Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Bafokeng'

Resource curse literature examines the causes and consequences of natural resources on economies. Within the literature, politico-economic theories provide insight into the relationship between institutional strength, the incentives facing the political elite due to the natural resource and the potential outcome for natural resource abundant economies. This paper argues that the Bafokeng Nation of South Africa provide an unusual case study for the resource curse. The Bafokeng's institutional strength is examined and the incentives facing the elite are analysed using Dunning's model. Dunning proposes three explanatory variables to explain the incentives facing the political elite (a) Volatility of Resource Revenues, (b) Societal Opposition to State Elites and (c) Prior Development of Non-resource Sectors. The Bafokeng are examined in light of Botswana to provide a comparative analysis. The analysis is supported by a Household survey of the Bafokeng, interviews with Bafokeng members as well as literature on both the Bafokeng and Botswana. The paper concludes that the institutional strength of the Bafokeng stems from their Tswana origins (similar to that of Botswana) and the current use of traditional governance structures, as well as the external constraints provided by the South African political system. Using Dunning's model this paper predicts that there would be diversification of the economy, political stability and mixed economic and fiscal stability. This however is strengthened by the unusual position of the Bafokeng as constrained by external factors as well as the internal strength provided by the traditional governance structures.

Tribal (rural) communities possess assets/resources that can be utilised in improving the quality of life of their residents. The processes involved in the usage of these assets toward community-led development can determine the success or failure of the development efforts by the community. The research conducted was aimed at investigating the processes involved in utilising these assets, with reference being placed on two community-led development approaches namely Asset Based Community Development and Sustainable Livelihood Framework. The research will examine the processes that the Royal Bafokeng Nation has used in the successful development of its community. A comparison of the community-led development processes will be compared to the Integrated Sustainable Development Strategy formulated by the South African government to develop rural communities. The results indicate that development is not just about asset identification, it‟s more complex than that. If development was just about resource identification then a lot of tribal communities would be developed. Development is about the interactions between leaders, community and external sources and in the case of RBN, administration as well. It is about interaction between leaders and community in the form of participation in development efforts; interaction between leaders (and administration) with external sources such as municipalities to enhance development; and interaction between community and external sources through social capital. The results also indicate that whilst it is the duty of government to provide basic services, communities can partake in other development initiatives. That development in it‟s entirely should not be left to government if communities have the means of initiating development. That government has to improve certain aspects in their development strategies, but that it has made strides in formulating strategies to develop rural communities. The challenges for government come in the implementation of these strategies. That partnership between community and government can lead to better and sustainable development initiatives.

This thesis presents a materialist analysis of the modem African chieftaincy. Chieftaincy is conceived as a dialectical unity of local state and corporate land relations that are both form and effect of the contradictory development of the capital relation in sub-Saharan Africa under conditions of colonial imperialism. As a state institution the chieftaincy is everywhere constituted as a territorialised tribal authority, while as a landed institution it has the potential (though by no means the necessity) to assume the `class function' of modern landed property in relation to agrarian and industrial capital. The thesis terms this phenomenal form `tribal landed property'. Drawing on oral histories, institutional interviews and archival data collected during a year's local-level fieldwork (2000-2001), the thesis applies this theoretical framework to a detailed case study of the BaFokeng chieftaincy. It proceeds at two increasingly concrete levels of analysis. The first explores how the core relations of tribal authority and corporate landed property that have defined and dynamised the modern BaFokeng chieftaincy were historically constituted in the course of South Africa's `racial capitalist' development (1837-1977). This establishes that the institution was a creation and, in key ways, a beneficiary of the emergent colonial, segregationist and apartheid orders, while casting new light on key themes in rural South African historiography. The second focuses on the (celebrated) struggles between this chieftaincy and an alliance of the Bophuthatswana homeland regime and the Impala mining company over the rights to the vast platinum reserves in BaFokeng and the distribution of their revenues (1977-1994). Analysis of the 'economic' dimension of this struggle demonstrates the utility of conceiving the BaFokeng chieftaincy as a distinctive form of modem landed property in contradictory relationships with mining capital, mine labour and the state. This also contributes an oriýtinal account of the increasingly important platinum industry. The logic of this 'tribal landed property' approach may open the way to a more general materialist conception of `communal' tenure forms typically considered beyond the reach of political economy.

