Theses and Dissertations

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Open Access
Rural Small, Medium and Micro Enterprises And Role of Local Economic Development Agencies in the Vhembe District, Limpopo Province
(2006-09-16) Matloga, Selokela Reginald; Musyoki, A.
Small, Medium and Micro Enterprises (SMME) are vital factors in the economy of less developed countries. It has been a major source of employment, motive force for local economic development and poverty alleviation in developing countries including South Africa. It is agreed world wide that strong SMMEs give a country strong economic growth. In South Africa, SMMEs are not strong especially in rural areas, which comprise mainly of emerging SMMEs owned by Africans. There are hosts of institutions in South Africa which are active in the development of rural SMMEs. Local Economic Development Agencies (LEDAs) in the study areas are engaged in helping rural SMMEs to flourish. However, rural SMMEs are still facing many problems and are unable to flourish. This research is aimed at evaluating Local Economic Development (LED) support on local rural SMMEs in the study area in order to advance feasible strategies for support to enhance rural SMME's growth from the survival stage. Social survey methods involving interview schedules were used, providing descriptive and analytic data. The qualitative and quantitative data was analysed using an SPSS programme. The research findings indicate that LED support in the study area is failing to enhance rural SMME growth. The support does not cover the entire business requirement necessary for rural SMME growth. The study therefore advances strategies for LED support, which would be effective enough to enhance rural SMME growth and sustainability.
Open Access
Mapping ecological zones in the Kruger National Park using remote sensing
(2010-08) Ratshibvumo, Thihanedzwi; Munyati, C.; Ogola, J. S.
Fuel wood energy is the energy that is extracted from wood materials this includes - branches, stems, twigs and stems. The energy harnessed in this source is used for different purposes in Maraxwe area this include: cooking, heating, warming, lighting, brick burning or hardening, pot making or pottery and other activities. Due to many activities attached to one and the same source, severity of effects on fuel wood resources increases. The study therefore is undertaken to investigate into rural fuel wood energy crisis in Maraxwe village, and to come up with different alternative sources of energy. It will also alert people on their utilization, extraction, rate and depletion on fuel wood. Through this they will be aware and participate in ways to mitigate the problems. The outcomes of the research will therefore clearly identify or describe the problem, assess factors that affect fuel wood energy and resources thus coming up with strategies to solve the problem sustainable. The crisis has caused many socio-economic as well as ecological problems in the local community and their environment. According to the study the problem has-been identified and there is a need for solutions to mitigate the crisis. After interviewing local community members and representative leader a potential solution was derived at- namely the use of biogas was suggested as better alternative source of energy (capable of mitigating the crisis).
Open Access
A comparative evaluation of rural development programmes in the Thulamela Municipality : a case study of Sidou and Malavuwe Villages
(2013) Musiwalo, Takalani Enos; Nelwamondo, T. M.; Mudau, N. V.
The focus of the study is on the comparative assessment of Rural Development Programmes between Sidou and Malavuwe Village within Ward 22 of the Thulamela Municipality. The study aims to investigate the gap that exists between effective programme implementation and less effective programme implementation in rural areas. To achieve this, the study uses Malavuwe Village as a control village and Sidou Village as an experiment village. The study found that there was a discrepancy in service delivery between the two villages; more services were delivered effectively at Malavuwe than at Sidou Village. The study further investigates the causes of this discrepancy in service delivery between the two villages and also suggests feasible approaches that can be employed by the Thulamela Municipality to enhance programme implementation and service delivery within the study area. The study found that Sidou Village lacked community services such as clinics, high schools, community halls, sporting facilities and income generating community projects. On the contrary, Malavuwe Village had most community services. Based on the findings of the study, it is recommended that the Thulamela Municipality should ensure thorough provision of services and encourage community participation through consultation and partnership at Sidou Village. Such an approach will be bottom-up and will encourage community members at Sidou Village to be actively involved in the prioritisation and implementation of vital services, thus raising the socioeconomic conditions and infrastructure development in the village
Open Access
An evaluation of environmental sustainability of land reform in Zimbabwe : a case study of Chirumanzu District, Midlands Province
(2013-02-26) Kori, Edmore; Musyoki, A.; Nethengwe, N. S.
