Restitution and post-settlement support: Three case studies from Limpopo

Belgian Technical Cooperation (BTC

Galaxy evolution, cosmology and HPC : clustering studies applied to astronomy

Tools to measure clustering are essential for analysis of Astronomical datasets and can potentially be used in other fields for data mining. The Two-point Correlation Function (TPCF), in particular, is used to characterize the distribution of matter and objects such as galaxies in the Universe. However, it's computational time will be restrictively slow given the significant increase in the size of datasets expected from surveys in the future. Thus, new computational techniques are necessary in order to measure clustering efficiently. The objective of this research was to investigate methods to accelerate the computation of the TPCF and to use the TPCF to probe an interesting scientific question dealing with the masses of galaxy clusters measured using data from the Planck satellite. An investigation was conducted to explore different techniques and architectures that can be used to accelerate the computation of the TPCF. The code CUTE, was selected in particular to test shared-memory systems using OpenMP and GPU acceleration using CUDA. Modification were then made to the code, to improve the nearest neighbour boxing technique. The results show that the modified code offers a significant improved performance. Additionally, a particularly effective implementation was used to measure the clustering of galaxy clusters detected by the Planck satellite: our results indicated that the clusters were more massive than had been inferred in previous work, providing an explanation for apparent inconsistencies in the Planck data

Violent community protests and their impact on teachers : a case study of Vuwani, Limpopo Province

Abstracts in English and NyanjaViolent community protests are a common occurrence in South Africa ever since democracy. The aim of the study was to determine teachers’ views on the impact of violent community protests in a specific high school. Ineffective municipality leadership led to violent community protests which disrupted schooling activities. A qualitative design and one case study was employed in this study, and data were collected using individual interviews, observation and document analysis. Differences in ethnicity between community members and lack of service delivery were the cause of community protests. The study revealed that vandalising and burning down schools affect teachers’ ability to work. This study contributes to the body of knowledge to create safer learning environments in South African schools. Recommendations were made on how the community could work together and strengthen their relationship in protecting their schools’ assets.U gwalaba ha vhadzulapo ho no tou vha kutshilele kwa misi fhano Africa Tshipembe u bva tshe ra wana mbofholowo. Ngudo heyi i amba nga ha toduluso ya migwalabo ino kwama vhadededzi musi vha tshikoloni. Migwalabo yone zwavhudi vhudi i kwama zwihulwanesa mbekanya mishumo ya tshikolo na uri ina masala ndo itwa asiya vhudi kha tsireledzo ya vhadededzi. Dzi tsedzuluso nga mutodisi wa dzi ngudo o nanga vha imeleli vhane vha do thusa kha unea vhutanzi nga ha thaidzo heyi. Kha vha imeleli uya nga ha dzi ngudo ho nangiwa vhatanu na muthihi. Nga u fhambana ha mirafho kha vhadzulapo, zwi sumbedza uri ndi tshinwe tsha zwiitisi kha uswa ha zwikolo zwinzhi Vuwani. U sa vha na nyandano na u sa pfana vhukati ha vha dzulapo zwi disa migwalabo ine ya thithisa vhadededzi na vhana zwikoloni. Dzi tsedzuluso dzo wana uri u fhisiwa ha zwikolo zwi shela mulenzhe ka ku shumele kwa Vha-dededzi. Ho themendeliwa uri vhadzulapo kha vha farisane, vha shume vhothe, vha vhe na vhuthihi kha u tsireledza ndaka ya tshikolo.Educational StudiesM. Ed. (Socio-Education

Rainy season characteristics with reference to maize production for the Luvuvhu river catchment, Limpopo Province, South Africa.