Resource control as a form of community participation in the mineral economy has gained much recognition. One prevailing argument is that direct control of natural resources by local communities is an important precondition for equitable utilisation of the natural resource wealth, peaceful co-existence between mining corporations and indigenous communities, and congenial relations between local communities and the state. Studies have also shown that the absence of direct community control of mineral wealth remains a major factor in the communal resistance and socio-political conflict witnessed in the natural resource-endowed regions of countries such as Nigeria, Ecuador, Sierra Leone and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. However, little is known about mineral resource control at the community level. Does community control necessarily translate to equity? How does local involvement in the mobilisation of mining royalties benefit different segments of the community? Indeed, how do different segments of the community “control” the wealth? What is the specific model adopted to engender broad-based community participation in the utilisation of mineral wealth – and does it matter? These theoretical and practical questions were the impetus for undertaking this study in the Royal Bafokeng and Bakgatla Ba Kgafela – two platinum-rich ‘traditional’ communities in South Africa’s North West Province that have significant control over platinum resources in their territories. Utilising ethnographic data collected in the two study communities in 2008 and 2009, the thesis examines the character of community participation in platinum wealth utilisation; specifically, the conditions under which community participation promotes or hinders sustainable community development. The analysis uses a “three-dimensional participation ladder” conceptual scheme, based in part on Sherry Arnstein’s (1969) “ladder of citizen participation” and subsequent typologies of participation. Among the key findings of the thesis are that despite observed benefits, the interface of resource wealth and community development is fraught with tokenistic participation, elite-targeted grassroots anger, and local tensions – all linked to the contradictory nature of participation. The thesis further reveals that in some instances the challenge of platinum wealth-engendered community development tends to undermine existing customary and democratic spaces for participation, and that this is exacerbated by community-level issues such as poverty and inequality. The findings of the study compel a shift of analytical focus from conflict as an epiphenomenon of collective community exclusion and deprivation (as in the case of many natural-rich countries in Sub-Saharan Africa and elsewhere), to conflict as also resulting from collective community inclusion (in natural resource utilisation). At the policy level, the study generates insights that will, hopefully, assist mineral resource-endowed countries, such as South Africa, in dealing with the challenge of developing appropriate policy frameworks for regulating business and social partnerships between local communities and mining corporations, and within resource-rich communities themselves.

M.A. (African Languages)
This research is based primarily on the praise poems of the Bafokeng of Phokeng, and their history. Achievements of the tribe as well as their downfall from the previous Chiefs to the present Chief are documented. The study is divided into five chapters. The first chapter looks at the aim of the study, which is preservation of the history of Bafokeng and their praise poems, both heroic and clan poems. The second chapter is a brief outline of the history of the Bafokeng tribe, their heroic as well as their clan poems. The historical backgrounds of these poems are also outlined, as are performances at different occasions. The third chapter focuses on the divining bones, the actual divination and praises of divining bones as performed by witchdoctors of Phokeng upon consultation. The fourth chapter presents the structural features of these poems e.g. language, repetition, rhythm, eulogues etc. The final chapter of this study looks at the experiences during the time of research, as well as discoveries and recommendations.

Lebone II College of the Royal Bafokeng, the first private school initiated with the wealth generated from the platinum mining of the Royal Bafokeng Nation comes into the limelight after many years of work. Like a butterfly, the school has undergone a metamorphosis of ideology, philosophy and geography to make it what it is today. The principal tenet of this institution was to produce agents of social change within the Royal Bafokeng Nation schools but at the same time geared at being the key instrument for the broader education strategy of the Royal Nation project. A large majority of students in this school were selected from the public schools of the Royal Bafokeng Nation. As such, this research investigates the experiences of the students as they transition from the public to the private schools arena so as to determine if the envisaged goal is being achieved.

