This study is an account of the stratigraphic sequence, the petrography, mineralogy (microprobe investigations of orthopyroxene, clinopyroxene, olivine and plagioclase feldspar), and whole-rock major- and traceelement geochemistry of the silicate cumulates of the Upper Critical Zone in the western Bushveld Complex. Two parts of the study - an investigation of a 350m column incorporating the MG3 and UGI Footwall Units, and a comparison of two additional Upper Critical Zone profiles with a previously compiled profile between the UGI and Bastard Units - are focused on RPM Union Section in the northwestern sector of the Complex. The third part is a detailed vertical and lateral investigation of the Bastard Unit at the top of the Critical Zone, which draws on sampling and data compilation from seventeen profiles in the western limb of the Complex. The MG3 Unit (45m) is made up of a lower chromitite layer overlain by a norite-pyroxenite-anorthosite sequence while the UGlFW Unit (295m) is composed of a related series of lower chromitite layers (MG4) overlain by a pyroxenite-norite-anorthosite sequence capped by the UGI chromitite layer. These mafic cumulates display a distinctive pattern of oscillating cryptic variation in whole-rock Mg/(Mg+Fe), FeO/Ti0₂, Cr/Co and Ni/V ratios through the sequence. Sympathetic oscillations are recorded for compositions of orthopyroxene and plagioclase feldspar and eight subcycles are recognised through the UGlFW Unit. The entire sequence is characterised by the presence of small, spheroidal, embayed and irregularly shaped plagioclase grains which are poikilitically enclosed in cumulus orthopyroxene grains of both pyroxenites and norites. This texture is indicative of partial resorption of pre-existing feldspar primocrysts within the melt prior to their being incorporated into the host orthopyroxene grains. Textural, geochemical and isotopic data suggest that this sequence was built up by periodic additions of fresh, relatively primitive liquid into fractionated resident liquid, and subsequent mixing within the magma chamber. The Bastard Unit sequence, described in Chapter 4, is the last and most complete cyclic unit (c. 60m) of the Critical Zone, and its upper contact defines the boundary between the Critical and Main Zones of the Complex. This Unit can conveniently be sub-divided into a lower part, where orthopyroxene occurs as a cumulus phase, and the upper part which is composed entirely of anorthosite (Giant Mottled Anorthosite). The basal part of the Unit (≤ 18m) comprises a thin chromitite layer < O.5cm) overlain by a pyroxenite-melanorite-norite-leuconorite sequence. The basal pyroxenite is orthocumulate in character and rapidly gives way to norites and leuconorites. A distinct threefold subdivision emerges within the Giant Mottled Anorthosite which is predominantly an adcumulate which becomes orthocumulate in character at its top. Apart from minor deviations in thicknesses these lithologies are recorded over the entire strike-length covered in this study. Profiles of cryptic variation are compiled for orthopyroxene, plagioclase and whole-rock data and show that the Bastard Unit displays a characteristic pattern which is maintained throughout the western Bushveld Complex. A minor yet distinctive reversal in cryptic variation is revealed at a level which is stratigraphically variable within the lower Giant Mottled Anorthosite, and results in a double cuspate pattern. A remarkable feature of the basal Bastard pyroxenites is that although the modal proportion of mafic to felsic constituents varies systematically away from the northwestern sector, the Mg/(Mg+Fe) ratio of orthopyroxenes remains constant at 0.804 over a lateral strike distance of 171km. Within the upper part of the Unit the orthopyroxene is markedly Fe-rich and it is here that inverted primary pigeonite appears for the first time as a cumulus phase. In addition, K-feldspar, oscillatory zoned plagioclase grains and high levels of incompatible trace elements are noted at this level. On the basis of the data presented it is concluded that the Bastard Unit represents the crystallisation of a final, relatively large influx of hotter primitive liquid, with upper Critical Zone affinities, and subsequent mixing with a column of cooler (less dense) supernatant liquid which had in part hybridized with the overlying Main Zone magma. It is hypothesised that this new liquid was emplaced as a basal flow beneath supernatant liquid and that it initiated the deposition of mafic cumulates at its base. The supernatant liquid is interpreted as representing the fractionated residuum produced by crystallisation of earlier cyclic units, with plagioclase on the liquidus, and that it contained an abundance of small plagioclase primocrysts in suspension. Development of the Unit can be viewed as a two-stage process. In the lower half of the unit, chemical and physical parameters typical of the new magma dominated the crystallisation process, and resulted in cumulates very similar to other relatively complete Upper Critical Zone units. In the upper, leucocratic sequence, above a minor reversal, crystallisation was from a liquid which was the product of mixing of a minor pulse of primitive liquid with the reservoir of hybridized supernatant liquid. Although the Bastard Unit is not continuous around the entire Western limb of the Complex, it is concluded that it developed in a single, or connected, magma chamber and that its irruptive feeder zone was located in the proximal northwestern facies of the Complex.

