D.Ed. / The scientific study of food has emerged as a discipline in its own right since the end of the 1939-1945 war. The need for the development of a training programme for street food vendors reflects an increasing awareness of the fact that the eating quality of food commodities is determined by a logical sequence of events that starts at the production of the food or the germination of the seed, and culminates in its consumption. From this point of view the street food handler is inevitably involved in certain aspects of nutrition, environmental health and psychology. Apart from the problems of handling and preparation of food, it seems likely that the food handler will become increasingly concerned with enhancing the biological value of traditional food. Further, there is the potential for evolving entirely new ways of preparation and handling as a result of the pressure of increasing population diversity and demand. This is likely to produce a need for the additional training of food handlers and health professionals. Street food is one of the major commodities with which Environmental Health Officers are concerned, and is subject of the present inquiry in Polokwane. This sector is a growing enterprise in Africa today: its expansion is linked to urbanisation, unemployment and lack of economic growth. Despite this, the role of street food in supplying ready-to-eat food has received little official attention; more notice has been paid to the potential dangers arising from the consumption of street food than to any benefits it might offer. This has resulted in the marginalisation of the sector’s activities. Much of the bias against street food is, however, unfounded and is based more on prejudice than empirical data. Official data on street food and its consumption in South Africa are largely lacking and few studies have been conducted in this regard. These few studies have shown that the street food industry is a large and complex sector, which provides a means of livelihood principally for unemployed woman and an affordable source of food to many thousands of people. The potential of street vendors to improve the food security in both urban and rural populations remains almost totally unexplored. Where the formal sector fails to provide opportunities for employment, people often resort to informal trading to make a living. This research has confirmed that street food is inexpensive, and immediately available to consumers. In Polokwane the sector produces an integral part of the diet that is regularly consumed by all income groups, but particularly by commuters, workers and school children. Street food is extremely diverse in terms of what is available: it includes drinks, fruit and vegetables, meals and snacks. The ways in which street food is processed vary widely and include the preparation of food on the city street in relatively heterogeneous and unregulated conditions. The potential drawbacks of street food include its safety requirements; the lack of training of street vendors; quality control of the preparation and microbiological safety; consumption requirements; and the enormous variability of street food in terms of ingredients used by different vendors and the way in which it is prepared. / Prof. H.G van Rooyen

M.Tech. (Fine Art) / The aim is to develop a sustainable sewing co-operative for Tshulu Trust, located in the Domboni village in the rural chieftaincy of HaMakuya, north-eastern Limpopo Province, South Africa. The development of the new sewing co-operative aims to address the extreme unemployment in HaMakuya, which is one of the main causes of poverty in the area. It is also a response to one of the primary objectives of Tshulu Trust, which is to create employment. The research study addresses the extent to which arts-based training interventions might ensure the sustainability of the new sewing co-operative. This study is a Participatory Action Research (PAR) training intervention that is Freirean in approach. I draw on the principles of Paulo Freire’s book Pedagogy of the oppressed (1995, 2008) to provide the theoretical framework that underpins the training envisaged in this study. Methodologically, this project and study involves four action research cycles with newlyrecruited members of the sewing co-operative. There is a final cycle which is my own selfreflexive cycle at the conclusion of the development project in HaMakuya. The cycles implemented with the members involve arts-based training approaches in design manufacture and embellishment, business training, and marketing of fashion and homeware products. In addition there is also training for enterprise development within the action cycles. Critical monitoring and reflection take place at the end of each cycle to inform action plans for the next cycles. The cycles of the development project end with a public showcase of the products manufactured and modeled by the participants. For my own self-reflections, I design and prototype my own designs for a fashion range inspired by my experience in HaMakuya. These prototypes as well as the products manufactured by the participants are included in a catalogue that supports this dissertation.

