Danny Simatele | University of the Witwatersrand (original) (raw)

Papers by Danny Simatele

African Geographical Review

WIT Transactions on Ecology and the Environment

Informal solid waste recycling has increasingly become part of the urban landscape in many South ... more Informal solid waste recycling has increasingly become part of the urban landscape in many South African cities and towns. In the city of Johannesburg, for example, informal solid waste pickers are now playing an important role in the recycling of different types of waste. There is evidence in literature which suggests that these activities have both economic and environmental benefits contributing towards employment creation and environmental sustainability. Despite the role that the informal sector contributes to waste management and socioeconomic development, as well as environmental sustainability, the urban development and planning policy in South Africa have not embraced and integrated these activities in the policy framework. Drawing from a field-based study, conducted in selected parts of the city of Johannesburg, and using methods inspired by the traditional of participatory research, this paper explores the institutional framework within which informal solid waste management can be pursued. The paper is specifically interested in identifying and discussing contemporary challenges, mechanisms, systems and processes that may contribute towards the sustained neglect of the informal sector in the urban solid waste management and planning policy.

Energy & Environment

Water hyacinth is an invasive alien plant with several impacts on the environment, economy and so... more Water hyacinth is an invasive alien plant with several impacts on the environment, economy and society. The plant’s high degree of proliferation makes its mitigation difficult and sometimes complex. However, existing evidence suggests that water hyacinth is a sustainable substrate for biogas production. Using the pretreatment processes for the optimisation conditions for biogas production from water hyacinth, this study analysed the effects of moisture content (60%, 70% and 75%) on Trichoderma atroviride pretreatment of water hyacinth and the impact of the pretreatment on biogas production. Anaerobic digestion of the water hyacinth process was performed at 35°C for 35 days. The modified Gompertz model was used to analyse and predict the appropriate kinetic variables of the digestion process. Biogas yields from untreated, pretreated-60%, pretreated-70% and pretreated-75% were optimal at 135, 210, 217 and 223.4 mL/g of volatile solids (VS). These results suggest the pretreatment of wa...

$Research paper thumbnail of Optimisation of process parameters using response surface methodology to improve the liquid fraction yield from pyrolysis of water hyacinth$

Environmental Science and Pollution Research

Journal of Water and Climate Change

The fast-growing pace of the world's population and the increasing pressure exerted on global... more The fast-growing pace of the world's population and the increasing pressure exerted on global life supporting natural systems due to amplified natural resource use and consumption coupled with the impacts of climate change necessitates the development of innovative technologies and comprehensive policy frameworks to address the looming crisis in the water, energy and food nexus. As the 30th driest country globally, South Africa has embarked on and enacted a pro-water-energy and food nexus policy which aims to create an understanding of the interdependencies of the three components and their influence on socio-economic growth and national development in the face of climate change-induced environmental changes. While these policies and programmes appear to have a sound theoretical basis, their implementation has been hindered by a number of structural and systemic challenges. Using methods inspired by the tradition of participatory research, this paper discusses the strengths and ...

e-review of tourism research, 2019

This paper uses a qualitative meta-synthesis approach and suggests an appropriate methodological ... more This paper uses a qualitative meta-synthesis approach and suggests an appropriate methodological approach to study environmental sustainability practices in the hotel sector in Malawi. Twenty selected articles published between 2007 and 2017 were purposefully selected for a meta-synthesis because of their scope. The results from this meta-synthesis indicate that the majority of researchers from developed countries use a quantitative method to establish the status of environmental sustainability practices in the hotel sector. The results also revealed that some researchers from developing countries used both quantitative and qualitative (mixed method) methods, whilst others preferred the use of qualitative. This paper, therefore, proposes a seven-stage version of the Grounded Theory methodology for studying environmental sustainability practices in the hotel sector in Malawi and Sub – Saharan Africa at large.

Development Southern Africa

South African Geographical Journal, 2016

This paper examines the role of community-based water resource management in community developmen... more This paper examines the role of community-based water resource management in community development in Cameroon. Natural resources across sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) have been managed from centralized systems and this has resulted into massive marginalization and disenfranchisement of rural communities. However, there is now a shift in policy interventions towards adopting pro-community approaches in resource management. Although this paradigm is increasingly becoming common, key questions on how to propagate the participation of the most vulnerable members of a community and the impact on community development remain pertinent. Using both secondary and empirical data collected though tools inspired by the traditional of participatory research; it is argued in the paper that community-based natural resource management (CBNRM) has the potential to imbue the full participation of local people in any development issues and changes rural societies and communities in sub-Saharan African coun...

