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Welcome to the University of Venda Institutional Repository, an open digital archive of the research output of the University of Venda. Univen IR contains theses and dissertations, research papers as well as conference papers. For further information and assistance please contact Mr Keith Malabi at +27 15 9628564 or +27 15 962 8314 during office hours

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Perceptions of cannabis entrepreneurs on South Africa’s cannabis masterplan: a case study of Limpopo Province

(2024-09-06) Maumela, Mulalo Rejoyce; Nkondo, L. G.; Khohomela, N. T.

This study delves into the emerging discourse surrounding the decriminalisation and commercialisation of cannabis, particularly within the context of South Africa's Cannabis Master Plan. With global shifts toward legalisation for both medicinal and recreational purposes, understanding the perceptions and challenges faced by cannabis entrepreneurs becomes paramount. In the Limpopo Province, like many other regions of South Africa, one of its strategic plans is to promote entrepreneurship and small-scale businesses, thus there is a need to interrogate the cannabis masterplan of the country. The main objective of the study was, therefore, to explore the perceptions of cannabis entrepreneurs on South Africa’s cannabis Master Plan. In this study a qualitative research method was used, and participants were selected using non-probability snowball sampling. Data was collected using a semi-structured interview guide through face-to-face interviews. An audio recorder and a notebook were used to capture the responses of the participants and data was collected from 16 cannabis entrepreneurs in Limpopo Province, South Africa. The adequate number of the sample size was guided by the point of saturation. The collected data was transcribed using Microsoft Word version 26 and analysed using ATLAS.ti.23 and the results found were used to make conclusions and recommendations of the study. The research findings highlight challenges faced by cannabis entrepreneurs, particularly, compliance with the country’s laws and regulatory bodies. For instance, to obtain a cannabis operating license, one is expected to pay a minimum of R25 000 and build a cannabis facility with high security and a sensory detector which is estimated could be over a million rand. The participants emphasised the need for unrestricted cannabis commercialisation, citing its benefits, such as income generation, economic growth and employment creation amongst others; also, entrepreneurs face issues with society not being informed about cannabis’ potential benefits. One of the recommendations made from this study is that policymakers and industry stakeholders should foster a sustainable, inclusive cannabis industry through full implementation of the Cannabis Master plan.

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Application of ethics in the provision of municipal services in Makhado Local Municipality

(2024-09-06) Matodzi, Tshifhiwa Rejoyce; Munzhedzi, P. H.; Sethu, M. J.

Access to basic municipal services is a major challenge in South Africa. Section 152 of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996, makes provision for municipalities to deliver basic services to their local communities. Local government plays an important role in ensuring that communities are provided with basic services. Research has shown that South Africa is experiencing challenges in providing basic services. This study focused on the application of ethics in the provision of municipal services in Makhado Local Municipality. The study was conducted at Makhado Local Municipality in Limpopo Province, South Africa. This study aims to evaluate the application of ethics in the provision of municipal services at Makhado Local Municipality and suggest recommendations on how to eradicate challenges regarding basic municipal services. The researcher utilised a mixed research method in which both qualitative and quantitative methods were adopted. A sample of 284 participants consisting of traditional leaders, selected community members, municipal staff members, and ward councillors was selected using probability sampling and non-probability sampling techniques. The instruments used to collect data were questionnaires and interview schedules. The quantitative and quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics and thematic analysis respectively. The main findings of this study indicate that the application of ethics has not significantly contributed to the improvement of municipal service delivery at Makhado Local Municipality. The main recommendations based on the findings are that decision-making on basic municipal services should be centred on ethics and that the municipality should aim to solve community issues in a sustainable manner rather than just following protocol.

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The Role od Ward Committees in community participation: the case of Lepelle-Nkupi Local Municipality, Limpopo Province

(2024-09-06) Aphane, Calvin Sehlapelo; Mathebula, N. E.; Mathoga, S. T.

Participating in the community involves open dialogue and team effort to solve problems in order to make decisions that are better and more acceptable. The focus of this study is to investigate the role that ward committees play in promoting community participation in the Lepelle-Nkumpi Local Municipality, Limpopo Province. This is an attempt to learn how community participation through ward committees can aid basic service delivery which in doing so the community will be effectively playing their part in the integrated development planning. The study was conducted in the Lepelle-Nkumpi Local Municipality. For this study, mixed-method research was used. The study adopted a pragmatism paradigm and utilized a descriptive and contextual design using questionnaires and interviews as a method of collecting data. The study population consisted of municipal officials, ward councillors, ward committee members, civic organisations, community leaders, and community development workers. Sampling methods such as non-probability sampling in the form of purposive sampling technique were adopted. International business machinery: The statistical package of social sciences (IBM: SPSS) latest version was used to analyse quantitative data collected through questionnaires. Thematic analysis was used to analyse qualitative interview data narratively. To guarantee that all respondents may participate voluntarily and without being forced or intimidated, all ethical considerations were taken into account during the data-gathering process.

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Realising the right to healthcare services in South Africa

(2024-09-06) Monyai, Wanga Ezekiel; Kandala, L. J. J.; Choma, H. J.

