Cr, and phosphate
concentrations do not show significant variation along the flow direction. Positive
relation between nitrate, EC, sulphate, and ammonium implies that groundwater
quality is affected by the surface contamination sources, and mostly from irrigation
return flow, through the application of fertilizers and organic manures. However,
groundwater with high silica and fluoride also has high nitrate, which justifies that
wastewater infiltration from the surface has triggered the mineral dissolution in the
vadose. Trace metals does not correlate with nitrate. High concentrations of trace
metals are recorded with low nitrate, which implies that metals are derived from
mineral weathering. However, boron concentrations in a few wells show positive
relation with nitrate, which justified the impact of natural sources and irrigational
activities.National Research Foundation(NRF
School management teams' practices in promoting learner performance in Mathematics in rural primary schools in the Vhembe East Dristrict, Limpopo
No full textA thesis submitted to the Faculty of Education in the fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Education in the department of Planning and Administration at the University of Zululand, South Africa, 2022.The School Management Teams’ (SMTs), role is believed to have significant effects on learners’ overall academic performance, however, mathematics remains a subject where learners are continuing toper form poorly. The aim of this study was to investigate the SMTs practices in promoting learner performance in mathematics in rural primary schools in the Vhembe East District, Limpopo. The study used a qualitative approach, collecting data through face to face and focus group interviews, and observations from 15 participants. Thematic content data analysis was used as the method of data analysis. The findings show that mathematics teachers could do well when being supported and motivated by SMTs. Effective SMTs valued community as an agent of learners’ success. Appointing an unqualified and under qualified SMTs in mathematics was a challenge, because they lack competency skills that would be unable to transform mathematics subject matters into meaningful items for learners. It is thus, recommended that the SMTs should motivate and encourage teachers and learners in rural primary schools for better mathematics performance. The Department of Education should employ SMTs who specialise in mathematics for better mathematics performancein rural primary schools
Understanding the Causes of Conflict in Public Schools: A Qualitative Analysis of the Teachers’ Views in Six Schools in Tshongwe Circuit, UMkhanyakude Education District
Get PDFUnderstanding the Causes of Conflict in Public Schools: A Qualitative Analysis of the Teachers’ Views in Six Schools in Tshongwe Circuit, UMkhanyakude Education DistrictThis paper investigates the underlying causes of conflicts in the KwaZulu-Natal provincial
schools and focuses on the experiences and perceptions of various teachers in six identified schools
experiencing intense conflict in the Tshongwe Circuit under the uMkhanyakude District. The study
employed qualitative research methods using a case study design and the convenience sampling approach.
Semi-structured interviews were conducted using an interview schedule. The findings revealed that some
of the sources of conflict emanate from lack of communication, corrupt school governing bodies, laziness
and poor academic performance, gossiping and blackmailing, poor teacher-class attendance, competition
for resources, leadership and management issues, politics and unionism, poor initial teacher preparation
and contestation for school leadership positions. The study recommends the scrapping of school
governing body’s powers to recommend the appointment of school principals, deputy principals and
departmental heads
The role of the school social worker in promoting the psychosocial well-being of vulnerable children within the Esikhaleni Senkosi Circuit primary schools in Kwazulu-Natal
Get PDFA dissertation submitted in fulfilment of the requirement for the Degree of Master of Arts in the Department of Social Work, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, at the University of Zululand, 2022.The number of vulnerable children has been growing globally, with sub-Saharan Africa having the highest number. Mostly, vulnerable children are orphaned and neglected, and it is therefore important that they are provided with psychosocial well-being. However, this may not always be the case as some families are not equipped with relevant skills to provide the psychosocial support required by vulnerable children. If the psychosocial needs of vulnerable children are unmet, they are at risk of experiencing emotional, physical, and psychological issues, which negatively affect their academic performance. In this sense, the role played by school social workers can never be underestimated as they are responsible for the promotion of the psychosocial well-being of school children. The study was triggered by the minimal psychosocial support offered to vulnerable school children, due to a lack of professionals in schools such as social workers, psychologists, and counsellors. On the other hand, neglect is the daunting problem facing most school pupils, dominantly orphaned children. The study was aimed at investigating the role of school social workers in promoting the psychosocial well-being of vulnerable children in schools, particularly those who are orphaned and neglected. The interpretive paradigm was employed, using exploratory and descriptive research designs in a qualitative manner. The researchers conducted semi-structured interviews with 12 school social workers and were purposefully selected from all 26 primary schools within the Esikhaleni Senkosi Circuit. Data was analysed qualitatively through the thematic analysis method. The results established several psychosocial problems facing vulnerable children in schools, dominantly, a lack of a birth certificate, bullying, low self-esteem, financial constraints, neglect and emotional and physical abuse. Various intervention