A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Engineering, University of the Witwatersrand, in fulfilment of the requirements of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Engineering
The thesis describes the determination of the steady state line for the Merriespruit gold and Bafokeng platinum tailings by means of triaxial undrained compression tests. It shows that there are numerous steady state lines for the above mentioned tailings products and thatthe location oftheirsteady state lines in void ratio- mean confining effective stress space is influenced by the percentage fines (particles smaller than 0.075mm) present in the tailings, among other factors. As the percentage fines increases so the steady state line for the particular material shifts downwards in void ratio- mean confining effective stress space. The difficulty of defining a unique steady state line for a particular fines content tailings, due to errors in measurement of initial size, mass, etc. and changes in void ratio due to flooding, saturation and consolidation of the moist tamped triaxial test samples is illustrated and it is recommended that error bands be assigned to the steady state lines. The steady state lines determined for the Merriespruit gold tailings and the concepts of liquefaction are combined with evidence obtained from the post failure investigation into the Merriespruit flow slide failure to prove the premise that the flow slide was as a result of static liquefaction failure of the tailings. It is also illustrated that the notion of using a single steady state line to evaluate the liquefaction susceptibility of a tailings dam is insufficient due to the particle size distribution of the tailings varying along the beach length of the tailings dam and the location of the steady state line being influenced by the percentage fines content. Flume modelling using the Merriespruit gold tailings were carried to obtain a qualitative understanding of the behaviour of flow slides. Comparisons between the flume model tests and the Merriespruit flow slide (prototype) showed that it is difficult to obtain a correlation between the two due to the influence of scale, different dominating forces in the model and prototype and the inherent variability associated with such geotechnical phenomena- particularly in the preparation and deposition of the tailings in the flume model. Keywords: liquefaction, steady state line, flow slide, failure, flume modelling, Merriespruit, Bafokeng, gold, platinum, tailings
AC 2018

A Thesis submitted to the Faculty of Education, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy
This researcn investigates success and failure in mathematics at the standard seven level in middle schools in the Bafokeng region. There is great concern expressed by parents, teachers and students about the high failure rate in this subject in the external examinations. Mathematics is seen to be important for securing good jobs in the platinum mines which are situated on the Bafokeng tribal lands. in general, greater efforts by teachers and students have made little impact on the public examination results. The present study undertakes ar xn-de th analysis of this problem in the anthropolog^/cal paradigm using the illuminatxve approach. Interviews and questionnaires are used for gathering data and triangulation techniques are used for verification and checking. Statistical correlation is applied to the variables but the study is not limited to numerical relationships between factors associated with scholastic success and failure. Two separate criteria of "success" are defined, namely the standard 7 mathematics mark and the performance of a ten per cent sample in each of five picture problems. The population xs composed of one educational unit: the one high school in Phokeng, capital of the Bafokeng, and the three middle schools which make up the catchment area of this high school. The number of students involved is approximately three thousand. Language and attitudes show strong positive correlations with both criteria of success. Other variables, like socio-economic status and degree of westernization are significantly related to the picture problem scores but not to the mathematics mark. Surprisingly, self-concept and embedded figures scores show no statistically significant relationship with either of the two criteria of success. In order to succeed in school mathematics a student must attain a high level of abstraction. This research does not suggest that the case is any different for Bafokeng students, buJj it attempts to explore the modes of perception, methods of concept formation and the development of appropriate schemata by which abstraction is achieved. Finally the Implications for teaching and learning of mathematics in school are discussed in the light of the findings of this research. This is the first study of its type, as far as can be ascertained, for Bophuthatswana schools.
Andrew Chakane 2018

