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    Factors leading mental health care users to use modern and traditional medicine in rural areas of Makhado Municipality in the Vhembe District of Limpopo Province in South Africa
    (207-09-18) Gomba, Thomani; Netshandama, V. O.; Mudau, M. J.
    Traditional medicine still plays a bigger role in people dealing with health and disease. Research shows that in some Asian and African countries, traditional medicine forms the primary mode of health care for 80% of the population. This is actively promoted in South Africa and is used by at least 70% of the country’s population. This study investigated the contributory factors leading mental health care users to use a combination of traditional and modern medicine in rural areas. The study was conducted using qualitative research methods. The population of this study were MHCUs, Mental health practitioners and traditional healers. Purposive sampling was used to select participants. Data was analyzed through a computer programme called Atlas TI. The results revealed the following as contributory factors leading mental health care users to use modern and traditional medicine in rural areas : cultural factor , belief in witch craft , influence by significant others (family members and friends), poor PHC intervention and treatment method. Recommendations to the health care practitioners and policy makers around the use of traditional and modern medicine was made based on the findings.
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    Characteristics of pigs under communal production systems in resource-poor farming areas of Vhembe District in Limpopo Province
    (2010-09) Mathegu, Khathutshelo Robert; Francis, J; Boateng, A.
    Although pig production systems have been characterized, there is inadequate information on the production status of indigenous pigs in the smallholder sector 'especially in South Africa. This study sought to address this problem through characterizing smallholder pig production systems in Limpopo Province. The main purpose of this study was to investigate the socio-economic and biological characteristics of smallholder pig production systems. A total sample of l 00 respondents, representing households which kept pigs at the time of the study, spread over six village areas was drawn. Data were collected from the respondents through the use of structured questionnaire. Weighing of piglets was also conducted and heart girth measurements were recorded as well. The results show that most producers were above the age of 45 years. The elderly farmers have their own way of production practices and cannot easily accept new innovations aimed at improving pig production. The results demonstrate that indigenous pigs farming play an important role in supplying meat for households' consumption (48 %) and providing cash (41 %) when such a need arises. Pigs were raised within the vicinity of the homestead and management was responsibilities of women and children. These findings could be attributed to the fact that keeping pigs in rural areas is not considered as an economic enterprise and there is a need to shift the minds of producers to consider this kind of farming as another way for them to earn an income. There were many constraints reported as limiting factors in ra1smg pigs. Lack of knowledge and unavailability of quality feeds were amongst the constraints mentioned. Most respondents (49 %) had had no formal education whilst the level of education of 30 % of producers was predominantly of primary. The lower level of education amongst resource-poor farmers raising pigs could have a negative impact towards acceptance of any new method that could improve the production systems. Record keeping and growth rate measurements were not practiced in the study areas. ..
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    Contribution of indigenous chicken to improvement of livelihoods of the farmers in Vhembe District
    (2013-09-18) Munyadziwa, Vele Welhemina; Mwale, M.; Francis, J.
    There is a growing concern in the world over the worsening poverty, hunger and malnutrition. This is particularly so in developing countries, including South Africa. Indigenous chickens could be used to alleviate poverty, especially in rural areas. However, there is dearth of research that clarifies the contribution of indigenous chickens to rural-based households in Vhembe District of South Africa. Thus, this study aimed to determine the contribution of indigenous chickens towards improving rural livelihoods in Tshikota community within Makhado Local Municipality. The Municipality is one out of the four that constitute Vhembe District in Limpopo Province. Qualitative and quantitative data were collected using focus group discussions anda survey questionnaire, respectively. Four extension officers and 20 community members were randomly selected to participate as key informants. Semi-structured interview guides were used to collect the data. A combination of snowball and random sampling techniques were used to select 95 0 0 farmers involved in indigenous chickens. A formal survey questionnaire was administered to U-') - c them. Thematic Content analysis was adopted for qualitative data analysis. The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences was used to compute descriptive statistics, cross-tabulations and Chi-square and correlations for the quantitative data. About 58 % of the farmers were involved in indigenous chicken production, followed by broilers (12.1 %) and layers (1.1 %). Most of the people involved in indigenous chicken farming (48.8 %) inherited the business from their family members, while 41.9 % started their business after purchasing the chickens from others. About 8.1 % of the farmers started their projects with chickens they received as birthday presents from relatives and friends. It was also found that indigenous chicken farmers in Tshikota were predominantly female (67 %). Most families involved in indigenous chicken farming relied mostly on chickens for petty cash. From now and then they would sell the chickens to raise children's school fees and also income to meet households' expenditures. Moreover, jobs created through indigenous farming were regarded as indicators of improved livelihoods for the farmers residing in Tshikota. It was also revealed that better living conditions in terms of money indigenous farmers' families made improved their livelihoods. Predation and mortalities due to diseases were the two major challenges facing the farmers. In order to enhance the role of indigenous chickens as a poverty alleviation tool, it is recommended that veterinary services should be made available to the farmers through education and training workshops. These services would equip the farmers with the necessary skills aimed at improving management of diseases, proper feeding, programming and marketing.
