DSpace Repository

Welcome to the NWU Repository, the open access Institutional Repository of the North-West University (NWU-IR). This is a digital archive that collects, preserves and distributes research material created by members of NWU. The aim of the NWU-IR is to increase the visibility, availability and impact of the research output of the North-West University through Open Access, search engine indexing and harvesting by several initiatives.

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The silent voice of sense of place in spatial planning: Vredefort Dome World Heritage Site, South Africa
(North-West University, 2021) Puren, Karen; Prof Drewes, Ernst; Prof Roos, Vera
Sense of place is widely acknowledged across multiple disciplines as an umbrella term for the interplay between the environment, person in the environment and the broader context that shape the interactions between these as well as the relationships that develop from these interactions. However, no universal definition for sense of place exists. In spatial planning scholarship, the topic has been theorised for more than sixty years. The root of the concept, as acknowledged in spatial planning, dates back to the ancient Roman mythological term genius loci, the Latin for spirit of place. The spirit of place has been loosely translated and accepted in spatial and design disciplines (e.g., architecture and urban design) as the unique character of a place that distinguishes it from other places. Character in this sense, is claimed by planners as residing in observable environmental properties (mostly visual). Numerous environment-based frameworks have been developed for planners to apply in different contexts to investigate a (singular) and mono-dimensional (environment-based) sense of place that can guide spatial development. However, sense of place is a complex and integrated concept that comprises multiple dimensions including implicit dimensions (e.g. experiences, emotions etc.) as well as spatially expressed dimensions (activities, buildings etc.). Implicit dimensions have remained underexplored in the context of spatial planning and not fully integrated due to a lack of the understanding of the relativistic nature of pluralised sense(s) of place that vary significantly across different spatial and temporal contexts. From the lack of an integrated understanding of these silent voices that have remained latent in spatial planning, three interrelated problems arose: a conceptual problem, relating to singular universal conceptions that are not flexible enough to allow for pluralised diverse sense(s) of place to be acknowledged; a methodological problem, relating to how to access and elicit implicit dimensions of sense(s) of place; and an applied practice-based problem relating to guidance on how to integrate multiple, overlapping implicit sense(s) of place in spatial planning. The novelty of the study is embedded in this limited guidance that exist for spatial planners on how to access, elicit and integrate implicit sense(s) of place, especially from perspectives from the global South. Most existing sense(s) of place theories have been developed outside the context of the global South while extremely limited research exists in Africa and in South Africa from where contextual insights have been developed about sense(s) of place. The research question that guided the study is "How can spatial planners access, elicit and integrate the multiple dimensions of sense(s) of place that emerge from participants' interactions with a rural landscape in VDWHS in South Africa, into spatial planning?" It is against this background of a lack of contextual insights about implicit sense(s) of place, especially in rural landscapes in developing countries (where there exists extreme pressure for development and people-environment interactions and relationships are volatile) that this research has been conceptualised. The study reflects on an in-depth qualitative investigation of implicit sense(s) of place by means of a singular intrinsic, retroductive case study design of people-environment interactions on the farm Kromdraai, a rural landscape in Vredefort Dome World Heritage Site in South Africa. From a critical realists' ontological position, it was possible to move beyond the mere descriptive to generate contextual insights about implicit sense(s) of place and to interpret these for spatial planning purposes. The inclusion of a pragmatist position as a supplementary ontological stance allowed for the crossing of disciplinary boundaries to include a variety of exogenous and endogenous theoretical frameworks (a communicative planning theory spatial planning lens, sense(s) of place theories from different disciplines and people-environment meta-theories, social theories, psychology theories and interdisciplinary theories). Also, pragmatism allowed for the selection of and combined use of various inclusive participatory methods (interviews and focus groups) as well as different data generation tools (visual tools in this instance that included photographs and collages). The data that was analised included 256 pages of verbatim transcriptions (obtained from face-to-face interviews of between 60-90 minutes with 22 purposefully selected participants), 270 photographs and four visual images (layout plans and collages) that were generated from focus groups. The empirical part of the thesis are presented in three interrelated research papers on different spatial planning thinking levels, each addressing one of three interrelated research problems namely a conceptual problem, methodological problem and applied practice based problem. The first paper (substantive level) focuses on the dimensions and nature of sense(s) of place dimensions and uses principles of grounded theory in order to develop a more nuanced conception of sense(s) of place in spatial planning. The second paper (procedural level) focuses on the use of Visual Participatory Research as methodology in order to access and elicit implicit sense(s) of place for spatial planning purposes. The third paper (applied practice-based level) illustrates how implicit sense(s) of place can be translated to concrete spatial expressions in order to integrate them in spatial planning guidelines for development. Factual, interpretive and conceptual conclusions are drawn from the empirical findings in the thesis whereafter a suggested flexible framework is suggested for spatial planners in order to develop an integrated understanding of sense(s) of place and to provide guidance on how planners can access, elicit and integrate (implicit) dimensions of sense(s) of place in spatial planning - dimensions that have remained underexplored silent voices in spatial planning up until now.
