Exploring expansive learning and co-management in the uMzimvumbu catchment
- Authors: Kuze, Mzukisi
- Date: 2024-04-05
- Subjects: Uncatalogued
- Language: English
- Type: Academic theses , Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/436547 , vital:73281 , DOI 10.21504/10962/436547
- Description: South Africa is a water-stressed country which is currently confronting numerous water challenges which include security of supply, degradation of ecological infrastructure, poor landscape governance and resource pollution. These are compounded by built infrastructure, which is ageing, an increasing population and the impact of climate change. South Africa’s water issues are influenced by a myriad of factors such as weather patterns, governance issues, historical apartheid policies, structural integrity of ecological and built infrastructure, and general provision of services. The most vulnerable members of society usually positioned in low-income communities are the ones who mostly bear the brunt of these harsh conditions. To address water insecurities and challenges, South Africa has defined several Strategic Water Source Areas (SWSAs), which are important for water security in South Africa. The Living Catchments Project (LCP) is a collaborative project, situated in four catchments in South Africa, with the aim to strengthen the enabling environment for the governance of water in South Africa’s strategic water resource areas. The central focus of the LCP is on co-learning and co-creation through communities of practice in order to enable, collaborate, and amplify the practice of transformative social learning and improve the policy advice practice and engagement with the water sector to contribute to the Water Research, Development and Innovation (RDI) Roadmap. This study is positioned in the LCP, which is also a case study for transformative innovation policy and Just Transitioning in South Africa. The aim of this study was to address the need for more substantive understanding of learning in co-management, and the evaluation of such learning, which was identified as a gap in the scientific literature, and which was confirmed through policy review. The study set out to explore expansive learning and co-management in the uMzimvubu catchment, which is one of the SWSAs in South Africa and forms part of the LCP, which in turn is part of the Transformation Innovation Policy Consortium’s cases of Just Transitioning. Cultural History Activity Theory (CHAT) was the foundational theory of this research, with a particular focus on 3rd generation activity analysis (Engeström, 1987), and formative intervention methodology, in which I was positioned as a formative interventionist researcher. I used individual interviews, focus group interviews, field observations, and Change Laboratory methods to identify activity systems, the shared object of activity, and to engage multi-voiced participants in resolution of contradictions to expand their learning. The study also identified indicators of learning relevant to co-management in a LCPs context. Monitoring of learning occurred in two different phases; before the expansive learning process (A-view), and after the expansive learning process (B-view). The Value Creation Framework tool adapted from Wenger et al. (2011) was used to identify indicators of learning. This study shows that the object of co-management of water resources in a catchment can be enhanced through learning platforms and processes that are collaborative and expansive. One of the study’s contributions to new knowledge lies in relation to the expansive learning process and how it expanded the learning around co-management in a Living Catchments Project context. A second contribution of the study shows that the expansive learning process embarked on qualitatively changed the nature of the indicators of learning in the catchment. A better set of indicators was attained following the expansive learning process, which are more aligned with the nature of transformative social learning. The study’s contributions can be summarised as offering insights into learning processes for co-management, as well as evaluation of these learning processes. Although the contributions emerging from this study may be at niche level innovation in the framing of Just Transitions, they have a potential to inform other catchments, where multi-actors are working together on co-management of water resources to secure water provision, as was the case for the uMzimvubu catchment communities who participated in this study. , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Education, Secondary and Post School Education, 2024
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2024-04-05
- Authors: Kuze, Mzukisi
- Date: 2024-04-05
- Subjects: Uncatalogued
- Language: English
- Type: Academic theses , Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/436547 , vital:73281 , DOI 10.21504/10962/436547