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    Contribution of small-scale food vending to rural livelihoods in Thulamela Municipality of Limpopo Province in South Africa
    (2013-10-01) Mathaulula, Mushaisano Agnes; Francis, J.; Mwale, M.
    Ready to eat foods and beverages prepared and/or sold by vendors and hawkers, especially in streets and other public places are referred to as small-scale foods. Throughout the world small­ scale food vending is a common means of earning a living. However, in South Africa information on the contribution of small-scale food vending to the livelihoods of those who practice it is inadequate and unreliable. Thus, this study sought to assess the contribution of small-scale food vending to rural livelihoods in Thulamela Municipality of Limpopo Province, South Africa. The perceptions of food vendors on the contribution of vending to livelihoods, challenges and related solutions were identified. Qualitative data were collected through administering of a semi-structured interview guide during key informant interviews and focus group discussions. Thereafter, quantitative data were collected using a questionnaire administered to 126 food vendors. All the questions required responses on a Likert-type scale ranging from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree). The data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences ((SPSS) version 19.0, 2011. Mean scores and standard deviations for each perception were computed and used for ranking. Frequencies of the same perceptions were also calculated. The Spearman's rank correlation coefficient analysis was conducted in order to determine if there were any relationships between perceptions of interest. The study highlighted various ways in which small-scale food vending in Thohoyandou contributed to rural livelihoods. They were of a socio-economic development, family support, growth and development, and service provision nature. Most vendors reported that their businesses contributed towards job creation, public transport fares, fees for education and training, and also purchasing various basic necessities for the household. Its contribution to the reduction of food poverty in rural communities is crucial in development relief. Despite the considerable contribution of small-scale food vending to rural livelihoods, food vendors complained about the multiple challenges they faced.These were associated with infrastructure and basic services, legal and policy framework as well as production issues. Among others, food vendors complained about poor sanitation; lack of storage facilities; forced removals by municipal officials, absence of food vending licenses and conflict between municipality and hawking by-laws. In order to address the challenges that the food vendors faced, the following solutions were suggested: municipal officials must desist from forcefully removing of food vendors from their selling stalls; provision of proper sanitation (water and toilets) near the selling points; allocating proper selling stalls with lockable storage facilities; and municipality must consider issuing vending licences to the small-scale food vendors. On the basis of the results of this study, it is clear that Thulamela Municipality should explore the possible avenues for supporting small-scale food vending. Also, the municipality should officially recognize small-scale food vending as an economic opportunity for those involved. Furthermore, there is a potential for strengthening the informal sector through implementing pro­ small-scale food vending strategies. Further research should be conducted focussing on engaging the customers of the street food vendors to establish their level of satisfaction with the services rendered. Lastly, the real contribution of street food vending will never be known unless there is quantification and interrogation of the various dimensions identified in this study are quantified and integrated.
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    An examination of constraints on fruit production by smallholder farmers in Vhembe District
    (2014-12-12) Rathogwa, Alidzulwi Thameson; Oloo, G. B.; Mudau, M. J.
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    Interventions for improved performance of poultry-based poverty alleviation projects in rural communities of Ehlanzeni District Municiplaity
    (2015) Dube, Matlala Helen
    Poultry-based PAPs are important to improve the livelihoods of rural communities. The environments in which they operate determine their ability to succeed in terms of self-reliance and income generation capabilities. A positive adequate and supportive extension service enables the PAPs to contribute to food security and job creation. However, in South Africa despite the government, and NGOs huge investment in the PAPs, high mortalities of the poultry, and ineffectiveness in reducing food and nutrition insecurity, remain major concerns because most of them collapse soon after cessation of donor or government funding. Information on why most of the PAPs fail is still inadequate. Thus, the main objective of current study was to characterize poultry-based PAPs in order to suggest intervention strategies to strengthen their performance. The specific objectives were to: (a) identify the constraints to the successful implementation of poultry-based PAPs; (b) determine the coping strategies applied in poultry-based PAPs; and (c) suggest interventions for improved performance of the poultry-based PAPs. This case study was undertaken in Bushbuckridge Municipality of Ehlanzeni District in Mpumalanga Province. A mixture of qualitative and quantitative research methods and techniques were applied in the two-phased study. Purposive sampling was used to select ordinary members and chairpersons of PAPs as well as some government officials who served as respondents. In phase 1 of the study face-to-face interviews were conducted using open-ended questions with 10 Chairpersons, 20 ordinary members and 5 government officials involved with poultry-based PAPs. Qualitative data were analyzed using Atlas ti7.0.81. Thereafter, the qualitative results of phase 1 were consolidated to produce a questionnaire administered to (n=16) focus group participants of the same categories of respondents. The Statistical Pacl
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    The effectiveness of the water supply system at Chavani Village, South Africa
    (2015-02-03) Mpai, Nomasonto Ethel; Mudau, M. J.; Mwale, M.
