University of Limpopo

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a significant public health issue globally. Intimate partner violence predominantly constitutes violence against women, and when it occurs during pregnancy, it can have severe consequences for both the mother and the baby. A quantitative descriptive study design was used to collect data from a sample of 277 participants using a survey questionnaire. The survey was administered during participants' first antenatal visit at Rethabile Health Centre, in Limpopo, South Africa. Twenty-two of the 277 participants (7.94%) indicated that they experienced IPV during their lifetime, 10 participants (3.6%) were abused during the past year, and four (1.4%) were abused during their current pregnancy. There were statistically significant associations between IPV and comorbidities such as hypertension (HPT) and diabetes. Low birth weight during the previous pregnancy and unintended pregnancies were also significantly more prevalent in women who experienced IPV. Intimate partner violence during pregnancy is prevalent globally, affecting approximately 9.2% of pregnant women. In our study, 7.9% of the participants reported that they experienced IPV in their lifetime. A culturally and legally appropriate assessment tool must be developed for SA, including an expanded classification of marital status for the tool and research questionnaires where marital status is of importance as in IPV.Contribution:Although our study indicated a lower-than-expected rate of IPV during pregnancy, statistically significant associations were found between IPV and comorbidities such as HPT and diabetes, as well as low birth weight during the previous pregnancy and unintended pregnancies, which warrant further research.

Access to equitable primary healthcare (PHC) for LGBTQI individuals remains a persistent challenge worldwide, yet little is known about how professional nurses (PNs) in rural South African contexts experience and navigate these challenges. The study aimed to explore and describe the lived experiences of professional nurses in providing PHC services to LGBTQI patients in Amahlathi Municipality, Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. For this research, a descriptive phenomenological research design was used to obtain rich, in-depth accounts of the real-world experiences of nurses. A non-probability purposive sampling method was used to select 23 professional nurses working in PHC facilities in the Amahlathi Sub-district, Eastern Cape. Data were collected through semi-structured face-to-face interviews, which were then analyzed using Colaizzi's phenomenological data analysis method. Measures to ensure trustworthiness and ethical considerations were maintained throughout the study. The findings showed that professional nurses face significant competency gaps, personal biases, and confusion about LGBTQI identities, which negatively affect the delivery of services. They also revealed that LGBTQI patients often fear discrimination, withhold sensitive information, and display defensive behaviors due to past negative experiences. Consequently, these combined provider- and patient-related challenges strain clinical interactions and hinder equitable primary healthcare access in Amahlathi. The study revealed that professional nurses in the rural Eastern Cape face both personal and systemic obstacles to providing inclusive care to LGBTQI individuals. Enhancing nurses' competencies through targeted LGBTQI-focused training, creating supportive clinical environments, and strengthening policy frameworks are critical to improving the quality of care.

Chalcogenide perovskites have attracted growing interest as inorganic materials with tunable electronic and optical properties and enhanced chemical stability compared to halide counterparts. In this work, we present a first-principles density functional theory (DFT) investigation of the structural, electronic, and optical properties of the cesium-based chalcogenide perovskites CsNbS3 and CsVS3. Structural optimizations are performed within the generalized gradient approximation (PBE-GGA) to establish equilibrium geometries within the ABX3 perovskite framework. The electronic properties are analyzed primarily using PBE-GGA to ensure internal consistency between band structures, density of states, and derived optical spectra. Both compounds exhibit narrow indirect band gaps at the PBE-GGA level, with valence-band maxima dominated by S-3p states and conduction-band minima arising mainly from Nb-4d and V-3d orbitals. Hybrid-functional (HSE06) calculations are additionally employed to assess the sensitivity of the electronic structure to exchange–correlation effects, revealing pronounced band-edge renormalization near the Fermi level rather than serving as a basis for electronic classification. Optical properties, including the dielectric function, absorption coefficient, reflectivity, and optical conductivity, are calculated consistently from the PBE-GGA electronic structures and show strong optical activity in the visible to near-infrared energy range, originating from S-p to transition-metal d interband transitions. A model-based thickness-dependent efficiency analysis is further presented to compare relative optoelectronic trends, without making predictive device-performance claims. Overall, this study provides a coherent and internally consistent description of the electronic and optical behaviour of CsNbS3 and CsVS3, clarifies the functional dependence of their electronic structures, and highlights the importance of careful methodological interpretation in first-principles studies of transition-metal chalcogenide perovskites.

Epistemic agency is increasingly recognised as an important focus in teacher education, yet little is known about how it is enacted when pre-service teachers (PSTs) reflect on learner struggles in Physical Sciences. This qualitative case study investigated how Physical Sciences PSTs enacted epistemic agency through reflective engagement with learner struggles. Situated in a final-year Classroom Research in Physical Sciences module, the study involved 73 PSTs’ written reflections and follow-up semi-structured interviews with eight participants. Data were analysed thematically, guided by the lens of epistemic agency. Findings revealed enactments of critical noticing, representational critique, and responsible pedagogical reasoning, with teacher noticing as a cross-cutting mechanism. The study concludes that structured reflection fosters epistemic virtues and recommends explicit integration of learning struggles and noticing practices in teacher education.