Virulence Factors and Antimicrobial Resistance in Salmonella Species Isolated from Retail Beef in Selected KwaZulu-Natal Municipality Areas, South Africa
Get PDFVirulence Factors and Antimicrobial Resistance in Salmonella Species Isolated from Retail Beef in Selected KwaZulu-Natal Municipality Areas, South AfricaSalmonellosis and antimicrobial resistance caused by non-typhoidal Salmonella are public health concerns. This study aimed at determining prevalence, serovars, virulence factors and antimicrobial resistance of Salmonella from beef products. Four-hundred beef samples from 25 retail outlets in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa were analyzed for Salmonella using standard methods, confirmation with matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization–time of flight and serotyping according to the White–Kauffmann–Le Minor scheme. The Kirby Bauer disk diffusion method was used to determine antimicrobial resistance against Cefotaxime, Kanamycin, Ampicillin, Amoxicillin, Trimethoprim Sulfamethoxazole, Ciprofloxacin, Chloramphenicol, Gentamicin Cefoxitin and Tetracycline. A polymerase chain reaction was performed to detect invA, agfA, lpfA, hilA, sivH, sefA, sopE, and spvC virulence genes. Salmonella was observed in 1.25% (5/400) of the samples. Four serovars (Enteritidis, Hadar, Heidelberg, Stanley) were identified. Almost all Salmonella were susceptible to all antimicrobials except S. Enteritidis isolate that was resistant to Tetracycline, Ampicillin and Amoxicillin. All Salmonella isolates carried at least two virulence factors. The findings indicate low Salmonella prevalence in meat from selected KZN retail beef; however, routine surveillance to monitor risk associated with virulence factors is required to mitigate potential outbreaks. The resistant S. Enteritidis highlights a need to routinely monitor antimicrobial resistance in order to enhance human health
The place of the Fourth Industrial Revolution in small-scale farming in KwaDlangezwa, KwaZulu- National, South Africa.
Get PDFThe study's goal was to give a broad picture of the effects of agricultural growth that focuses on optimum output by utilising 4IR agricultural instruments. While acknowledging the role played by government in increasing agricultural manufactured goods. As for the national and provincial departments of agriculture (DOA) of the South African government made concerted efforts after 1994 to implement policies and programmes targeted at making the country's agricultural industry stronger and more robust. Increased equity among farmers in terms of racial and gender representation,as well as access to land, modern technologies, and other inputs, was critical to this strategy. As the process progressed, it was met with criticism from a variety of areas. Many post-1994 policies and programmes, including the 1995 White Paper on Agriculture, the 1998 Agricultural Policy in South Africa discussion document, the 2001 Strategic Plan for South African Agriculture, and the 2004 Comprehensive Agricultural Support Programme have exemplified the criticism that there is an obvious shift away from supporting the poor and more vulnerable farmers, particularly female farmers, towards an overwhelming focus on the better off.
The implications of the 4IR and small-scale farmer development in KwaDlangezwa were investigated using the theoretical framework of the classical/political economic and capacity approach theories. Traditional leaders, commercial and small-scale farmers, the manager at Felixton Mill, lecturers at Owen Sithole College (Vice Principal and students), and community people were interviewed using a qualitative technique in which twenty-four in-depth interviews were conducted. The study further conducted four telephone interviews with Department of Agriculture officials, University of Zululand lecturers (The Physics department is in the Faculty of Science & Agriculture) and Agriculture Research Council (researcher). Farmers require not only land, but also education, technology that is appropriate for their farming needs, and proper agricultural extension support, according to the study's conclusions. Small-scale farmers in South Africa can use digital technologies to overcome some of the barriers that prevent them from participating in economic development. However, the adoption of digital technology by small-scale farmers faces major hurdles and limitations. This study adds to the digital development literature in three ways: it presents the technology(4IR), the political and social variables influencing digital adoption in small-scale farming in KwaDlangezwa. It also adds knowledge to the analytical value of the capacity approach and 4IR technological adoption by small-scale farmers under five categories: economic, political, social aspects, institutional and governance.
