A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Johannesburg, 2015 / Cities are characterised by a contradictory dynamic of opportunities for and the suppression of the livelihoods of the poor. At the turn of the twentieth century, well into the first half of that century, Rustenburg was defined by a broad-based participation in the local economy. Although black people’s involvement in that economy was marked by the relation of dependency to the dominant, white social formations, they both managed their relationship with the city and contributed to its vibrancy. Today, the same is true for livelihood activities in this city. However, from the mid-1990s (as it was the case from the 1940s until the official end of apartheid) various forces are delivering Rustenburg into an elite space of formal cultural practices. With that said, such exercises of power are not generalisable to the whole city. Thus, the way various sites of the city are constituted and valorised affect whether or not ordinary people can build livelihoods and pursue other goals in and through such sites. Overall, the redevelopment practices in Rustenburg bring into focus the tensions of city life – urban residents and the city space are agents of social reproduction on the one hand and are resources for creating emancipatory spaces on the other. In this sense, living and making a living in the city involves mediating such tensions – although the new spaces produced by the body and the dream often cohere into real material landscape that shapes everyday practices and social identities, the sensual, rationality, history, and the landscape provide resources for continual exploration and reproduction of new spaces of emancipation from poverty and domination.

(M.Soc.Sc.) North-West University, Mafikeng Campus, 2005

Thesis (M.Sc.)(Geography)--University of Pretoria, 2007. / Includes summary. Includes bibliographical references. Available on the Internet via the World Wide Web.

Today’s parents are raising adolescents in a world far removed from the era of ‘Ozzie and Hamet’, that is about thirty years ago. Young people are challenged with rapid social changes, shifting of moral and social values. There is an increasing shift of decision making responsibility from society to individual (Naude and Bodibe n.d: 4). The research presented in this mini dissertation reviews the middle adolescent stage as a challenging time, one of life’s fascinating and perhaps most complex stage, a time when they take on new responsibilities and experiment with independence. Often that result in a certain amount of rebellion and defiance as normally seen with females. The purpose of this research study is to explore and describe the lived-experience of the middle female adolescents against the background presented. It hopes to provide some base for developing guidelines to support the middle female adolescents during this challenging time. The participants in this research study were middle female adolescents from the Rustenburg District of Education, Bojanala West region. All the girls who participated were all fifteen (15) years old and in grade ten (10). The research design followed a qualitative pattern because of its explorative, descriptive and contextual nature. The qualitative researcher’s emphasis is on studying human action in its natural setting and through the eyes of the humans themselves, together with an emphasis on detailed description and understanding phenomena within the appropriate context (Babbie and Mouton 2004:278). This research was conducted in two phases. During phase one of the study, data was gathered through phenomenological interviews. Ethical measures were clearly laid out. A tape recorder was used for record purposes with each participant, and also field notes were used in support of the purposes. The central question was for each participant to tell of their experience as a middle female adolescent in a rural area. 6 Data was analyzed using Tesch’s method of data analysis (Tesch 1990:142-145 in Cresswell, 2003:192). The services of an independent coder were utilized and a consensus discussion was reached on the analysis of the data. The following categories and subcategories were identified after data analysis. The middle female adolescents described this life stage as ‘the most challenging time in life’. The experience is described throughout with double messages, such as ‘great but fun’. The following categories were identified:- • The middle female adolescents’ relationship with their parents was described as trying in related to lack of communication. • They also experienced challenges in relation to physical, emotional, self image and in the society. • The adolescents also demonstrated internal resources in terms of responsibility and a sense of hope about their future. The research findings indicate that middle adolescent girls lack effective communication with their parents, they feel not to be understood and trusted by their parents. A striking issue is the demonstration of internal resources by the middle adolescents. There is therefore a need for guidelines to support middle female adolescents and their parents. In phase two of the study, based on the categories, guidelines were described to support middle adolescent girls in their challenging time. Recommendations were made based on the pathway and the approach that would effectively improve the interpersonal relationships. The recommendations are measures for policy makers, service providers, community or youth organizations, and all those concerned with the well being of middle female adolescents. These would also be an intention to reduce the risks, involvement in risky behaviours and prevent misbehaviour in schools. / Prof. C.P.H. Myburgh Prof. M. Poggenpoel

M. Ed. / The aim of the study was to identify factors that hinder collaboration between the school and the families and developing strategies to overcome those barriers. Perspectives on schoolfamily collaboration and theoretical framework were also discussed. A qualitative investigation was explored. It was approached using Bronfenbrenner’s ecological model. This model helps us to understand the complexity of the family as a system and how the individual child functions within the family and society. Data was obtained by means of individual and focus groups interviews with educators, parents and school management team at a school located at an informal settlement in South Africa. The study revealed that families, school management team and educators regard collaboration as vital for the learners’ academic success. The study also revealed barriers occurring at different levels, namely: the family, schools and community. Recommendations based on the findings were made: Develop involvement strategies that are appropriate to the school’s community setting for example informal settlements. Teacher training should equip educators with skills for initiating collaboration. Department of Education together with the school governing body should collaborate in empowering educators and parents.

A Dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Science, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of Master of Science. 2016. / An important feature of the Merensky Cyclic Unit in the Bushveld Complex is the association of platinum group metals with narrow chromitite layers. The appearance and removal of chromitite layers in this unit has been used to define facies types. This study explores the hypothesis that individual chromitite layers within the Merensky Cyclic Unit at Marikana have distinguishing major element concentrations or ratios which could assist in tracing the continuity of the chromitite layers between facies types which is characterized by single or multiple layers. The examination of field relationships of the chromitite layers at the transition between facies types will be useful to improve understanding of lithological continuity. This study has two approaches; the first being the examination of underground exposures and petrographic analysis, and secondly by chemical analysis of chromite grains within the chromitite layers. No chromite mineral compositional trends or similarities were observed for grains in chromitite layers hosted by the same silicate mineral. The mineral chemistry evidence suggests that post cumulus processes are considered to have changed the primary chromite compositions and that reequilibration has occurred due to reaction with trapped intercumulus liquid. Little to no reaction with the host silicates of plagioclase and pyroxene is envisaged. The slow cooling of the Bushveld Complex has allowed intercumulus liquid a greater opportunity to equilibrate with the early minerals, destroying the early magmatic history by reaction and recrystallization. The cumulate deposition model envisaged to have formed the Merensky Cyclic unit at Marikana is by the emplacement of several pulses of superheated magma, supported by the occurrence of several chromitite layers within the sequence. / LG2017

An event study is an economic tool of analysis that has begun to gain popularity in recent empirical literature. It is a technique that gives a researcher the opportunity to map out the reaction of a firm's stock to an event, usually making use of daily or monthly data. However, up to this point, event study methodology has generally been applied to more traditional phenomena capable of affecting equity value, such as dividend and macroeconomic policy announcements, and there have only been a few exceptions to this. This study looks at what impact the tragic shootings at Lonmin mine in Marikana on August 16th 2012 had on the share prices of platinum mining firms based in South Africa using event study methodology. It makes use of the technique to investigate how the share prices responded to the tragedy over a number of trading days, including the day of the shootings. To be best of our knowledge, no attempt has been made to analyse the impact on share prices using events of this nature. For the investigation, daily returns data was used for each firm. The abnormal returns and cumulative abnormal returns to each were then calculated and compared with their respective expected returns in order to determine whether investors in the shares of that particular firm reacted positively, negatively or not at all. The evidence found suggests that tragedies of this nature are capable of influencing share prices in the same manner as more traditional economic phenomena. Overall, only one firm was found to have been negatively affected by the shootings in a persistent manner, while the shares of the other firms examined reacted in a manner that was positive overall, but varied according to individual firm characteristics such as size. These finding conformed to our a priori expectations. In addition, the results also confirm the benefits of applying event study methodology to a wide variety of phenomena that fall outside the boundaries usually associated with business.

M.Sc. (Environmental Management) / In South Africa, there are practically no freshwater lakes. Therefore, exploitable water supplies are confined to rivers, artificial lakes behind dams, and groundwater. The many demands for water, and the erratic flow of most South African rivers, have led to the creation of artificial lakes and dams, i.e. impoundments on all the major rivers, in order to stabilise flow and therefore guarantee annual water supply. Cyanobacterial bloom formation in freshwater sources, such as rivers, lakes, dams and reservoirs are known to occur throughout the world. In South Africa, the occurrence of cyanobacteria has also been recorded with the best known being the bloom of the hyper-eutrophic Hartbeespoort Dam. In South Africa specifically, cyanobacteria are mostly seasonally driven. Species that are known to cause bloom formation are Microcystis sp., Anabaena sp., Oscillatoria sp. and Cylindrospermopsis sp. These species are known to produce cyanotoxins that cause health problems in animals and humans, but also produce taste and odour problems in drinking water, if not treated effectively. In most cases where cyanobacteria blooms have been known to occur, it also enters source water for drinking water purification plants. Because source water containing cyanobacteria and the effect it has on the consumer, environment and animals, it is thus important to identify the dominant algae species. Cyanotoxin drinking water guidelines must be developed and implemented and a management plan for the Water Treatment Plant must be produced, to ensure that the risk of human exposure to the cyanotoxins are minimised. The present study focuses on the Vaalkop Dam from which raw water is abstracted and treated by the Magalies Water Vaalkop Water Treatment Plant (MWVWTP) to produce potable water. The source water abstracted from the Vaalkop Dam can contain high numbers of cyanobacteria as well as cyanotoxins that must be removed by the MWVWTP during potable water purification to ensure compliance to water quality standards. The overall objective of the study is to investigate the occurrence of cyanobacteria and cyanotoxins in the Vaalkop Dam at the point where the source water is abstracted for drinking water purification.

