Browsing by Author "Mangoro, Ngonidzashe"

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A geographical analysis of the impacts of construction and demolition waste on wetland functionality in South Africa: a study of Gauteng province
(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024-09) Mangoro, Ngonidzashe; Kubanza, Nzalalemba Serge; Mulala, Danny Simatele
The purpose of this study was to investigate construction and demolition waste management processes in sub-Saharan Africa and how they affect wetland ecosystems, using South Africa as a case study. Construction and demolition (CDW) waste has become a massive urban environmental challenge on a global scale, but more so in developing countries found in sub-Saharan Africa. In the context of South Africa, construction and demolition waste is not a waste stream taken seriously by local and national authorities because it is ‘general waste that does not pose an immediate threat to the environment. This position is premised on the idea that construction and demolition waste is generally inert (chemically inactive) and therefore cannot cause an immediate environmental risk. In this study, it is argued that the environmental risk of waste goes beyond the embedded chemical constituencies because some waste streams can cause immediate environmental risk through their physical properties depending on the location of disposal. It is further argued that although CDW is generally inert, disposal in wetlands immediately disrupts the way wetland ecosystem’s function, causing several environmental risks. To mitigate the environmental threats posed by construction and demolition waste, this study proposes a change in the methodological approaches and strategies deployed to manage the waste stream, such as by introducing a hybrid of circular economy and industrial ecology to minimize or eliminate waste production. This study involved several data collection and analysis methods. Using a combination of qualitative and quantitative studies methods, data was collected with the goal to understand the perceptions of experts on how construction and demolition waste management in South Africa affects wetland ecosystems and what can be done to effectively manage the waste stream in the context of a developing country. Data informing this study were collected through semi-structured interviews and surveys in the province of Gauteng, specifically in the City of Johannesburg and City of Ekurhuleni Municipalities, where there is massive illegal dumping in wetlands for various reasons. Furthermore, apart from the use of semi-structured interviews and surveys, a digital elevation model was generated in ArcGIS Pro 10.1 software to measure the effects of construction and demolition waste on wetlands in the study area. The approach to this study using both qualitative and quantitative methods was crucial because it provided human perceptions which were accurately corroborated by GIS software. The study found that construction and demolition waste management in South Africa is affected by several challenges that lead to massive illegal dumping in critical ecological ecosystems such as wetlands. In a broad sense, the major challenge to sustainable construction and demolition waste management in South Africa is institutional failure at both the local and national levels. Local authorities such as municipalities are characterized by massive corruption, poor funding, and lack of strategic technologies among other things, while at the national level, there is massive interference with municipal affairs through bureaucratic delays in the disbursement of municipal funds. A combination of these and other factors leads to illegal dumping of construction and demolition waste across the Gauteng Province, particularly in wetlands in low-income areas. The data informing this study reveals that dumping construction and demolition waste in wetlands causes an immediate threat to the existence of wetlands through massive sedimentation with insoluble materials. It is ultimately found that construction and demolition waste destroy the ability of wetlands to offer ecosystem services such as flood attenuation, carbon sequestration, water filtration, and habitat provision, among other functions, leading to environmental events such as flooding. A combination of circular economy and industrial ecology can be one of the ways that can be deployed to effectively and sustainably manage construction and demolition waste in South Africa. The circular economy and its three principles of ‘reduce’, ‘recycle’, and ‘reuse’ has been successfully deployed in developed countries in the European Union, where recycling has topped 70% of the total construction waste generated. Industrial ecology with its analogy of industrial ecoparks has been deployed in the European Union with immense success, until more attention was directed to circular economy. With an increase in municipal funding and introduction of a construction waste information system, a combination of ‘circular economy’ and ‘industrial ecology’ can significantly help to reduce pressure on wetlands and the environment at large. Even though the methodological improvements suggested above could significantly reduce pressure on wetlands, the implementation could be faced with institutional challenges. Therefore, it is argued that urgent institutional transformation is required to make tangible changes in the field of construction and demolition waste management. It is recommended that there should be increased law enforcement to curb widespread illegal dumping in South Africa’s major cities. It is also recommended that, like in Europe, South Africa must introduce tailor-made legislation of policies for construction and demolition waste alone. Promulgation of dedicated legislation provides clear direction on how the waste stream is managed and who is responsible for specific roles. Furthermore, dedicated legislation can be a crucial tool to deliver sustainable construction and demolition waste management in South Africa because it can be used to encourage the use of recycled aggregates and limit the amount of illegal dumping or extraction of materials from the environment. Finally, dedicated construction and demolition waste legislation can be used to shift from the traditional view of pollution or contamination through toxicity, and so the value of this study is immediately apparent.
