PhD (Business Management) / Department of Business Management / The questions of what constitutes entrepreneurship and, in turn, who an entrepreneur is, have dominated entrepreneurship discourse in recent times. Over the years, a multiplicity of definitions of entrepreneurship has been proffered. However, most of these definitions to be either Eurocentric or Western-oriented and largely devoid of (South) African socio-economic imperatives. Naturally, the manner in which entrepreneurship in South Africa is conceptualised derives from the former definitions. Furthermore, the classification of entrepreneurship ventures in the country is also problematic. A Eurocentric classification regime is, on the one hand, too simplistic; and, on the other hand, it fails to fully capture the true essence of entrepreneurial activity within the South African economy. It is, therefore, not surprising that entrepreneurship development policies and interventions are not successful in stimulating entrepreneurship. This problem, this study argues, is a result of the lack of localised research aimed at understanding entrepreneurship classification dynamics in South Africa. This constitutes a research gap, which this study seeks to address. It is against this background that the aim of this study is to develop a taxonomy of entrepreneurial ventures in the Limpopo Province of South Africa. To achieve this purpose, which is pre-paradigmatic, the proposed study was designed along the dictates of a qualitatively grounded theory research. This facilitated the application of multiple methods of data collection. The study sampled 5 entrepreneurs in the Limpopo Province who were interviewed using an in-depth format. The value of this work is among the first in seeking to propose a framework (i.e. taxonomy) for classifying entrepreneurship ventures within the South African context. The implication of the study is that it potentially provides policymakers with valuable tools to understand South African entrepreneurship and the channels of intervention for small business ventures. / NRF

MESMEG / Department of Mining and Environmental Geology / The future of energy in South Africa depends on coal as it is one of the cheapest and most affordable sources of energy; however, some of the coal is uneconomical to mine due to the thickness and depth of the coal seams. For many years the coal resources of the Soutpansberg Coalfield remained untapped and limitedly researched and with the coal resources running out in the other coalfields, the Soutpansberg Coalfield remained the bright coalfield of tomorrow in South Africa. Coal seams in the Soutpansberg Coalfield occur within the Madzaringwe Formation. Three coal basins have been identified in this coalfield, are the Venda-Pafuri, Tshipise and Mopane. Sedimentological basin analysis of the coal stratigraphy and characterisation of the Soutpansberg Coalfield in the Makhado area, Limpopo Province was investigated within the farms of Rissik, Fannie, Duel, and Lurkin. The main purpose of the study was to establish the variation of the coal stratigraphy and how coal influenced the stratigraphy within the area. Fieldwork involved core logging and core sampling from the different farms within the Makhado coal area, while laboratory work included petrographic studies, investigation of the physical and chemical properties of coal. Core logging revealed the occurrence of coal zones where coal seams were intercalating with mudstones, but rarely with siltstone that formed the footwall of coal. Rarely was coal intruded by dolerite dyke as was the case along borehole W6610001. Core logging further revealed the sedimentary structures in the lithologies and the depth at which different lithologies were intersected. From these sedimentary structures, the environment of coal deposition was deduced supported by the geochemical analysis of major oxides and trace elements. Correlation of boreholes along the strike showed that the shale and mudrock were the predominant rocks within the coal horizon leading to the conclusion that these were the coal host rocks. Whole rock geochemical analysis was undertaken, using X-Ray Fluorescence Spectroscopy in order to establish the rock types and their trace element contents. The collected samples were analysed at the University of Venda, Department of Mining and Environmental Geology Laboratory, Siza Coal Services in Secunda and Council for Geoscience. The study indicated that the coal seams of the Soutpansberg Coalfield were deposited within the floodplain of a mixed-load fluvio-deltaic (fluvial and braided) systems. This sedimentary channel has been the major influence on the development of the coal seams. Locational changes in sedimentary facies above and below the coal seams within the study area has caused variations in the rates of compaction and subsidence which influenced the coal basin morphology and the coalification pattern. These two parameters (variations in the rates of compaction and subsidence) controlled the coal quality parameters, and coal seam thickness as well as the coal composition. The study confirmed that coal quality and thickness vary markedly from place to place in this coalfield due to varying local depositional environments. Most of the drill holes intersected mainly 3 coal seams, although in some cases either 2 or 5 seams were intersected. The thickest coal seam (borehole F578002) was 8 m. It was concluded that the coal was sub-bituminous to bituminous coal rank class (medium-volatile bituminous coal rank class). The coal had low moisture content ranging from 0.7-0.8%, and ash content ranging from 21.4-32%. The fixed carbon and volatile matter values of the coal samples ranged from 42.5 to 50.4% and from 25.2 to 27.4% respectively. The carbon and hydrogen were the main principal combustible elements in coal, however; carbon is the predominant one based on weight, constituting about 5.3% (the lowest) to 70.3% (highest) of the total. Due to the nature and thickness of the coal seams we conclude that this coal was economical to be mined and can be used for electricity generation and in cement grinding plants. A graph of coal gas concentrations over combustion time showed that methane (CH4) and carbon dioxide (CO2) had high gas concentrations, amounting to 1.75% and 1.70% respectively. / NRF

