Resource control as a form of community participation in the mineral economy has gained much recognition. One prevailing argument is that direct control of natural resources by local communities is an important precondition for equitable utilisation of the natural resource wealth, peaceful co-existence between mining corporations and indigenous communities, and congenial relations between local communities and the state. Studies have also shown that the absence of direct community control of mineral wealth remains a major factor in the communal resistance and socio-political conflict witnessed in the natural resource-endowed regions of countries such as Nigeria, Ecuador, Sierra Leone and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. However, little is known about mineral resource control at the community level. Does community control necessarily translate to equity? How does local involvement in the mobilisation of mining royalties benefit different segments of the community? Indeed, how do different segments of the community “control” the wealth? What is the specific model adopted to engender broad-based community participation in the utilisation of mineral wealth – and does it matter? These theoretical and practical questions were the impetus for undertaking this study in the Royal Bafokeng and Bakgatla Ba Kgafela – two platinum-rich ‘traditional’ communities in South Africa’s North West Province that have significant control over platinum resources in their territories. Utilising ethnographic data collected in the two study communities in 2008 and 2009, the thesis examines the character of community participation in platinum wealth utilisation; specifically, the conditions under which community participation promotes or hinders sustainable community development. The analysis uses a “three-dimensional participation ladder” conceptual scheme, based in part on Sherry Arnstein’s (1969) “ladder of citizen participation” and subsequent typologies of participation. Among the key findings of the thesis are that despite observed benefits, the interface of resource wealth and community development is fraught with tokenistic participation, elite-targeted grassroots anger, and local tensions – all linked to the contradictory nature of participation. The thesis further reveals that in some instances the challenge of platinum wealth-engendered community development tends to undermine existing customary and democratic spaces for participation, and that this is exacerbated by community-level issues such as poverty and inequality. The findings of the study compel a shift of analytical focus from conflict as an epiphenomenon of collective community exclusion and deprivation (as in the case of many natural-rich countries in Sub-Saharan Africa and elsewhere), to conflict as also resulting from collective community inclusion (in natural resource utilisation). At the policy level, the study generates insights that will, hopefully, assist mineral resource-endowed countries, such as South Africa, in dealing with the challenge of developing appropriate policy frameworks for regulating business and social partnerships between local communities and mining corporations, and within resource-rich communities themselves.

