*3.1. Description of the Study Area*

This study was conducted in Northern Cape Province of South Africa, in the Frances Baard District Municipality. The municipality's total geographical area is 12,384 km2 and accounts for 3.4% of the total area of Northern Cape Province [37]. The study was conducted in the following four local municipalities: Sol Plaatje, Dikgatlong, Magareng, and Phokwane (Figure 2).