Sustainability, 2020

Globally, water hyacinth is a known invasive species that predominantly threatens the pillars of ... more Globally, water hyacinth is a known invasive species that predominantly threatens the pillars of sustainability. The cost of controlling these invasive plants is high and many Southern African countries are barely equipped for this liability as the process has to be performed over time. Despite this challenge, there is valuable resource recovery from water hyacinth which can be used to make financial and environmental returns. The visible differences between the control and utilisation methods lie in the definition, recognition, and matching of costs and benefits. Using a rapid appraisal of existing literature, which was analysed using meta-analysis, the current paper is an attempt to discuss the beneficial use of water hyacinth. It is argued in the paper that the economic feasibility of control methods which, on one hand, are used to calculate the economic value of water hyacinth, mainly relies on assumptions whose reliability and sustainability are questionable, thus implying limi...

South African Journal of Science, 2020

One of the greatest challenges facing the global community is climate change. 1 Over many years, ... more One of the greatest challenges facing the global community is climate change. 1 Over many years, global leaders have embarked on various platforms in a concerted effort to combat climate change. 2 One of the key platforms has been the annual Conference of the Parties (COP)-a regular meeting in which climate negotiations and high-level political discussions have taken place. 2 In 2015, the 21st COP was the most important because 195 countries agreed to ensure that rising global temperatures do not exceed the safe zone of 1.5 °C, as it is forecasted that temperatures will continue beyond this value between 2030 and 2050 if no action is taken to combat climate change. 3 The parties further agreed that climate investments for countries are critical to make enormous transformational changes to reduce their greenhouse gases by scaling up climate adaptation and mitigation strategies. 3

Sustainability

For many of the world’s poor people, adaptation to climate change is not a choice but a reality. ... more For many of the world’s poor people, adaptation to climate change is not a choice but a reality. Existing evidence suggests that the poor, particularly those in the developing world, are the most vulnerable to any changes in climate variability and change. Using research methods inspired by the tradition of participatory research, we explore and discuss community perceptions on climate change adaptation governance in South Africa. We examine the myriad ways in which climate change adaptation policies and strategies are developed, and we systematically discuss the factors which either facilitate or hamper the involvement of all stakeholders in the development of these intervention measures. Our findings indicate that women seem to be the group of people who are mostly unaware of community initiatives, policies, and strategies for the adaptation to climate change. Thus, it is argued that, although South Africa has developed good climate change initiatives, policies, and strategies, th...

African Geographical Review, 2019

Inadequate water supply is one of the greatest current and growing global challenges particularly... more Inadequate water supply is one of the greatest current and growing global challenges particularly in rural communities of the developing world. Part of the challenge has been the ineffective water legislation and policies contributing to poor water management and governance. This study investigates policy and institutional responses of communitybased water supply management in Cameroon. Using secondary data and empirical evidence collected through participatory research, it was found that the management of rural water systems in Northwest Cameroon is challenged by uncoordinated policies and failed institutions. The study also revealed that there is continuous top-down management of natural resources despite the guise of decentralization of management responsibilities to rural communities and institutions. The paper argues that the efficacy of rural water supply will always be compromised unless rural communities and community-based organizations are involved and engaged indecision-making processes and project implementation that affect them, or in which they have an interest ARTICLE HISTORY

Following decades of apartheid that manifested itself through oppression and racially-based land ... more Following decades of apartheid that manifested itself through oppression and racially-based land dispossessions; the democratic South African regime developed a platform for previously oppressed people to re-claim their land. Successful land claims on conservation areas by previously disenfranchised communities have often resulted into the co-management agreements with external actors, including conservation organisations in pursuit of both Community-Based Ecotourism (CBET) and enhancement of sustainable livelihoods. Using field-based data collected through methods inspired by the traditional of participatory research such as semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions, this paper explores the role of community participation in natural resources management. It specifically examines the extent to which social capital can be instrumental in promoting collaborative management of community based ecotourism (CBET) initiatives in tribal communities of Kwa-Zulu Natal, South Afri...

Access to a reliable water resource can be a key driver for socio-economic development. Both phys... more Access to a reliable water resource can be a key driver for socio-economic development. Both physical and economic water scarcities are negatively affecting the economies of subSaharan African countries, particularly rural communities with the latter considered a crucial challenge. This paper examines the role of local resource users in river basin management for sustainable development in Northwest Cameroon. Using secondary data and empirical evidence collected from three rural districts (Mbengwi, Njinikom, and Ndu) in Northwest Cameroon, it is argued that the involvement and engagement of local resource users and community-based organisations in decision-making processes in river basin management can contribute to sustainable water supplies and enhance sustainable development. In the context of rural communities in the Northwestern part of Cameroon where water supply is mostly through gravity-led techniques, river basins are the main sources of community water supply. It is, there...

This is the first treatment of the family Octoblepharaceae for Australia. The only known Australi... more This is the first treatment of the family Octoblepharaceae for Australia. The only known Australian species, Octoblepharum albidum Hedw., is described and illustrated, and a map of its known and potential distribution in Australia is included. Octoblepharum exiguum Müll.Hal. is here treated as a new synonym of O. albidum.