Abstracts in English, Sotho and Afrikaans / The purpose of this study was to explore the classroom practices of Senior Phase Natural Sciences teachers in some of the schools of the Vhembe District. Qualitative case study approach was employed and three teachers participated. The following research questions were explored: What is the level of the teacher’s subject-matter knowledge in the teaching of Natural Sciences (NS)? What is the nature of the teacher’s instructional strategies in the teaching of NS? How does the teacher’s subject-matter knowledge and instructional strategies shape the teachers’ classroom interaction and discourse in the teaching of NS? Interviews, observations and a questionnaire have been used for data collection. Teachers used their teaching experiences to teach NS. Results indicated lack of teachers, facilities and resources. It is recommended that the Department of Education as an arm of government should see that schools have the facilities, resources and teachers they need for proper teaching and learning as well as providing sufficient workshops to improve teachers’ classroom practices. / Sepheo sa thuto ena e ne e le ho hlahloba mekhoa ea litlelase tsa matichere a Phahameng ea Setsebi sa Tlhaho ea Setsebi tse ling tsa sekolo sa Vhembe. Ho ne ho sebelisoa mokhoa o nepahetseng oa ho ithuta litsebo le matichere a mararo. Lipotso tse latelang tsa lipatlisiso li ile tsa hlahlojoa: Mokhoa oa mosuoe oa mosuoe ke oa mofuta ofe thutong ea Saense ea tlhaho? Mokhoa oa mekhoa ea koetliso ea tichere ke efe tabeng ea thuto ea saense ea tlhaho? Mosuoe oa mosuoe o tseba joang le mekhoa ea ho ruta e amanang le ho sebelisana ha tichere le ho bua ka thutho ea saense ea tlhaho? Lipuisano, litlhaloso le lipotso. E sebeliselitsoe ho bokella data. Barupeluao ba ile ba sebelisa liphihlelo tsa bona tsa thutho ho ruta saense ea tlhaho. Liphello li bonst’a ho haelloa ke matichere a saense ea tlhaho, mehaho le thepa. Ho khothalletsoa hore Muso le Lefapha la Thuto lo bone hore likolo li na le mehaho, lisebelisoa le matichere bakeng sa thuto le thutho e nepahetseng hammoho le ho fana ka lithupelo tse lekaneng bakeng sa ho ntlafatsa mekhoa ea matichere ea tlelase. / Die doel van die studie was om die klaskamerpraktyke van senior Fase Natuurwetenskappe-onderwysers in sommige skole van skole in die Vhembe-distrik te ondersoek. Kwantitatiewe gevallestudie-benadering was in diens en drie onderwysers het deelgeneem. Die volgende navorsingsvrae is ondersoek: Wat is die aard van die onderwyser se onderwyser kennis in die onderrig van Natuurwetenskappe? Wat is die aard van onderwyser se onderrigstrategiee in die onderrig van Natuurwetenskappe? Hoe vorm die onderwyser se kennis en onderrigstrategiee die onderwyser se klasinteraksie en-diskoers in die onderrig van Natuurwetenskappe? Onderhoude, waarnemings en vraelys wat gebruik word vir data-insameling. Deelnemers het hul onderrigervarings gebruik om Natuurwetenskappe te onderrig. Resultate dui op gebrek aan Natuurwetenskappeonderwysers, fasiliteite en-bronne. Dit word aanbeveel dat die regering en die Departement van Onderwys moet sien dat skole fasiliteite, hulpbronne en onderwysers het vir behoorlike onderrig en leer, asook voldoende werkwinkels om onderwysers se klaskamerpraktyke te verbeter. / Science and Technology Education / M. Ed. (Natural Science Education)