Through three interconnected sets of technologies, namely automation, additive manufacturing, and the Industrial Internet, the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) is having an impact on South Africa's industrialisation possibilities. The ramifications of the 4IR were examined in this research, including the potential and challenges that the 4IR poses for small-scale farmers in KwaDlangezwa. The agricultural sector has experienced job losses and sugarcane growers’ productivity has declined.Products-as-services, the sharing (collaborative) economy, and digital services and digital exports for small-scale farmers, on the other hand, are among the potential. The study's findings revealed that in order for small-scale farmers in KwaDlangezwa to benefit from 4IR agricultural instruments, they must enhance their entrepreneurship, education, land issues, market value chain, and finance scheme policies. In South Africa, small-scale farmers have been identified as a vehicle for achieving poverty reduction and rural development goals. To realise this potential, it is necessary to comprehend the diversity of small-scale farmers in order to create effective policy interventions. The findings also highlight the importance of social grants, particularly old-age pensions and child assistance payments, which have aided most small-scale farmers in KwaDlangezwa in sustaining their agricultural activities. According to additional information, only a small number of households can market their produce without the use of digital technology, which impedes business growth.National Research Fun
Assessing the performance in high schools offering tourism in Nkomazi sub-district in Mpumalanga province
Get PDFA dissertation submitted in fulfilment of the requirement for the Degree of Master of Arts in the Department of Recreation and Tourism, Faculty of Arts, at the University of Zululand, 2022.In general, Tourism as a subject is regarded as an easy subject or a subject which is easy to be passed even if one does not have its background knowledge. A number of schools take the subject for granted in such a way that learners are encouraged to enrol for the subject at , without having any knowledge of the subject while in Grade 10 and 11. Some schools have failed to consider the special requirements as stipulated in the Tourism Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS) before offering the subject. It has therefore become a common practice for a number of schools in the province that Tourism (as a school subject) is introduced without following the right procedure. The province has four districts: Bohlabela, Ehlanzeni, Gert Sibande, and Nkangala. The study was conducted at Ehlanzeni district with the main focus on Nkomazi sub-district. The main aim of the study was to find out what could be the possible cause of underperformance of learners in high school doing Tourism at Grade 12 in Nkomazi sub-district in the Mpumalanga Province.
The key findings in this mixed methods research are as follows:
Apart from shortage and lack of recommended infrastructure (facilities), it was also found that Tourism classrooms not shared with other subjects were not available in 90% of the schools.
Scarcity of resources, absence of the internet connection, LTSM, including textbooks, maps and globes in schools were also found as impacting negatively on academic performance.
Teachers did not use a variety of teaching and learning styles, and strategies when teaching.
Assessment and assessment strategies including medium of instruction were found to be leading to misunderstanding of questions.
It was discovered also that lesson preparation is key, as it enabled the teacher to cover the content of the curriculum.
Regarding teacher qualification, 60% of the participants were of the opinion that teachers need to be qualified.