Heavy metal pollution in water and soil is a serious concern to human health and the associated environment. Some heavy metals have bio-importance but the bio-toxic effects of many of them in human health are of great concern. Hence, there was a need for proper understanding of the concentration levels of these heavy metals in ground water and soil around the community residing in the vicinity of the defunct mine. Mining has become prominent in this area because of the existence of copper lodes, veins and veinlets. It was therefore necessary to assess these selected metals associated with copper mining as their concentration has a tendency to affect the environment and human health. The objective of this study was to establish the levels of lead (Pb)-zinc (Zn)-copper (Cu)-arsenic (As)-nickel (Ni) metals in ground water and soil associated with an old copper mine in the vicinity of the township and to compare them with the South African and international standards in order to safeguard the health of the community using such water for drinking purpose. Clean sampling plastic bottles were used to collect water from five water boreholes being used at present. Water samples were filtered using membrane filtration set LCW (0.45 μm). The samples were digested sequentially with different procedures for the total metal concentration. Concentrations of four metals commonly associated with Cu mining were examined at five different water boreholes which are used for drinking and industrial purposes. Flame Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (Perkin Elmar S/n 000003F6067A, Singapore) was used to analyze metals in water samples at Eskom Ga-Nala Laboratory: pH, electrical conductivity and turbidity were analyzed using an auto titrator meter (AT- 500,Japan), conductivity meter (Cole-parmer® YO-19601-00) and turbidity meter (AL 250TIR, Agua lytic, German) respectively. Soil samples were collected from the selected areas where human health is of a serious concern, and a hand held auger drill was used to recover samples, while shovels were used to prepare the sampling area. The samples were sieved up to 63.0 μm particle size and digested with aqua-regia. Flame Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (Model: AA400; Year: 2008; Manufacturer: Perkin Elmer; Germany; Serial no: 201S6101210) was used at the University of Venda Laboratory to analyze soil from the study area for possible heavy metal contamination due to the defunct Cu mine in the area. v The results showed variation of the investigated parameters in water samples as follows: pH, 6.0 to 7.51; EC, 70.0 to 96.40 μS/cm and turbidity, 1.05 to 4.56 NTU. The mean concentration of the metals increased in the followed order: Pb<Cu<As<Ni. Ni is the most abundant in the ground water determined with value of (6.49 μg/g). The observations have confirmed that most ground water contains an appreciable quantity of Ni. The mean value of As in water is (4.20 to 4.84 μg/g), Pb and Cu have (2.13 to 2.58 μg/g) and (1.52 to 2.52 μg/g) respectively. For soil samples, the mean concentration of the metals increased in the following order: Pb<Cu<Zn<As<Ni. Pb ranged from (0.023 to 0.036 μg/g) followed by Cu (0.28 to 0.45 μg/g) then Zn (0.026 to 0.053 μg/g), the mean range of As in soil ranged from (0.054 to 0.086 μg/g). However, some studies show much higher contamination of As from the natural sources and Ni with (0.057 to 0.144 μg/g) lastly. Accumulation of heavy metals in soil is of concern due to their toxic effects on human and animals. The quality of ground water from the five boreholes studied was satisfactory with turbidity (T), electrical conductivity (EC) and heavy metals (HM’s) below the WHO limit. The water therefore may, according to the WHO Standards be safely used as a drinking water. The concern lies on pH which was slightly (0.5) below the standard. There is a serious need to monitor the ground water which is now used for drinking purposes. This study revealed that heavy metal pollution in soil from the abandoned Cu mine in Musina is a threat to the health of the community. Although pollution was between medium and low in the contamination index, it is therefore important for the Musina Municipality or mine owner of Musina (TVL) Development Co Ltd copper mine to advocate possible remedial actions which will safeguard the environment and human health. The tailing at Musina’s old Cu mine have high pH and they lack normal soil stabilization processes, as a result the tailing does not develop a good plant cover. Pollution of the ground water resources is also evident in the study area where there is seepage or ingress of polluted water to the underground aquifers. Small-scale mining in Musina is causing further degradation to the environment but it supports the South African Waste Hierarchy by promoting the reuse and recycling of the tailing and mine dumps for the production of bricks. Mine workers are exposed to the above mentioned toxic heavy metals daily. Medicine will not help stop the poisoning. The only way to stop the metal poisoning is to stop being exposed to the heavy metals. / Environmental Sciences / M. Sc. (Environmental Management)

MENVSC / Department of Geography and Geo-Information Sciences

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

Bibliography: pages 168-176. / The discovery of diamonds in the Kimberley area was to have far reaching consequences, not only for the region but the entire sub-continent. In addition to the hundreds of individual diggers, mainly white, who converged on this arid corner of southern Africa, there appeared also, in a remarkably short time, a complete infrastructure of urban facilities to serve their needs. Perhaps the most unique component of the otherwise colonial population was the massive influx of migrant Africans in response to the insatiable labour demands of the diamond mines. We examine the interplay of racial attitudes and conflicts and the ambiguous position of the black elites in the diverse groups of 'colonial' or 'civilised' Africans, 'Cape Coloureds', Muslims and Indians who came to Kimberley to seek their fortune. It is our contention that it was this ambiguity which was to provide a spur to black political activity. We closely consult contemporary accounts, official documentation and local newspapers, all of which faithfully record the ebb and flow of the state of racial relations. Never a typical microcosm of colonial urban society because of the extraneous factor of economic competition for limited employment and resources, social relationships in Kimberley gradually changed until the essential confrontation was not between colonials and the rest, but rather more specifically between blacks and whites. While the early history of Kimberley was marked by the virulent racism of white· diggers resisting black competition, the ensuing years were to witness a more tranquil period of racial co-existence. This tranquillity proved to be only the calm before the storm. We show how a series of crises strained relations between blacks and whites to breaking point. The failed rebellion by indigenous blacks, the smallpox epidemic during which the Muslim community incurred the wrath of white public opinion by failing to adopt western preventative measures, a revolt - the Black Flag Revolt- by militant white diggers and the effects of the new recruitment policies of the mining companies in the 1880s, which opened jobs to cheap black workers, all resulted in an increasing polarisation of race relations in Kimberley. We argue that where before official documents and newspapers had shown a class discrimination directed against migrant African labourers, this changed over time to become a negative portrayal of blacks in general. The effect of the emergence of this negative stereotype was to separate whites and blacks in many facets of life in the mining centre.

