This study focuses on Acid Mine Drainage (AMD) in the three basins of the Witwatersrand’s goldfields in the Vaal River System in South Africa. AMD has become a highly contested issue. A difference in its definition exists between two groups of role-players identified in the study: government and consultants/activists/NGOs. This study unpacks the differences in the way AMD is defined, the situation of AMD in each of the three basins and the socio-economic implications caused by AMD. A crucial finding was that these definitions determine how the issue is understood and what solutions these role-players propose. The main purpose of the study was to determine whether the South African government’s policy response was appropriate given the socio-economic impacts of AMD and imperatives of sustainable development. This study concluded that, in the policy, there was no clear indication as to what the socio-economic impacts are, and limited attention was therefore given to these impacts. / Development Studies / M.A. (Development Studies)

This study focuses on Acid Mine Drainage (AMD) in the three basins of the Witwatersrand’s goldfields in the Vaal River System in South Africa. AMD has become a highly contested issue. A difference in its definition exists between two groups of role-players identified in the study: government and consultants/activists/NGOs. This study unpacks the differences in the way AMD is defined, the situation of AMD in each of the three basins and the socio-economic implications caused by AMD. A crucial finding was that these definitions determine how the issue is understood and what solutions these role-players propose. The main purpose of the study was to determine whether the South African government’s policy response was appropriate given the socio-economic impacts of AMD and imperatives of sustainable development. This study concluded that, in the policy, there was no clear indication as to what the socio-economic impacts are, and limited attention was therefore given to these impacts. / Development Studies / M.A. (Development Studies)

M.Cur. (Professional Nursing) / The nursing service manager in local goverment is confronted by extensive changes in the health care delivery system. The communities need to work towards better health but in turn it ask for competent leadership from the nursing service manager. The nursing service manager is accountable for the nursing component of services in the personal health services and should focus in on quality control, in the preventative and primary health care services. It appears that leadership development of the nursing service manager in the local goverment does not receive the attention that it should. The question that offers leadership manager and if so needs to be asked, is whether local government development programs for the nursing service what is the nature and extent of the program? What is the predominant leadership style that the nursing service manager is using from within the situational leadership theory? What guidelines for a leadership development program for nursing service managers should be formulated? The objectives of this study is to investigate what the nature and extent of leadership development for the nursing service manager in the local government in the Pretoria, Witwatersrand and Vaal triangle is. The second objective is to determine the leadership style of the nursing service manager in the local government in the Pretoria, Witwatersrand and· Vaal triangle. The third objective is to develop guidelines for a leadership development program for nursing service managers in local government from within the framework of the situational leadership theory, based on the results of the study. An explorative, descriptive research design within the context was used to answer to the objectives set for this study. The research methods consist of a interview with a interview guide that was used to determine the nature and extent of leadership development that the nursing service manager receives. Secondly an evaluation was done with the aid of the LEAD-Self and LEADOthers instruments. The situational theory was the Whole Person Theory study. The researcher found that most of the nursing managers are working in the two biggest local governments and the predominant designation is that of chief community health nurse. The nursing service managers have the applicable clinical ability in community health nursing science. The findings are as follows The majority of nursing service managers in this study are working in the two largest local governments. The designation of community health nurse is the most common designation for the nursing service managers. The nursing service manager possesses the appropriate clinical experience in community health nursing. The researcher found that seven (38.9%) of the leaders are busy with formal leadership development by means of further studies, which points to positive motivation. The results show that . leadership development of the service manager does not receive the necessary attention should receive. nursing that it The primary managers are style three. leadership style that most of the nursing service using according to their own perception is that of This style is also known as the style of participation which is high in support and low in direction giving. According to the followers perception, the nursing service manager uses style two as the primary style. This style is both high in support and direction giving and it is also known as the selling style. Guidelines for the development program are set out accordingly curriculum development.