See the attached abstract below

MENVSC / Department of Ecology and Resource Management / The main objective of the study was to investigate the effectiveness of municipal solid waste management system, its potential implication in Vhembe District Municipality, South Africa and to recommend strategies for effective management of municipal solid waste in the district. To achieve this, structured questionnaires, interviews, field observations and focus group discussions were used to collect primary data within the district. The study focused on the four local municipalities: Makhado, Thulamela, Musina and Collins Chabane. Desktop study was also undertaken to gather secondary data by reviewing journals, technical reports, books and articles. The study adopted a mixed method approach comprising of triangulation of qualitative and quantitative design. The target groups of the study were selected through purposive sampling. The respondents in the study were 21 officials from local municipalities including directors, waste managers, superintendents, landfill supervisor and interns. Data was collected using focus group interviews and questionnaires and analysed using descriptive statistics which involve the presentation of numerical facts, or data, in either tables or graphs form. Municipalities in the district are producing a considerable amount of solid waste. Municipalities do not adhere to the existing guidelines on waste minimization at source, for example; they do not have zero waste strategy (3R) reduce, reuse and recycle, which is the highest priority of the National Waste Management Policy. Lack of the application of existing waste management policy leads to large amount of solid waste eventually ending up in landfill sites. The study recommends to municipalities to develop operational and monitoring waste management plans which will create continuous improvement on waste management. In the district, it was observed that the bulk of waste generated per month within municipalities is general waste comprising 64%, as compared to garden waste and building rubbles. There are no equipment and programs in place by municipalities to encourage waste separation at source, for example, municipalities do not have household‟s recyclable receptacles to encourage separation at source. Municipalities do not have weighbridge to quantify waste entering the site. It was observed that Thulamela and Collins Chabane Local municipalities create compost from garden waste received at the landfill sites, whereas Musina and Makhado Local Municipalities do not create compost from garden waste. Garden waste is dumped and compacted with other waste materials in the landfills. All municipalities should create compost from garden waste received at the landfill sites as it helps to extend the life span of the landfills because it v reduces the amount of waste to the landfill. There is lack of prioritization within municipalities, for example, in Makhado Local Municipality, when the new financial start, budget is allocated to other proposed projects by councilors as they consider waste management projects not a priority. It was observed that within the district, there is high level of illegal dumping in catchment areas and open spaces especially at Musina Local Municipality. Musina Local Municipality is using a quarry as disposal site which was not lined and it has led to contamination of underground water by leachate, whereas Thulamela, Collins Chabane and Makhado Local Municipalities are using lined landfill sites to avoid contamination of underground water. The available vehicles within the municipalities are not enough to meet the demand and some of them are too old, for example, tractors and trucks used by Makhado Local Municipality are 20 years old and they often breakdown, whereas Thulamela, Collins Chabane and Musina Local Municipalities are not using old vehicles as they auctioned old vehicles and bought new ones. Vhembe District Municipality should manage waste in accordance to the new approach of source separation, waste reduction, reuse and recycling by developing environmental awareness programmes supported by the placement of the recyclable receptacles at strategic points to collect recyclable materials which will reduce large amount of waste which eventually ends up in landfills. The study recommends that municipalities should have law enforcement structure which will create and enforce the laws/policies as it helps municipalities to implement effective waste management system and monitoring structure to monitor prioritization and budget allocation to avoid any wastage. Municipalities should have landfill monitoring committees to facilitate the compliance on the development and operation of the landfills to avoid the use of quarry as landfill sites. / NRF

PhD (Public Health) / Department of Public Health / Medical waste is a special type of hazardous waste generated from healthcare facilities. Mismanagement of this waste has a negative impact on healthcare workers, patients and their relatives, medical waste handlers and the community. South Africa, like many other developing countries, is resource-constrained in the management of medical waste and poor practices have been reported across the country, especially in the urban health facilities that have received more attention from researchers. This study was conducted to explore the practices and challenges of medical waste management in Vhembe District, a largely rural district in Limpopo province and develop intervention strategies for better management of the waste in the District. A convergent parallel approach of mixed method design was adopted to achieve the objectives of this study. The target population included the main stakeholders of medical waste management in the district: the Department of Health, healthcare facilities and the waste management company responsible for the treatment and disposal of medical waste in Limpopo Province. The study population from the Department of Health included representatives from the medical waste management section while the waste management company was represented by the manager of the company in Limpopo Province. The samples for the healthcare facilities were drawn from fifteen randomly selected healthcare facilities in the district and included the administrative heads, medical waste generators and medical waste handlers. The study was conducted in three phases. Phase 1 was a qualitative study during which the administrative heads of the selected healthcare facilities, personnel directly involved in medical waste management at the healthcare facilities as well as the representatives from the Department of Health and waste management company were engaged in in-depth interviews. This phase also involved voice recording, observations, field documentation and taking of relevant pictures. Thematic content analysis was used to analyze the data obtained. During phase 2 (quantitative study), a semi-structured questionnaire was employed for data collection from medical waste generators and handlers at the healthcare facilities. A total of 229 questionnaires were retrieved from the participants and were analyzed with the Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 25.0. Descriptive statistical analyses were performed; Chi-square and Cramer’s V tests were used to determine the associations between dependent and independent variables, as well as the strength of association where significant relationships exist. Statistical significant level was set at p<0.05 and the results are presented in tables and graphs. The results from both phases were interpreted and discussed simultaneously. Respondents and participants were assured of anonymity of their identities and confidentiality of the information they provided. They were given adequate information about the study and only those who volunteered participated in the study after appending their signatures on the informed consent form. In phase 3, the Medical Research Council Framework was used to develop intervention strategies for improved medical waste management in Vhembe District based on the Strength, Weakness, Opportunity and Threat (SWOT) and Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Environmental and Legal (PESTEL) analysis techniques. The study revealed inefficient practices of medical waste management in all the healthcare facilities. Rate of medical waste generation was 338.15kg/day, 19.2kg/day and 15.5kg/day of HCRW from the hospitals, community health centers and clinics respectively. Segregation practices were poor, and only 28.4% of respondents rated their healthcare institutions as being excellent with medical waste segregation. The type of occupation was found to be significantly associated with exposure to training (p=0.000) and the level of knowledge about medical waste management (p=0.000). Also, the use of personal protective equipment was found to be significantly associated with training (p=0.011). Transportation and temporary storage were not done according to the recommendation in the guidelines and incineration was the main means of treatment of the waste. The final product of waste treatment is being disposed into an hazardous waste landfill. The challenges encountered in the process of managing medical waste include lack of adequate funding and budget for medical waste management, ineffective and irregular training of healthcare workers, non-compliance to medical waste management guidelines, insufficient bins, substandard central storage rooms, insufficient personal protective equipment and unavailability of Hepatitis B vaccine. The strength, weakness, opportunities and threats of medical waste management in Vhembe District were analyzed and specific intervention strategies were developed to improve on the strength, minimize the weakness, take advantage of the opportunity and combat the threats. The developed strategies were validated. This study provides the evidences of poor management of medical waste in Vhembe District, and shows the need for urgent intervention measures to be put in place. We therefore recommend that the intervention strategies proposed here be evaluated and implemented to mitigate the untoward effects of poor medical waste management among healthcare workers and the community as a whole. / NRF