Rotavirus infection causes acute gastroenteritis in children younger than five years of age, and commonly occurring human rotavirus strains include G1 - G4 and G9 associated with P[4], P[6] and P[8]. In this study, of 6050 stool samples collected from a Private Pathology Practice in Pretoria, March 2010 - August 2011, 664 tested positive using Coris test-strips. Of these samples, 752 were retested using EIA and, results showed: Coris sensitivity was 93,7% and specificity 99,8%; the winter epidemic peaked in July of both years; more males and children under 30 months of age were particularly vulnerable to infections. Rotavirus-positive samples from Trichardt, Rustenburg and Middelburg were analysed by PAGE and RT-PCR showing circulating strains as mainly G8P[4] (60%) with short electropherotypes, G12P[8] (66%) with long electropherotypes, and G1P[8] at low incidence in the 2010/2011 seasons. These results suggest additional research to monitor the impacts of recently introduced rotavirus vaccines on changing strain profiles in South African communities / Life & Consumer Sciences / M.Sc. (Life Sciences)

The dependence on natural resources is not a new phenomenon and it has posed issues in undiversified economies. The social impact that the booming of the mining industry has on the local level is still an area in need of investigation. The case study seeks to understand how the platinum mines of the boomtown Rustenburg have impacted the local social fabrics through 22 qualitative interviews in Rustenburg. The city is situated on the North West Province Platinum Belt and produces half of the world's platinum. The boom in the platinum industry is responsible for Rustenburg's influx of people and economic growth. The analysis adopts the assumptions of the Linear Model of the Social Disruption theory and the Psychological Process of the Place Person Process Framework. The central assumption of the Linear Model is that population growth and population density leads to the informal ties of the population being weakened. Meanwhile, the psychological process assumes that groups and individuals relate to a place through psychological interaction. The study finds that the boom of the platinum industry has disrupted the social fabric through a loss in informal ties and the phenomenon of broken families has become common. The influx of people in a combination of weak institutions has led to an unhealthy society where unemployment and the crime rates are high and people are suffering from bad health conditions. It is understood that mining has changed the attitudes of the people toward Rustenburg, and has created a mining mentality. The study contributes to the understanding of the social impact of the resource curse on a local level by investigating how booms in mining industries impact the social fabric on a local level and how the impact is expressed locally. The empirical findings of the study can be beneficial for local stakeholders of Rustenburg with the purpose of improving local policies.

Rotavirus infection causes acute gastroenteritis in children younger than five years of age, and commonly occurring human rotavirus strains include G1 - G4 and G9 associated with P[4], P[6] and P[8]. In this study, of 6050 stool samples collected from a Private Pathology Practice in Pretoria, March 2010 - August 2011, 664 tested positive using Coris test-strips. Of these samples, 752 were retested using EIA and, results showed: Coris sensitivity was 93,7% and specificity 99,8%; the winter epidemic peaked in July of both years; more males and children under 30 months of age were particularly vulnerable to infections. Rotavirus-positive samples from Trichardt, Rustenburg and Middelburg were analysed by PAGE and RT-PCR showing circulating strains as mainly G8P[4] (60%) with short electropherotypes, G12P[8] (66%) with long electropherotypes, and G1P[8] at low incidence in the 2010/2011 seasons. These results suggest additional research to monitor the impacts of recently introduced rotavirus vaccines on changing strain profiles in South African communities / Life and Consumer Sciences / M.Sc. (Life Sciences)

Introduction: Rustenburg is a fast growing city in the world. This growth influences establishment of new faith based churches which is, in many respects at the expense of mission churches. The HIV/AIDS pandemic and diseases related to stresses results in movement of Christians from one church to the other. Christians are vulnerable when facing life stressors which results into changing allegiance to a particular church. This is a qualitative descriptive/ exploratory study Method: The researcher purposely selected respondents from the black Christian community of Rustenburg. These are those Christians who have moved from one church to join another .From these interviews the themes that emanate are discussed. Leaders of prominent churches were also interviewed . Findings: The qualities of church leaders have an influence on the movement of its members. The media, especially the local radio station has been widely used to attract new members. The availability of a pastor in times of need plays a vital role. Power struggles seem to disappoint some loyal Christians who may reluctantly leave the church. Financial benefits also play an important role in attracting membership. The faith based churches have grown both in numbers and in membership. Women with their healing power are active especially in the Zion churches. The help seeking behaviour of Christians also influences their affiliation to a particular church such as seeking / Christian Spirituality, Church History and Missiology / M. Th. (Missiology)