The duty of care, skill and diligence in terms of section 76(3)(c) of the Companies Act 71 of 2008
(North-West University, 2025-05) Jini, R; Kilian, CG
The Companies Act 71 of 2008 came into force on 1 May 2011. Section 76(3)(c) of this Act requires that directors must fulfil their responsibilities and functions with the care, skill and diligence that may reasonably be expected from anyone exercising similar functions as that director and who possesses the same skills, knowledge and experience as that director. This common law standard of conduct originated from English law and has now been codified in the Companies Act 71 of 2008. As is the case with any newly codified legal principle, there is a need for an analysis to be made on this provision in order to formulate a guideline that will be used when interpreting the provision in the coming future. In light of this background, this study examines the duty of care, skill and diligence in light of all existing jurisprudence on the principle. This is achieved by investigating the background behind the formulation of the provision and any recent analysis done by both legal scholars and courts after the Act came into effect. Furthermore, this study takes into consideration all possible remedies that may be used for breach of the provision and all defences that exist. Lastly, this study concludes by making various recommendations that are aimed at ensuring a smooth interpretation of the section.
Statutory regulation of tailings dams and the protection of the environment
(North-West University, 2025-07) Mokotedi, T; Kanamugire, JC
The regulation of tailings dams in South Africa remains an area of environmental law that requires immediate attention, considering that abandoned and unrehabilitated tailings dams are estimated to be 6000. This signifies a problem with the regulation and enforcement of the statutory regulation of tailings dams that did not start with the current regulatory regime. The historical account of the regulation of tailings dams reveals the history of fragmentation in the regulation of tailings dams, where the lack of legislation regulating tailings dams and mining waste was addressed through the establishment of committees to provide regulatory oversight of the different areas of environmental law that required environmental oversight such as pollution. In this regard the enactment of the Minerals Act 50 of 1991 laid the foundation for the regulation of tailings dams by providing for provisions to that effect and by introducing the principles of environmental law in legislation. Currently, tailings dams are regulated through legislations such as the MPRDA, NEMA and the NWA. The study concludes with a note on the role players of environmental law such as the Civil society organisations, institutions are important to the regulation and management of environmental tailings dams.
Quantifying and compensating for the influence of instrument transformers on harmonic measurements for grid code compliance
(North-West University, 2026-05) Murray, R; Kock, JA
Accurate harmonic current measurement is critical for grid code compliance in modern power systems. This research addresses a key challenge in the modeling of medium- and high-voltage hairpin-type current transformers (CTs) by developing a simulation model that incorporates stray capacitance into the CT equivalent circuit - an element traditionally neglected in harmonic analysis. A comprehensive literature review identified this modeling gap, leading to the development of a theoretical framework and simulation approach. The model was validated through emulated field testing on outdoor CTs under various burden scenarios, with a particular focus on inductive-bearing burden. Experimental results demonstrated strong correlation with simulation outputs, with harmonic ratio errors reduced to within 1-2% up to 3 kHz using the proposed novel engineering method. These findings not only improve the accuracy of harmonic measurements but also support more reliable grid code compliance assessments, particularly within the South African context. Key findings include: (1) Stray capacitance, owing to the dielectric design of a CT, significantly affects harmonic measurement accuracy and must be included in CT models, (2) proposed simulation model accurately predicts CT behaviour up to 3 kHz and (3) a correction method can reduce harmonic ratio errors to within 1-2%, improving measurement reliability for grid code compliance. Novel contributions of this research include: (1) The integration of stray capacitance into CT modelling for harmonic analysis, (2) quantification of burden effects on harmonic current measurement accuracy, and (3) a engineering method to correct measurement errors for grid code compliance in South Africa. Limitations of this research include the focus on a single CT geometry and regional design constraints. Future research opportunities exist to extend the model to other CT types and improve accuracy at lowerorder harmonics - considering magnetic core impacts, as proposed in various literature on this subject. This thesis advances the field of electrical engineering by improving harmonic current measurement accuracy and supporting the development of more robust frameworks for grid code compliance.