PhD (Geography) / Department of Geography and Geo- Information Sciences / One of the major challenges facing all categories of farmers globally is climate change. African smallholder farmers are the most vulnerable to changes in climate. In most parts of South Africa, empirical evidence indicates the level to which climate change has impacted negatively on agricultural production. Rising temperatures, prolonged drought and decreasing rainfall have affected local farmers’ livelihood and crop production. In the Vhembe District of South Africa’s Limpopo Province, smallholder farming predominates and its vulnerability to climate change has increased for the past decades. This study, therefore, assesses the impact of climate change and adaptation strategies on smallholder farming systems in the Vhembe District To achieve this aim, qualitative and quantitative research methodologies were employed. A questionnaire was administered to a sample of 224 smallholder farmers to elicit data on perceptions; climate change impacts, adaptation and IKS based strategies to deal with climatic shocks. Focus group discussions (FGDs), semi-structured interviews with the extension officers elicited thematic data that complemented the interview survey. Climate data were obtained from the South Africa Weather Service (SAWS) for the period 1980 to 2015. Smallholder farmers’ perceptions about climate change were validated by an analysis of climatic trends from 1980-2015. A thematic analysis of qualitative data and the Multi Nominal Logit (MNL) regression model was used based on socio-economic and biophysical attributes such as access to climate knowledge, gender, farm size, education level, and farmers’ experience, decreasing rainfall and increasing temperature as farmers’ determinants of their adaptation options to climate change. Furthermore, farmers’ perceptions tallied well with climatic trends that showed flood and drought cycles. Most of the smallholder farmers were aware of climate change and its impacts over the past decades. The study further indicated that, due to the marked climate change over this period, farmers have adopted different coping strategies at on-farm and off-farm levels. In terms of adaptation, the major adaptive strategies used by smallholder farmers included the use of drought-tolerant seeds; planting of short-seasoned crops; crop diversification; changing planting dates; irrigation and migrating to urban areas. The study recommends a framework that would include water conservation (rainfall harvesting); investment in irrigation schemes and other smart technologies that integrate indigenous knowledge systems and modern scientific knowledge to enhance crop production. / NRF

MA (Linguistics) / Department of Communication and Applied Languages Studies / The question of the use of languages in radio broadcasting is of particular importance in multilingual communities in Vhembe district of Limpopo province. The Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) issues broadcasting licenses, and further regulates conditions of implementation of these licenses. The purpose of this study is to explore the extent to which community radio stations in Vhembe district adhere to ICASA language policies and guidelines stipulated in their licenses. Literature was drawn from government language policy documents (Acts, rules and regulations), broadcasting legislative framework manuals (ICASA), government gazettes, books, journals, magazines, and newspapers. The design for the study is exploratory, whereas the target population comprised of seven (7) community radio stations, fifteen (15) radio programmes, and station managers of community radio stations in the Vhembe district. Purposive sampling was used to select three community radio stations, three programmes per station and station manager of each sampled station. Non-participant observation, documents analysis and tape recorder were used as instruments for data collection, whereby the researcher observed, recorded a total of (nine) 9 talk format programmes. The researcher further analysed documents (broadcasting licenses and programme schedules), from sampled radio stations, to examine stipulated language quotas by ICASA. Lastly, the researcher employed unstructured interviews to collect data from the station managers of community radio stations, in the Vhembe district. The sampled data was analysed through qualitative content analysis and interpreted subsequently. Findings from data analysis determined that community radio stations partially adhere to the policies stipulated in their licenses. / NRF