Land reforms are carried out in different countries during different periods for various reasons. For the African countries, land reforms aim to address social and economic iajustices of the colonial period. The economic, social and political dimensions of land reform usually overshadow the importance of environmental sustainability. For any land reform process to score economic and social points, it should deeply embrace environmental sustainability. The aim of this research was to evaluate the environmental sustainability of land reform in Zimbabwe through a case study of Chirumanzu district, in the Midlands province. Primary data was collected through the administration of household questionnaires to households sampled through multistage cluster sampling. Secondary data was collected from government offices in Mvuma and Kwekwe. The environmental sustainability was evaluated through the application of the Ecological Footprint accounting system. The Ecological Footprint accounting system calculates the human consumption of the ecological resources (Ecological Footprint) and compares it with the calculated available ecological resources (biocapacity). The data was processed through the five stages of the Ecological Footprint and biocapacity computation system. The Ecological Footprint system identified cropland, grazing land, built-up land and forestland uses as applicable in this research. An Ecological Footprint and biocapacity was calculated for each land use. The total for all the land uses gives the Ecological Footprint and biocapacity for Chirumanzu resettlement areas. The difference between biocapacity and Ecological Footprint determines the environmental sustainability status of the study area. The total Ecological Footprint results reveal that land reform in Zimbabwe is generally sustainable. However, the general situation masks the disparities found in the different land uses. The cropland and built-up land uses reveal ecological deficits. These are attributable to more than planned households settled in the area. The grazing land use reports a huge ecological reserve. This is attributable to very low livestock ownership in the resettlement areas of Chirumanzu. The huge ecological reserve in the grazing land use cushions the narrow ecological deficits in the cropland use and built-up land use to paint an overall ecological reserve. Compared to the national situation, the district environmental sustainability situation is very much different. The district largely reports environmental reserve while the nation reports an environmental deficit. This leads to a conclusion that land reform in Chirumanzu district is weakly environmentally sustainable. It is recommended that land reforms consider environmental sustainability as an important cornerstone for its success. An audit should be carried out to ascertain households on the ground against the planned numbers.
Open Access
Assessing the contribution of agroforestry technologies to poverty alleviation in Thulamela Municipality Limpopo Province, South Africa
(2013-02-26) Muhoni, Lina Hazyviyemurwe; Ojungu, O; Mwihomeke, S.
Agroforestry is the sequential and spatial integration of multipurpose trees and shrubs with crops/livestock on the same piece of land. While much research and development effort is being undertaken in many countries to promote agroforestry land use in order to improve livelihood and reduce poverty in rural areas, relatively little has been done in South Africa. In Vhembe District of South Africa there is poverty and degradation of land due to declining soil fertility and land productivity for food, fodder, fuelwood and biodiversity loss of native flora and fauna. The main aim of this research is to assess the role of existing agroforestry technologies as one of the tools for poverty alleviation among smallholder farmers in Thulamela Municipality of Vhembe District in South Africa. Thulamela is located approximately between 22 15' and 25 45' South latitudes and 29 50' and 30 05' East longitudes. The climate is characterized by lowveld (arid and semi-arid) region with an annual rainfall within the range of 300-1000mm. The area is composed of basalt rocks and various sedimentary lithologies. Soils in the research area vary from loamy clay to clay, sandy loam and sandy clay. Vegetation is characterized by Savanna forests with congested tall trees and grasses. Similar ecological conditions have supported agroforestry systems in Malawi, Tanzania, Zimbabwe and Mozambique. Interviews using semi-structured questionnaire were administered to farmers practising or not practising agroforestry technologies. SPSS was the tool used to analyze the data. Major areas of investigation were on socioeconomic factors influencing use of agroforestry technologies, adoption of agroforestry technologies and its influence on household food security and poverty alleviation. The results indicated that agroforestry is practised in Thulamela municipality but on a relative small scale. Various agroforestry technologies are known among the farmers but few of the technologies like fruit orchards are practised extensively. Farmers practising agroforestry produce a lot of maize and other cereals thus improving food security and livelihood. Adoption of agroforestry is likely to increase with education, household size, and ownership of land and labour as the key effective variables. Furthermore about 65% of the smallholders are aware that agroforestry can alleviate poverty and about 35% do not know that despite the fact that some of them are practising agroforestry. Also the community is experiencing poverty which they alleviate through selling of fruits, firewood and manure from agroforestry trees. The results of this research will contribute to making well informed decisions in planning for agroforestry development and poverty alleviation in Thulamela Municipality and elsewhere.
