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Recent Submissions

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    The socio-economic and environmental consequences of abandoned coal mines in Jackaroo Park, eMalahleni Municipality, Mpumalanga Province in South Africa
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Phetla, Johanna Carelady; Watson, Ingrid
    The abandonment of coal mines in Jackaroo Park, eMalahleni Municipality, Mpumalanga Province, South Africa, has led to severe socio-economic and environmental challenges. However, there remains a paucity in scientific understanding of the extent of the impacts with a view to inform the development of effective remediation strategies and policy measures to alleviate the ongoing adverse effects of abandoned mines and promote sustainable development of surrounding communities. This study examines the socio-economic and environmental consequences of abandoned coal mines in Jackaroo Park. The study employed a mixed-methods approach, incorporating qualitative data from document analysis and interviews with community members, local leaders, and policymakers, as well as quantitative data from assessment of water parameters and environmental observations. The results reveal severe social, economic and environmental impacts including soil and water contamination, loss of biodiversity, and air quality deterioration, decrease in employment and investment opportunities, increase in criminal activities, decrease in the value of the houses, and disrupting traditional ways of living and, loss of cultural heritage. Moreover, the research observed that the current government policies and rehabilitation efforts are not effectively addressing the social, economic and environmental challenges being experienced in Jackaroo Park. The major policy and action gaps include lack of rehabilitation and closure, lack of comprehensive data and monitoring and the proliferation of illegal mining activities, among others. The study emphasizes the importance of community involvement and stakeholder collaboration in mitigating the adverse impacts of abandoned coal mines and promoting sustainable development in mining regions. The study contributes to the broader discourse on the environmental and socio-economic sustainability of post-mining landscapes, offering valuable insights for policymakers, environmentalists, and community advocates seeking to address the legacy of coal mining in South Africa and beyond.
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    Lithostratigraphic modelling and framework of the Karoo coal and non-bearing strata in the Waterberg coalfield, South Africa
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024-07) Mavanyisi, Ntsako Salthiel Gester
    The Waterberg Coalfield is located 340 km in the north-western part of South Africa, in Limpopo Province, north-west of Johannesburg, north of the Waterberg Mountains. It extends westwards into Botswana, joining the Kalahari Karoo Basin. The study involved 3D lithostratigraphic facies modelling, interpretations of coal seam geometry, structural interpretations, and coal and non-coal seam grid analyses (thickness and quality) at the Waterberg Coalfield. This approach presents additional information on the characteristics of the coalfield, supporting findings and theories proposed in previous research work, by bringing three dimensional visualization and interpretation. Sparsely distributed boreholes (757), comprising lithological units, defined coal and non-coal zones with laboratory sample analyses were used as the building blocks of the 3D lithostratigraphic facies model using GEOVIA MinexTM 6.1.1 geological modelling software. The coal analyses were displayed and processed in ESRI® ArcGISTM 10.2 software. Using these industry-recognised software applications, processing, interpretation, and presentation of the geological data was achievable. Coal and non-coal zone thicknesses, quality distributions, cross-sections depicting geometries of the sedimentary strata, and stratigraphy of the Waterberg Coalfield were created and interpreted. The bituminous coal analysed is highly shaley and of a low grade; with raw qualities on weighted average - Calorific Value: 9.77MJ/kg; Inherent Moisture: 2.06%; Ash: 45.63%; Volatile Matter: 21.59%; Fixed Carbon: 25.49%; Total Sulphur: 0.93% and Phosphorus: 0.02%. The model reveals that the Waterberg Coalfield experienced more structural disturbance than initially postulated. Post depositional, delineated upthrow and downthrow faults 1 to 7, occurring much deeper into the Waterberg Coalfield, were identified from the cross-sections and isopach maps. Multiple step faults and folds occur throughout the coalfield, subdividing it into deeper central blocks and shallower outer edge blocks.