No description available.

M.Sc.(Eng.), Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment, University of the Witwatersrand, 2011

A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Humanities, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Johannesburg, March 2017. / This thesis follows the development of a particular set of large technical systems in South Africa from the late apartheid era into the age of democracy. During apartheid technological prowess, upheld by the network of state corporations or parastatals, bolstered the authoritarian rule of the white minority government in South Africa. The economic and political liberalisation of the late 1980s challenged the power of the parastatals and altered the underlying rationale of infrastructure development. In particular I describe the transformation of Iscor and Eskom, two of the country’s major parastatals, and their activities in the Waterberg coalfields, an isolated region on the country’s north-western border. While Eskom’s activities in the region began in the 1980s they gained public notoriety with the construction of the Medupi power station two decades later. The obstacles that Eskom faced at Medupi represent the main challenge of developing large technological infrastructures in the democratic, post-colonial order, where the fruits of infrastructure development demand to be spread beyond the bounds of an elite minority. But the eventual completion of some power generating units in 2015 at Medupi demonstrates that failure is not inevitable. I argue that this success is due to the fact that the autonomous parastatal network negotiated the political and economic liberalisation of the early 1990 by incorporating the changing socio-political conditions into its operations. The parastatal network retained a momentum, in the sense first described by the historian of technology Thomas Hughes, which was also a product of the “locked-in” nature of investment in the infrastructure project. Because of the large capital investment required for the infrastructure development, proceeding tenaciously against the odds to see the project to completion was cheaper than retreat for those involved. / MT2018