Open Access
Assessment of the impacts of selected Limpopo Province Dams on their downstream river ecosystems using remote sensing techniques
(2013-12-10) Mokgoebo, Matjutla John
Open Access
The assessment of the impact causuarina cunninghamiana miq. (river-she-oak) windbreak on macadamia trees orchards in Limpopo Province, South Africa
(2013-12-10) Mwihomeke, Mickfanaka; Bhat, R. B.; Ligavha-Mbelengwa, M. H.; Steyn, J. N.
An attempt has been made to test the performance of a solar array under the outdoor condition. Experimental investigations have been made to find its suitability for the rural Limpopo for the small scale electricity generation. This research is also geared towards the testing of validity of the data provided by the manufacture as the commercially available PV modules are rated at standard testing conditions (STC). A 450W ground mounted photovoltaic (PV) system has been designed and installed at the Vuwani Science Resource Centre in Vuwani region, Limpopo Province, South Africa which has geographical coordinates: 23°07'51"S , 30°04' 28"E. It is well known that the performance of PV system is dependent on system configuration and weather conditions. The instruments and data acquisition packages have been installed to record some of the main parameters such as peak power and air temperature. The estimated data of solar radiation are used in the present work. The photovoltaic array was connected to the maximum power point tracking (MPPT) charge controller to record daily peak power value produced by the photovoltaic array system. In addition to this, for the testing purposes the DS I-V curve tracer was used to take the electrical current and voltage (I-V) curves of the photovoltaic array installed for normal mode as well as the disturbed mode .The peak power data of the PV system over a period of ten months of operation is recorded, analyzed and the results obtained are discussed. It is noted that the PV system designed and installed is suitable for the chosen location.
Open Access
Adsorption of oxyanions of As, B, Cr, Mo and Se from coal fly ash leachates using A1/Fe modified bentonite clay
(2014-01-10) Masindi, Vhahangwele; Gitari, Wilson Mugera; Tutu, Hlanganani
South African coal-fired power stations rely on the use of low grade bituminous coal for electricity generation. During coal combustion processes, this type of coal generates large volumes of waste materials which include Fly ash, bottom ash, boilers slag, flue gas desulphurization and un-captured particles. From the array of generated residues, coal fly ash constitute 90% and of this only 5% is beneficially used with the rest being disposed-off to land as ash dumps or slurried to ash retention ponds. On disposal, coal fly ash leaches out toxic chemical species on contact with the aqueous media hence posing hazardous effects to the aquatic and terrestrial environment. Of prime concern are Oxyanionic species such as As, B, Cr, Mo and Se. This study aims to investigate the adsorption of As, B, Cr, Mo and Se from coal fly ash leachates on Al3+/Fe3+modified bentonite clay. Coal fly ash samples used in this study were collected from Tutuka, ESKOM power plant in Mpumalanga and Bentonite clay samples were collected from ECCA (pty) Ltd. pH, Electrical Conductivity (EC) and Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) of the samples were determined using a CRISON multimeter probe. Modifications of bentonite clay with Al3+ and Fe3+ cations were done in batch procedures and the parameters optimized included contact time, adsorbent dose and adsorbate concentration. Cation Exchange Capacity (CEC), Point of Zero Charge (pHpzc) and Water Holding Capacity (WHC) of raw and modified bentonite clay were determined using standard methods. Surface areas of raw and modified bentonite clays were determined by BET. Elemental composition of raw and modified bentonite clay was determined