Master of Science in Agriculture. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg 2017.In arid and semi-arid regions, crop yields are mainly dependent on the amount and spatio-temporal distribution of rainfall. For most smallholder farmers in rural areas of southern Africa, rainfall is a critical input to agricultural production of most staple crops such as maize. To effectively plan for agricultural development, it is of utmost importance that the spatial distribution and temporal variation of rainfall is understood as it govern the type of farming systems that can be practiced in any region. Therefore, a detailed understanding of rainfall is necessary before any farming activities can commence. The study investigated rainy season characteristics with reference to maize production in the Luvuvhu River Catchment. Rainy season characteristics assessed included aridity index, onset, cessation, length of the season, false onset, dry spells, seasonal rainfall, number of rainy days and monthly rainfall. Historical daily rainfall and minimum and maximum air temperature data (1923-2015) were obtained from the Agricultural Research Council. Twelve meteorological stations that were evenly distributed and represented different climatic regions within the catchment were chosen. An aridity index for different areas of the catchment was calculated using the United Nations Environment Programme equation. Evapotranspiration was calculated using the Hargreaves and Samani equation. Annual rainfall was calculated by summing daily rainfall from 1st January to 31st December. The Instat+ v 3.36 statistical programme was utilized to calculate onset, cessation, and length of the season, the number of rainy days, dry spells, seasonal rainfall and monthly rainfall. The Statistica software was used to generate descriptive statistics as well as to calculate probability of exceedance and non-exceedance for the rainy season characteristics. The Anderson-Darling goodness of fit test was performed to determine the distribution model that best represents the data. The resultant probabilities of exceedance were then computed from the distribution models that best fit the data. A non-parametric Spearman rank correlation coefficient test was used to analyze data for trends in rainy season characteristics as well as monthly rainfall. The results from the study showed that monthly rainfall at the Luvuvhu River Catchment during the rainy season varies temporally and spatially. In the high rainfall areas of the catchment, the rainy season commences early from the third week of October and ends the first week of April the following year. For dry areas of the catchment, the rainy season commences in the second week of November and ends early in the third week of February. The results further show a decrease in length of the rainy season, the number of rainy days, and seasonal rainfall further away from wet to dry areas of the catchment. There was no significant change on the onset of the rainy season on the catchment for the past 27-90 years. There is a high risk of both short and medium dry spells at most stations during the month of October, with, Folovhodwe, Phafuri and Sigonde being at highest risk. Farmers are therefore advised to use the first onset for land preparation and plant after the second onset in November and December to avoid the high risk of dry spells and false onset in October and November, depending on the location at the catchment. Folovhodwe, Mampakuil, Phafuri and Sigonde have a mean length of rainy season of less than 120 days and seasonal rainfall of less than 500 mm per rainy season. Hence, these areas are not suitable for rain-fed maize in the current climate. However, they are suitable for the production of other crops which may be sold in order to purchase maize. The most favourable sites for maize production within the catchment are Entabeni, Levubu, Lwamondo, Thathe, Tshiombo, and Vreemedeling. Therefore, production should be maximized at these areas so that there is sufficient maize for the whole catchment. In dry years, stations situated in the low-lying areas in the north-eastern and eastern parts of the catchments receive less rainfall which does not permit planting of maize. In normal and wet years, rainfall is sufficient for the production of various crops. However, in semi-arid areas of the catchment, plans should be made for supplementary water due to high evapotranspiration rates in order to maximize maize production. Stations in the middle/south western parts of the catchment can receive significant rainfall in both dry, normal and wet years. Trend analysis for long-term rainfall data did not show any significant changes in monthly rainfall except for Lwamondo and Levubu where an increasing trend is notable in January rainfall. In December, the rainfall trend was significant at Entabeni, Folovhodwe and Lwamondo. An increase in rainfall is notable at Lwamondo and a decrease in rainfall at Entabeni and Folovhodwe

