Please read the abstract in the section 00front of this document. Copyright 2003, University of Pretoria. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of Pretoria. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the University of Pretoria. Please cite as follows: Bell, K 2003, Habitat selection and population dynamics of selected herbivores on Sondela Nature Reserve, Limpopo, MSc dissertation, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, viewed yymmdd < http://upetd.up.ac.za/thesis/available/etd-07112007-094017 / > / Dissertation (MSc (Wildlife Management))--University of Pretoria, 2003. / Animal and Wildlife Sciences / unrestricted

M.Sc. / This study has served to expand the geological map of surroundings of the Venetia Mine (Limpopo Province, South Africa) incorporating the area lying south of the kimberlite deposit and bounded in the south by the Dowe-Tokwe fault. The most significant structural conclusion stemming from this mapping project is that the Venetia Synform seems to be tectonically separate from the surrounding area and actually forms a klippe (shallowly dipping thrust) against the Krone Metamorphic terrane and the Gotha Complex. Petrographic descriptions of quartzofeldspathic lithologies found in the Krone Metamorphic Terrane to the west of the Venetia klippe (Mellonig, 2004) are identical suggesting that they belong to the Gotha igneous complex. There are no differences in geochemical compositions of monzogranite to granodiorite, tonalite and quartz diorite from Farms Gotha and Venetia. The rocks are I-type granitoids that generally form in continental magmatic arcs. The amount of U and Th in the igneous rocks of the Farms Gotha and Venetia (contained in minerals found within quartz, plagioclase, amphibole and K-feldspar crystal boundaries and the magmatic zircons of the Farm Gotha samples) and the pattern produced by heat producing elements (Council for Geoscience Radiogenic Map), indicate that that the unexpectedly high concentration of these elements are not the result of regional metamorphism, but is the remnant of the final crystallisation phase of the magma of the area. REE plots of the Venetia Mine samples show negative Eu anomalies, indicating the presence of plagioclase and K-feldspar in the magma source of the Venetia mine samples. The assumption is, that most samples retained their original chemical compositions having experienced only weak deuteric alteration and no dynamic metamorphism.

M.A. / Providing water services to a community takes careful planning and consideration. It is essential that communities are included from the onset in the processes of the project so that their needs, expectations and circumstances can influence decision-making as well as the activities required for the installation and subsequent delivery of the service. This type of involvement is referred to as community participation and it is a very important aspect when a new development takes place in any sector. This study investigated the nature of community participation that took place when a rural village in the Limpopo Province, South Africa, received a water service from the government. This study also assessed the impacts (beneficial and detrimental) on the needs and expectations of the new water system and the level of satisfaction with the service from the viewpoint of community residents. The methods that were used to gather data were focus group meetings, in-depth interviews and a satisfaction survey. The investigation revealed that community participation was not very extensive and was limited to community meetings and labour by community residents. Seven potential benefits of participation, namely, better health, quality of life, equal benefits, human rights, employment opportunities, affordability and sustainable development were identified, but most of the respondents claimed to have only experienced the health benefit from these positive outcomes. Concerns were mostly about the municipality’s insufficient consultation and the tap water not being easily accessible and constantly available. The satisfaction survey confirmed these complaints. Although the study could not show that the dissatisfaction of the community was related to low levels of community participation at the onset of the water service and the lack thereof afterwards, it was recommended that ongoing community participation can resolve the issues that the community might have with the water service and its provider.

M.Sc. / Different agricultural practices of field melon cropping in the Vhembe Distrinct, north of the Soutpansberg mountain range in the Limpopo Province, South Africa are investigated in this study. To achieve sustainable agriculture, farm management practices must be optimised and it is essential to understand the microbiological aspects and how they interact. An initial fungal survey was undertaken in melon fields, of the fungal species present in these soils and how the different management practices affect the filamentous fungal population. Soil samples were also analysed for bacterial pathogens. Physical and chemical soil properties were analysed. Farm management practices are discussed in terms of conservation tillage, controlled traffic, permanent beds, versus conventional tillage. Aspects that may assist in optimising processes towards becoming a biological farmer are discussed, with the goal of encouraging farming to be more biological, by working with nature, to promote sustainable agriculture for present and future generations.

A dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Science, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science. / The ‘Makapan Mummy’ (A1081), the Makapan Child and human and animal remains with desiccated tissue attached indicate that the environment inside Historic Cave was dry enough to cause mummification. Environmental studies conducted in 1992 and 2011 suggest that dry air in the well-ventilated cave preserved the soft tissue and mummified the corpse. The aim of this study is to examine desiccated tissue sampled from the ‘Makapan Mummy’ (A1081) and from the human remains excavated at Historic Cave using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) and light microscopy. The morphological features of the naturally desiccated tissue from Historic Cave were recorded and described using the microscopic analyses and were then compared to normal and mummified human tissue. Mummified tissue is hard and dry and often embedded with dust and debris. In its hard and dry state, mummified tissue needs to be prepared differently to normal human tissue. In this study, various methods used to clean, rehydrate and stain the desiccated tissue were investigated and compared. Through this comparative analysis it was possible to determine the most suitable method for examining desiccated tissue from Historic Cave. In the SEM analysis, epidermal keratinocytes and vellus hairs were observed on the surface of the skin tissue. Histological analyses demonstrated the exclusive preservation of collagen fibres in the muscle tissue, the connective tissue and the skin tissue. This suggests that the collagen fibres play an integral part in preserving the structure of desiccated tissue that is devoid of cellular elements. The results are consistent with the histology of desiccated tissue remains from the Republic of Korea, Egypt and the Americas.

Thesis -- Departmental honors in Economics. / Bibliography: ℓ. 90-96.

D.Ed. / Some parents from the rural areas of the Limpopo Province leave their families due to work absorption to the urban areas. This causes changes in the family in which children have to grow alone and this is likely to spawn many other social problems. The family forms part of the network of systems, which impact upon the development of the child as an individual. The relationship in which an individual finds himself/herself within a changed parent-absent family is part of the changed environment. Parent-absent children from the schools in the Limpopo Province and educators were identified as the target group from which the sample was drawn. The research was qualitative and the design descriptive, exploratory and contextual. The study comprised of two phases. Phase I involved the collection of data on the experiences and problems of the parent-absent early adolescent children. Data was collected through the use of individual interviews, focus group interviews, life histories, field notes and observation. This phase also focused upon the analysis and contextualisation of the findings. The findings were organised in accordance with two areas, namely home and school problems and experiences. Early adolescents’ home experiences and problems were reported under poverty, adult responsibilities and feelings. On the other hand, school experiences and problems were discussed under the following themes: academic achievements, educators’ attitudes, lack of school necessities, discipline and dropouts. Phase II was concerned about the development and description of an approach for the intervention to assist parent absent children to be able to deal with experiences and problems they experience at home and at schools. An interdisciplinary approach to children’s multidimensional problems was adopted. The Interdisciplinary Initiative Empowerment Programme Approach (IIEPA) an intervention provided by stakeholders as a collective was adopted. Interdisciplinary empowerment programme have been suggested in order to provide empowerment intervention to the parent-absents. / Prof. J. Pillay

M.Sc. / Mabula Game Reserve initiated an extensive grass-monitoring programme ten years ago. At the same time, management kept records of factors such as rainfall, burning, game numbers and game composition that might have an influence on grass production. They also conducted an extensive mapping programme over a number of years to familiarise themselves with the physical phenomena of Mabula, namely geology, soils, slope and aspect, that influence grass growth. The most important aspect of their mapping programme was to divide the reserve into different vegetation communities. The objective of the study is to supply Mabula Game Reserve with clear-cut evidence of the condition of the grazing resources at Mabula. The aim of the study is to assist the management of Mabula with future guidelines in the veld management of the reserve. The overall purpose of this study was to investigate the veld management efficiency of Mabula Game Reserve by establishing whether the ecological status of the grazing had been degraded or improved over the study period. This researcher analysed the grass monitoring data to determine veld condition indices, grazing values, perenniality and to establish the amount of climax and pioneer grass. He sequenced his research by: • classifying grass species in terms of the ecological index method to determine whether grass had been utilised in a sustainable manner or over-utilised;. • calculating the grazing capacity for each vegetation community over the past ten years; • highlighting those grass species in the analyses that showed abnormal growth or decline over the ten years; and • interpreting the results in terms of the ecological status of the relevant area.. The study was conducted firstly by categorising the grass monitoring stations into different vegetation communities. Ecological indices for each vegetation community was determined. The grass species that showed the biggest increase/decrease in the ten years of monitoring were seperated to determine the ecological significance of the increase/decrease. The ecoloical indices of the different vegetation communities were compared with each other to determine the overall improvement or deterioration of the veld quality. By re-calculating the game numbers for every year, this researcher was able to determine the Game Livestock Unit for the area. With this figure, he was able to differentiate between the grass utilisers, comparing them from year to year in terms of their grazing capacity. The study revealed that in order to obtain an objective view of the condition of the veld, it is necessary to evaluate the condition of the veld in terms of each vegetation community, as well as the total area. Such an approach would enable the manager to plan according to a specific vegetation community. The study also made it clear that it is necessary to reduce the number of game, but that this must be done by culling the appropriate group of utilisers. The necessity of introducing a browsing monitoring programme soon became evident. The study showed how the grass and game monitoring analyses for the area can be applied in association with the rainfall figures in forward planning in order to manage the sustainable utilisation of biological resources and to minimise the effects of drought conditions. The researcher concluded this study by highlighting the shortfalls of the ecological index method in determining the condition of the veld, and recommended other methods i.e. the Benchmark Method, Key Species Method, and the Weighted Key Species Method to supplement the present method. Another recommendation was to collect two different sets of data during monitoring to avoid conflicting results, as was the case with the 2004 survey. One data set should include herbs and forbs while the other set should only contain grass species.