by XRF and Mineralogical composition of raw and modified bentonite clay was determined by XRD. AAS and GFAAS were used to monitor AI3+and Fe3+concentration in the reaction mixture during and after modification while As, B, Cr, Mo, and Se were monitored using GFAAS, ICP- OES and JCP- MS. Adsorption of oxyanions of As, B, Cr, Mo and Se was carried out in batch experiments using synthetic solutions of the species. Effects of contact time, adsorbent dosage, adsorbate concentration and pH on the adsorption of As, B, Cr, Mo and Se were evaluated and optimized. The modification experiments revealed that loading of Al3+ onto bentonite clay interlayers is optimum at 60 minutes of contact time, 3 grams of adsorbent and 100 mg/L of adsorbate concentration and loading of Fe3+ onto bentonite clay matrices is optimum at 15 minutes of contact time, 2 grams of adsorbent and 100 mg/L of adsorbate. The CEC results showed that South African bentonite clay is characterized by high CEC of262 meq/l00g at pH 5.4 and 265.5 meq/l00g at pH 7.4 which decreased to 186.9 meq/l00g at pH 5.4 and 183.3 meq/l00g at pH 7.4 on introducing Al3+ onto bentonite clay interlayers and 195.5 meq/100g at pH 5.4 and 188.9 meq/100g at pH 7.4 on introducing Fe3+ onto bentonite clay interlayers. The results show that CEC is independent of pH. BET results indicated that the loading of Al3+ onto bentonite clay interlayers increased the surface area from 16 m2/g to 44.3 m2/g and 50 m2/g for Fe3+,external surface area from 11.1 m2/g to 33.1 m2/g for Al3+ and 37.4 m2/g for Fe3+,micro-pore area from 4.9 m2/g to 11.2 m2/g for AJ3+ and 12.5 m2/g for Fe3+. There was a slight difference in pHpzc of Al3+ modified bentonite clay (8.2) as compared to raw bentonite (8.0). For Fe3+ modified bentonite clay, the pHpzc was observed to increase from 8.0 for raw bentonite clay to 9.0. An increase in pHpzc shows that modification will favour adsorption of anions from aqueous media. WHC of bentonite clay was determined to be 42.7%. Elemental composition by XRF showed SiO2, AhO3, Fe2O3, CaO, Na2O, K2O and MgO as the major chemical species. XRF results also confirmed that bentonite clay is an aluminosilicate material. XRD disclosed that bentonite clay is dominated by montmorillonite as the major mineral phase. Characterization of fly ash leachates revealed that coal fly ash leachates contains 53 µg/L of As, 1730 µg/L of B, 271 µg/L of Cr, 165 µg/L of Mo and 170 µg/L of Se. Adsorption of As, B, Cr, Mo and Se onto Al3+ modified bentonite clay revealed that 30 minutes of contact time, 4 grams of adsorbent dosage, 10 mg/L of adsorbate concentration and pH 10 are the optimum conditions for removing those species from aqueous media. The adsorption affinity of those species obeyed the following order: B = Se > Mo = Cr > As. Adsorption of As, B, Cr, Mo and Se onto Fe3+ modified bentonite clay revealed that 30 minutes of contact time, 4 grams of adsorbent dosage, 10 mg/L of adsorbate concentration and pH 10 are the optimum conditions for removing those species from aqueous media. The adsorption affinity of those species obeyed the following order: B = Se > Mo > Cr = As. The adsorption capacities of modified bentonite clays were greater than the adsorption capacities of raw bentonite clay. The data fitted well to both Langmuir and Freundlich adsorption isotherm hence showing that the adsorption is energetically favourable. The unmodified clay showed poor adsorption for these chemical species. Both Al3+ and Fe3+ modified bentonite clay successfully removed As, B, Cr, Mo and Se from generated coal fly ash leachates to below DWAF water quality guidelines at the optimized conditions. This shows that AJ3+ or Fe3+ modified bentonite clay is an effective adsorbent for removal of oxyanionic species of As, B, Cr, Mo and Se from coal fly ash leachates and could be applied as a reactive barrier or liner in ash retention ponds.