Complications of Multiple Pregnancy: Conception to Delivery

Multiple pregnancy is a condition where more than one fetus occupy the same intrauterine cavity. By means of its rarity in spontaneous pregnancies, it indicates that that by nature the human female uterus is programmed to carry one fetus at a time. The incidence of multiple pregnancy is on the increase because of fertility treatment especially assisted reproductive technology. Unfortunately, multiple pregnancy is associated with several complications from conception until the postpartum period. Maternal uterine anomalies also pose special challenges if associated with multiple pregnancy from diagnosis until management. Miscarriages are higher and some of them are not noticed if the pregnancy continues with one fetus. There are complications related to uterine space like preterm labour which is the commonest. Rupture of membranes with or without preterm labour is also common. Monochorionic multiple pregnancies poses specific challenges in respect to abnormalities during organogenesis from embryonal to vascular malformations. Fetus growth discordance and single twin demise are uncommon but challenging

Tourism development through strategic planning for non-metropolitan small to medium size accommodation facilities in Limpopo Province, South Africa

The study focused on formal and informal non-metropolitan small- to medium sized tourism accommodation (NSMTA) facilities in Limpopo, the challenges relating to their capacity and their potential role in tourism promotion and development in the province. The apparent lack of the use of strategic planning approaches to promote tourism development among NSMTA operators seemed to create three interrelated problems that were deemed necessary to address. First, the developmental problem where operators show no interest in developing their enterprises in a way that could advance provincial tourism growth or development; second, an absence of visible, co-ordinated effort on the part of relevant provincial tourism stakeholders to promote tourism development through strategic planning; and third, the noticeable gap between demand and supply. The main aim of the study was to present a generic strategic plan that could be used to ensure that the accommodation sector would offer a prompt response to any change in tourism demand or supply as well as attending to the ongoing process of adjustment of services. Various approaches to data collection were adopted with the concurrent use of questionnaires and interviews to elicit objective responses being particularly valuable. Several interesting findings came to the fore. The researcher identified a number of the NSMTA enterprises, which had gained strategic locational advantages because of their positioning in proximity to areas like the Kruger National Park, the Bela-Bela warm baths and mineral springs, the Bushveld countryside of the Waterberg and the scenic beauty of the Valley of the Olifants in the vicinity of Hoedspruit, that appeared to give accommodation operators a better chance of success. These locations generally exhibited characteristics that placed NSMTA facilities in relevant and viable settings in terms of convenience, to ultimately contribute to growth in the tourism industry. The long-accepted notion that the majority of small business owners in South Africa had lower socio-economic status was not supported in that many of the respondents were professional people and farmers who had other sources of income. In addition, the study’s findings regarding the development of informal enterprises is contrary to the general perception which assumes that ‘informal sectors develop spontaneously; it revealed that even the smallest of tourism accommodation operators did some kind of planning before the actual establishment of their operation. According to the survey, the nature of formal business planning varied, depending on the type of operation. The less sophisticated, smaller accommodation establishments and tour businesses reflected a personal focus and commitment to the product rather than to selling the service offered. Furthermore, they were less inclined to formalise their business operation, ignoring grading status and interaction with other stakeholders. Single-handed management was common (60%). Two thirds (68%) of the owners/managers who took part in the in-depth interviews justified their decision not to adopt a formal business plan. Uncertainties regarding forecasting business profitability and identifying market tendencies, made projecting future trends difficult. Respondents felt that formal business planning was too rigid for the increasingly dynamic nature of the industry. Other reasons were the sizes of enterprises, lack of time, knowledge and ambition to expand, because businesses were merely supplementary sources of family income not solely a business operation. Tourism promotion efforts were inconsistent throughout all four tourism regions and within the accommodation enterprise categories. Variations were influenced by factors such as visitor demand, regional characteristics, and physical accessibility of the region, the business size the owners/manager’s motivation, management style and marketing strategies. The research findings point to a number of key issues that create a gap between demand and supply. Contextual differences related to contrasting geographical environments, the nature and size of the tourism accommodation operation, its management and ownership structure, the personal characteristics and abilities of the owner/manager and understanding the socio-economic importance of the tourism business. Ultimately the study presents a generic strategic plan geared to reacting to change and the demand conditions in the tourism accommodation market. If implemented, its integrated and long-term approach could enhance tourism development at local, provincial and national levels.Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2010.Tourism Managementunrestricte

