Institute for Rural Development / MRDV

PhD (African Studies) / Centre for African Studies / The Thulamela Local Municipality is currently experiencing a plethora of public service delivery challenges. This often leads to court litigation and disputes with the institution of musanda. These public service delivery challenges, conflicts and court disputes in many cases leave the communities within the municipality deprived of basic services as a result of slow or a complete lack of service delivery. musanda is a Venda word that refers to the place where the thovhele (king), khosikhulu (paramountcies), khosi (chiefs), gota (headman), mukoma (petty headman), vhakoma (queen mother), vhatanuni (wives), vhakololo (princes/princesses), khadzi and makhadzi (royal aunts), ndumi (king/chiefs’ brother) and the rest of this royal structure resides. As such it also refers to the institution of royal governance. The proposed study aims to analyse the place of musanda as an institution within public service delivery and within the whole process of decentralization of services in the Thulamela Municipality. The study focuses mainly on the current public service delivery system of the government and the role of the institution of the musanda in that process. The basic service delivery system that receives direct attention falls under the Government Cluster, which covers Social Protection, and Community and Human Development. These divisions deal with Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Water and Sanitation, Human Settlements, Rural Development and Land Reform, Basic Education and Sports and Recreation. These are the services that are supposed to be rendered by municipalities. The analysis aims to determine musanda’s position in the whole process of providing the public services indicated above.

MSc (Microbiology) / Department of Microbiology / See the attached abstract below

PhDRDV / Institute for Rural Development / Providing access to knowledge and connecting it to the needs of individuals as well as grassroots community have always been at the centre of the mission and purpose of public libraries. Numerous studies conducted in various parts of the world have shown that public libraries are the anchor of the lives of communities where they are established. These studies have revealed that information needs may not be the same for different age groups and for different genders. For that reason many countries have been investing in the establishment of community libraries. In South Africa, a community libraries conditional grant was introduced in 2007 to build capacity for public libraries through building additional libraries and renovating existing ones so that they provide information that will satisfy information needs of all community members. However, there are still concerns about the functionality of public libraries and need to strengthening their capacity so that they adequately address community information. This study was conducted on rural community libraries in Mutale located in the Vhembe District of Limpopo Province, South Africa. The main objective was to develop a model for enhanced functionality of public libraries for rural community development. The study was conceptualized around the ecological framework (Asselin and Doiron, 2014). The specific objectives were: to identify challenges faced by the library in providing services to adults, youth and children: to establish if information needs of adults, youth and children varied due to age, and to assess the level of satisfaction of adults, youth and children with the services of the local public library. The study used an exploratory sequential mixed method design with the qualitative phase preceding the quantitative phase. The qualitative phase had two phases. In the first, phase fourteen key informants were purposefully selected and engaged in face-to-face interviews as well as one focus group. Qualitative data from this phase were analysed using atlas.ti version 8. Results distilled showed that the library was hampered by centralized library services which were run from the district level, insufficient funding, inadequate library operating hours and lack of ICT support. In the second phase, a total of 150 adults, youth and children were purposefully selected and engaged in face-to-face interviews as well as focus group discussions. An interview guide complimented by camera, and voice recorder were used to collect data from the respondents. Atlas ti version 8 was used to analyse the data. The results showed that information needs of the community were not fully met by provisions in the library. A variety of information resources expected to satisfy the needs of adults, youth and children respectively include increased number of computers with internet connection, extended library opening hours including Saturdays , stakeholder engagement to be recognized, the extensive marketing of the library for it to be used by the community and the need to improve the amenities and library infrastructure. Results obtained in the qualitative phase of the study informed the second quantitative phase . During this phase, an evaluative survey was conducted with adults, youth and children. Convenience and snowballing techniques were used to sample 176 respondents. A questionnaire with a Likert-type ranking scale was used to collect data. The International Business Machines, Statistical Product and Service Solutions (IBM SPSS) version 24 was used to analyse the data. Chi Square and Crammer’s V tests were performed on the data. It was established that more female (59%) than male (41%) respondents used the library. Of the respondents engaged 26% o were children; 30% were youth and 55% were adults. In terms of travelling to access the library services 32% of the respondents travels less than two kilometers while 68% travel more than two kilometers. This indicates that the majority of the users have a challenge of accessing the library due to distance. The majority of the respondents (70%) did not use the library frequently, with only 30% being active library users. Significant differences in accessing library services were observed according to age in terms of “Current books on all subjects”, “Major reference works such as Encyclopaedias and dictionaries”, “Books on arts and crafts”, “Audio-visual materials” and “Electronic databases”. No significant differences according to gender were observed on all aspects on availability of materials except for “Children’s materials”. Only the perception on availability of “Current books on all subjects” showed a moderate relationship across age (based on the Cramer’s V value >.3). However, on all the aspects where the results showed an association by age and gender the relationship was deemed weak as demonstrated by Cramer’ V values (<.3). Generally, all the respondents (adults, youth and children) were not satisfied with the ICTs, availability of information and available services and amenities. Chi-square tests showed no significant associations between age and perceptions on ICT resources of an ideal library, available services, available amenities, marketing of library services, availability of materials in the library and type of information needed to make informed decisions. These results imply that for the library to provide unhindered services, there must be an enabling environment for the smooth running of the library. There is a need for government to review the policy of running the libraries from districts, as this negatively impacts on opening hours, acquisitions of materials and ICTs support. The library needs to do a periodic survey of the information needs of the community so that it responds by providing relevant and current resources. The study proposed a conceptual model that will enhance the functionality of libraries and to enhance their capacity to offer better services to their users. The proposed model is anchored on nine broad areas which are strengthening human resources, funding, access and accessibility, partnerships, infrastructure, ICTs, management, stakeholder consultation and periodic users’ surveys. Thus, if these interventions are heeded to, there is a higher possibility that the library will be more functional and better positioned to close the information gap. The study contributes to the body of knowledge through provision of a conceptual model which highlights factors that hamper smooth provision of library services, and offers pillars (components of the model) that can enhance the functionality of public libraries in rural areas. It further contributes by highlighting those services regard by users to be important for maximal usage of libraries. This study was unique in that as at the time of completion according to the investigator’s knowledge no other study on rural public libraries has looked into the functionality of libraries funded by the conditional grant using a variety of methods, different perspectives through engaging key informants, factoring in the different age groups and bringing in the gender perspective in a single study. Use of different computer assisted software packages (Atlas version 8 and SPSS version 24) over and above the thematic content analysis to analyse the data was also unique as most other known studies only used thematic content analysis for their qualitative data. Based on the findings it was concluded that decentralized services to local municipal level could reduce many of the challenges that hinder libraries from providing smooth and quality services to their communities. Improved materials collections to satisfy individual and communal information needs, user friendly opening hours as well as engaging the community in library decisions could go a long way in ensuring the library is recognized as a community development hub that fulfills its mission of keeping the community informed. It was therefore recommended that the policy on the running of public libraries should be reviewed with the view to decentralize the running of public libraries to local municipalities,. More still, policy on library funding should be reviewed, library opening hours should be extended, better trained ICT technicians should be placed in local libraries, librarians should be appointed on a permanent basis, and a comparative study of all libraries in Vhembe should be conducted to gauge if the community is deriving any benefits from the provision of computers and access to the internet through “Mzansi Online” project. / Staff Capacity Development