Open Access
Bioremediation of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) on contaminated soils : a case study of Rietvlei Farm Borehole No. 11, Limpopo Province, South Africa
(2015) Sengani, David; Potgieter, Natasha; Mojapelo, M. P.
Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are worldwide environmental pollutants which contaminate the environment through careless disposal practices and accidental spills or leakages from electrical transformers. These organic compounds are lipophilic chemicals soluble in fats, slightly soluble in water and readily bioaccumulated in the fatty tissues of fish, birds, animals and humans. The main objective of this study was to isolate and identify PCB degrading bacteria from PCB contaminated soils and test them for their degradation ability of PCBs in natural habitat conditions. Three bacteria species which comprise of Gram negative and Gram positive microorganisms were isolated and identified through biochemical tests, catalase tests, oxidase tests and morphological study and included Burkholderia cepacia, Pasteurella pneumotropica and Enterococcus faecalis. The results indicated that, there was an overall decrease of PCB concentration level and the readings ranged between -1.51 and -1.79 respectively for all the microorganisms. Enterococcus faecalis remove as much as 32% of PCBs in the contaminated soil samples. Whereas Pasteurella pneumotropica could remove 24% of PCBs, Burkholderia cepacia 21% of PCBs and the mixed culture removed 23%. Data showed that the 3 bacterial strains could tolerate high concentration of PCBs. The results provided the evidence that naturally occurring bacteria in soil contaminated with PCBs have the potential to degrade PCBs. Statistical analysis showed that there was a significant positive correlation between bacteria growth and treatment with a coefficient of (r) =0.1459 and p value <0.001.
Open Access
Assessing the impacts of riparian land use on gully development and sediment load : a case study of Nzhelele River Valley, Limpopo Province, South Africa
(2015) Mavhuru, Blessing; Nethengwe, N. S.; Dondofema, F.
Human activities on land degradation have triggered several environmental problems especially in rural areas that are under developed. The main aim of this study is to analyse the contribution of different land uses to gully development and sediment load on the Nzhelele River Valley in the Limpopo Province. Data was collected using different methods such as observation, field data techniques and experiments. Satellite digital images, topographic maps, aerial photographs and the sediment load static model also assisted in determining how land use affects gully development and sediment load. For data analysis, the researcher used the following methods: Analysis of Variance (ANOVA), descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation coefficient and statistical correlation methods. The results of the research illustrates that high land use activities create negative changes especially in areas that are highly fragile and vulnerable. Distinct impact on land use change was observed within settlement area (9.6 %) within a period of 5 years. High correlation between soil organic matter and soil moisture (R=0.96) was observed. Furthermore a significant variation (p ≤ 0.6) between the soil organic matter and soil moisture was also observed. A very significant variation (p ≤ 0.003) was observed in bulk density and extreme significant variations (p ≤ 0.0001) were observed in organic matter and soil particle size. The sand mining and agricultural activities has contributed significantly to the amount of sediment load in the Nzhelele River. A high significant amount of total suspended sediment (55.3 %) and bed load (53.8 %) was observed within the agricultural area. The connection which associates the development of gullies to various land use activities determines the amount of sediment load. These results are consistent with other previous research and suggest that land use activities is likely to exacerbate the development of gullies and sediment load in the Nzhelele River Valley
Open Access
Development of guidelines for dealing with morphological and environmental impacts of sand mining along the Nzhelele River, Limpopo Province of South Africa
(2015-01-22) Mathada, Humphrey; Amponsah-Dacosta, F.; Gondo, T.