MENVSC / Department of Ecology and Resource Management / Historically, mining activities have generated vast quantities of abandoned tailings dumps in several regions of South Africa and throughout the world. The management and disposal of huge volumes of tailings dumps has constituted a major challenge to the environment. The current study aims to establish the physicochemical properties and mineralogical characterization of the old copper tailings dump in Musina, to reveal the mobility patterns and attenuation dynamics of potentially toxic or heavy metal species as a function of depth, with a view of assessing their potential environmental impact with respect to surface and ground water systems. This information is crucial in the beneficial utilization of copper tailings in the development of sustainable construction materials as part of reuse approach management system. About twelve tailings samples were collected into polyethylene plastic bags from three established tailings profiles drilled by a hand auger. The collected tailings samples were characterized using standard analytical procedures i.e., X-ray fluorescence (XRF), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy/energy dispersive spectroscopy (SEM-EDS). The transfer of potentially toxic or heavy metal species from tailings to water was evaluated using the standardized batch leaching test (EN 12457) and speciation-equilibrium calculations on the aqueous extracts performed by MINTEQA2. The leachate concentration of cations in the collected tailings samples was determined by inductively coupled mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and the leachate concentration of anions was determined by ion chromatography (IC). A modified sequential extraction scheme was applied on the selected tailings samples of the drilled tailings profiles to further understand the mode of occurrence, the geochemical partitioning and distribution, real mobility, and environmental bioavailability of potentially toxic or heavy metal species in the tailings and tailings-soil interface. The extracted fractions or phases from sequential scheme were as follows: (F1) water-soluble fraction, (F2) exchangeable fraction, (F3) carbonate fraction, (F4) iron and manganese hydroxide associated fraction, (F5) organic matter and secondary sulphide associated fraction, (F6) primary sulphide bound fraction, and (F7) residual or silicate fraction. The results obtained from the seven steps sequential extraction scheme were validated by the determination vi of percentage recoveries from pseudo-total digestion or total metal content of the original sample. The distribution of major elements and potentially toxic or heavy metal species in different leachate fractions obtained after each step of sequential extraction of the selected tailings samples was determined by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The appraised data was used to reveal the impact of atmospheric oxygen and infiltrating rain-water on the chemistry of copper tailings dump by depth profiles. Macroscopic properties revealed that the abandoned Musina copper tailings are fine to medium coarse grained, and range in color from light/dark gray at the upper or shallow depth of the tailings, to dark reddish-brown at the deeper zone where the tailings are mixed with the underlying soil or soil-interface. The drilled respective tailings profiles were uniform and slightly varied in both mineralogical and bulk chemical compositions with tailings depth. Mineralogical analysis showed the following order of mineralogical composition within the respective tailings profiles: quartz> epidote> chlorite> muscovite> calcite> hematite. Chalcopyrite was the only sulphide mineral observed by optical microscopy, although not identified or quantified by XRD and SEM-EDS analysis. The observed discrete chalcopyrite grains were attributed to the primary mined ore (i.e., chalcopyrite, chalcocite and bornite) during past copper mining activities in Musina. The tailings profiles were characterized by a medium alkaline pH (7.97-8.37) that corresponds very well with the tailings leachates or pore-water pH (8.36-8.46). This pH was constant and slightly varied with tailings depth in the respective tailings profiles. The high abundance of alumino-silicate minerals and traces of carbonates as calcite coupled with low sulphide mineral content, suggested a high neutralization capacity of the tailings which was in common agreement with an alkaline nature of the copper tailings dump. The chemical composition of major elements within the respective tailings profiles followed the order: Si>Al>Fe>Ca>Mg>K>Na, and corresponds very well with the mineralogical composition of the tailings, whereby alumino-silicates were the most abundant minerals in the tailings samples. Nevertheless, the solid-phase concentration of metals decreases with increasing tailings depth as Cu>Sr>Zr>Ni>Zn and was incongruent with the mineralogical composition within the respective tailings profiles. The main secondary minerals were calcite and hematite, and their proportion increased with increasing tailings vii depth. In addition, hematite formed coatings on the rims and corners of chlorite as observed from optical microscopy, and retained relatively high amounts of potentially toxic or heavy metals (up to 862 ppm of Cu, up to 36 ppm of Ni, and up to 25 ppm of Zn) at the upper and shallow depth of the respective tailings profiles, where bulk density was high and low porosity. Based on batch leaching tests, the amounts of potentially toxic or heavy metal species released into solution were low (0.27-0.34 μg/L Pb, 0.54-0.72 μg/L Ni, 0.88-1.80 μg/L Zn, and 20.21-47.9 μg/L Cu) and decreases with increasing tailings depth, indicating that, presently, the tailings have a minor impact on heavy metals load transported to the receiving surface and groundwater systems. The low concentration of potentially toxic or heavy metal species in solution is primarily due to their retention by secondary Fe oxide phases (i.e., hematite) and the prevailing medium alkaline pH condition of the tailings leachate or pore-water. The observations are consistent with MINTEQA2 speciation calculations, which predicted the precipitation of secondary phase cuprite (Cu2O) as the main solubility-controlling mineral phase for Cu, Zn, and Ni. Primary factors influencing aqueous chemistry at the site are neutralization and dissolution reactions as a function of pH, precipitation, and sorption into hydrous oxides (hematite and cuprite). Based on sequential extraction results, the leachable concentration of potentially toxic or heavy metal species in the water-soluble, exchangeable and carbonate fractions of the respective tailings profiles was relatively low, except for Cu and Mn. For instance, the leachable concentration of Cu and Mn reached 10.84 mg/kg and 321.7 mg/kg at the tailings-soil interface (3 m) in tailings profile C, respectively. The low concentration of potentially toxic or heavy metal species (Cr, Co, Ni, Zn, Cd, and Pb) in these fractions could be due to the low solubility of minerals bearing these trace elements caused by variations in pore-water pH in the respective tailings profiles. The high concentration of Cu and Mn in these fractions suggests their high mobility and therefore most available for uptake in the environment. Except for Cu>Mn>Cr, the contents of potentially toxic or heavy metal species in the Fe and Mn oxides and organic matter or sulphides bound fractions was low, due to the low viii quantity of these fractions in the tailings, despite their high affinity and sorption capacity for potentially toxic or heavy metal species. Likewise, the residual fraction of the respective tailings profiles contained the highest proportion of potentially toxic or heavy metal species. Although the highest potentially toxic or heavy metal species content was in fractions with limited mobility, care must be taken since any geochemical change or shift in the tailings pH or acidic conditions may cause them to be displaced to more mobile fractions, thereby increasing their mobility and environmental bioavailability. Therefore, physicochemical properties of the tailings including pH and mineralogical composition of the tailings samples were the main substrate controlling the geochemical partitioning and distribution, potential mobility, and environmental bioavailability of potentially toxic or heavy metal species by tailings depth. The knowledge of mobility and eco-toxicological significance of tailings is needed when considering tailings dump disposal or reuse in the environment. The addition of copper tailings at 3 and 28 days successfully improved the compressive strength of cement mortar mixtures incorporating tailings at C5 (5%) and C10 (10%) respectively, although with small margin relative to the control mixture (C0). The maximum strength was 31.15 Mpa attained after 28 curing days, and slightly varied when compared with other compressive strength on copper blended cement mortars mixtures in other countries, used for the development of sustainable construction materials. The chemical composition, physical properties and improved compressive strength on cement mortars mixtures incorporating copper tailings, implies that copper tailings are suitable for the development of sustainable construction materials, thereby ensuring job creation, availability of land for development usage, and the reduction of environmental pollution induced by the abandoned copper tailings dumps.