MENVSC (Geography) / Department of Geography and Geo-Information Sciences / Semi-arid regions of Africa are prone to epidemics of malaria. Epidemic malaria occurs along the geographical margins of endemic regions, when the equilibrium between the human, parasite and mosquito vector populations are occasionally disturbed by changes in one or more meteorological factors and a sharp but temporary increase in disease incidence results. Monthly rainfall and temperature data from the South African Weather Service and malaria incidence data from Department of Health were used to determine the influence of meteorological variables on malaria transmission in Limpopo from 1998-2014. Meteorological influences on malaria transmission were analyzed using time series analysis techniques. Climate suitability for malaria transmission was determined using MARA distribution model. There are three distinct modes of rainfall variability over Limpopo which can be associated with land falling tropical cyclones, cloud bands and intensity of the Botswana upper high. ENSO and ENSO-Modoki explains about 58% of this variability. Malaria epidemics were identified using a standardized index, where cases greater than two standard deviations from the mean are identified as epidemics. Significant positive correlations between meteorological variables and monthly malaria incidence is observed at least one month lag time, except for rainfall which shows positive correlation at three months lag time. Malaria transmission appears to be strongly influenced by minimum temperature and relative humidity (R = 0.52, p<0.001). A SARIMA (2, 1, 2) (1, 0, 0)12 model fitted with only malaria cases has prediction performance of about 53%. Warm SSTs of the SWIO and Benguela Niño region west of Angola are the dominant predictors of malaria epidemics in Limpopo in the absence of La Niña. Warm SSTs over the equatorial Atlantic and Benguela Niño region results in the relaxation of the St. Helena high thus shifting the rainy weather to south-east Africa. La Niña have been linked with increased malaria cases in south-east Africa. During El Niño when rain bearing systems have migrated east of Madagascar ridging of the St. Helena high may produce conducive conditions for malaria transmission. Anomalously warmer and moist winters preceding the malaria transmission season are likely to allow for high mosquito survival and the availability of the breeding sites thus high population in the beginning of the transmission season hence resulting in increased epidemics. / NRF

MENVSC / Department of Geography and Geo-Information Sciences / Climate change has a crucial impact on livelihoods, economy, and water resources due to the occurrence of weather and climate extreme events such as floods, droughts and heat waves. Extreme weather has been increasing worldwide, hence the need to understand their nature and trends. The aim of this study was to analyse the spatial variability and long-term trends of climate extremes over the Limpopo in South Africa from 1960 to 2014. Rainfall, temperature, and circulation fields were analysed to understand the extent, nature of climate extremes over the Limpopo. Extreme value theory (EVT) is a powerful method that was also employed in this study to provide statistical models for events rarely observed. R statistical software was used for clustering analysis which has a variety of functions for cluster analysis. Any station whose value is larger than 95th for any day of the season was considered as a widespread extreme event. The results show that the study area is highly vulnerable to extreme events due to its latitudinal location and low altitude. Anomalous cut-off lows, tropical cyclones and tropical storms are the major extreme producing systems affecting the Limpopo province whilst the Botswana High becomes dominant during heat waves and drought. Extreme weather events are common in Limpopo during summertime and often coincide with mature phases of the El Nino Southern Oscillation. In this study, after the suitable model for data was chosen, the interest was in deriving return levels of extreme maximum rainfall. The computed data for return levels predicted that the 5-year return period’s return level is approximately 223.89 mm, which suggests that rainfall of 223.89 mm or more per month should occur at that station or location on the average of once every five years. / NRF / http://hdl.handle.net/11602/1485