The central argument that underpins this thesis is that the Bataung, Bafokeng and the Bakuena lineages are found across all the Basotho groups of Basotho (Southern Sotho), Batswana and Bapedi. The thesis concerns itself with the similarity of the Sotho groups, a topic that has seldom received a sustained scholarly attention. Scholars have devoted much attention in discussing Sotho groups of Batswana, Basotho (Southern Sotho) and Bapedi, but their concern has mostly been to describe one group at the time discussing their cultural, social and political dimensions.The thesis aim investigates the oneness of Sotho by discussing the cultural, social and political similarities of the Batswana, Basotho (Southern Sotho) and Bapedi. The thesis drew on a range of semi-structured interviews with academics, senior people with knowledge of Sotho culture and literature to crystallise the information from the narrative analysis of documents, media and secondary literature. The thesis maintains that Basotho (Southern Sotho), Batswana and Bapedi are similar people. Their cultural dimension shows they have similar languages that share the same collection of words (langue) that indicates the same same origin. They also share the name ‘Basotho’ ~ Abeshundu that emanates from their similar way of dressing. The Sotho groups’ social dimension shows that they have similar practices of birth, raising children, lebollo (initiation school) and handling of death. They share similar games, folktales and taboos that reflect the aforementioned four cycles of human experiences in similar narratives across the groups. The thesis finds that Sotho groups have similar way of governance. They come together in the hierarchy of similar clans (e.g. Bafokeng, Bataung and Bakuena), chiefdoms and a group. These subdivisions in a group help with the allocation of resources for each individual and maintaining status quo in governance. The Sotho groups have similar proverbs and idioms to counsel proper leadership. The thesis discusses Sotho groups together as they come from the same origin although they have gone their separate ways. The thesis uses Gellner and Smith theories of ethnicity to explain the similarity of the Sothogroups. Gellner’s view is that one chooses to belong to a particular culture and associates oneself with people who practice this culture. Ethnicity is socially constructed due to experiences and people’s circumstances. Smith complements the description of the Sotho in forming different groups by saying that in these groups, there are memories of shared historical past. There is a continuum of the original culture where the groups have resemblance in their ways of life and symbolical elements, although adapted to their new environments and time. The variations of the groups’s practices are not their differences but they are changes caused by a quest to adapt to the new environment.
African Languages
D. Litt. et Phil. (African Languages)

Many people and their communities, especially in rural Africa and other developing countries, battle to manage and reduce starvation, poverty and unemployment. Unfortunately, these problems cannot be left to governments, private enterprises and outside donor organizations to solve. Without the communities' involvement in and ownership of these processes, even sensible programmes will be unsustainable. One community that has been exploring and attempting to tackle these problems is the Royal Bafokeng Nation (RBN) in South Africa. Through their socio-economic development agency, the Royal Bafokeng Economic Board (RBEB), their infrastructure development agency, the Royal Bafokeng Administration (RBA), their investment development company, Royal Bafokeng Holdings (RBH), and their political support institution, the Supreme Council, the RBN is attempting to find new, innovative, and sustainable solutions to some of the most intractable problems in the developing world, taking into consideration the special issues that face all South Africans. This study therefore will analyse the ways in which the RBN are attempting to achieve sustainable socio-economic development, within their context. It will review the strategic formation and work done by the RBN, with special emphasis on the nexus of development "best practice" and the traditional Tswana, South African, African, and global contexts. The analysis will use systems thinking, chaos and complexity science, and strategic enactment approaches. Further analysis will focus on the lessons learnt from the structures of the RBN that might be applicable to other developing communities. This will be done using the concepts of business architecture, an organisational dynamics approach, leadership and sustainable development from a rural perspective. The study will make use of both primary and secondary research techniques, in order to identify current and potential issues and challenges that may help fast track the delivery mechanisms ofthe RBN: • Primary research comprises direct interviews with a wide range of stakeholders, both internal and external to the Bafokeng Nation. • Secondary research comprises archival research within the RBN and its associated organisations in the Bafokeng community, as well as related documents and literature emanating from other contexts around the world. The Bafokeng case highlights a local or indigenous approach to socio-econornic development that gives ownership of the development to the people being developed. By analysing the Bafokeng case, its successes and failures in socio-economic development, I will attempt to draw conclusions about the importance or role of indigenous values, practices and institutions in the development process.
Thesis (M.Sc.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2007.