The demand for construction sand is increasing many parts of South Africa and the rest of the world due to rapid economic development and subsequent growth of construction activities . This has resulted in the indiscriminate mining of sand from stream channel and floodplains, whose major impact is significant alterations to the river basin environment. The dearth of research scholarship and resultant lack of adequate information on the environmental impacts of and mining in a major challenge in the regulation of sand mining in South Africa. This study aims at developing guidelines for dealing with the impacts of sand mining on the morphology of Nzhelele River. The study employed a more objective approach in developing guidelines for sand mining. The Binary Logistic Regression Model was employed to determine morphological and environmental factor that determine observed changes in the river system as a result of sand mining activities. Participatory Rural Appraisal methodology was used in developing questionnaires and interviews to gather community perspectives on and mining. The Influence and Importance Matrix technique was used to determine various stakeholder to be involved in developing guidelines and implementation of the proposed guidelines. The study revealed that sand mining affects all spheres of the community. Floodplain mining has more threat to the community than instream mining. This was revealed by the interviews and questionnaires administered in the field. Severe infrastructural damage, channel degradation and some cases of livestock and children drowning in the open excavations were noted during this study. It was recommended that, even though there are no specific guidelines on sand mining operations, it is advisable that local municipalities develop bylaws to help preserve their ecological beauty of their areas. The Department of Water Affair (DWA) and Environmental Affair (DEA) need to implement the proposed guidelines to prevent any form of environmental change as a result of sand mining. All the relevant stakeholders should be involved in developing the guidelines. It was further recommended that environmental awareneness training be conducted for the communities in the vicinity of the extraction sites. This will help in monitoring and enforcement of the bylaws developed.
Open Access
Diet and behavioural ecology in sacred chacma baboons a case study at Lwamondo Hill in the Limpopo Province, South Africa
(2015-02-03) Mulaudzi, Rendani
Open Access
An evaluation of institutional capacity for implementation, coordination and monitoring of a comprehensive rural development programme a case sudy of Muyexe Pilot Project, Limpopo Greater Giyani
(2015-02-04) Todani, Shumisanani Juliah; Nethengwe, N. S.; Mudau, N. V.
This is a case study research that focuses on the evaluation of institutional capacity for Implementation, Coordination and Monitoring of the Comprehensive Rural Development Programme at Muyexe. The evaluation process included different institutions such as the sector departments, local municipality, council of stakeholders, community based projects and heads of the households. In this study different methods of sampling were considered for selecting the participants and for the sample size determination. The different instruments used for data collection were questionnaires, interviews, mental mapping, focus group's interviews and documents review. Data collected from the survey were captured and analysed using both Statistical Package for Scientific Solutions (SPSS) and Microsoft Excel. For quantitative analysis, Chi-Square, cross tabulation and measure of central tendency were employed in SPSS. Qualitative analysis included, document/content analysis and mental mapping. Themes were identified and analysed using the content analysis based on the main research topics. Contents were analysed to identify and qualify specific ideas and trends on the implementation, coordination a!ld monitoring of the projects. The result shows that there is an improvement in gender equity in terms of project participation and leadership. In terms of basic services delivery and infrastructural development, there is no effective implementation of projects and services are poorly delivered and maintained. The majority of the households (both male- and female headed) received their income from CROP projects. The roles and responsibilities of institutions are not clearly defined and there isn't any effective support for the implementation of projects. Risks associated with projects are allocated to either an incompetent stakeholder or a stakeholder that lacks adequate financial support. Different institutions were allocated responsibilities to monitor projects wherein they work independently and improve the affectivity of utilising monitoring data for the improvement of projects implementation. In terms of community based development projects, there is a challenge of over-reliance and a lack of economic empowerment amongst the local community projects. The existing institutional capacity is affected by lack of clarity on roles, participation of stakeholders and budget allocation. There is a need to monitor the institutional roles, resources and implementation of activities. The community based projects need to be supported and facilitated to ensure the sustainability of CROP projects.