This study examines the ongoing problems faced in an attempt to enforce the provision of the entitlement to hospital facilities. It outlines the legal and constitutional frameworks that makes provision for the entitlement for having to access healthcare services for all people in the Republic. The need for such provision is a central part of the national vision for healthcare transformation. Therefore, our constitution provides that: “everyone has the right to have access to health care service.” In this regard it is important to note that “ This constitution is the supreme law of the Republic ;law or conduct that is in consistent with it is invalid and obligations imposed by it must be fulfilled”. The study draws on evidence from a range of sources, including published literature, policy, and existing healthcare reforms in South Africa, evaluates their efficiency and the current state of healthcare in the country, and discusses the socio-economic and political issues, including poverty, inequity and inadequate public healthcare infrastructure. Particularly, this study accesses the legal initiatives in South Africa, such as the statutory Health Insurance (NHI), and their potential to improve enforceability of the said right. The conclusions drawn from this paper suggests that South Africa faces ongoing problems in achieving the objectives of providing for the right to healthcare, including a shortage of healthcare providers, low levels of public financing for health, and inadequate supplies. We are further burdened by the country's limited human resources and infrastructure, inadequate health systems governance, and weak public-private partnerships have all contributed to the slow progress in achieving universal healthcare coverage in the country. The study concludes by proposing specific recommendations to safeguard the provision of the said right. These strategies include increasing public investment in health, strengthening public-private partnerships, and improving the management of the health system. It also highlights the importance of developing innovative strategies that can engage stakeholders in understanding and addressing these ongoing problems. The evidence presented throughout this study suggests that substantial effort will be required to overcome the different challenges and ensure universal healthcare coverage in the country.

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Open Access

Probabilistic renewable energy modelling in South Africa

(2024-05-05) Ravele, Thakhani; Sigauke, Caston; Jhamba, Lodwell

The variability of solar power creates problems in planning and managing power system operations. It is critical to forecast accurately in order to maintain the safety and stability of large-scale integration of solar power into the grid. Accurate forecasting is vital because it prevents transmission obstruction and maintains a power equilibrium. This thesis uses robust models to solve this problem by addressing four main issues. The first issue involves the construction of quantile regression models for forecasting extreme peak electricity demand and determining the optimal number of units to commit at minimal costs for each period using the forecasts obtained from the developed models. The bounded variable mixed-integer linear programming (MILP) model solves the unit commitment (UC) problem. This is based on priority constraints where demand is first met from renewable energy sources followed by energy from fossil fuels. Secondly, the thesis discusses the modelling and prediction of extremely high quantiles of solar power. The methods used are a semi-parametric extremal mixture (SPEM), generalised additive extreme value (GAEV) or quantile regression via asymmetric Laplace distribution (QR-ALD), additive quantile regression with covariate t (AQR-1), additive quantile regression with temperature variable (AQR-2) and penalised cubic regression smoothing spline (benchmark) models. The predictions from this study are valuable to power utility decision-makers and system operators in knowing the maximum possible solar power which can be generated. This helps them make high-risk decisions and regulatory frameworks requiring high-security levels. As far as we know, this is the first application to conduct a comparative analysis of the proposed robust models using South African solar irradiance data. The interaction between global horizontal irradiance (GHI) and temperature helps determine the maximum amount of solar power generated. As temperature increases, GHI increases up to the point that it increases at a decreasing rate and then decreases. Therefore, system operators need to know the temperature range in which the maximum possible solar power can be generated. The study used the multivariate adaptive regression splines and extreme value theory to determine the maximum temperature to generate the maximum GHI ceteris paribus. Lastly, the study discusses extremal dependence modelling of GHI with temperature and relative humidity (RH) using the conditional multivariate extreme value (CMEV) and copula modes. Due to the nonlinearity and different structure of the dependence on GHI against temperature and RH, unlike previous literature, we use three Archimedean copula functions: Clayton, Frank and Gumbel, to model the dependence structure. This work was then extended by constructing a mixture copula model which combined the Frank and Gumbel models. One of the contributions of this thesis is the construction of additive quantile regression models for forecasting extreme quantiles of electrical load, which are then used in solving the UC problem with bounded MILP with priority constraints. The other contribution is developing a modelling framework that shows that GHI converges to its upper limit if temperature converges to the upper bound. Another contribution is constructing a mixture of some copulas for modelling the extremal dependence of GHI with temperature and RH. This thesis reveals the following key findings: (i) the additive quantile regression model is the best-fitting model for hours 18:00 and 19:00. In contrast, the linear quantile regression model is the best-fitting model for hours 20:00 and 21:00. The UC problem results show that using all the generating units, such as hydroelectric, wind power, concentrated solar power and solar photovoltaic is less costly. (ii) the AQR-2 was the best-fitting model and gave the most accurate prediction of quantiles at τ = 0.95, 0.97, 0.99 and 0.999, while at 0.9999- quantile, the GAEV model had the most accurate predictions. (iii) the marginal increases of GHI converge to 0.12 W/m2 when temperature converges to 44.26 ◦C and the marginal increases of GHI converge to −0.1 W/m2 when RH converges to 103.26%. Conditioning on GHI, the study found that temperature and RH variables have a negative extremal dependence on large values of GHI. (iv) the dependence structure between GHI and variable temperature and RH is asymmetric. Furthermore, the Frank copula is the best-fitting model for variable temperature and RH, implying the presence of extreme co-movements. The modelling framework discussed in this thesis could be useful to decisioniii makers in power utilities, who must optimally integrate highly intermittent renewable energies on the grid. It could be helpful to system operators that face uncertainty in GHI power production due to extreme temperatures and RH, including maintaining the minimum cost by scheduling and dispatching electricity during peak hours when the grid is constrained due to peak load demand.