- Description: South Africa is a water-stressed country which is currently confronting numerous water challenges which include security of supply, degradation of ecological infrastructure, poor landscape governance and resource pollution. These are compounded by built infrastructure, which is ageing, an increasing population and the impact of climate change. South Africa’s water issues are influenced by a myriad of factors such as weather patterns, governance issues, historical apartheid policies, structural integrity of ecological and built infrastructure, and general provision of services. The most vulnerable members of society usually positioned in low-income communities are the ones who mostly bear the brunt of these harsh conditions. To address water insecurities and challenges, South Africa has defined several Strategic Water Source Areas (SWSAs), which are important for water security in South Africa. The Living Catchments Project (LCP) is a collaborative project, situated in four catchments in South Africa, with the aim to strengthen the enabling environment for the governance of water in South Africa’s strategic water resource areas. The central focus of the LCP is on co-learning and co-creation through communities of practice in order to enable, collaborate, and amplify the practice of transformative social learning and improve the policy advice practice and engagement with the water sector to contribute to the Water Research, Development and Innovation (RDI) Roadmap. This study is positioned in the LCP, which is also a case study for transformative innovation policy and Just Transitioning in South Africa. The aim of this study was to address the need for more substantive understanding of learning in co-management, and the evaluation of such learning, which was identified as a gap in the scientific literature, and which was confirmed through policy review. The study set out to explore expansive learning and co-management in the uMzimvubu catchment, which is one of the SWSAs in South Africa and forms part of the LCP, which in turn is part of the Transformation Innovation Policy Consortium’s cases of Just Transitioning. Cultural History Activity Theory (CHAT) was the foundational theory of this research, with a particular focus on 3rd generation activity analysis (Engeström, 1987), and formative intervention methodology, in which I was positioned as a formative interventionist researcher. I used individual interviews, focus group interviews, field observations, and Change Laboratory methods to identify activity systems, the shared object of activity, and to engage multi-voiced participants in resolution of contradictions to expand their learning. The study also identified indicators of learning relevant to co-management in a LCPs context. Monitoring of learning occurred in two different phases; before the expansive learning process (A-view), and after the expansive learning process (B-view). The Value Creation Framework tool adapted from Wenger et al. (2011) was used to identify indicators of learning. This study shows that the object of co-management of water resources in a catchment can be enhanced through learning platforms and processes that are collaborative and expansive. One of the study’s contributions to new knowledge lies in relation to the expansive learning process and how it expanded the learning around co-management in a Living Catchments Project context. A second contribution of the study shows that the expansive learning process embarked on qualitatively changed the nature of the indicators of learning in the catchment. A better set of indicators was attained following the expansive learning process, which are more aligned with the nature of transformative social learning. The study’s contributions can be summarised as offering insights into learning processes for co-management, as well as evaluation of these learning processes. Although the contributions emerging from this study may be at niche level innovation in the framing of Just Transitions, they have a potential to inform other catchments, where multi-actors are working together on co-management of water resources to secure water provision, as was the case for the uMzimvubu catchment communities who participated in this study. , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Education, Secondary and Post School Education, 2024
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2024-04-05
Application of the modified pitman and swat models for groundwater recharge estimation in the upstream area of the Uitenhage artesian basin, South Africa
- Authors: Wasswa, Peter
- Date: 2024-04-04
- Subjects: Uncatalogued
- Language: English
- Type: Academic theses , Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/435400 , vital:73154
- Description: The world's most plentiful source of freshwater is thought to be groundwater. During extended dry times, it serves as an essential storage component and guards against environmental catastrophes. Despite its critical functions in the aforementioned scenarios, it is often insufficiently understood and inadequately managed. As a result, it calls for the adoption of integrated methods to comprehend the dynamics of groundwater recharge. Thus, the current study evaluated the applicability and suitability of the Modified Pitman and SWAT models for groundwater recharge estimation in the upstream area of UAB for the period that spanned from 1993 to 2021. It was achieved by using a qualitative conceptual-perceptual model to inform the two hydrological models, Modified Pitman, and SWAT. The developed qualitative conceptual-perceptual model depicted the dominancy of irregularly folded and fractured TMG rock outcrops coupled with fault systems in the upstream area. In the downward section, TMG is overlaid by the aquiclude from the Uitenhage Group which is responsible for the artesian conditions. Groundwater potential zones were classified as Poor, Fair, Good, and Excellent, with 65.4% and 8.7% of the upstream area attributed to Good and Excellent zones respectively. Both Modified Pitman and SWAT predicted decreasing rates of groundwater recharge in the upstream area over time, though Mann-Kendal trend tests done at 5% signifance level depicted significant decreasing rates in SWAT predicted recharge compared to Modified Pitman predicted recharge. The two models did also predict recharge and other water balance components with differing peaks, lows and