M.Ed. (Educational Management) / Please refer to full text to view abstract

D.Phil. (Geology) / Please refer to full text to view abstract

Accelerated erosion is a major environmental, social and economical threat in South Africa. It is estimated that in excess of 400 million tones of soil is lost every year in South Africa, with much of this erosion being attributed to improper land management and little or no erosion control methods. This study was aimed to determine the efficiency of soil erosion structures, which were constructed in the Mabula Private Game Reserve (Limpopo Province), in reducing the amount of sediment eroded at the sites as well as to determine the amounts of sediments deposited due to their presence. Factors such as rainfall, slope, soil type and particle size were measured to determine their influence on sediment erosion and the ultimate deposition of this sediment. The geology of the area is characterised by Waterberg Sandstones and igneous intrusions of mostly granite. Rainfall in the area occurs between the October and April, with an average of 550 – 750 mm. The temperatures range from 18°C - 32°C during the summer months and 4°C to 22°C in the winter months. The study area falls within the Sour Bushveld and the Sourish Mixed Bushveld, according to the Acocks classification. These veld types are characterised by open an open savanna of tall trees and shrubs. Five sites affected by soil erosion were selected and at each site structures were constructed, the size and number of structures at each site was dependant on the extent of the sites area. The structures are made from a shade net product known as T65, a shade cloth developed by Alnet, which has not been UV treated allowing it to disintegrate in the open atmosphere after 2-3 years. Soil measurements and samples were taken before the rainfall season to establish baseline data to compare the results with once the filed work has been concluded. Thereafter samples and measurements were taken every month during the rainfall season, which extended from October 2004 to April 2005. In conjunction with the measurements taken at each structure the slope of each site was determined and the profiles of the sediment deposited at the structures after the rainfall season were studied. From the measurements it was clear that as the rainfall increased so the amount of sediment being deposited at the structures increased. There were structures that experienced more iii sediment deposition than others and theses differences could be attributed to factors such as parent material, soil texture, slope angle and soil type. Due to the deposition of sediment and the reduction in surface flow caused by the structures, vegetation established itself and began to flourish in the newly deposited soil. Through the establishment of vegetation at the sites an element of success was achieved. With a total of 2 101 mm of sediment being deposited at the structures and the establishment of vegetation in areas where there was none previously it can be concluded that the soil erosion structures are successfully curbing soil erosion in Mabula Private Game Reserve. / Professor J.T. Harmse

D.Phil. / Please refer to full text to view abstract

This thesis identifies determinants of market participation of smallholder sorghum and millet farmers and proposes strategies for improving their market participation. The study used survey data from 195 smallholder communal and resettled farmers, and agribusiness firms dealing with sorghum and millet. The farmers were selected from three sorghum and millet producing districts of Zimbabwe. The firms were located in Bulawayo and Harare. Data was collected through face-to-face interviews with the sampled farmers and firm representatives. The thesis also explores the way the small grains have been marketed and the extent of field crop contracting in Zimbabwe. In addition, literature on determinants of market participation for other commodities was reviewed. Recommendations were then drawn on strategies for improved market participation for smallholder farmers. Transaction cost related factors are an important component of marketing that determines the extent of market participation for smallholder farmers. Results of the multiple regression and the probit models showed that transaction cost related factors, such as previously agreed prices (PRICEAGREE), confidence and trust in the buyer (CONFIDENCE), the difference in price knowledge (PRICEKNOW) and delayed payment for sold grain (DELAYPAY) have a significant impact on the quantity of grain sold and the extent of smallholder farmer participation in the market. Discriminant analysis was used to identify factors discriminating sorghum and millet sellers and non-sellers. The division was made according to whether or not a household sold sorghum and/or millet during the period 2004/05 to 2006/07. Of the fourteen potential discriminating variables, six explained group differences with statistical significance. The six important variables in the discriminant function analysis were: number of donkeys owned by a household, crop production levels, source of household income, method of transporting grain to the market, district and area cultivated. Five of the six discriminating variables point to wealth-ranking factors (household asset endowments) implying that poorer households are unable to participate in markets effectively. Farmers identified issues that need to be addressed for sorghum and millet production and marketing to be improved. The identified issues offer guidelines for priority areas to focus on when addressing limitations that are currently inhibiting farmer market participation. The major issues which included; seed unavailability, lack of access to draft power, lack of access to fertilizer, establishment of irrigation schemes; provision of transport to the market, production of marketable surplus and establishing a local market, all point to the need for external assistance to farmers. A review of literature confirms that contracting is an effective way to coordinate and promote production and marketing in agriculture. Sorghum and millet can be grown under contract successfully. The presence of successful contracts for other commodity crops is an indicator of the potential to increase marketing of sorghum and millet through contracting. However, for contracting to succeed, it is necessary to improve sorghum and millet productivity with an assured quality of the grain. The conclusion is that small grains are important food crops for smallholder farmers in drier environments but their productivity is low. Hence, to enhance farmer access to markets, it is necessary to increase the productivity of sorghum and millet and thus, enable smallholder farmers to produce adequate marketable surplus. Interventions by government and private sector should aim at addressing the major factors that determine market participation. Important to note is that, if poorer households are unable to effectively participate in markets, then interventions to increase households’ productive assets or the public goods that support agricultural production and marketing may be necessary. Based on the study findings, the thesis proposes possible key intervention ingredients for successful contracting of sorghum and millet in Zimbabwe. An enabling environment and legal framework created by government and private sector, addressing identified priority areas, primarily will largely determine the level of market participation of smallholder farmers in Zimbabwe. Copyright / Dissertation (MScAgric)--University of Pretoria, 2010. / Agricultural Economics, Extension and Rural Development / unrestricted