This study aimed to investigate the spatial extent of Land-Use Land-Cover (LULC) change and the implications for ecosystem services in order to develop a sustainable land-use management framework for traditional authorities in South Africa. Effectively, this study undertook an insightful examination of the impacts that arise from policy decisions and practices, which unfortunately were found to be ineffective. The methodologies and approaches used in this study included both quantitative and qualitative techniques. The critical quantitative method employed in this research was the use of survey questionnaires to collect primary data. Qualitative approaches, such as one-on-one and key informant interviews, were used to triangulate the findings. Remote sensing and geographic information system (GIS) methods were used to investigate changes in LULC from 1990 to 2018 through the use of data obtained from the South African National Land-Cover project. Stochastic models were used to predict future LULC changes from 2018 to 2050. The Co$ting Nature Policy Support System was used to identify and undertake economic valuation of services provided by ecosystems. Statistical analysis using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences was used to identify correlations and the reliability of the data, while graphs and tables were generated to identify patterns and lessons from the research. Between 1990 and 2018, significant changes in land cover were noticed for thickets and dense bush, woodlands, waterbodies, subsistence agriculture, and built-up areas. Woodlands changed by over 1 000 hectares (ha) per year, while thickets decreased by over 900 ha per year. Drivers of these changes include deforestation, among others. Future predictions for LULC revealed that between 2018 and 2050, almost 500 ha of woodlands would be lost to built-up areas. The aggregate value of the services flowing from ecosystems was found to be R9 509 044 608.00. A significant issue was that 90% of the traditional leaders interviewed could not positively respond to whether they knew the extent of the land they presided over, which raised questions regarding the effectiveness of their management systems. Recommendations were made in this study to address the limitations identified in the land-use management practices by adapting elements of the main theoretical frameworks, namely the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services framework; the Drivers, Pressures, States, Impacts and Responses framework; the sustainability theory; and the hierarchy of plans, into a new framework designed specifically for traditional leaders, titled the “Traditional leaders land-use decision support framework”. / Environmental Sciences / D. Phil. (Environmental Management)