Investigating low-cost semi-automatic Digital Twin generation for South African deep-level mines
(North-West University, 2026-05) Kilian, WJ; de Meyer, JN; Vosloo, JC
The South African deep-level mining industry is shifting towards the Industry 4.0 paradigm,which is the digitisation of complex industrial systems through the implementation and integration of advanced technologies. This paradigm comprises predictive maintenance, real-time remote monitoring and control, and process optimisation, among others. However, financial constraints slow the adoption of the paradigm in the mining industry, restricting benefits. One of the tools enabled by the Industry 4.0 paradigm is Digital Twins (DTs). However, DTs are time-consuming to create manually and existing semi-automatic generation methods, such as Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR), are typically expensive and require specialised equipment. In contrast, studies from other industries indicate that low-cost localisation and mapping techniques can be utilised to enable the e!cient creation of DTs. Therefore, there is a need for a low-cost semi-automatic DT generation method to increase the adoption of Industry 4.0 in the South African deep-level mining industry. By investigating the e"ectiveness of low-cost localisation and mapping techniques, the financially constrained mining sector can take a step closer towards feasible, fully automatic DT generation. This study proposes a method for low-cost semi-automatic DT generation consisting of three parts. Firstly, a localisation method for o#ine environments that utilises an inertial measurement unit typically found in mobile devices. Secondly, a method to extract information automatically from images captured inside deep-level mines using image segmentation, trained by utilising a synthetic dataset generator. Lastly, the integration and extension of the previous two parts to create the low-cost semi-automatic DT generation method. Each method was independently verified to ensure the accuracy of each underlying step and the overall proposed method. The proposed Kalman Filter-based inertial navigation method performed well in its verification. An error of only 2.4 m was obtained for a total walking distance of 80.6 m, with peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR) values of 12.84 dB, 35.14 dB, and 19.19 dB for the accelerometer, gyroscope, and magnetometer data. The verification of the proposed deep-learning image segmentation method, which includes a synthetic dataset generator, also produced promising results. Unseen real-world images were segmented with an Intersection over Union (IoU) score of 34.15 and a Panoptic Quality (PQ) score of 32.41. A recent survey study found an average IoU of 39.3 and an average PQ of 40.31 from the included methods trained using a real-world dataset. The slightly lower performance achieved in this study can be attributed to the reality gap of using a synthetic dataset. The verification of the overall proposed method showed PSNR results of 12.30 dB, 36.16 dB, and 17.99 dB for the path estimation. The captured images also showed successful segmentation of objects with high confidence scores of classes from the synthetic dataset created. The captured images also showed successful segmentation of objects with high confidence scores of classes from the created synthetic dataset. The validation of the overall proposed method was done using a case study South African deep-level mine. The results obtained from the five sample sets showed successful path estimation, with PSNR results of 15.31 dB, 39.75 dB, and 16.86 dB, similar to the verification. The image segmentation also produced high-performing results, even in low-light conditions encountered in the deep-level mine. Further improvements can be made to increase the robustness of each of the proposed methods. However, this research shows that the proposed modular SLAM approach is a feasible method for low-cost semi-automatic DT generation, and it creates a stepping stone towardsfully automatic low-cost DT generation.