Open Access
An evaluation of urban and rural land use change, conflict and competition
(2015-02-06) Nemukula, Nkhangweleni Lennox; Musyoki, A.; Nethengwe, N. S.
This study set out to evaluate the extent of land use change, competition and conflict in Polokwane city and in selected land restitution areas of Limpopo province. The methods of data collection and analysis included document analysis, triangulation of quantitative and qualitative survey methods, use of Geographical Information Systems (GIS) techniques and field observations. The restitution studies relied on information from the regional land claims commission regarding land dispossessions, land claims and post settlement activities which were analysed using content analysis. Land use maps and data from department of land affairs were obtained covering different time periods from 1994 to 2002 and GIS analysis was used to document land use change, competition and conflicts. A questionnaire survey involving a sample of 240 residents, 164 business people and 16 government officials was conducted and analysed quantitatively to establish perceptions and experiences with land use changes. In-depth interviews with key informants were also conducted and information analysed qualitatively. The researcher also engaged in extensive field observations in the city and surrounding land restitution areas. The study found that both Polokwane city and the surrounding land reform areas were characterised by rapid land use change, competing interests, conflict, disputes and tensions related to access, control and use of land resources historically and currently. Other key findings include the fact that the structure of Polokwane area is a result of apartheid planning. It has a distorted spatial pattern, the result of political factors that can be identified as: a legacy of apartheid; land use policy; competition among potential users; inadequate legislation and planning; low provisions for land use control and rezoning; land use speculation and lack of adequate public participation in the planning processes. Polokwane interaction with the rural areas is inadequate and does not support development of these areas leading to persistent service delivery issues. A management strategy is recommended with the following features: Capacity building, Conflict resolution, Stakeholders participation and Governance. Adequate land use control mechanism need to be put in place; public policies should minimise conflicts between alternative land development strategies; existing policies and procedures applicable to land management should be reviewed. An effective national land reform programme is required to drive development; public participation is key in all planning activities. Mediation is essential because it is a more efficient and less costly means of concluding land use conflicts. Polokwane needs to play a greater role in managing land use, changes, competition and conflicts both in the capital city and in the surrounding rural areas.
Open Access
Spatial and reproductive differentiation of small terrestrial mammals in a complex environment in the Western Soutpansberg Mountain, Limpopo Province
(2015-02-26) Nemakhavhani, Tshifhiwa; Baxter, R. M.; Taylor, P. J.
Open Access
Potential impacts of climate change on myosorex as a model for extinction risk of montane small mammals in South Africa
(2015-02-26) Owino, Lilian Ogony; Taylor, P. J.; Baxter, R. M.; Ogola, J. S.
The work focussed on the potential impacts of climate change on Myosorex species endemic to South Africa. The study investigated the potential impacts of climatic variables (temperature and rainfall) on the distribution of M. cafer, M. varius, M. sc/ateri, M. longicaudatus, southern and northern lineages of M. varius, and Myosorex cf. tenuis from Limpopo Province in space and time. The study also investigated the Myosorex species occurring in Limpopo Province by using morphological analysis. Ecological niche modelling using Maxent was applied to predict current and future distribution of these species. Eight bioclimatic variables for current and future projected scenarios together with occurrence data from South African Museums, new field collections from Soutpansberg Mountains and published data were used to build the models. Equal sensitivity and specificity threshold was used to map suitable habitat and the number of resolution were counted to get the present and future range including percentage decrease or increase in range. The current distributions and the future distributions for all the species were compared to determine the range shifts. The model results for range shifts revealed that the more temperate species such as M. cafer, M. /ongicaudatus and M. varius will suffer high profound contractions while those from the subtropical or coastal lowland ranges (Myosorex cf. tenuis, and M. sclateri) will even increase the range of suitable conditions, but given their poor dispersal capability and the absence of suitable habitat such as forest in the new ranges, these increases may not be realised. The northern and southern lineages of M. varius will suffer minimal range contraction. M. longicaudatus showed greatest contraction of suitable habitats, consequently, will experience the highest risk of extinction, at least in some parts of its range as a result of global warming associated with climate change by the year 2070. The results showed that global warming is an important factor that results in range shifts, thus affecting the distribution of Myosorex species in South Africa. Morphological results indicate that the Myosorex occurring in Limpopo Province is a distinct species that may be called Myosorex cf. tenuis.