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    Characterisation of the geothermal waters of South Africa
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2025-02) Safi, Musarrat; Drennan, Gillian; Masindi, Khuliso
    The lack of active volcanism in South Africa gives the impression that there are no geothermal energy sources. Conversely, there are 41 known geothermal water sites which are surface manifestations of geothermal energy in South Africa. By characterising the geothermal waters for their hydrochemical properties it is possible to investigate their potential as energy sources. Prior to the current investigation, there was insufficient regional data to properly characterise the geothermal waters as the South African energy nexus excluded geothermal energy. This research presents the hydrochemical characterisation of the 41 geothermal waters of South Africa against the backdrop of their geological settings. Their physical properties (temperature, pH, electrical conductivity, salinity) were measured at the source. Chemical analyses (Cl-, HCO3-, SO42-, Na+, Ca+, Mg2+, K+, and Fe2+, SiO2) were conducted using induced coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometer. Stable isotopes (δO18 and δD) and radiogenic isotope-tritium were analysed using an isotope ratio mass spectrometer and laser water isotope analyser, respectively. The results showed that the geothermal waters in South Africa are located in three main geological settings 1) basement/crystalline rock types, 2) orogenic belts and 3) intracratonic basins. Most of the geothermal waters display varying temperatures (25°C (Cradock) to 61°C (Brandvlei)), pH (3.5 (Badsfontein and Aliwal) to 9 (Warmbath1)) and electrical conductivity (2 μS/cm (Bricks) to 4930 μS/cm (Riemvasmaak). Four types of geothermal waters were identified in order of decreasing abundance, Na-Cl, mixed, Mg-HCO3 and Na-HCO3 waters. Most of these geothermal waters exhibit silicate weathering, partial equilibration and appear to be associated with a seawater signature. The isotope signatures confirm that the geothermal waters are of meteoric origin and are mostly older than 70 years. This study established that 20 out of the 41 geothermal water sites have low to medium enthalpy ranges of 432 to 624 kJ/kg, that could be harnessed for power generation. Furthermore, it was estimated that waters between 1.6 and 2.7 km deep are likely to reach temperatures ranging between 102°C and 148°C. Most of the favourable sites are associated with the basement/crystalline Archean granites and gneisses, and orogenic belts such as the Limpopo Mobile Belt (associated with Soutpansberg and Waterberg Groups), and the Namaqua Natal Province.
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    On Sovereign Risk and the Financial System in South Africa
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2025) Mamburu, Mulalo; Farrell, Greg
    Local-currency government bonds have emerged as the predominant source of financing for emerging-market sovereigns. While the development of these markets has enhanced the resilience of emerging markets to external shocks, it has also introduced new vulnerabilities. Among these, sovereign default risk on local currency-denominated debt is becoming increasingly relevant as the indebtedness of emerging-market governments such as South Africa’s increases, especially after the Covid-related fiscal shocks of 2020. As such, there has been growing interest in the impact of government debt and sovereign risk on the financial system. However, much of the work analysing sovereign default risk in emerging markets still relies on measures that are based on their foreign-currency denominated debt, despite the dominance of local-currency bond issuance. In this thesis, I explore local currency sovereign risk and its influence on the financial system in South Africa. Using a local-currency measure of sovereign risk, I explore three specific questions. First, I examine the role of sovereign and exchange rate risk as drivers of changes in nominal government bond yields in South Africa. Second, I consider the impact of government bond holdings and sovereign risk on emerging- market bank valuations and performance. Lastly, I analyse interactions between fiscal and monetary policy, first in a panel of emerging markets and then in South Africa specifically. The findings of my thesis have implications for emerging markets in general. I find that increases in sovereign risk have adverse impacts on government borrowing costs, the banking system, bondholders, and the monetary authority. Furthermore, the spillovers that the financial system experiences from sovereign risk are largely a function of the level of exposure to sovereign debt.
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    Vicarious Liability and Corporate Groups
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2025) Mafulela, Tulani Musawenkosi; Zitzke, Emile
    The corporate form of modern businesses has travelled a long way since a royal charter enacted by parliament was required to start a company. Today, technological advances, the law, and management have made it easy to start, scale, and manage even large, complex multinational corporations (MNCs). Many of these MNCs have adopted corporate groups as part of the preferred methods of organising global enterprise. The reach, size, and breadth of the activities of MNCs and their affiliates are unprecedented in modern history. Some of these advances are laudable for their overall increase in goods and services. However, MNCs are also creating an ever-increasing adverse effect on human rights including harms of a delictual nature. As it stands, there is a lack of consensus about how best to respond to the legal challenges MNCs present. There is an ineffective patchwork of soft law guidelines, international law, regional law, and state laws that regulate MNCs. All these guidelines and laws largely fail to give adequate legal recourse to delictual harms caused by MNC activities. The Bhopal gas leak disaster in India on 2 December 1984 aptly represents the challenge of bringing MNCs to account for delictual harms. In this thesis, I inquire into how the law of delict ought to respond to the unique position in which delict claimants find themselves concerning harms committed by MNCs that operate in corporate groups. Such an inquiry should not be confined within the law of delict. There are complex questions about how the law of delict must interact with international and especially private international law principles brought about by the cross-border nature of the delictual harms. There are further questions of how delict interacts with corporate law, legislation, the common law, and most importantly, the transformative Constitution of the Republic of South Africa. In this thesis, I evaluate the relevant provisions of the Constitution, company law and the law of delict to determine how we might hold corporate groups accountable for delicts. The result is a proposal for the constitutionally-inspired development of the common law of vicarious liability that would enable victims to hold parent companies liable for the delicts of their subsidiaries