Effects of elevated temperature, rainfall and soil nutrients on acacia mearnsii invasion

Climate change is associated with the risk of plant invasion hence a better understanding of the effects of elevated temperature, precipitation and soil nutrients on dominant invasive plants is needed for effective ecological planning. This study was set out to: (i) examine how elevated temperature (±2°C increase), (ii) high (above local average) and low (below local average) precipitation, (iii) elevated soil nutrient content (increase in soil N), and (iv) a combination of the above manipulations affects germination and growth of Acacia mearnsii, a dominant invasive plant in South Africa. The study further evaluated how the above-mentioned treatments affect soil chemical properties following A. mearnsii germination and growth. The above-mentioned specific objectives were tested under manipulated greenhouse conditions over six experimental months. The results indicated that the above-mentioned climate change scenarios have the potential to facilitate germination and growth of the invasive species A. mearnsii, and this is likely to proliferate its invasion in future. Results showed that seed germination was significantly high under all climate change manipulation treatments (˃50%) with highest seed germination recorded under high rainfall treatment (64%). Plant height was significantly higher under high temperature and high rainfall treatments throughout all the experimental months, though it was lowest under high nitrogen and combined treatment with high rainfall. The numbers of branches were high under higher temperature and low rainfall treatments than under high rainfall, high nitrogen and both combined treatments of low and high rainfall. Relative to the control, plants grown under climate change scenarios increased their root lengths, but this varied across different treatments. Total dry biomass was relatively high under high temperature treatment (0,7 g). Lower plant dry biomass was observed under low and high rainfall treatments (0,4 g), high nitrogen and combined treatments with both low and high rainfall treatments (0,1 g). Concerning the effects of climate change scenarios on soil chemical properties, soil pH levels were significantly higher after A. mearnsii germination and growth than before the experiment was setup. Soil resistivity was significantly higher in climate change treatments receiving nitrogen and combined treatments of low rainfall than other treatments and the soils before experiment. Soil total P was significantly higher in all the climate change treatments after A. mearnsii germination experiment than the before experiment soils. Soils receiving high temperature, high nitrogen, and combined treatment of low rainfall had significantly higher soil total N than other treatments and the before experiment soils. Soil total C was significantly higher in soils receiving high temperature, high nitrogen, and combined treatment of low rainfall after A. mearnsii germination than other treatments and before experiment soils. The findings suggest that future climate change scenarios of increased temperature and rainfall with soil nutrients could considerably enhance growth and germination success of the invasive plant A. mearnsii. Similarly, climate change scenarios could enhance some soil nutrient properties, which in turn, is likely to give the invasive plant A. mearnsii a germination and growth advantage. These results are the first in South Africa to show that future climate changes have the potential to facilitate A. mearnsii germination and growth, making it more invasive. The findings have implications for invasive plants management, especially action for managing the plant through clearing of the plant in sensitive ecosystems (e.g. riparian systems).Thesis (MSc) -- Faculty of Science, Environmental Science, 202

The Drivers of Innovation at Universities: A Case of South African Universities

Purpose: The study is aimed to contribute to an understanding of the drivers of innovation that lead to practical solutions at South African Universities.   Theoretical Framework: This article borrows from both Institutional Theory and organizational Theory’s perspectives on innovation. Those theories are crucial in exploring the views of employees and leaders on what they deemed to be drivers of innovation at their respective universities with the view to suggest a sustainable conceptual model for public universities’ innovativeness.   Design/methodology/approach: A mixed method approach was adopted, entailing an online survey and semi-structured interviews, to explore innovation from both an employee's and senior leaders' perspective. The population for the study included employees from two Universities, and random sampling and purposive sampling were applied respectively, for the survey and semi-structured interviews. Survey data were analysed using SPSS and semi-structured interviews data were analysed using Nvivo 12.   Results: Several drivers for innovation were found, including the need to respond to societal challenges, the drive for collaborative knowledge exchange, global rankings, individual employee drive, a nurturing environment, leadership, students, and government.   Research, Practical & Social implications: Careful reflections must be entered into by all relevant internal and external stakeholders (see figure 1) so that Universities can define the scope of innovation they wish to pursue based on their resources and contexts since Universities differ.    Originality/value: The original contribution to knowledge of this study lies in the suggested conceptual model for South African universities as they position themselves to innovatively address local and global socio-economic challenges

