Over recent decades, water quality at the Mthatha River Catchment (MRC) within the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa has been threatened by various pollutants. The continuous effluent concentration discharges from the Mthatha Prison and the Efata School for the Blind and Deaf have caused ineffable damage to the Mthatha River's water quality. Thus, the time series-measured data between 2012 and 2020 were analysed to determine the trends and enable forecasting of selected water quality parameters using the Thomas–Fiering (T–F) stochastic model. The Kendall's τ test trends show an increase in the coefficient of variation of 0.498 and 0.394 at the Mthatha Prison and Efata School, respectively, for abrupt changes, whereas the mean monthly T–F forecasted model shows a good correlation value range from 0.79 to 0.87 for the various predicted variables. The simulated predicted models and trends could serve as a measure to forecast selected water quality parameters' occurrence and a likelihood period when the river pollutants could be controlled. Water managers and researchers would find usefulness in the employed tools for an effective control planning of the river pollutants.

Mthatha town of Eastern Cape Province, South Africa has been challenged to address the pollutant issues that are coming from rampant densification and effluent concentration discharge from the Mthatha Correctional Services Centre and the Efata School for the Blind and Deaf which have caused ineffable impaired damage to the Mthatha River Catchment (MRC). This paper is aimed at identifying drivers of poor water quality in the catchment and classified the River’s water quality into different cluster groups for proper pollutant source control measures. Water quality parameters data comprising of pH; conductivity; Phosphorus; Ammonia (NH4-N); Feacals; and E-coli covering 95 percent and 105 percent of the upstream and downstream sections of the River were available at ten monitored sites of the river catchment. These datasets covering eight years 2012-2020 were analysed in this study. Factor analysis as a choice of principal component analysis (PCA) and Agglomerative Hierarchical Clustering (AHC) was used to deduce inferences for the pollutants’ subsequent classification. The results classified the catchment into three different clusters of lower pollutant (LP), medium pollutant (MP), and high pollutant (HP) areas, with PC1 accounting for 84.54% of the total variance from the three components classification. Adaptive catchment managers would find usefulness in the employed statistical tools in ensuring real-time measures for river non-point pollutants sources control that could offer additional benefits in maintaining a safe life above and below water in the preservation of their public values benefit. The study recommends the issuance of compliance notices and non-point pollutant source control measures to improve the water quality (WQ) parameters.

The effects of altered streamflow types on selected water quality parameters provide useful knowledge and information for prompt water pollution management. This study assesses the impacts of inter- and intra-year seasonal variability in streamflow types on selected water quality parameters. The study uses percentiles, multivariance correlation, and agglomerative hierarchical clustering analysis (AHC) in XLSTAT statistics software to achieve the study aim. Historical dataset for streamflow, rainfall, and selected water quality parameters between 2012 and 2020 for the Mthatha River catchment (MRC), Eastern Cape, South Africa were used to characterize the different seasonal variability impacts with the selected water quality parameters at both the upper and lower reach of the river. The result of the inter and intra-year seasonal variability analyses show that the catchment's flow magnitude varies between 2.0 and 2.7 m3/s in summer while the results of the nonlinear polynomial relationship between the grouped streamflow regime show a coefficient of correlation (R2) values of 0.4264 and 0.5643, suggesting that a mild alteration occurs in the catchment. Decision-makers would find the study useful in controlling the pollutant effluent discharge into the river at different times and maintaining standard effluent requirements as mitigation strategies for sustaining the river ecosystem.

Over the past months, the socioeconomic consequences of the ravaging COVID-19 pandemic reverberated through and affected all segments of life. The construction industry is not left out. The severe impacts of COVID-19 have not only witnessed tragic human losses but have also caused colossal devastating implications for construction procurement and general contract condition. The study examined the dispute resolution methods adopted by contractors in Eastern Cape, South Africa, during the COVID-19 experience to determine their appropriateness and effectiveness. The study employed a snowballing, purposive, non-probability sampling technique with a mixed research design driven by respondents' participatory action. Twelve senior personnel were interviewed, while questionnaires were administered to 30 referred employees on the sites. XLSTAT statistical software and thematic analysis were used for the aggregated questionnaire and qualitative respondents' interviews in drawing inferences. The results revealed that an interest-based rather than a right-based approach are two sides of a coin that can make or mar the wheel of progress in arriving at an amicable agreement to contract terms in construction. The need for re-negotiation in billing, which is at variance with the various construction claim, cannot be over-emphasised. At the same time, the intuitive assertions of negotiation, mediation, and conciliation were used in resolving unforeseen delays, claims, and added costs due to disruptions of COVID-19. The study's main contribution lies in mastering and deploying appropriate dispute resolution methods in project execution. The study is of utmost importance in planning, restoring, and deriving optimal societal benefits from conflict management amidst the adverse effect of Covid -19 on any construction project. Keywords: Conciliation, Construction dispute, COVID-19; Mediation, Negotiation