Thesis (M. Dev.) -- University of Limpopo, 2007 / The main purpose of this study was to investigate the benefit of tourism development in Thulamela Municipality with specific reference to Mphaphuli Nature Reserve and Phiphidi Waterfalls. It was found out that the two tourist areas had great potential for tourism growth. In this study tourism was considered as an industry that had positive impacts on the quality of life a nation, province and the host community. Tourism was seen as an industry that provided employment opportunities, increased incomes and spread development. Three benefits of tourism development were mentioned in this study. The economic benefits such as employment, income etc was found to be real since there were people who were employed in these tourist areas whose quality of life changed because of tourism development. The other benefit was the environmental benefit which resulted into the conservation of nature. The social benefit of tourism development was shown to be a manner in which tourism effects changes in collective and individual value systems, behavior patterns, community structures, lifestyle and the quality of life. For the success of this study, the researcher had to decide on the research design and methodology to be employed in the study. The researcher decided on the target population from which a stratified random sampling was used to get the respondents. The research design employed in this study was the qualitative one. The research methods used to collect data were the observation and interviews. A form on which to record the field notes during observation was designed. Three types of interview questionnaires were prepared to collect data. The collected data was then analyzed. From the data collected through observation and interview, the researcher started with data analysis process. It was found that tourism development, if well fostered, can lead to economic, environmental and social benefits. There were people that were employed in these tourist areas and this improved their quality of life. Several recommendations about the critical issues raised during the study were made / Limpopo Agro-Food Technology Station (LATS) and Technology Innovation Agency (TIA)

Medicinal plants of Thulamela municipality are experiencing challenges due to human activities, resulting in some of the medicinal plants becoming difficult to find, declining, endangered or even extinct. Unsustainable harvesting is threatening the survival of certain medicinal plant species used as a source of primary healthcare in the area. This study investigates aspects related to traditional healers' perceptions with regard to collection, ethnobotanical importance and conservation status of indigenous medicinal plants used by traditional healers around Thulamela municipality. Information on medicinal plants was gathered by means of semi-structured interviews, field walks, personal observation and a literature review. A total of 90 medicinal plant species, which belong to 47 families, from a total of 82 genera commonly used by traditional healers to treat different ailments, were recorded. About 87% of traditional healers indicated that some medicinal plants are difficult to find; only 13% of healers did not experience difficulties in finding some medicinal plants. / Environmental Sciences / M. Sc. (Ornamental Horticulture)

Thesis (MPA.) -- University of Limpopo, 2017 / The purpose of the research was to examine if the implementation of customer care has any effect on service delivery at Thulamela Local Municipality. Specifically the study focused on four main aspects, namely:to determine the effects of implementing customer care to enhance service delivery at Thulamela Local Municipality; to analyse the effects of enhancing customer care through quality service delivery; to investigate mechanisms of improving customer care through public relations; to explore the effect of implementing Batho-Pele principles in promoting customer care. The study used qualitative interviews to collect data from respondents. The study revealed that there was a relationship between customer care and service delivery and where customer care prevailed service delivery improved. The findings also strongly indicated that through public relations and the implementation of Batho-Pele principles, customer care can be enhanced and consequently quality service delivery. The study recommended that tools and systems should be developed that would motivate municipal employees to implement customer care. Training of municipal employees with regard to customer care was also emphasized. It was further recommended that the leadership at Thulamela Local Municipality should be morally sound for subordinates to follow.

Thesis (MPA.) -- University of Limpopo, 2017 / The purpose of the research was to examine if the implementation of customer care has any effect on service delivery at Thulamela Local Municipality. Specifically the study focused on four main aspects, namely:to determine the effects of implementing customer care to enhance service delivery at Thulamela Local Municipality; to analyse the effects of enhancing customer care through quality service delivery; to investigate mechanisms of improving customer care through public relations; to explore the effect of implementing Batho-Pele principles in promoting customer care. The study used qualitative interviews to collect data from respondents. The study revealed that there was a relationship between customer care and service delivery and where customer care prevailed service delivery improved. The findings also strongly indicated that through public relations and the implementation of Batho-Pele principles, customer care can be enhanced and consequently quality service delivery. The study recommended that tools and systems should be developed that would motivate municipal employees to implement customer care. Training of municipal employees with regard to customer care was also emphasized. It was further recommended that the leadership at Thulamela Local Municipality should be morally sound for subordinates to follow.