Open Access
Biodiversity of terrestrial small mammals along an altitudinal transect in the Western Soutpansberg, Limpopo Province, South Africa
(2015-02-26) Munyai, Aubrey; Baxter, R. M.; Taylor, P. J.
Open Access
An assessment of the impact of alien plant invasions along the Riparian Zones: a case study at Luvuvhu, Lutanandwa and Mutshindudi Rivers, Limpopo Province, South Africa
(2015-02-26) Sebola, Azwinndini Patricia; Bhat, R. B.; Ligavha-Mbelengwa, M. H.
Open Access
Investigating past, present and future distributions of cryptic species of vlei rats (otomys auratus, o. irroratus s.s and o. angoniensis) in South Africa, with a focus on Limpopo Province
(2015-02-26) Nengovhela, Aluwani; Taylor, P. J.; Baxter, R. M.
How the living world will respond to changes in climate is still a pressing issue to biologists today. This study investigated past, present and potential future di.stribution of three cryptic species of Afromontane rodents (Otomys auratus, 0. angoniensis and 0. irroratus s.s); as well as geographical and temporal trends of two species (0. auratus and 0. angoniensis). Investigation of past distributions included two species only (0. auratus and 0. angoniensis) in the northern escarpment (Limpopo, Gauteng, North West and Mpumalanga Provinces); current and potential future distribution considered the South African range of all the three species (Otomys auratus, 0. angoniensis and 0. irroratus s.s). We assessed the potential impact of changes in future climate on 0. auratus, 0. angoniensis and 0. irroratus s.s using predictive niche modelling. Distributional data were obtained from: field trapping, owl pellets analysis and Museum records [Ditsong National Museum of Natural History (formerly Transvaal, TM) and Durban Natural Science Museum (DM)]. Maximum Entropy (Maxent) was used to model the current distrib�tion of all three species. A general circulation model was used to predict the distribution of these species in 2070. Each of the three species is associated with a particular Biome i.e. 0. irroratus s.s is associated mostly with Fynbos and Thicket Biomes, 0. auratus with Grassland Biome and 0. angoniensis with Savannah Biome and we predict that their distribution will follow those predicted for their respective Biomes. Niche models were found to follow biome boundaries of each species. This scenario predicted a south east shift (auratus), a south west shift (angoniensis) and a shrink (irroratus s.s) in future distribution, according to each species preferred habitat. A concomitant 66% (auratus) and 36% (irroratus s.s) reduction in areas of high environmental suitability of these species is shown, with a I % gain in angoniensis. High rainfall and low temperatures modulated the distribution of both auratus and irroratus s.s while angoniensis was high rainfall and high temperatures. And this was consistent with the ecological requirements of each species. No historical distribution changes were documented in Rietvlei Nature Reserve and at the Waterberg Mountain Range for angoniensis and auratus when tested in Chi-square tests but changes were observed at the Soutpansberg Mountain Range. This study found that both multivariate and univariate morphometric approaches support the fact that cranial size (and presumable therefore body size) in 0. auratus but not in 0. angoniensis, is showing some response to climate variables, even within the restricted northern South African region (former Transvaal). Skull size of O. auratus decreased significantly in relation to the year of collection and was also significantly and positively related to latitude, thus conforming to Bergmann's rule.
Open Access
Remediation of acid mine drainage using magnesite and its bentonite clay composite
(2015-05) Masindi, Vhahangwele; Gitari, Mugera Wilson; Tutu, Hlanganani; De Beer, Marinda