LL.M.
This research is a comparative study of the provisions for guardianship and custody, including maintenance of the South African common law and customary law. In customary law the emphasis is on the law of the Bafokeng people which is a tribe chosen as group of the research. The purpose of this research is to analyze the provisions of guardianship, custody and maintenance applicable to these legal systems. The analysis is divided as follows: • Guardianship and custody: (i) during the marriage; after divorce; after death of parent(s); of an extra-marital child. • Maintenance of children: (i) during the marriage; after divorce; after death of parent(s); born outside marriage (extra-marital children). The objective is to highlight the similarities and differences between the provisions of these legal systems and to come up with the conclusion whether the one is more favourable than the other in catering for the needs and interests of its subjects. The conclusion will be governed by the following issues: • Which legal system caters for the interests of its subjects? • Which legal system accords with the provisions of the Constitution Act? • Which legal system protects the interests of the child best? Having come to that conclusion, the researcher aims at indicating laws which should be considered for reform.

This document describes the re-engineering principles applied in the design of a personnel transportation system for a platinum mine in the Rustenburg area of South Africa. It incorporates conveyor belt travelling, chairlift operation and also includes consideration of proposed changes / modifications to existing conveyor belt infrastructure. The purpose of the project was to identify the appropriate option and / or combination of transportation options through a process of evaluation that would be safe in terms of personnel transportation and cost effectiveness. If alternative measures could be found to transport personnel (in other words not using belt riding as a means of transport), it would have a significant positive spin-off increasing the availability of the belt, to increase production. This document therefore explores the feasibility of new interventions investigated. The design in consideration at the Bafokeng Rasimone Platinum Mine consisted of two shaft systems, namely the North Shaft and South Shaft. Each shaft system comprises of twin decline shafts. One of which is equipped with a conveyor belt for rock and personnel transportation and the other with a winder for track bound material transport. From the date of commissioning of the shafts, the conveyor belt was used for personnel transportation. The conveyor belt is equipped with platforms for getting off and on the belt and a number of safety devices designed to ensure the safety of personnel travelling on the conveyor belt. Intensive training in the practical aspects of belt riding was given to each and every person and unsupervised riding on the belt was only undertaken once belt riding competence was demonstrated. Despite this, the safety results were poor, having experienced 106 injuries between 2006 and May 2013. No fatalities were reported during this period. It was therefore needed to investigate alternative means for personnel transportation or through engineered solutions to the current conveyor belt infrastructure in the safest, most effective and most economical way. There was a major risk of safety related stoppages being imposed following another belt accident / incident. This would prevent the mine from transporting personnel underground by belt and subsequently result in major production losses. From the commissioning of the Phase 2 shaft deepening project on both shafts, the decision was to install dedicated chairlifts for personnel transportation opposed to the man riding conveyor belt installed in the Phase 1 area. The chairlift installations were in operation since 2004 and no chairlift related incidents were recorded thus far. According to safety statistics it was clear that the chairlift installation is the safer method for the transportation of people in the shaft. To fulfil the objectives / scope of this investigation / study, it was recommended that both primary (new chairlift decline with infrastructure) and secondary options (modifications to the current conveyor belt infrastructure) be considered for implementation on both North Shaft and South Shaft to reduce / eliminate accidents / incidents as a result of belt transportation. The associated CAPEX would be approximately ZAR 200 million. Considering the future impact on the business as a whole, this would definitely be CAPEX well spent!
Dissertation (MEng)--University of Pretoria, 2014.
lk2014
Mining Engineering
MEng
Unrestricted