Rustenburg Platinum Mines, Union Section, is located in the mafic phase of the north-western sector of the Bushveld Complex. This part of the Complex is characterised by transgressions of Upper zone ferrogabbros across the lower sequence of mafic rocks. These transgressions have effectively isolated a roughly triangular segment of Lower, Critical and Main zone rocks. It is in the upper part of the Critical zone that the Merensky Reef, with a strike length of 9,5 km, is found to suboutcrop below a 2-3 m black turf soil cover and it constitutes the orebody being mined at Union Section. Underground mining and development have exposed a stratigraphic succession from the Middle Group chromitites to within the lower part of the Main zone gabbros. A detailed investigation of a 100 m stratigraphic succession was undertaken in the upper part of the Critical zone, which includes the Bastard Reef, Merensky Reef, Pseudo Reef, UG 2 and UG 1 layers. Stratigraphic descriptions are presented for both a normal and potholed succession, as well as a description of pothole characteristics. The variations of Merensky Reef thickness, pothole distribution and structure of the are body are also discussed. Forty seven whole-rock major- and trace-element analyses were carried out on selected samples from both normal and potholed successions, although more emphasis was placed on the former. These samples were taken from just below the UG 1 to above the Bastard Reef. Trace elements determined included Sr, Rb, Y, Nb, Zr, Cr, Co, Ni, Cu and V. The cyclical nature of the layering is clearly defined by breaks in the trends of both the major- and trace element analyses, although some elements are strongly influenced by the modal proportions of the mai n mineral phases. Although major breaks are observed for individual elements , insignificant variation of the Mg/Mg+Fe 2 + ratio is observed throughout. New electron microprobe data are presented for the main silicate phases olivine , orthopyroxene, clinopyroxene and plagioclase , while only a limi ted number of analyses were carried out on the spine l phase. There would appear to be a reversal of the expected fractionation trend from the hanging wal l of the UG 2 to the Pseudo Marker layer. There is an upward increase of the Fo content of the olivine from F0₇₆ , ₇₋₈₁,₆ . A similar trend is observed for the orthopyroxene analyses . The Merensky unit, as a whole, exhibits a gradual decrease in the Mg end member of the Ca-poor pyroxenes from En ₇₈,₅₋₇₄ . was found to be markedly more calcic Cumulus plagioclase (An ₇₂, ₈-₈₁, ₇) than the intercumulus phase (An₅₆,₃₋₇₁, ₉) ' A further feature of the cumulus plagioclase is that strong zonation was observed with the cores of individual crystals being consistently lower in Ca relative to their margins . / KMBT_363 / Adobe Acrobat 9.53 Paper Capture Plug-in

Introduction: Rustenburg is a fast growing city in the world. This growth influences establishment of new faith based churches which is, in many respects at the expense of mission churches. The HIV/AIDS pandemic and diseases related to stresses results in movement of Christians from one church to the other. Christians are vulnerable when facing life stressors which results into changing allegiance to a particular church. This is a qualitative descriptive/ exploratory study Method: The researcher purposely selected respondents from the black Christian community of Rustenburg. These are those Christians who have moved from one church to join another .From these interviews the themes that emanate are discussed. Leaders of prominent churches were also interviewed . Findings: The qualities of church leaders have an influence on the movement of its members. The media, especially the local radio station has been widely used to attract new members. The availability of a pastor in times of need plays a vital role. Power struggles seem to disappoint some loyal Christians who may reluctantly leave the church. Financial benefits also play an important role in attracting membership. The faith based churches have grown both in numbers and in membership. Women with their healing power are active especially in the Zion churches. The help seeking behaviour of Christians also influences their affiliation to a particular church such as seeking / Christian Spirituality, Church History and Missiology / M. Th. (Missiology)

The survey has been carried out in North West Province within Rustenburg Local Municipality. This is an Urban Forestry research in which six sites including peri-urban, urban, suburban and semi-rural areas were selected for the study. The aim of the study was to determine the relationship between households and their local trees and forests. Forest in this context included community gardens, vegetation cover, open spaces, soil, water, productive sites and animals that form part of forest. Data collection was mainly based on questionnaires and covered sample of 272 households. Statistical Package of Social Sciences (SPSS) 15.0 using 5% sampling intensity (confidence level) was used in which the data has been represented by numbers. Analysis was based on determining households’ relationship with their trees and local forest, and how they influence forest productivity or development. With SPSS two techniques, regression model and descriptive statistics were applied to analyze quantitative and qualitative data. Regression model was significant in prediction of the dependent variable (Y) using independent variables (X), and proved to be a good model to analyze data for fuelwood, timber and forest food production. Descriptive statistics was important in counting number of times each category or variable is used. Participants had varying perceptions regarding the use of forest due to factors such as availability of forest resource, type of residence, and their living standard. Generally, households in suburban and urban areas value the forests for economic and environmental benefit, while the peri-urban and semi-rural households utilized their trees and forest to meet their energy demand. A large number of households consume forest food as compared to timber and fuelwood due to the availability of the resources. The Municipality as a whole is undergoing rapid development expected to continue throughout years. These developments are stimulated by mining activities and influx of people in the area. All these factors threaten the existing natural resources especially forest areas and water. Areas of these resources are declining due to the current demand for housing, new mining sites and continuous establishment of informal settlements. Trees and forest within peri-urban and semi-rural areas are in poor conditions as compared to urban and suburban areas. Poor waste management and poverty are issues aggravating the situation especially in poor developing sites that have been studied. Most agricultural sites have been transformed into residential areas, and thus exacerbating problems of food insecurity in the whole country. Household size has major influence in fuelwood, timber and forest food production as an increase or decrease in the size will determine the amount of consumption, production or development. Value for forest, access to forest, level of interaction and restrictions regarding the use of forest are also significant aspects contributing to forest productivity and development as they show the relationship that exists between forest and households. / Thesis (M.Sc.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2007.