Submitted in fulfillment of the requirements of the Degree of Master of Technology: Chemistry, Durban University of Technology, 2014. / This project arose out the need for a simple method to analyse NOM on a routine basis. Water samples were obtained from the Vaal dam, which is one of the dams used by a hydroelectric power station. Analysis was preceded by separation of NOM into the humic and non-humic portions. The humic portion was separated into two fractions by employing a non-ionic resin (DAX-8) to separate humic acid from fulvic acid. High performance size exclusion chromatography (HPSEC), equipped with an Ultraviolet( UV) detector and an Evaporative Light Scattering (ELS) detector connected in series, was used to obtain molecular weight distribution information and the concentration levels of the two acids. Mixed standards of polyethylene oxide/glycol were employed to calibrate the selected column. Suwanee River humic acid standard was used as a certified reference material. The molecular weight distributions (MWDs) of the isolated fractions of humic and fulvic acids were determined with ELSD detection as weight-average (Mw), number-average (Mn) and polydispersity (ρ) of individual NOM fractions. The Mw/Mn ratio was found to be less than 1.5 in all the fractions, indicating that they have a low and narrow size fraction. An increase in Mn and Mw values, with increasing wavelength for all three humic substances (HS) examined was observed. The HS, isolated from the dam water, was found to be about the same molecular weight as the International Humic Acid Standard (IIHSS). For the fulvic acid standard, the molecular weight was estimated to be around 7500 Da. Characterization of NOM was done to assist in the identification of the species present in the water. FTIR-ATR was used to as a characterization tool to identify the functional groups in the structure of the humic and fulvic acid respectively present in the Vaal Dam. Analysis of the infrared (IR) spectra indicated that the humic acids of the Vaal dam have phenolic hydroxyl groups, hydroxyl groups, conjugated double bond of aromatic family (C=C), and free carboxyl groups. The isolation method has proved to be applicable and reliable for dam water samples and showed to successfully separate the humic substances from water and further separate the humic substances into its hydrophobic acids, namely, humic and fulvic acids. It can be concluded that the Eskom Vaal dam composes of humic substance which shows that the technique alone gives a very good indication of the characteristics of water. The HPSEC method used, equipped with UV and ELSD was able to identify the molecular weight range of NOM present in source water as it confirmed that the Eskom Vaal dam contains humic substances as humic acid and fulvic acid and these pose a health concern as they can form disinfectant byproducts in the course of water treatment with chemicals. FTIR characterization was successful as important functional groups were clearly assigned. Lastly, the use of the TOC and DOC values to calculate SUVA was also a good tool to indicate the organic content in water. It is recommended to use larger amounts of water must be processed to obtain useful quantities of the humic and fulvic acid fractions.

Background: The Vaal Triangle is an area generally associated with a number of harmful determinants of health since it houses diverse industrial processes and industrial development in South Africa, hence being categorised as an outdoor air pollution priority area in 2006. Method: A cross-sectional inter-comparative study to the 1990 Vaal Triangle Air Pollution and Health Study (VAPS) was conducted in 2010. The main objectives of this study were to measure the prevalence of upper and lower respiratory illnesses of 10-year-old children in 2010 and compare those findings to the 1990 study, and lastly to identify risk and protective factors for respiratory illnesses in 1990 and in 2010. In addition, the association between exposure factors (risk and protective factors) that are sources of indoor air pollution and factors related to diet and household living conditions and their associations with upper and lower respiratory health illnesses in 1990 and 2010 was determined. Results and Discussion: The prevalence of the respiratory health outcomes in the 1990 study and 2010 study cannot be compared directly since a 1-year prevalence was determined in 1990 and a 6-month prevalence in 2010. Throughout the dissertation this should be kept in mind. The change in prevalence of a respiratory health outcome observed in 1990 and in 2010 is just an indication of the possible change. The 1990 1-year prevalence and the 2-week 2010 prevalence of asthma were the same in the two study populations (i.e. 12%). The 6-month prevalence of sinusitis, bronchitis and pneumonia in 2010 was lower when compared to the yearly prevalence of these illnesses in the 1990 study. On completion of the multivariate analyses, in 1990 study, the use of a gas heater acted as a risk factor for pneumonia (a lower respiratory illness), with a odds ratio of 3.67 (1.15-11.71) and a p-value of 0.03, whilst environmental tobacco smoke within the household was protective of hay fever and sinusitis (upper respiratory illnesses). In the 2010 study, the consumption of chicken and/or fish and fruit at least three times a week was protective of bronchitis (with odds ratios of 0.23 and 0.26 respectively). Conclusion and Recommendations: It is not certain whether the change in the respiratory health status of 10-year-olds living in the Vaal Triangle is real as the prevalence of health outcomes in the two studies cannot be compared directly to one another due to the differences in prevalence time periods in the two studies. Nevertheless, a statistically significant change was observed in the prevalence of sinusitis, earache, bronchitis, and pneumonia between the two study populations. It is imperative to have a study protocol; this ensures all levels of measure are consistent in both studies and leads to a dataset of high quality. There is also a need for more analytical epidemiological studies (i.e. cohort, time-series, case-crossover and panel studies) to be done in South Africa, addressing indoor and outdoor air pollution and respiratory health. / Dissertation (MSc)--University of Pretoria, 2013. / gm2014 / School of Health Systems and Public Health (SHSPH) / unrestricted