A sustainable society is a society that satisfies its resource requirements without endangering the sustainability of these resources. The mineral endowment on the African continent is estimated to be the first or second largest of world reserves. Therefore, it is recognised that the African continent still heavily depends on mineral exports as a key contributor to the gross domestic product (GDP) of various countries. These mining activities, however, do introduce primary and secondary environmental degradation factors. They attract communities to these mining areas, light and heavy industrial establishments occur, giving rise to artisanal activities. This study focussed on satellite RS products as an aid to a mine’s operations and the monitoring of its environment. Effective operational mine management and control ensures a more sustainable and profitable lifecycle for mines. Satellite based RS holds the potential to observe the mine and its surrounding areas at high temporal intervals, different spectral wavelengths and spatial resolutions. The combination of SAR and optical information creates a spatial platform to observe and measure the mine’s operations and the behaviour of specific land cover and land use classes over time and contributes to a better understanding of the mining activities and their influence on the environment within a specific geographical area. This study will introduce an integrated methodology to collect, process and analyse spatial information over a specific targeted mine. This methodology utilises a medium resolution land cover base map, derived from Landsat 8, to understand the predominant land cover types of the surrounding area. Using very high resolution mono- and stereoscopic satellite imagery provides a finer scale analysis and identifies changes in features at a smaller scale. Combining these technologies with the synthetic aperture radar (SAR) applications for precise measurement of surface subsidence or upliftment becomes a spatial toolbox for mine management. This study examines a combination of satellite remote sensing products guided by a systematic workflow methodology to integrate spatial results as an aid for mining operations and environmental monitoring. Some of the results that can be highlighted is the successful land cover classification using the Landsat 8 satellite. The land cover that dominated the Kolomela mine area was the “SHRUBLAND/GRASS” class with a 94% coverage and “MINE” class of 2.6%. Sishen mine had a similar dominated land cover characteristic with a “SHRUBLAND/GRASS” class of 90% and “MINE” class of 4.8%. The Pléiades time-series classification analysis was done using three scenes each acquired at a different time interval. The Sishen and Kolomela mine showed especially changes from the bare soil class to the asphalt or mine class. The Pléiades stereoscopic analysis provided volumetric change detection over small, medium, large and recessed areas. Both the Sishen and Kolomela mines demonstrated height profile changes in each selected category. The last category of results focused on the SAR technology to measure within millimetre accuracy the subsidence and upliftment behaviour of surface areas over time. The Royal Bafokeng Platinum tailings pond area was measured using 74 TerraSAR-X scenes. The tailings wall area was confirmed as stable with natural subsidence that occurred in its surrounding area due to seasonal changes of the soil during rainy and dry periods. The Chuquicamata mine as a large open pit copper mine area was analysed using 52 TerraSAR-X scenes. The analysis demonstrated significant vertical surface movement over some of the dumping sites. It is the wish of the researcher that this dissertation and future research scholars will continue to contribute in this scientific field. These contributions can only assist the mining sector to continuously improve its mining operations as well as its monitoring of the primary as well as the secondary environmental impacts to ensure improved sustainability for the next generation.
Environmental Sciences
M. Sc. (Environmental Science)

This quantitative study was aimed at determining the value of the psychosocial services rendered by the staff members of the Godisanang OVC programme to OVC in Rustenburg in order to make recommendations on how these services could be improved. Fifteen caregivers, who were employed by the Godisanang OVC programme, were interviewed in October 2013. Data was presented in the form of statistics, tables and numbers. This study revealed that the psychosocial services that are rendered by the Godisanang OVC programme to OVC are of value. Therefore, it is recommended that the psychosocial services be extended to other regions of Rustenburg.
Health Studies
M.A. (Social Behaviour Studies in HIV/AIDS)