This study investigates the role that African traditional beliefs and practices play in defining psychological problems, determines how these beliefs and practices manifest in a counselling relationship and explores how Western based forms of counselling manage these manifestations in counselling. This investigation is in the context of the on-going debate on the relevance of Western Psychological counselling in South Africa and the rest of Africa, including my experience during my internship to register as a Counsellor. It explores the impact of conducting counselling with clients whose worldviews are different from those of the counsellor and focuses on the impact of the client’s worldviews on psychological well-being, psychological ill health and the resolution of psychological problems. Psychological well-being, ill health and counselling were discussed from a Western perspective. The study found that the client participants defined their psychological problems in terms of their African traditional beliefs and practices. They communicated their presenting psychological problems in ways that created possibility of miscommunication between themselves and their counsellors, for example by using figurative language. There was also a clear distinction between how psychological problems are managed from an African traditional perspective (ritualistic) and a Western perspective (talking therapy). The study recommended the creation of specific departments in Universities to embark on research aimed at establishing foundational structures on which to build an African Indigenous Psychology as an alternative to Western Psychology. More comprehensive research on African people’s attitudes is, suggested, on what traditional Africans think of psychological counselling. Another recommendation accruing from the limitation on sampling in this study is that future studies should be conducted with larger and more diverse samples; moreover, data should be gathered on a wider variety of demographics and cultural belief systems and practices. To counter prejudice and ignorance, the counsellor ‘to be’ should study African culture and customs during their BA Honours studies. On-going training and workshops on cross-cultural issues from various cultures should be part of the counselling profession. More emphasis should be placed on prevention and therefore more mental health clinics in the rural areas need to be opened and general education on psychological issues and cultural integration be initiated. / Psychology / M.A. (Psychology)