South Africa’s water crisis represents a profound governance emergency wherein systematic corruption and institutional dysfunction undermine constitutional guarantees of access to basic services. This paper examines the political economy of water insecurity through documentary analysis, triangulating auditor-general reports, investigative journalism, and policy documents across strategically selected municipalities. I argue that water service delivery failures result from interconnected pathologies: infrastructure decay through decades of neglect and corrupt procurement, the transformation of emergency interventions into permanent rent-seeking opportunities through what I term the “tanker-industrial complex,” systematic corruption embedded in cadre deployment and state capture networks, and the undermining of climate adaptive capacity through governance failures. These dynamics reproduce spatial inequalities I conceptualise as “hydraulic apartheid,” whereby democratic transition has failed to transform inherited geographies of water privilege and deprivation. The persistence of severe water insecurity amid visible elite enrichment erodes democratic legitimacy, evidenced by endemic service delivery protests and constitutional litigation. Situating South Africa’s crisis within creeping crisis and governance capacity frameworks reveals how gradual dysfunction normalisation creates perverse incentives against resolution. I propose comprehensive reform pathways encompassing anticorruption enforcement, administrative professionalisation, financial management improvements, and potentially radical restructuring of service delivery models where municipal governance has irretrievably failed.

Common mental health outcomes among children in conflict with the law in correctional facilities in Africa are an under-researched area with significant public health implications. This review will synthesise available and accessible evidence on the prevalence and associated factors of common mental health outcomes among children in conflict with the law in Africa. Comprehensive electronic searches will date from 01 January 2015 to 31 December 2025 and will be conducted in PubMed, Sabinet, Scopus, EBSCOhost, Web of Science and PsycINFO. Articles will be screened using defined inclusion and exclusion criteria and assessed for eligibility by three independent reviewers. Discrepancies will be reviewed by a ninth reviewer. The selection process of included articles will be reported by using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses will be used. The Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool will assess study quality, and data will be synthesised using meta-analysis or a narrative synthesis approach, depending on heterogeneity levels. This study will not require ethical approval from an institutional review board, as it does not entail the direct collection of data from children in conflict with the law, nor does it pose any risk to their privacy. Once finalised, the full review report will be submitted for publication in a peer-reviewed journal. The key findings will also be shared at both local and international conferences, highlighting common mental health outcomes among children in conflict with the law. CRD420251011484.

The persistent lack of resources in Community Learning Centres (CLCs) and its impact on educator morale, teaching quality, and learner engagement remains a serious concern that has not been sufficiently explored. This qualitative study seeks to address that gap by drawing on data collected through semi-structured interviews and observations involving nine educators and three centre managers from three Johannesburg-based CLCs in Gauteng Province, South Africa. Thematic analysis revealed key challenges, including shortages of teaching materials, limited access to technology, poorly maintained facilities, and inconsistent administrative support. These constraints not only hinder effective teaching but also contribute to educator absenteeism, low morale, and burnout. Using Christopher Hood’s Public Management Theory, the study interprets these institutional challenges within broader structural and systemic limitations. The findings further indicate that weak infrastructure, inadequate funding, and limited professional development opportunities undermine the capacity of educators and managers to deliver quality teaching and learning. The study recommends that fair and strategic resource allocation is essential for improving teaching quality and learner outcomes. A coordinated response is required, including urgent infrastructure upgrades, sufficient funding for materials and digital tools, stronger centre-level communication, ongoing professional development, and stricter policy enforcement. This research contributes to the existing body of knowledge by highlighting how resource inadequacies in adult education settings erode both teaching efficacy and educational equity.

Phosphorus (P) is a vital macronutrient involved in key biochemical processes that support plant growth; however, its low bioavailability in agricultural soils remains a major constraint on crop productivity. This limitation is commonly addressed through the application of chemical P fertilisers produced by acidulation of phosphate rock (PR), a process that is costly, energy-intensive, and environmentally hazardous. This study evaluated the P-solubilising potential of culture filtrates from three fungal strains (Aspergillus flavus JKJ7, Talaromyces purpureogenus JKJ12, and Trichoderma koningiopsis JKJ18) grown in National Botanical Research Institute's Phosphate (NBRIP) liquid medium supplemented with tricalcium phosphate (TCP), and compared their TCP solubilisation efficiency with that of pure acids (citric and sulfuric acid). All three fungal strains solubilised TCP in NBRIP medium, with A. flavus JKJ7 producing the highest concentration of soluble P (259.81 mg L-1), followed by T. koningiopsis JKJ18 (166.41 mg L-1) and T. purpureogenus JKJ12 (47.07 mg L-1). Soluble P concentrations were inversely correlated with pH and positively correlated with titratable organic acidity (TOA). High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) identified citric, succinic, tartaric, and gluconic acids as the dominant organic acids associated with P solubilisation. In pure acid treatments, sulfuric acid exhibited concentration-dependent increases in soluble P, whereas citric acid showed reduced solubilisation efficiency at higher concentrations. Although fungal culture filtrates achieved lower maximum TCP solubilisation than strong mineral acids, their higher TOA contributed to improved stabilisation of soluble P by limiting calcium-mediated reprecipitation. These findings demonstrate that crude fungal organic acid mixtures can complement or partially substitute inorganic acids for mobilising P from low-reactivity PR, offering a potentially cost-effective and environmentally sustainable alternative for P fertiliser production. This study supports the development of biologically derived P inputs aligned with circular bioeconomy and sustainable agriculture goals.