MSc (Microbiology) / Department of Microbiology / Background: Escherichia coli is a facultative anaerobic bacterium that forms part of the gut microbiota. It is used as an indicator that confirms recent faecal contamination. E. coli have been identified amongst the pathogens that are mostly responsible for moderate to severe diarrheal outbreaks in the low and middle-income countries. With South Africa facing an issue in water scarcity, issues concern poor sanitation and hygiene practices results in serious public health problems and allows E. coli to be transmitted from infected human or animal faeces to a new susceptible host using environmental reservoirs such as soil, water, hands as the transmission pathway. Objective: The primary objective of the study was to characterize E. coli strains from rural communities of Vhembe district, Limpopo, South Africa. Methodology: Households of 7 villages in the Vhembe district were randomly selected. A total of 81 households (HHs) were part of the study. In each household, a structured questionnaire was used to background information on WASH practices. Samples taken from each HH included toilet seat swabs, floor swabs, child and mother handwash samples, stored water samples and running tap water samples. A total of 399 samples were analysed using Colilert® Quanti-trays®/2000 method to detect the presence of Escherichia coli. Positive E. coli samples were further identified using multiplex polymerase chain reaction (m-PCR) to determine the pathogenic strains of E. coli. Transmission pathways were established using identified strains. Results: Data from the structured questionnaires showed common problems of availability of running tap water; lack of provision of sanitation; open practice on defaecation and very little hand hygiene practices. A total of 91 (22.81%) samples tested positive for E. coli with the Colilert® Quanti-trays®/2000 method. The mothers’ handwash samples had the most E. coli prevalence followed by stored water samples. The most prevalent E. coli pathotype was EPEC with the virulence gene eae. Atypical EPEC (60.44%) outnumbered the typical EPEC (5.49%). The pathotype ETEC was detected in 41.76% samples and EHEC in 9.89% samples. Transmission pathway was observed from the different households; with eae gene (aEPEC) being the most detected from samples looking at the LT gene (ETEC). v | P a g e Discussion: All 7 villages are facing common issues such as lacking running water, poor sanitation and improper hand hygiene practices. The mothers were the most contaminated and it was observed that its due to the daily activities that they perform around the house. It is of importance for them to practice proper hand hygiene to prevent transmission of pathogenic E. coli to the children via direct or indirect transmission route. The pathogenic E. coli was detected from all different samples collected from the households including the floor and toilet seat samples. EPEC was detected the most, and studies have shown that this strain is known to cause diarrheal infections in young children from developing countries. Conclusion: The members of the study village households were aware of the WASH services and its importance. However, proper implementation into their day-to-day life is lacking due to the high number of TC and E. coli detected from handwash samples and stored water samples from the households. Recommendation: Appropriate WASH strategies should be established to ensure good health at the village households. Further studies should be done to check possible transmission pathways from more village households. / NRF

MAdmin / Department of Public and Development Administration / This study focused on critical analysis of job creation strategies in the Makhado Local Municipality (MLM). Even though there are policies and strategies adopted by Local Economic Development (LED) in order to speed up the process of job creation, there are still many unemployed people with no potential job prospects in the area. There are quite a number of factors working against job creation which range from geographic and demographic dispositions, availability of industries within the area, and limited infrastructure that can help to fast track job creation. The researcher used descriptive research design for this study. The researcher followed a mixed methods approach in which quantitative and qualitative research approaches were used. The reason for using a mixed methods approach was to integrate both qualitative and quantitative research methods to enable them to complement each other, thereby adding value to the findings. The researcher used non-probability sampling and its sub-type purposive sampling to select the respondents for this study. Purposive sampling method provides a wide range of non-probability sampling techniques for the researcher to draw on. Data collection instruments which were used were interview questions and questionnaires. Statistical analysis and thematic analysis were used to analyse the data. The researcher followed the research ethics before conducting study. The following were the major findings of the study: • The study findings revealed that municipality fails to inform members of the public with regard to job creation strategies in any process of development. • The research study findings revealed that the municipalities should create positions instead of internships without getting employment after completion. • The study findings revealed that public participation encourages community members to be actively involved in the municipality projects and helps to create good relationship between communities and the municipality to improve basic service delivery. The following are the recommendations of the study: • The research study revealed that good working relationship between municipal officials and community members should be encouraged as it is vital in enhancing the provision of service in the communities. • The study recommended that the municipalities should create positions which are permanent. • The researcher recommends that openness between community structures and the municipality should be encouraged in order to bring development in the municipality. / NRF