MESMEG / Department of Mining and Environmental Geology / Although clay brick manufacturing has been going on for many years in South Africa, informal small-scale clay brick manufacturing enterprises are not officially regulated. Consequently, informal brick makers in the study area do not adhere to the demanding requirements of the South African National Standards for burnt clay masonry. Therefore, their clay bricks lack uniformity in terms of quality. Preliminary work revealed that over time, buildings constructed with these bricks develop cracks, thereby compromising safety. The importance of product quality management is not well understood in the informal brick manufacturing enterprises. As a result, they do not have any product quality management guidelines. The main purpose of this research was to develop the product quality management guidelines for ensuring quality in small-scale brick making enterprises in Dididi area. The specific objectives were to characterize the raw materials for clay brick manufacturing, identify and assess the technical problems of clay brick production, analyse the process of clay brick production and determine areas where product quality improvement is warranted. The research involved fieldwork which included soil sampling, analysis of clay brick production through the use of questionnaires and onsite observation of the production process, collection of samples of burnt bricks which were examined for compressive strength, water absorption as well as dimension measurements. These were then compared with the prescribed quality standards. Laboratory analyses of samples of raw materials were conducted and these included sieve analysis which was conducted in order to establish the particle size distribution of the raw materials; Atterberg limit tests were conducted in order to establish the physical characteristics of the soil. Chemical and mineralogical analyses were carried out to determine the chemical and mineralogical composition of the soil using XRF and XRD respectively. The textural characterisation of the material revealed abundance of sand sized particles and significantly low amounts of clay and silt. The plasticity of the soil used for bricks manufacturing in the study area was found to be ranging from slight to medium plasticity. Chemical analysis showed elevated silica contents with minor amounts of alumina and iron oxide. XRD analysis revealed the dominance of non-clay minerals with the highest concentration of quartz. The average compressive strengths of the tested brick samples for site A was 3.8, and 2.9 and 3.8 MPa for sites B and C respectively. The water absorption of the bricks was 13.5, 15.0 and 16.1% for samples from Site A, B and C respectively. The bricks dimensions met the recommended standards although their sizes were not uniform. v The survey conducted on brick manufacturing process revealed that the technical inefficiencies were mostly influenced by human and mechanical factors as well as the material inappropriateness. The production process was found to be too manual and labour intensive. Selection of the raw materials for brick manufacturing was based on indigenous knowledge and experience and most of the brick manufacturers lacked the prerequisite experience for making quality bricks. On the basis of the results of this research, it can be concluded that the materials used for manufacturing of clay bricks in Dididi are not well suited for making good quality bricks due to the reduced plasticity of the soil and the high concentration of quartz. These render the bricks brittle. It was also concluded that the production process also contributes to the poor quality of the bricks as the nature of the process was too manual. Selection of materials based merely on knowledge and experience and no scientific tests resulted in selection of inadequate materials which in turn affect the quality of the final bricks. It is therefore recommended that plastic clays be added to the raw clay materials to enhance its moulding property. In addition, materials such as internal fuels and anti-shrinkage materials should be incorporated into the process cycle to prevent cracking during drying and firing. Based on the findings of the analysis of the production process, it is recommended that mechanized techniques be employed in the operation and awareness training conducted to improve the understanding and skills of the brick manufacturers and to ensure production of good quality bricks. / NRF

MA (Linguistics) / Department of Communication and Applied Languages Studies / The question of the use of languages in radio broadcasting is of particular importance in multilingual communities in Vhembe district of Limpopo province. The Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) issues broadcasting licenses, and further regulates conditions of implementation of these licenses. The purpose of this study is to explore the extent to which community radio stations in Vhembe district adhere to ICASA language policies and guidelines stipulated in their licenses. Literature was drawn from government language policy documents (Acts, rules and regulations), broadcasting legislative framework manuals (ICASA), government gazettes, books, journals, magazines, and newspapers. The design for the study is exploratory, whereas the target population comprised of seven (7) community radio stations, fifteen (15) radio programmes, and station managers of community radio stations in the Vhembe district. Purposive sampling was used to select three community radio stations, three programmes per station and station manager of each sampled station. Non-participant observation, documents analysis and tape recorder were used as instruments for data collection, whereby the researcher observed, recorded a total of (nine) 9 talk format programmes. The researcher further analysed documents (broadcasting licenses and programme schedules), from sampled radio stations, to examine stipulated language quotas by ICASA. Lastly, the researcher employed unstructured interviews to collect data from the station managers of community radio stations, in the Vhembe district. The sampled data was analysed through qualitative content analysis and interpreted subsequently. Findings from data analysis determined that community radio stations partially adhere to the policies stipulated in their licenses. / NRF