    Most countries of the world are experiencing water crises because water as a natural resource is no longer as freely available as it used to be. The main contributing factor is technological advancement and associated economic expansion that have put a lot of pressure on water resources. The demand for water has greatly increased and this has created serious challenges to the sources of water. The study was carried out in Chavani village under the Nkhensani Tribal Authority. The aim of the study was to find out about the state of water supply system at Chavani Village South Africa. The study followed an exploratory research approach. The data collected include both qualitative and quantitative data. The total population of the study was 103. The sampling procedure included probability and non - probability sampling. Structured questionnaires were distributed to 60 households which were Selected using cluster sampling, 24 learners from Shinguwa high school was selected for focus group discussions using stratified sampling. There were 12 females and 12 male's .Lastly 16 community members were selected for focus group discussion in a meeting called by the chief on a voluntary basis. A one-on-one semi structured interview were conducted with the ward councilor, the traditional leader and the village water community leader Key informants observations, focus groups, interviews, and questionnaires were used to source out information about the water situation in Chavani village. Among the key findings is that: a third of the respondents buy their water from those neighbours who have boreholes.Fetch water from springs and rivers. Communal taps are opened 1-2 days per week. Women and children of school going age were the main collectors of water. A majority of the respondents have been involved in a meeting, usually called for by the community leaders, to discuss the state of water in their community. Villagers complained that buying water was costly. They also lamented the inadequacy of communal taps, the long distance travelled to collect water, and having to collect water from an unclean source such as a well. These factors restricted them from fully engaging in agriculture. The youth were concerned by the fact that they still had to collect water after school thereby adding an extra burden on them instead of them focusing on their books. The villagers complained that there were many broken pipes resulting in water leakages and bewailed for the lack of technical knowhow to maintain their water infrastructure. Many believe that 'very little' progress has been made to solve the water problem in the community. The study recommends that the current old water infrastructure must be repaired and more boreholes sunk so that every street must have a communal tap. Civic campaigns to educate communities on water harvesting and its conservation should be made. There will be need to train people on the technical aspects of maintenance of water infrastructure involving community members, Government, NGOs, entrepreneurs and other relevant stakeholders. Concerted effort must be made by all relevant stakeholders to ensure that community members have access to water in an equitable manner to enhance community cohesion.
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    Towards developing a model for integrating light delivery vehicles into the rural passenger transport system in Vhembe District Municipality of South Africa
    (2015-02-04) Munwana, Thinandavha Edward
    This study stems from premise that Light Delivery Vehicle (LDV) passenger transport is a vital but not necessarily a safe mode in rural communities such as those in Vhembe District of Limpopo Province, South Africa. Moreover, the lack of detailed scientific data and as yet illegal status of the service inhibit efforts made to strengthen it. Nevertheless, transport authorities in South Africa are beginning to consider ways of formalising the service. The overall objective of the study was to develop a model for integrating LDV passenger transport with the public transport system in Vhembe District Municipality. It was assumed that LDVs could be a suitable mode of rural passenger transport if appropriately modified and a supporting legislative framework was developed. Specifically, the nature and extent of the service within the wider transport context in Vhembe District Municipality were investigated. A mixed methods approach was adopted, applying both quantitative and qualitative procedures and techniques of data collection and analysis. Three quantitative surveys and a qualitative case study were carried out. The latter comprised focus group discussions, in-depth interviews, observations and a document study. The purposively sampled research participants comprised 100 LDV operators, 100 commuters and 69 Administrators) using the snowball technique and based on their knowledge on LDV passenger transport. The use and operation of LDV passenger transport was observed to be an established, regular, demand-driven, sustainable and expanding reality, operating alongside other transport services, especially in remote areas. A strong relationship (P < 0.05) existed between the reasons given for using LDVs and the municipalities where the respondents resided. The transport service was affordable and flexible, although it was not necessarily comfortable or safe. There was a strong statistical relationship (P < 0.01) between the level of satisfaction with other transport services and municipalities in which they resided. Although the informal nature of LDV transport provided some short-term advantages to operators, various stakeholders (including operators of LDV transport) indicated that the formalization of the service would lead to long-term advantages such as improved service delivery, operating circumstances and increased customer base. In addition, LDV transport of LDVs as passenger-carrying vehicles, which entails insistence on fitting canopies, spelling out seating capacity, proper seats, issuing route permits and other safety-related measures specified by the South African Bureau of Standard (SASS) and Occupational Health Standards (OHS).