Bio-archaeology is the study of biological remains found at sites of archaeological interest. It is an interdisciplinary science employing different scientific fields including physical anthropology, geography, archaeology and genetics. Genetic analysis includes ancient DNA (aDNA) studies, now a specialised field in genetics. This approach was used to analyse human skeletal material of eight individuals from various Iron Age archaeological sites in southern Africa. Included in this sample is a naturally mummified individual from Tuli, in Botswana. The context of the specimens found in the Limpopo Province (Thulamela), as well as their cultural links with the Zimbabwe Culture Complex (which includes Mapungubwe and Khami) suggests that some gene exchange might have occurred. While this is not the first aDNA study on southern African samples, it is the first aDNA study based on southern African Iron Age human individuals and also included a naturally mummified individual. Morphometric and morphological analyses have indicated the age at death, sex and health status of the individuals, and the context in which they were found has helped in assessing their cultural affinity. Bone samples were analysed in a specialized aDNA laboratory at the Centre for Evolutionary Medicine in Switzerland. Following DNA extraction, ancestry-specific mitochondrial DNA was amplified from all samples and was compared to that of modern sub-Saharan Africans whose data were accessed from GenBank. Some individuals show (maternal) genetic similarities to present-day Sotho/Tswana groups. The male individual from Thulamela aligns somewhat more with the groups from the west and the female with the eastern peoples. Two Early Iron Age individuals from Happy Rest presented some similarities to the Khoesan peoples. Genetic-sex determination efforts were inconclusive for all individuals. The purpose of this study was to place the Thulamela individuals within the context of the genetic diversity in South Africa. It was noted that the introduction of genetic material from the early Sotho/Tswana was gradual in the case of Thulamela. Two other individuals from Happy Rest, who were contemporaries of each other, showed very little genetic variation and it can be said that their maternal DNA was of the same (possibly Khoesan) origin. Further resolution in haplotype assignment will be done in future. These temporally and spatially dispersed individuals can only provide a glimpse into the population interactions of the Iron Age that may have partially shaped the immense genetic diversity of present-day southern Africa. / Dissertation (MSc)--University of Pretoria, 2014. / tm2015 / Anatomy / MSc / Unrestricted

Magister Philosophiae (Land and Agrarian Studies) - MPhil(LAS) / The study explores trends in women’s participation in agriculture at Tshiombo Irrigation Scheme in Thulamela Municipality, Limpopo Province. The overall objective is to assess the trends in women’s participation in agricultural activities and to find out if this enhances their livelihoods. The study seeks to answer four core questions: 1) To what extent do women at Tshiombo Irrigation Scheme participate in agriculture, and what is the nature of their participation, e.g. in respect of labour provision, decision-making, and determining who benefits? (2) What are the main factors that over time lead men to withdraw from agriculture and women’s role in agriculture to become more prominent? (3) To what extent does women’s increased participation in production activities contribute to a better and more secure livelihood for themselves? (4) What are the main challenges women experiences in agriculture at Tshiombo Irrigation Scheme?Both qualitative and quantitative methods were employed in the collection and analysis of data, and a case study approach was used at three villages under study, namely Mutshenzheni,Matombotswuka and Maraxwe.The main research findings are: 1) over time, women have come to dominate farming at Tshiombo Irrigation Scheme to prevent poverty and therefore their participation improves food security in their households; 2) men’s decline in agriculture is attributed to water shortages, commitment to off-farm jobs and high production costs; 3) women are faced with a number of challenges in agricultural production which include amongst others water shortages, high input costs and lack of skill in marketing their products.The following recommendations were made: 1) government should seek ways of lowering the cost of ploughing services, whether this means encouraging farmers to return to animal traction, or encouraging more providers of tractor services, so that the prices are reduced through competition; 2) extension officers should encourage farmers to make more use of cow dung or other natural fertilizers, because this would assist in lowering input costs as well as benefiting the soil; 3) in terms of water shortages, the government is installing the floppy irrigation systems through Revitalization of Irrigation Schemes; however, in the interim,farmers should try to upgrade and maintain the storage dams which are currently not in use; 4)the re-introduction of water bailiffs could help to supervise and manage water, which in turn could ease water shortages and prevent conflict among farmers; 5) the Department of Agriculture should train women farmers in marketing skills. The study will be of primary benefit to amongst others, policy makers, scholars, and civil society organisations.

Thesis (M.Dev.) --University of Limpopo, 2013 / The research study investigated the contribution of community development projects towards poverty alleviation in Thulamela Local Municipality of Limpopo province. This research study seeks to investigate the factors that hinder community development projects from contributing positively towards the improvement of the lives of rural communities in the area of the study. This study is also concerned with the development of effective strategies that will enhance the capacity of community development project managers and change their perception and that of other stakeholders with regard to the implementation of community development projects. The literature review established the relationship between community development project and project management. In this regard, the study showed that community projects run by project managers with proper knowledge of and skills in project management impact positively on the improvement of the lives of the rural communities. In this study, a mixed research design approach was used in the investigation of the factors that hinder community projects to contribute positively towards poverty alleviation in Thulamela Local Municipality. Questionnaires and structured interviews were used to collect data from the target population. The findings of the study suggest that most managers of the community development projects lack training in project management.They also revealed that there were inadequate resources; there is a lack of community participation in decision-making, and shortage of funds hampered the sustainability of community development projects. To conclude, it is expected that the recommendations of this research study will highlight the strategies that could be put in place to improve the management of community development projects in order to improve the livelihoods of people in the Thulamela Local Municipality.