Teachers’ experiences of in-service training on inclusive education: a South African perspective

The object of this research: The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore and describe teachers’ experiences of in-service training on inclusive education. While diverse literature has dealt with teachers’ experiences of in-service training programmes and the conceptualization of inclusive education, the majority of these studies show limited focus on in-service training programmes tailored according to identified classroom needs. Methods: This study adopted a phenomenological research design. The purposive and conveniently selected 8 participants enrolled in the BEd Honours (Learning Support) distance education programme participated in the study. Furthermore, the study’s data collection process involved telephonic semi-structured interviews. The study used a thematic data analysis method. The main scientific results: The findings in this study indicated that the themes of learning barriers and inclusive education training. Moreover, the findings indicated that BEd Honours is informative and necessary for professional development; however, some participants shared concerns about the limited application material in the training programme. The area of practical use of the research results: This is for teachers in the in-service training. By identifying and uncovering teachers’ needs to implement inclusive education, these findings can be used to improve in-service training programme

Consumption patterns of vitamin A-rich foods of 10-13 years old children living in a rural area in Venda

Vitamin A deficiency (VAD) continues to be a major health problem in developing countries. In South Africa, in 1999, one out of three children under the age of six years in the country had poor/ marginal vitamin A status. Limpopo Province was one of the provinces that most seriously affected by VAD. The study aim was to explore and describe the consumption patterns of vitamin A-rich foods of 10-13 year old children living in a rural area in Venda, and consequently making recommendations on nutrition education in this regard. A survey was conducted in Vyeboom Village in Limpopo Province, at Makhado local municipality in the Vhembe District. About 155 school children aged 10-13 years (boys and girls) participated in this study, using convenience, random and stratified sampling to draw the sample from three primary schools (Avhatondwi, Tshirunzanani and Thomas Ntshavheni). Data was collected during winter of 2006 using a socio-demographic questionnaire, the 24-hour recall and non-quantitative food-frequency questionnaires. The data was divided into four subsections regarding the 10-13 year old children that participated in this study, namely: the demographic information, food habits, food consumption patterns, and foods consumed rich in vitamin A. The SAS statistical analysis (version 8.2) software was used to analyze the data from the questionnaire by means of descriptive statistics (percentages, frequencies, means and summary of the tables). Inferential statistics (two way tables and chi-square tests) were used to test the associations between two categorical variables. Mothers were the caretakers in the families, because she mostly played a major role in the decision-making, preparation and serving of the food that were consumed by these children. Social cultural factors influenced the children’s food intake, because some of these foods were especially low in vitamin A and high in sugar content (e.g. sweets), compared to those foods that children were forbidden to eat (e.g. liver) which were high in vitamin A and other nutrients. The foods that children were mostly forced to eat (dark green leafy vegetables) were very nutritious and given in order to prevent hunger and wastage (left-over in the morning). The general meal pattern of these children was three meals a day with two, one or no snacks in between meals. The mostly consumed foods during these meals were bread, tea, stiff and soft maize meal porridge, dark green leafy vegetables and meat (chicken). Dark green leafy vegetables played an important role in supplying beta-carotene to these children, while the intake of retinol-rich foods was poor because they are expensive and labeled as highly allergenic, whilst other foods were forbidden. Intake of fortified foods was very high because porridge was the staple food and commonly consumed during lunch and supper. The results provided insight regarding the food habits, consumption patterns and the intake of vitamin A rich foods and were used to substantiate recommendations aimed at the improvement of the intake vitamin A rich foods among the children.Dissertation (MConsSci (General))--University of Pretoria, 2008.Consumer Scienceunrestricte