The primary objective of the study was to determine the business success factors for the second-hand motor vehicle industry in the Vaal Triangle. This kind of study has never been conducted before within the Vaal Triangle and it is therefore intended to contribute to the body of knowledge within the field of entrepreneurship. A questionnaire was designed and distributed to dealerships within the Vaal Triangle region, and it was administered by the researcher. There are one hundred and twenty three (123) dealerships in the Vaal Triangle and fifty eight (58) participated in the study. The demographics of the study revealed that males dominate car dealerships as compared to females, and also that Whites and Indians are the dominating races. Most participants are relatively young, i.e. less than 35 years and also the majority of dealerships are less than 15 years old. Furthermore, the study found that participants preferred starting a business from their pockets rather than going to the bank or government institutions such as IDC or NEF for funding. There was no significant difference in opinion between males and females. There were, however, medium to large differences in opinion between owner, manager and sales executive on some of the entrepreneurial constructs, for example, customer services and SME characteristics. The study concluded that business success factors for the second-hand car industry in the Vaal Triangle region are (ranked from highest to lowest): Entrepreneurial competences, Marketing of the dealership, Dealership location, Product and Customer services, Characteristics of the Small Medium Enterprise and lastly, Resources and funding of the business. Based on the results of the analysis and discussions, practical recommendations are made which will assist in improving the knowledge in the field of entrepreneurship within the car industry. / MBA (Business Administration), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

The primary objective of the study was to determine the business success factors for the second-hand motor vehicle industry in the Vaal Triangle. This kind of study has never been conducted before within the Vaal Triangle and it is therefore intended to contribute to the body of knowledge within the field of entrepreneurship. A questionnaire was designed and distributed to dealerships within the Vaal Triangle region, and it was administered by the researcher. There are one hundred and twenty three (123) dealerships in the Vaal Triangle and fifty eight (58) participated in the study. The demographics of the study revealed that males dominate car dealerships as compared to females, and also that Whites and Indians are the dominating races. Most participants are relatively young, i.e. less than 35 years and also the majority of dealerships are less than 15 years old. Furthermore, the study found that participants preferred starting a business from their pockets rather than going to the bank or government institutions such as IDC or NEF for funding. There was no significant difference in opinion between males and females. There were, however, medium to large differences in opinion between owner, manager and sales executive on some of the entrepreneurial constructs, for example, customer services and SME characteristics. The study concluded that business success factors for the second-hand car industry in the Vaal Triangle region are (ranked from highest to lowest): Entrepreneurial competences, Marketing of the dealership, Dealership location, Product and Customer services, Characteristics of the Small Medium Enterprise and lastly, Resources and funding of the business. Based on the results of the analysis and discussions, practical recommendations are made which will assist in improving the knowledge in the field of entrepreneurship within the car industry. / MBA (Business Administration), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