PhDPH / Department of Public Health / The benefits of breastfeeding, particularly exclusive breastfeeding, are well recognized. It can reduce the risk of mortality related to malnutrition, otitis media and respiratory infection. Breastfeeding may also decrease the risk of obesity in later life for infants who have been breastfed for more than six months. Besides, breastfeeding improves cognition, and children who have been breastfed show higher intelligence quotient test scores and improved school performance. In addition, long-period breastfeeding is associated with a reduced risk of breast cancer and ovarian cancer for mothers. The World Health Organization and United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund recommended exclusive breastfeeding for six months and breastfeeding to two years and beyond. However, this study showed that only 27% of children under six months have had been exclusively breastfed. In this situation, an intervention programme was required. The aim of this study was to develop an intervention programme to promote exclusive breastfeeding strategies in Limpopo Province. Intervention mapping was used to guide the development of a programme. A convergent, parallel mixed-method was used wherein qualitative and quantitative data were collected and analysed concurrently. A qualitative approach was used to assess the implementation of exclusive breastfeeding and to explore challenges experienced by health care workers in the implementation of exclusive breastfeeding in Limpopo Province. This was carried out by means of in-depth interviews with 30 professional nurses. Trustworthiness was ensured through credibility, confirmability, dependability and transferability. A quantitative approach was used to determine the factors that influence exclusive breastfeeding. Reliability and validity of the instrument was ensured through extensive literature review and test-retest methodology. Questionnaires were distributed to 400 respondents. Tesch’s eight steps of data analysis was used to analyse qualitative data. The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences, version 26, was used to analyse the quantitative data. The results were merged, and the interpretation discussed. Five higher-order themes emerged from quantitative data analysis. The themes emerged from qualitative data were confirmed by the findings from statistical data, thus merging both qualitative and quantitative data. Findings were presented to the stakeholders, managers and dieticians and their inputs further confirmed and supported the findings. The findings informed the development of an intervention programme. The intervention comprises of the three components, training of community health workers, healths talks focusing on lactating mothers and health talks focusing on families and community. The developed intervention was validated by the stakeholders and the results were analysed through simple descriptive statistics where the data were summarized using frequency distributions and graphic representations. The results revealed that the programme was feasible, compatible and applicable to current practice. Recommendations were made and topics for further research were also suggested. / NRF

Thesis (M.Sc. (Zoology) --University of Limpopo, 2014 / Refer to the document / The Department of Biodiversity at the University of Limpopo, and the National Research Foundation (NRF)

Thesis (Ph. D. (Psychology)) -- University of Limpopo, 2016. / Exploring the lived experiences of People Living with HIV/AIDS in relation to stigma and discrimination was the purpose of this qualitative research underpinned by Jungian Phenomenology. The study was qualitative in nature with a non-probability sample of fifteen participants aged from twenty tree to sixty four years. The setting was a rural and the research took place at a designated HIV/AIDS clinic in Limpopo. Semi-structured interviews, in the vernacular, were constructed so that the in-depth, lived experience of the participants relating to stigmatisation and discrimination could be ascertained. The participants’ responses were organised through the application of the Jungian metaphors and presented as themes which were presented in English. The archetypes of the Self, Shadow and Persona were highlighted as dominant metaphors with the Animus playing an important. These were followed by archetypes which represented more marginal roles in the participants’ personality development namely, the Anima, Hero, Caregiver, Innocent and Orphan. Everyone has the desire to develop a well-rounded socially acceptable and fulfilling personality, whose development process is accompanied by the generation and maturation of various archetypal traits. Once this is achieved, the process of personal individuation is completed and an individual is able to experience their true Self and live a fulfilling and authentic (honest) life. HIV infection and HIV related stigma generate archetypal traits which tend to impede the personality development of individuals. As a result they were not able to merge their personality development into an integrated unit and emerge as spiritual and deep-thinking beings.