Electronic Theses and Dissertations (PhDs)

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    From Coal to Renewable Energy: Perspectives on South Africa's Energy Transition for a Sustainable Future.
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Sebele, Temperance; Simatele, Mulala Danny
    South Africa has been experiencing an unstable electricity supply for years, leading to periods of load shedding from 2007 up to the present date. The electricity shortages have been attributed to distinct reasons, ranging from inefficient coal supply, skills shortages, sabotage by employees and lack of maintenance for nearly sixteen years. In addition to the electricity supply shortages, coal-fired electricity generation is responsible for roughly 80 per cent of South Africa’s total greenhouse gas emissions due to fossil fuel dependence, leading to many health, climate, and environmental challenges. To address the challenges related to fossil fuel dependency, moving to Renewable Energy sources that are climate and environmentally friendly is a necessity. The aim of this study was to investigate the optimal approaches that South Africa can embark on for a successful transition from coal to renewables. The institutional, policy, and strategic frameworks that exist within which South Africa can embark on for a successful transition were explored. Furthermore, the study sought to identify the challenges, and opportunities that exist or hinder the transition in South Africa. Lastly, the study explored how developments in the international policy frameworks influence South Africa’s ambitions to transition to renewables. The study is best suited to the pragmatism approach, and data were collected through the reviewing of literature, key-informant interviews, and questionnaires. A mixed-methods strategy that involved gathering both qualitative and quantitative data was employed and primary and secondary sources of data were used. The primary data sources used included key informants from various private and public institutions with an interest in South Africa’s energy matters such as ESKOM, SANEDI, SANEA, SAREC, SAPVIA, SAWEA, SAIPPA and NECSA. The non-probability sampling method was used in the participants’ selection from the sampled study institutions, with a combination of judgmental, snowballing and convenience sampling procedures employed at distinct phases of the research. Data collected was analysed both quantitatively and qualitatively, with interviews text data transcribed and analysed through manual tabulation and thematic analysis, and presented in graphs generated from Microsoft Excel, and the data from questionnaires analysed through the IBM Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software. The study revealed that the government played mainly four leading roles in the energy transition, which were providing financial support, legislative direction, institutional direction, and project oversight. Financial support is provided through financing projects and setting up financing policies that promote renewable energy investment, and legislative direction is provided through policy development and ensuring efficient implementation. Providing institutional direction is ensured through ensuring coordination across all spheres of government and capacitating institutions involved in the transition, and project oversight is provided through setting out renewable energy capacity determinations. The study further identified key energy transition elements, namely infrastructure, governance, legislation, stakeholders’ perceptions, and skills and strategies for a successful transition, which included channelling adequate financial resources to the renewable energy sector, privatisation of the electricity utility, diversification, rolling out bid windows, improving the legislative framework, improving grid access and integration, skills development, localisation of RE components manufacturing, providing incentives, and increasing consumer awareness about renewables. Several barriers to the transition were also identified, which included political interference and corruption, lack of financial investment, policies/legislation inadequacy, inconsistency in rolling out bidding windows, ESKOM’s monopoly, high cost of renewables, deficiency of incentives, skills and technology, labour unions, and deficiency of awareness on alternatives. The study recommends multisector reskilling of employees, since not all employees in the coal value chain may be interested in or able to be absorbed in the Renewable Energy sector. Furthermore, the government should fund and support progressive technologies and business models, improve the quality of institutions through merit-based appointments and uprooting corruption, privatisation of ESKOM to create opportunities for new entrants in the electricity market and improve stakeholder engagement and community support programmes. The UNFCCC must develop and ensure the implementation of enforcement strategies for holding countries accountable for their climate commitments for the transition to be realised
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    Perspectives on the role of stakeholder engagement and participation in river basin management in South Africa: a study of the hennops river
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) James, Lucien; Simatele, Mulala Danny
    As a country that already faces hydrological and climatological challenges, South Africa’s socio-economic situation further complicates River Basin Management. This is observable through the state of rivers in the Gauteng Province such as the Hennops River. Like other rivers across the country, the state of the Hennops River is alarming, being affected by multiple sources of pollution. The state of the Hennops River Basin is observably affected by Tembisa, a poor former township area that has contributed to the pollution of the upstream Kaalspruit tributary. While the community of Tembisa contributes to the Hennops’ degradation, the potential of stakeholder engagement and community participation in Integrated River Basin Management is yet to be harnessed. The aim of this study was to investigate in what ways stakeholder and community engagement, mobilisation, as well as participation can be harnessed to promote sustainable River Basin Management considering the Hennops River Basin as a case study. The objectives of this study were to (1) analyse existing policies and frameworks which promote stakeholder engagement and community participation in River Basin Management in South Africa, (2) identify challenges and opportunities that hamper and facilitate sustainable River Basin Management through stakeholder engagement and community participation in South Africa, taking the Hennops River Basin as a case study, (3) create a sustainable model through which stakeholder engagement and community participation can be harnessed towards effective River Basin Management, and (4) Contribute to the body of knowledge on the role of stakeholder engagement and community participation in River Basin Management. Through a research design involving key stakeholders and the community, new insight was gathered about their potential through engagement and participation. Data were gathered from Key Informants, interviews, focus group discussions, as well as clean-up campaigns, which included a campaign hosted by the researcher. Findings of this study suggest that although policy supports the engagement, participation, as well as the mobilisation of stakeholders and the community, implementation thereof has been challenged. At community level, implementation is further challenged through community disinterest, a lack of support or funding for disparate initiatives, and lack of political will to address community issues. Key stakeholders, namely NGOs have taken it upon themselves to address River Basin Management. However, their initiatives are self-reliant and therefore unsustainable. Several conceptual models to address River Basin Management in South Africa are proposed. These models address (1) the implementation of policy through the establishment of effective institutions, (2) the role of the NGO in River Basin Management, (3) the funding of small projects or initiatives, (4) an approach to wicked problems in the community, and (5) the relationship between government, stakeholders, and the community. Together, these models are argued as some of the ways the potential role of stakeholder engagement and community participation can be harnessed as part of a framework for sustainable River Basin Management in South Africa. Opportunities exist to better understand stakeholder engagement and community participation, particularly in the context of leadership and agency. The framework presented as the result of this study opens the doorway to new possibilities for the implementation of policy and new approaches to water governance
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    Compost-assisted phytoremediation of mine tailings and footprint areas using chrysopogon zizanioides (l) roberty enhanced with moringa leaf extract biostimulant in the Witwatersrand goldfields of South Africa: a sustainability initiative
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Mlalazi, Nkanyiso; Chimuka, Luke; Simatele, Mulala Danny
    In the Witwatersrand goldfields of South Africa, mine tailings and footprint areas are significant environmental problems because they are major sources of toxic metals. These metals can leach into soils, and both surface and ground water, causing serious risks to human, animal, and plant life. In this study, the compost-assisted phytoremediation of tailing storage facilities (TSFs) and footprint soil using Chrysopogon zizanioides (vetiver grass) enhanced with moringa leaf extract (MLE) was investigated. A greenhouse experiment was conducted to identify the most favorable parameters, and was followed by a field study to test the optimized parameters under real-environment settings. For the greenhouse experiment, a 3×2×2 fully crossed factorial design was used to determine the optimum variables. Vetiver growth was assessed under three compost concentrations (0%, 30% and 60%), two types of MLE (laboratory extracted MLE and commercial MLE) and two application regimens (once a week and twice a week) were used. The biomass and metal concentrations in the vetiver grass roots and leaves were measured after sixteen weeks followed by a two-way ANOVA analysis and the post-hoc tests. All the vetiver that was planted in 0% compost died within four weeks regardless of the MLE treatment. Vetiver grass planted on the 60% compost amendments and sprayed with laboratory extracted MLE had the highest biomass production, followed by plants grown in 30% compost amendments and sprayed with commercial biostimulant. However, the heavy metal removal or uptake data by the plant was inconclusive, as most of the toxic metals were not removed by vetiver grass which was attributed to the effect of compost. Based on biomass data, the 30% compost amendment and commercial bio-stimulant was the ideal treatments for the phytoremediation of gold mine tailings using vetiver grass. Although metal accumulation by plants is one of the attributes considered in phytoremediation, it is not the most significant factor in the phytostabilisation process. Plant growth and biomass production are the most significant, therefore it is concluded that vetiver, MLE and compost can be used in the phytostabilisation of gold mine tailings, however reduction in compost may be considered in future to improve the accumulation of metals in the roots for improved results. Following the conclusion of the greenhouse study, a field study was conducted during the rainy season of 2021. Two field experiments were carried out concurrently at two sites: the footprint area (that was used as a rock dump) and the tailings storage facility (TSF 4). A split-plot design was used in this study. The experiment at each site assumed a 3×1×2 factorial design, with three levels of compost treatment (0%, 15% and 30%), 1 level of vetiver cultivar (Chrysopogon zizanioides), and 2 levels of MLE treatment (commercial MLE and tap water, both sprayed once a week). Three blocks measuring 1 m × 2 m, each with 20 holes filled with equal amounts of soil amended with the different compost levels were prepared in triplicates. A single vetiver grass slip was planted in each hole. The blocks were then divided into 2 sections, each with 10 holes, and commercial MLE was sprayed on one section, while only water was sprayed on the other section once a week. After sixteen weeks, three plants were harvested from each section and the number of leaves, leaf length, number of tillers, biomass for roots and leaves and element concentrations were measured. Data analysis was done using two-way ANOVA