Thesis (M.Sc. Agriculture (Agronomy)) -- University of Limpopo, 2019 / Limpopo Province is a semi-arid region prone to drought. Crop yields continue to decline due to low soil fertility and poor cropping systems. Cowpea is nutritionally rich in proteins essential for human consumption and livestock feeding. It fixes N2 which becomes available for the succeeding crop in rotation. For this reason, it is used as a companion crop in cereal-legume intercropping systems. Maize is one of the most important grain crops in South Africa, it serves as the major staple food for many households. Phosphorus is one of the macro-nutrient elements required by crops to produce satisfactory yields. The interactions between different rates of P fertilisation and cowpea-maize strip intercropping have not been studied in detail under rain-fed maize-cowpea strip intercropping in Limpopo Province. Many smallholder farmers in Limpopo Province obtain low yields due to the practice of mixed intercropping. Two season (2014/15 and 2015/16) experiments were laid out in a split-split plot design at Syferkuil farm to determine the performance of cowpea and maize varieties in cowpeamaize strip intercropping at varying P application rates. Treatments consisted of factors namely, P levels (0, 15, 30, 45 kg/ha), cropping system (monocropping and intercropping), maize varieties (WE3127 and ZM1423) and cowpea varieties (PAN311, TVu13464, IT86D-1010 and IT82D-889). Data were collected from growth and yield parameters that included (number of days to flowering, plant height, number of days to physiological maturity, root weight, number of pods per plant, unshelled net pod weight, number of cobs per plant, unshelled net cob weight and grain yield) in order to determine their performance. Results obtained revealed that P application levels significantly influenced most of the measured growth and yield parameters of both crops. PAN311 flowered earliest (49 days) across P levels. Increasing P application hastened the maturity of the varieties of PAN 311 and TVu13464 in both seasons. The P levels of 30 and 45 kg/ha reduced the number of days to maturity as compared to 0 and 15 kg/ha. TVu13464 variety produced more pods per plant (30) than other varieties. PAN311 yielded more grains (2491 kg/ha) than other varieties. Maize varieties performed well between P applications of 30 and 45 kg/ha. WE3127 yielded 3462 kg/ha whereas ZM1423 yielded 3306 kg/ha. Intercropping vi system performed better than monocropping system based on the measured growth and yield parameters. Two promising cowpea varieties (PAN311 and TVu13464) performed well and were selected based on their early maturity, drought tolerance and high yielding. Increasing P application levels increased crop yield. Optimum P levels for cowpea-maize strip intercropping were between 30 and 45 kg/ha. The calculated LER values were greater than one which indicates that intercropping was advantageous in land utilisation. The study showed the importance of P application in improving cowpea yield in cowpeamaize strip intercropping. / National Research Foundation (NRF) and University of Missouri, USA

Thesis (MPAM.) -- University of Limpopo, 2019 / The purpose of this study was to investigate municipal-citizen communication channels of the Thulamela Local Municipality, and their implications on service delivery. The study adopted a mixed method, qualitative-quantitative sequential approach. Qualitative data was sourced from key-informants comprised of community leaders, Ward Committee members, and a Community Development Workers. Quantitative data was sourced from ordinary community members of Dumasi village. Semi-structured interviews and questionnaires were used as data collection tools for both the qualitative and quantitative phases. Thematic Content Analysis was used to analyse the qualitative data. Data analysis for the quantitative data was conducted using Cronbach’s Alpha, t-test and ANOVA test. The findings from both studies revealed that respondents perceived Thulamela Municipality’s communication channels to be ineffective. Community members’ reluctance to attend community meetings and lack of proper feedback were identified as the main causes. The findings further revealed that ineffectiveness of the communication channels leads to an increase in the number of community service delivery protests. Several suggestions are made resulting from the findings of this study. These include the designing and implementation of context-specific, municipal-citizen communication channels, in consultation with local communities.