This is a research report submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Masters in Diversity Studies, in the Faculty of Humanities, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. / Prior to and immediately following 1994, South African youth literature has largely focused on atypical groups, especially young people’s participation in political protest and violence (Marks 2001; Ntsebeza 1993; Seekings 1993; Straker 1992; Van Kessel 2000). The challenge for new research is to grapple more broadly with the question of how young people construct ordinary lives and identities amid the changing and transforming socio-cultural, economic and political landscape. As such, this study aimed to focus on the ordinary, quotidian narratives of youth in an extraordinary place of Marikana, where the massacre of striking mineworkers took place in 2012. Face-to-face, individual interviews were conducted with 8 participants (aged between 19 and 31 years) living in Marikana, including people who were born in or had migrated to Marikana. Both structural and thematic analyses were used to analyse the transcribed texts. The structural analysis was used to examine how poverty plays a role in the form of stories told. The thematic analysis focused on the content of the narratives, drawing linkages across participants’ stories to understand how they make meaning of events and experiences in their lives. The themes identified were organised as follows: Marikana (nostalgia about the place of Marikana, and belonging to the place of Marikana), childhood in Marikana and elsewhere (growing up in Marikana, and growing up elsewhere), families and their structure (single-parent headed and transnational families, (grand)mothers as pillars of family, and (inter)generational absence/presence of fathers), education (lack of funds for schooling), and possibilities for the future (dreams and futures deferred, and fantasies of escape). The findings indicate that the trauma and violence of the Marikana Massacre was remarkably marginal in their narratives. Instead, participants stressed poverty as a systemic problem that is far more pervasive in how they (re)produce(d) their stories. This core finding reveals poverty as a perpetual structural violence, a repeated state of trauma that is inflicted on their lives and reflected in their stories. Further findings show that many biological fathers are absent in the lives of their children, mostly due to migration or death. Consequently, sons follow in their fathers’ footsteps, leaving their new families behind (some becoming transnational parents). This produces a prevalent intergenerational absence of fathers in Marikana. As a result, mothers and grandmothers are the main breadwinners and emotional pillars of the family. / MT2017

M.Com. (Leadership in Performance and Change) / In August 2012 the South African mining industry was the focus of attention due to an illegal strike at Lonmin Platinum mine that resulted in the police shooting striking employees on 16 August 2012. Thirty-four employees lost their lives on that day. An additional ten people died in violent protests in the build-up to the main shooting incident. This strike period has become widely known as ‘Marikana’. This historical incident illustrates how a single incident within an organisation can have an impact at various levels and affect multiple stakeholders. The main objective of this study was to identify the effect that the Marikana mining incident had on Lonmin (the organisation) and its main stakeholders as well as to identify the effect the stakeholders and Lonmin had on each other. In order to reach these objectives an historical timeline of the sequence of events surrounding the Marikana incident was constructed. The main stakeholders involved in the Marikana incident were then identified, and the relationships and the relative strengths between these stakeholders were mapped. The methodology used in the study was Quantitative Narrative Analysis (QNA) as applied by Franzosi (2010). In particular, the content from English newspaper articles sourced from South Africa and England relating to the Marikana mining incident for the period 1 to 24 August 2012 were reviewed, coded and analysed. All relevant data from the articles were recorded in a manual database, coded according to the semantic triplet of ‘actors’, ‘actions’ and ‘subjects’ (S-V-O) (Franzosi, 1989) and analysed based on QNA principles (Franzosi, 2010). First, a sequence analysis was conducted, identifying the roles (consequences) that the respective actors (stakeholders and subgroupings of stakeholders) enacted as well as the order in which they unfolded. The analysis was used to produce a series of network graphs to visually depict the sequence of events and the respective effects of the sequencing of these events. These graphs take the form of stake maps and visually tell the story of how events unfolded and the effects of these events on all the actors involved ...