timings. Modified Pitman predicted mean annual recharge of 63.3-92.8 mm where as SWAT predicted mean annual recharge of 14.4-182.8 mm. In reference to earlier findings within TMG areas, estimated percentages of groundwater recharge were close to those simulated by both Pitman and SWAT models. Modified Pitman and SWAT models appear to both be reasonable tools to estimate recharge in TMG setting, producing relatively similar results to one another and to other regional estimates. Since the current study estimated low recharge rates (Modified Pitman; ~9.3-13.6% MAP), (SWAT; ~2.1-26.7% MAP) which are close to those predicted in other TMG areas, the study recommends exercising caution when developing a water supply strategy in the current study area. The recharge rates within the pertinent recharging areas should be considered when designing and sitting abstraction points such as boreholes and a sustainable abstraction rate in any one borehole for improved sustainable management of groundwater resources. , Thesis (MSc) -- Faculty of Science, Institute for Water Research, 2024
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2024-04-04
- Authors: Wasswa, Peter
- Date: 2024-04-04
- Subjects: Uncatalogued
- Language: English
- Type: Academic theses , Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/435400 , vital:73154
- Description: The world's most plentiful source of freshwater is thought to be groundwater. During extended dry times, it serves as an essential storage component and guards against environmental catastrophes. Despite its critical functions in the aforementioned scenarios, it is often insufficiently understood and inadequately managed. As a result, it calls for the adoption of integrated methods to comprehend the dynamics of groundwater recharge. Thus, the current study evaluated the applicability and suitability of the Modified Pitman and SWAT models for groundwater recharge estimation in the upstream area of UAB for the period that spanned from 1993 to 2021. It was achieved by using a qualitative conceptual-perceptual model to inform the two hydrological models, Modified Pitman, and SWAT. The developed qualitative conceptual-perceptual model depicted the dominancy of irregularly folded and fractured TMG rock outcrops coupled with fault systems in the upstream area. In the downward section, TMG is overlaid by the aquiclude from the Uitenhage Group which is responsible for the artesian conditions. Groundwater potential zones were classified as Poor, Fair, Good, and Excellent, with 65.4% and 8.7% of the upstream area attributed to Good and Excellent zones respectively. Both Modified Pitman and SWAT predicted decreasing rates of groundwater recharge in the upstream area over time, though Mann-Kendal trend tests done at 5% signifance level depicted significant decreasing rates in SWAT predicted recharge compared to Modified Pitman predicted recharge. The two models did also predict recharge and other water balance components with differing peaks, lows and timings. Modified Pitman predicted mean annual recharge of 63.3-92.8 mm where as SWAT predicted mean annual recharge of 14.4-182.8 mm. In reference to earlier findings within TMG areas, estimated percentages of groundwater recharge were close to those simulated by both Pitman and SWAT models. Modified Pitman and SWAT models appear to both be reasonable tools to estimate recharge in TMG setting, producing relatively similar results to one another and to other regional estimates. Since the current study estimated low recharge rates (Modified Pitman; ~9.3-13.6% MAP), (SWAT; ~2.1-26.7% MAP) which are close to those predicted in other TMG areas, the study recommends exercising caution when developing a water supply strategy in the current study area. The recharge rates within the pertinent recharging areas should be considered when designing and sitting abstraction points such as boreholes and a sustainable abstraction rate in any one borehole for improved sustainable management of groundwater resources. , Thesis (MSc) -- Faculty of Science, Institute for Water Research, 2024
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2024-04-04
Lemons or Lemonade? Examining the economic and social outcomes of engaging in the export-driven citrus value chain of South Africa for selected commercial citrus farmers and farm workers in the Raymond Mhlaba Municipal District, Eastern Cape
- Authors: Sizani, Simbulele
- Date: 2024-04-04
- Subjects: Uncatalogued
- Language: English
- Type: Academic theses , Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/435553 , vital:73168
- Description: This study examines the economic and social outcomes of participating in a global citrus value chain for selected commercial farmers and farm workers in Raymond Mhlaba Municipal District in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. A global chain refers to international production sharing through cross-border trade. Multilateral organizations (and some prominent global chain scholars) that support neoliberal economic globalization perceive global chains as ideal channels of economic and social upgrading for participants, particularly those from the global South. From the abovementioned perspective, global chains enhance efficiency through inter-firm relations that promote the distribution of technology and access to capital, thus leading to economic and social upgrading in developing countries. Economic upgrading, on the one hand, can briefly be described as the movement of supplier firms from lower to higher-value activities in global chains. Social upgrading, on the other hand, is the improvement of employment conditions and outcomes of workers employed by supplier firms at