An archaeological investigation of an early Sotho Tswana site in the Rustenburg area, North West Province of South Africa
(2018) Mangoro, Ngonidzashe
The study compares the satellite site Selonskraal South with Molokwane, the main site located less than two kilometres to its north. The comparison focuses on spatial layout and distribution using a Remote Sensing method of Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR DEM). The comparison also incorporates the material culture which was obtained through archaeological excavations of a midden at the summit of the hill. The excavated pottery was analysed through multi-dimensional analyses and X-Ray Fluorescence while the faunal material was analysed through the taxonomic method. Dates from excavated charcoal suggest an early 17th century occupation. These preliminary studies at the site revealed that Selonskraal South is predominantly spatially similar to Molokwane as suggested by the organisation of settlement/ cluster units as well as the excavated material culture. However, Selonskraal South has some unique architecture in the form of rectilinear structures located at the summit and the foot of the hill to the east.
Sustainable solid waste management in South Africa: a study of the people’s perceptions on the impact of solid waste management on human health and the environment in the informal settlement of Diepsloot, Johannesburg, South Africa
(2021) Mangoro, Ngonidzashe
Solid Waste Management (SWM) has become a monumental human health and environmental risk world over, particularly in the Developing countries. Governments, led by environmentalists are frantically trying to mitigate this global catastrophe but the battle promises to surge due to increasing production of goods and booming populations, particularly in Developing countries. As such, governments are adopting expensive state of the art technologies to minimise waste on landfills. Communities in localities where waste is poorly managed can be a credible source of information with regards to the actual situation on the ground. However, when governments adopt the aforementioned technologies, they tend to overlook the valuable insights that can be derived through studying the communities that produce the solid waste. It is for this reason that this research studied community perceptions regarding the impact of SWM on human health and the environment in Diepsloot, Johannesburg, South Africa. The rationale behind the choice of Diepsloot is justified by the observations that Diepsloot is characterised by scattered illegal dumps on street corners while water courses frequently get targeted for illegal dumping of household waste and construction rubble. The research was further guided by two important interrogations; first, a focus on what could be the associated consequences of solid waste mismanagement in Diepsloot, Johannesburg, South Africa. Second, a focus on how can the impact of solid waste mismanagement on human health and the environment in Diepsloot be mitigated. Using qualitative and quantitative research methods, data for this research were collected from thirty-five (35) purposively selected participants in two localities of Diepsloot i.e. Diepsloot West Reception Area (DWRA) and Diepsloot West Extension 1 (DWE1). An additional three participants were recruited from three organisations i.e. Greater Kyalami Conservancy (Gecko), “Roots and Shoots” and Pikitup, a branch of the municipality responsible for waste management. The results of the study revealed that participants from the Diepsloot community had limited knowledge of the impact of SWM on human health and the environment. However, some were able to point out land and air pollution as well as respiratory complications as the possible impacts. Greater insights were harvested from NGO officials. According to these officials, the impacts on the environment were as follows; water course pollution, habitat destruction, depletion of bullfrog population, etc. The insights were, however, limited with regards to the impacts on human health because they lacked expertise in environmental health and epidemiology. For these officials, this was compounded by the lack of epidemiological iii information from the responsible authorities such as the Departments of Health and of Water and Sanitation which fail to make the information public. However, the perceived direct impacts on humans were as follows; seasonal drowning of minors, air pollution due to decomposing waste, proliferation of rodents (rats) as well as rat bites at night. Poor service delivery by Pikitup was at the centre of the poor plight of SWM in Diepsloot. This was realised through poor service delivery; poor distribution of containers for waste storage, Inadequate distribution of communal dumping areas and poor environmental programmes. In my view, these inadequacies explain the widespread environmental unawareness by the residents of Diepsloot. In the greater scheme of knowledge, the results of this study indicate the persisting threats on human health and the environment due to poor SWM. This is centred on poor urban governance in Developing countries where SWM is not considered a priority. To alleviate these issues, we proposed for both short term and long term solutions. Among other means, the proposed short term measures were excavation of drains to redirect sewerage effluent, establishment of new buy back centres and intensification of existing ones. The long term measures were the widening of streets to accommodate waste trucks, establishment of a co-management system and buffering water courses, among other ways.