Blouberg is situated in the Limpopo Province, west of the Soutpansberg, in the Republic of South Africa. The majestic Blouberg Mountain is a 2000-meter high prominence inhabited by a Sotho-speaking community whom live in relative isolation. The area is rich with a diverse range of natural elements: tree species, birds, animals and geographic features as well as cultural heritage. The camp, which is located on top of Blouberg, is a prime example of government-initiated community development. This tourist camp was established on the mountain with the objective that the local community would manage it for their own benefit. The community on Blouberg has strong cultural beliefs and heritage resources, which proves to have immense potential for ethnotourism development. However, cultural heritage and natural resources are also extremely vulnerable to over-exploitation and over-development, which consequently creates a need for sustainable management. The aim of this study is to conduct a systematic analysis of sustainable ethnotourism on Blouberg in the Limpopo Province, South Africa. It acknowledges the multidisciplinary limitations and challenges that sustainable ethnotourism development presents, especially in rural communities such as the Hananwa at Blouberg. With regard to contemporary tourism development in the Limpopo Province, there seems to be a sense of expectation amongst local communities. This study investigates whether the full potential of the Blouberg camp is being achieved and whether the need for sustainable management exists. A sustainable management plan requires accurate research, evaluation of resources and the analysis of potential opportunities. Although there is limited information available regarding the opportunities, threats, impacts and effects of ethnotourism in South Africa, it is possible to integrate existing literature with principles of sustainable development to create a valuable framework to evaluate ethnotourism on Blouberg. / Prof. G. Verhoef

Multi-grade education is currently a national priority. Situational analyses carried out by Adele Gordon (1987, 1999), Grey (2001), Lungwangwa (2000) and Potenza (2000) have indicated that quality education in multigrade schools is suffering. Visits to farms in South Africa by journalists of leading newspapers like Jabusi, Letsaoleo, Mecoamere (Sowetan, 1999 & 2000) and Thompson and Mboyane (City Press, 1999 & 2001), respectively, have confirmed the findings in respect of farm schools, leading to this study. Attempts were made from 1980 to 1988 to address these problems. The previous Department of Education and Training (DET) implemented a programme to assist and develop farm schools. This programme was the result of the recommendations of a synthesis report in 1986 on black schools in rural areas, including farm schools. A number of reports and memoranda contributed to the above programme, for example: • a memorandum about the upgrading of farm school education; • a committee report on the provision of education on smallholdings and small farms; and • an investigation into the facilities available to learners in rural areas (July 1983). A new view of multi-grade schools in the Limpopo province is related to a study undertaken in 2000 by Professor Geoffrey Lungwangwa. Although the study concentrated on the Limpopo province, the findings and recommendations were submitted so that they could be applied nationally, some even worldwide. These findings and recommendations were presented at national level during the UNICEF conference in Durban during 2000. Workshops were scheduled throughout the country to address the recommendations of the studies of 2000. These recommendations largely involved the services of NGO's. The NGO's had a lion's share in the recommendations, as indicated by those who participated in the study. It appeared that districts were not up to standard. They had no structures in place to address the challenges of multi-grade teaching. It was also evident that districts had no programme to present and were looking for a way to remedy the situation. The NGO's in the districts were consequently appointed. / Prof. T.C. Bisschoff