Mahlatse Mogale

MSc Project

This study is a quantitative ethnobotanical survey of useful plants of the Sekhukhuneland region of South Africa. Sekhukhuneland is known as the heartland of the Bapedi, it is surrounded by Strydpoort Mountains to the north, Drakensberg to the east, Steenkampsberg to the south and the Springbok flats to the west. It is characterised by its ultramafic rock type which gives rise to its endemic plant species. The communities living in the region are still highly dependent on the biodiversity to meet their daily needs. There are few ethnobotanical surveys conducted in the area and they mainly concentrate on the medicinal plant uses. The aim of the study therefore is to accurately record extant indigenous knowledge on all of the most important useful plants of the region, including those used for traditional medicine, food, beverages and various technical purposes. The Matrix Method will be used to quantify the indigenous knowledge that still exists in Sekhukhuneland and a checklist of all the most important plants will be compiled, including their vernacular names and which plant parts are used.

Conference contributions

Mogale, M.M., Van Wyk, B.-E., Raimondo, D.C. 2015. "Traditional plant use of the Bapedi in Central Sekhukhuneland".(Lecture: 18th Conference of the Indigenous Plant Use Forum joint with the 56th Conference of the Society for Economic Botany (SEB), Clanwilliam, South Africa, 28 June-02 July 2015).

Mogale, M.M., Van Wyk, B.-E., Raimondo, D.C. 2015. "Ethnobotany of the Bapedi".(lecture: 43rd Annual Conference of the South African Association of Botanists (SAAB), Tshipise Resort/University of Venda, 11-15 January 2015).

Mogale, M.M., Van Wyk, B.-E., Raimondo, D.C. 2014."Towards an inventory of the useful plants of Sekhukhune Land". (lecture: 3rd Conference of the Indigenous Plant Use Forum, University of the Free State, Qwa-Qwa Campus, Phuthaditjhaba, South Africa, 30 June-3 July 2014)