the production node of global chains. This study adopts the dual theoretical framework (Global Chain Framework and Labour Process Theory) proposed by Newsome, Taylor, Bair and Rainnie (2015) in their seminal book ‘Putting Labour in its Place: Labour Process Analysis and Global Value Chains’. This dual framework is ideal because it conceptualizes the spheres of trade exchange and production, which are the primary research sites of this study. Qualitative research methods were adopted and utilized to collect and analyse data in this study. These methods were ideal for this study, as they captured the subjective accounts of the selected commercial citrus farmers and farm workers in the Raymond Mhlaba Municipal District in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. The findings in this study showed that the outcomes of these selected commercial citrus farmers and farm workers in this region are variegated, meaning that, there is evidence of economic upgrading, social upgrading and social downgrading as well. Amongst farm workers in the region, only a small group of (mostly older male) farm workers enjoyed social upgrading, whilst the majority of seasonal (mostly female) farm workers experiences social downgrading. The findings in this study showed that the variegated economic and social outcomes of the selected commercial farmers and farm workers were primarily determined by their economic class and position within the citrus value chain of South Africa. These findings highlight the importance of positionality in determining the fate of participants in global chains. , Thesis (MA) -- Faculty of Humanities, Sociology, 2024
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2024-04-04
- Authors: Sizani, Simbulele
- Date: 2024-04-04
- Subjects: Uncatalogued
- Language: English
- Type: Academic theses , Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/435553 , vital:73168
- Description: This study examines the economic and social outcomes of participating in a global citrus value chain for selected commercial farmers and farm workers in Raymond Mhlaba Municipal District in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. A global chain refers to international production sharing through cross-border trade. Multilateral organizations (and some prominent global chain scholars) that support neoliberal economic globalization perceive global chains as ideal channels of economic and social upgrading for participants, particularly those from the global South. From the abovementioned perspective, global chains enhance efficiency through inter-firm relations that promote the distribution of technology and access to capital, thus leading to economic and social upgrading in developing countries. Economic upgrading, on the one hand, can briefly be described as the movement of supplier firms from lower to higher-value activities in global chains. Social upgrading, on the other hand, is the improvement of employment conditions and outcomes of workers employed by supplier firms at the production node of global chains. This study adopts the dual theoretical framework (Global Chain Framework and Labour Process Theory) proposed by Newsome, Taylor, Bair and Rainnie (2015) in their seminal book ‘Putting Labour in its Place: Labour Process Analysis and Global Value Chains’. This dual framework is ideal because it conceptualizes the spheres of trade exchange and production, which are the primary research sites of this study. Qualitative research methods were adopted and utilized to collect and analyse data in this study. These methods were ideal for this study, as they captured the subjective accounts of the selected commercial citrus farmers and farm workers in the Raymond Mhlaba Municipal District in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. The findings in this study showed that the outcomes of these selected commercial citrus farmers and farm workers in this region are variegated, meaning that, there is evidence of economic upgrading, social upgrading and social downgrading as well. Amongst farm workers in the region, only a small group of (mostly older male) farm workers enjoyed social upgrading, whilst the majority of seasonal (mostly female) farm workers experiences social downgrading. The findings in this study showed that the variegated economic and social outcomes of the selected commercial farmers and farm workers were primarily determined by their economic class and position within the citrus value chain of South Africa. These findings highlight the importance of positionality in determining the fate of participants in global chains. , Thesis (MA) -- Faculty of Humanities, Sociology, 2024
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2024-04-04
Social justice implications of the language of the court judgment genre and its development in pre- and post-independence Zimbabwe
- Authors: Nemaramba, Dylan
- Date: 2024-04-04
- Subjects: Uncatalogued
- Language: English
- Type: Academic theses , Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/435605 , vital:73172
- Description: Access restricted. Expected release in 2026. , Thesis (PhD) -- Humanities, Linguistics and Applied Language Studies, 2024
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2024-04-04
- Authors: Nemaramba, Dylan
- Date: 2024-04-04
- Subjects: Uncatalogued
- Language: English
- Type: Academic theses , Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/435605 , vital:73172
- Description: Access restricted. Expected release in 2026. , Thesis (PhD) -- Humanities, Linguistics and Applied Language Studies, 2024
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2024-04-04
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