This mini-thesis serves as an introduction to the drawing up of a Cultural Resource Management (CRM) plan for Thulamela Heritage Site in the Kruger National Park. It is envisaged that this will be a strategy by which Thulamela heritage resources (including natural and cultural elements) will be identified, their significance assessed, and interpretations constructed to guide their conservation and presentation in a manner that is consistent with their availability for public appreciation or enjoyment. Thulamela Project involves the process of locating, assessing, and dealing appropriately with the Thulamela heritage resources which are represented by the physical manifestation of humanity’s interaction with the natural world around the site and surrounding landscape of Thulamela. This thesis will serve as a guideline towards designing a CRM plan for Thulamela Heritage Site that will be practical. Most of the issues here are management plan issues that the KNP should start implementing in order to preserve and conserve the site for future generations. This study is a result of fieldwork undertaken in the KNP. Problem areas and opportunities are identified. Goals and objectives of a Management Plan for Thulamela Heritage Site are identified and solutions are proposed. Three appendices have been added at the end of the thesis. These are additional recommendations that can be implemented concurrently with the implementation of the CRM plan. The additions are: - Professor Tom Huffman’s “Standard interpretation brochure”. This is a brochure that is intended to be used by Thulamela Tour Guides during trips. It emerged as a result of differing information from different tour guides at Thulamela. The brochure that is attached herewith is still a draft. It will have to be perused and approved by the Thulamela Heritage Site Board of Trustees. - The “Suggested excursion plan or booking system” for Thulamela. This is designed inrder to allow a free flow of tourists to the site. - Of most importance is the “Proposed heritage agreement” to be reached between the South African National Parks (SANP) and Thulamela Board of Trustees. Other members may be added in the process, depending on the agreement between the two most important key stakeholders. The KNP is encouraged to evaluate the thesis and decide which issues are to be dealt with as a priority. The author strongly believes that the implementation of some of the proposals as outlined in this thesis will add value to the preservation and conservation of Thulamela Heritage Site. The thesis will also be helpful to the assessment and management of other heritage sites within the KNP and SANP in general. The document gives the Social Ecology (SE) department the option to utilize the document as it is or to expand it if necessary. / Dissertation (MA (Heritage and Museum Studies))--University of Pretoria, 2006. / Historical and Heritage Studies / unrestricted

Thesis (MPA (School of Public Management and Planning))--University of Stellenbosch, 2009. / The concept of public participation has gained wider acceptance in government circles as a tool to strengthen the pillars of this government’s democratic structures. Globally, governments’ accountability can be gauged by the extent to which they practise public participation in decision-making in facing up to the challenges of the day. The concept of public participation arrived in South Africa in the 1980s and was supposedly applied to the inception of a true democratic dispensation in 1994. In the South African context, public participation cannot be over-emphasised as it underpins the democracy introduced in 1994. Because of the great importance of public participation, the South African government has enacted a number of statutes such as the Constitution (1996) and the Municipal Structures Act (2000) that give substance to public participation. Even though public participation is applied at national and provincial government levels in South Africa, it is principally in the Local Government field where it is widely applied in order to enable good governance and sustainable service delivery. This study examines the role of ward committees in public participation in Local Government, with specific reference to Thulamela Municipality. The study suggests that the transformation and democratisation of South African Local Government can be achieved through effective implementation of public participation at grassroots level. Apart from passing legislation, more needs to be done to stimulate public participation. The study has furthermore found that even though statutes provide for communities to participate in a range of government-created regulatory structures such as the IDP Representative Forums and Ward Committees, municipalities need to develop strategies for public participation. Not only do municipalities need to develop strategies for public participation, they also need to develop proper mechanisms to encourage the participation of community stakeholders and organisations. The study is primarily based on qualitative data collected from Thulamela Municipality through personal interviews with councillors, officials and ward committee members. Moreover, the study also rests on observations at IDP Representative Forums, IDP and Budget consultative meetings, focus group discussions and a review of local government statutes and literature providing knowledge on the subject under study.

Thesis (M.Dev. (Management and Law)) -- University of Limpopo, 2012 / This study investigates the impact of community development projects (CDPs) on the empowerment of women in the Malamulele area of the Thulamela Municipality in Limpopo Province. The study investigates whether the implementation of CDPs really changes the living conditions of women or whether it is merely a smokescreen to cover the failure of the government to provide decent jobs for people who are living in absolute poverty. The aim of the study, however, is to assess the impact that CDPs have on women empowerment. The objectives of the study that were derived from the main aim include identifying the types of projects, and their impact on women and men. The findings of the study would contribute to social science knowledge and would also help to develop new strategies that could be used to solve problems of poverty. Both qualitative and quantitative research methods were used in this study. The population of the study were projects in which both women and men were involved. However, more women were selected from sampled projects because the aim of the study was to investigate the impact of CDPs on women. Stratified random sampling was used to select respondents in order to ensure that all strata were represented in the sample. The findings of the study suggest that CDPs improve decision-making capacity, the acquisition of assets and skills, and create job opportunities for women. It is, therefore, recommended that development planners consider increased funding in order to implement more projects in the area as these are the tools through which women in rural communities can eradicate poverty.