Colour influences the human mind and body through physical as well as psychological reactions to specific colours. These reactions are conditioned by previous experiences leading to certain preferences, associations and perceptions regarding certain colours. There are various aspects within a firm where colour may be utilised to the benefit of its marketing efforts. Marketers must realise that colour may be very influential and it is important to pay close attention to the associations and preferences of the firm’s target market(s) the influence of colour on human perceptions has been widely studied in many research fields. Most marketers recognise the importance of colour within the marketing environment (Section 1.1). Colour has different meanings for different people and these differences need to be acknowledged to ensure success in marketing efforts. If colour is used strategically within the marketing mix (product, place and promotion) of a firm, it may influence consumers positively (Section 1.2). This study endeavoured to determine the colour preferences, associations and perceptions of Generation Y students in South Africa. The findings of this study will be of value to those marketers who target this cohort and may utilised by them to use colour more effectively within their marketing mix. The purpose of this study was to determine the influence of colour on the consumer behaviour of Generation Y students in the South African market. The research study investigated the following aspects: • The colour preferences of Generation Y students. • Emotions Generation Y students associate with different colours. • How Generation Y students perceive various colours. • Product colour and product packaging colour preferences of Generation Y students. • Consumer behaviour patterns of Generation Y students regarding specified products. For this study, the target population comprised of Generation Y students registered at South Africa’s public higher education institutions (HEIs). The sampling frame consisted of a list of South Africa’s 23 public HEIs, as stipulated by the Department of Higher Education and Training (2011). This study made use of a non-probability convenience sample of two HEI campuses located in the Vaal Triangle region of South Africa’s Gauteng province that was drawn from the sampling frame. Thereafter, a convenience sample of 500 under-graduate students was drawn from these HEI campuses - 250 students per campus. A structure self-administered questionnaire was distributed to the respondents. The questionnaire requested respondents to rank colours according to preferences, on a four- and seven-point Likert scales were used respectively to determine colour associations and perceptions. The questionnaire also contained questions using a four-point Likert scale designed to determine product colour and product-package colour preferences as well as questions designed to determine consumer behaviour patterns of Generation Y students regarding certain products. In addition, the respondents were asked to provide certain demographic data. The findings indicate that Generation Y students have distinctive colour preferences, associations and perceptions. The respondents also indicated a number of notable product and product package preferences as well as particular consumer behaviour traits. When comparing male and female respondents as well as black and white respondents respectively, the results depicted various statistical significant differences (p < 0.05). Cohen’s D statistic was computed to determine the level of practical significance of these differences. From this, it is evident that colour do influence Generation Y students’ consumer behaviour and perceptions to some extent. Colour is present in every aspect of marketing. If used strategically, colour may be used by marketers to influence their target market’s perceptions and preferences. The findings emanating from this study should be used as a guideline to incorporate colour into the design of the marketing mix (colour) in such a way as to appeal to Generation Y students. / MCom, Marketing Management, North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2012