Thesis (MPAM.) -- University of Limpopo, 2019 / The purpose of the study was to investigate citizens’ level of trust in service delivery in Makhado Municipality by assessing the relationship between the performance of local government and the level of trust of citizens in the Municipality. In addition, the study sought to establish whether citizens’ involvement in decision-making in local government has an effect on their level of trust; and to establish the approaches which are important to improve citizens’ trust in local government. Data was collected through a questionnaire which was administered to 100 residents of Makhado Municipality. The findings of the study revealed that the citizens of Makhado Municipality do not trust in the service delivery in the Municipality. Residents are dissatisfied with most of the services they are receiving from the Municipality. It was determined that water shortage is the biggest problem in the Municipality, and residents spend days without water which poses serious risks to their health. Housing provision is another area that residents are displeased with. There is no transparency in the allocation of RDP houses, nepotism and corruption are rife and the quality of these houses is also poor. The area of roads and storm water supply is also of concern. Roads and streets in the municipality are in a bad state with potholes everywhere. Some roads and streets that were tarred have been turned into gravel roads, gravel roads in villages are also in a bad state of disrepair because they are not consistently maintained. The findings further revealed that service delivery challenges in the Municipality are caused by a lack of consultation and leadership, as well as corruption and if these three factors are addressed, service delivery will improve and trust would be fostered amongst citizens. This study recommends that the Municipality should develop its own anti-corruption strategies; invest in research and form partnerships with tertiary institutions; improve public participation and consultation; and collaborate with other government departments. Unfortunately, the research findings cannot be generalised to other municipalities since they differ in terms of categories and responsibilities. Nonetheless, some ideologies of the recommendations can be applied to other municipalities.

Thesis (M.Sc. (Geography)) -- University of Limpopo, 2019 / Floods are one of the major natural hazards that occur with devastating effects globally. South Africa is one of the countries that is affected as flooding frequently occurs at different sub-national scales and with devastating impacts on human settlements. The variability of the nature, impact and frequency of flood occurrence in the country has heightened interest in the assessment and determination of flooding vulnerability, particularly in areas that have been affected or are likely to be affected in the near future. Given the uncertainties surrounding flood occurrence and the enormous damages resulting from the events, this study sought to assess the vulnerability of settlements to floods in Ward 7 and 9 of Lephalale Local Municipality. To accomplish this, both primary and secondary sources of data were used in this study. A mixture of closed-ended and open-ended household questionnaire, which was administered to 133 and 227 randomly selected households in Ward 7 and 9 respectively was used. In addition, a vulnerability index was developed using an indicator approach in order to determine levels of flood vulnerability in the study areas. Indicators were identified, grouped and normalised using the standardization method, then weighted using pairwise comparison method. The various indicators were then aggregated through a linear summation method into a vulnerability index. This index was subsequently used to produce a vulnerability map showing the spatial pattern of the different flood vulnerability levels in the studied areas. The results reveal that socioeconomic as well as physical factors influence settlements’ vulnerability to flooding disasters. Furthermore, the vulnerability index map showed that Ward 7 was more vulnerable to flooding, with an average index of about 0.16 while Ward 9 was less vulnerable, with an average flood vulnerability index of 0,07. The vulnerability map also indicated that out of the total land area of 13.54km2 occupied by settlements in Ward 7, 9.38 km2 was very vulnerable, 2.27km2 highly vulnerable and 1.89km2 had low vulnerability. In Ward 9, about 4.44km2 of settlements land was experiencing low vulnerability while 29.96km2 experienced very low levels of vulnerability. The study concludes that the high vulnerability of Ward 7 was a result of an interplay of factors that include its nearness to the stream, a high proportion of low-lying land, land use type and high population densities. The results of this study can serve as a basis for targeting prioritization efforts, emergency response measures, and policy interventions at the ward level for minimizing flood disaster vulnerability in municipal areas. The study recommends that flood vulnerability assessments should integrate socio-economic characteristics with physical factors in order to adequately assess vulnerability and therefore enable municipalities to anticipate floods and plan for them. / University of Limpopo Staff Financial Assistance, Risk and Vulnerability Science Centre and VLIR