The study recommends that the Department of Education should not allow schools to offer Tourism as a school subject if the necessary infrastructure and resources are not available.There should be the internet facilities, and supply of LTSM. There should also be monitoring programmes to ensure that different teaching and learning styles are used. It is recommended that a political globe not shared with Geography should be put in place. Tourism teachers should have a qualification, and skills development programmes should include courses that will develop teachers, and give them certification. Funds may be allocated to teachers who want to have qualification in Tourism
Teaching handwriting skills to foundation phase student teachers based at a rural university in the Limpopo province
No full textA thesis submitted in fulfillment of the academic requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Department of Foundations of Education in the Faculty of Education, University of Zululand, 2022.The aim of this study was to determine how Foundation Phase student teachers, based in a rural University of the Limpopo Province, might build their methodology for teaching handwriting skills. The study was underpinned by the concepts of Pedagogical Content Knowledge and Connectivism Learning Theory. The study is anchored on the interpretivism paradigm based on action research which the investigator to deconstruct the realities of knowledge about teaching handwriting for foundation phase student teachers. A qualitative research approach was adopted in this study. The population comprised of three officials from the Department of Education who formed one group of participants; three student teachers who were observed at schools during the teaching of handwriting, and nine foundation-phase student teachers for focus groups discussions on the social media platform, WhatsApp. A purposive sampling method was employed to select the three officials and the nine student teachers who participated in the study. Qualitative data was generated through electronic online individual interviews, classroom observation schedules, and electronic online focus group discussions. Discussions were conducted electronically through WhatsApp because of the COVID 19 restrictions which did not permit face-to-face interactions. The results included the fact that student teachers in the foundation phase value and acknowledge the importance of teaching handwriting skills, but that their teaching of handwriting was not extensive enough as too little time was devoted on “how to teach” handwriting. Formative assessment tasks for developing Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK) for teaching handwriting were not sufficient and Curriculum and Assessment Policy Document (CAPS) do not give guidance to teachers on how handwriting assessment is done. The study also revealed that the foundation phase curriculum does not provide enough time for learners to learn handwriting skills because handwriting is only a small portion of the Language subject and does not guide teachers on how to assess it. This was a common theme which emerged from the data of the student teachers and education department officials. The product of this study, therefore, is extensive data for foundation-phase student teachers on handwriting. Recommendations are that the Department of Education should consider handwriting as an important subject and give the learners' adequate time to develop all necessary v skills. It is also recommended that foundation-phase student teachers develop PCK for teaching handwriting and that universities provide online learning opportunities for student teachers to develop this as well as provide visual information on how to teach handwriting. Formative assessment activities for the student teachers' own handwriting development should also be included in the online learning teaching unit
Investigating the socio-economic impacts of and community perceptions towards lightning storms and lightning fatalities in uMkhanyakude District Municipality
Get PDFMasters in Arts In the field of Geography and Environmental Studies Department of Geography and Environmental Studies, Faculty of Science and Agriculture.Over the years there have been more and more reports of lightning fatalities in South Africa, with the uMkhanyakude District Municipality being affected the most. Therefore, this study investigates the socio-economic impacts of lightning in selected areas in the uMkhanyakude District Municipality. The specific objectives of the study are to; (a) map the fatal lightning strike hot spots in the study area; (b) assess the socio economic and cultural impacts of lightning strikes in the uMkhanyakude District Municipality; (c) explore the perceptions of the community in the uMkhanyakude District Municipality towards lightning strikes; (d) analyse the community’s response to the lightning strikes in the study area and (e) evaluate the response of the government towards the fatal lightning strikes in the uMkhanyakude District Municipality. To achieve these objectives, this study followed a qualitative research methodology in the form of qualitative interviews with municipal officials and the rural communities’ members in 5 local municipalities in the uMkhanyakude District Municipality. The data was analysed by following strategies of qualitative data analysis. The findings show that lightning has several socio-economic impacts and that people lack adequate and accurate information regarding lightning. The study recommends sustained knowledge dissemination to rural communities about lightning and how it can be prevented
PUBLIC DIPLOMACY AND NIGERIA’S RESPONSE TO ITS INTERNAL POLITICAL CRISES
Get PDFPUBLIC DIPLOMACY AND NIGERIA’S RESPONSE TO ITS INTERNAL POLITICAL CRISESSynonymous with Nigeria is a deep political cleavage, which causes major political issues to be violently contested along the lines of intricate ethnic, religious divisions. Although efforts have been made to change these narratives through political reengineering and public policy process, but all have failed to achieve the desired goal of national unity and security. Of what degree is the threats of internal crises to the existentiality of Nigeria? How best can the use of public diplomacy help mitigate the danger of Nigeria’s internal crises? Fundamentally, public diplomacy has the capability to transform a country’s socio-political and economic assets, while reversing the negative attitude of people towards these assets if handled very well. Using relational theory, the conflicts and hostility towards others is explained in relation to socio-economic, political, cultural, and religious intolerance amongst the ethnic groups that make up Nigeria. The findings shows that the inability of Nigeria leaders to put the interests of the diversity of Nigeria first and respect the sensibilities of a fragile nation grasping for survival is the worst political crime, ever committed against the country. Concluding that inclusive collaboration and not unhealthy socio-economic and political competition would bring the ethnic groups in Nigerians closer than ever before