The minibus taxi industry serves approximately 68% of the South Africans using public transport. It is credited with supporting black South African communities by providing a more accessible alternative to the public transportation. It has also been a primary activity for black entrepreneurship since the early 1970s up to the present. It also provides a strong example of enterprise serving as a platform for creating employment and for fighting poverty. However, its growth and prosperity is hindered by a number of challenges, some of which emanated from the past apartheid laws that restricted black economic policies. Some are related to the industry, such as continuing problems of persistent violence, at times resulting in death and safety concerns. In an effort to address these challenges, the National Department of Transport published a Taxi Recapitalisation Strategy (TRS). The TRS is not only about the replacement of old vehicles with new and safe vehicles, but presents the government with an opportunity to transform, empower and regulate the industry. The key pillars of the TRS are the scrapping of old taxi vehicles, the introduction of new and safe vehicles, effective regulations, empowerment of the taxi industry and law enforcement. This study measures the impact of the TRS on poverty levels and expenditure patterns of the taxi-mode commuters of the Vaal, situated south of Gauteng. It focuses mainly on the few townships identified; where the taxis are the most frequently used mode of transport. It has been shown that regulation of the taxi industry through the implementation of the TRS would lead to a rise in taxi fares and other consequences for the owners and users (passengers). Subsequently, this would result in increased levels of poverty and a change in expenditure patterns of most of the Vaal households. Although the levels of poverty have decreased in the townships of the Vaal as compared to 2003, the severity of poverty still remains in some households. Using the Household Subsistence Level (HSL) as the household's respective poverty line, 45.4% of the households have an income that is less than 50% of their HSL amount, indicating severe poverty. The headcount index was determined at 0.59 in 2006, indicating that 59% of households live below their poverty lines. The poverty gap index was determined at 0.45, reflecting that households lack on average 45% of income to attain a level equal to their poverty line. The impact of increases in taxi fares would then directly have a negative effect on the average standard of living of the Vaal households. To measure the impact of the TRS on expenditure patterns, affordability levels of the households of the Vaal were considered. The three scenarios used (taxi fares increase by 10%, 15%, and 20%) showed that the average monthly transport costs would rise by 9.9%, 10.3% and 10.6% respectively, following the implementation of the TRS. If user-targeted subsidies could be offered that would result in the taxi fare reduction, it could have an impact on expenditure patterns and poverty levels of the Vaal households. Applying the impact assessment model to households living below their poverty lines in the Vaal, increased government subsidy would supplement the existing incomes of these households. For instance, if a subsidy of 20% on taxi fares is offered, that is to make the taxi fare lower than the current fare, the poverty gap would decrease from 0.45 to 0.31 and the headcount index would be reduced from 0.59 to 0.48. This would reflect that households lacking income to attain a level equal to their poverty line is reduced by 14%.This suggests that the recapitalisation of the taxi fleet which is supported by a taxi fare subsidy is critical to ensure the provision of safe, affordable and efficient minibus taxis. In the case of even higher government subsidies, reduction in the cost of transport through government subsidies may supplement the existing income of households to such an extent that the headcount indexes for the population decreases even more. The study therefore concludes that poverty alleviation and improved standards of living among the Vaal households can only be achieved if appropriate subsidies which may lead to the reduction in the taxi fares can be provided. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Economics))--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2008.

Thesis (M.Tech. - Tourism and PR Management, Dept. of Hospitality)--Vaal University of Technology. / The purpose of this study was to segment the various markets attending the Transvalia Open Air Show (Vaal Region) and the Cherry Festival (Free State). A comparison of the various segments enabled the researcher to identify key success factors with regard to market segmentation for tourism events to be implemented in the Vaal Region. It will also enable organisers to target the correct tourist market segments for both events and provide guidelines for improving the planning and marketing of events in both regions. This study therefore aimed to compare the market segments of two tourism events, the Cherry Festival. held in Ficksburg which is located in the Free State and the Transvalia Open Air Show, held in the Vaal Region. Questionnaires were distributed amongst visitors on the festival grounds as well as in areas surrounding the festival grounds. The study was based on availability sampling since only visitors who were willing to parttcipate in the survey completed the questionnaires. A total of 550 questionnaires was distributed, of which 472 were suitable for use. At the Transvalia Open Air Show 273 questionnaires were completed, of which 260 were usable. Students were trained by the researcher to assist in the survey. The questtonnaires were distributed on the show grounds. The data were used to compile graphs and tables so that a profile of each festival could be designed The variables that were the focal point of this study were gender, occupation, language, visitors' province of ongin, group size, number of days spent at these events and average spend. These results can contribute to better marketing and more targeted markets to create a larger number of attendants. The organisers can determine what type of entertainment, music and activities the attendants favour, so that all the elements of the event can then be marketed as a whole. Feedback also allows the organisers to improve the facilities and services available at the events.