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Article History

Received: 21 April 2026

Accepted: 9 July 2026

First Online: 17 July 2026

Declarations

Ethics approval and consent to participate: “The study was evaluated and approved by the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences Research Ethics Committee (FNASREC), before data collection (Ethics approval number: NWU- 01316-24-A9). “In accordance with the Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from their Utilization to the Convention on Biological Diversity, the study participants from Bojanala Platinum District Municipality retain the authorship of traditional knowledge documented in this publication. As such, any use of the documented information, other than for scientific publications, requires prior consent of the traditional knowledge holders and their agreement on access to benefits resulting from any commercial use.” Permission to collect plant specimens was granted by the North West Department of Rural, Environmental, and Agricultural Development (NW-READ, Permit No: NW 55518/09/2024). Access to village territory was granted by the traditional authorities after presenting the study proposal to the traditional authority seating in plenary session. Before data collection and fieldwork, participants were briefed about the objectives of the study and their rights and benefits as participants. The principles of Ubuntu were applied during data collection, ensuring that indigenous voices were meaningfully heard and respected. Ubuntu, an African humanist philosophy often summarized as “I am because we are,” emphasizes interconnectedness, dignity, and reciprocity. Within this study, it provided a framework for engaging participants in ways that valued communal knowledge, mutual respect, and cultural authenticity.” “Informed consent was obtained from the participants prior to the commencement of the interviews. The non-disclosure agreement was also part of the informed consent form.”

Consent for publication: Confirms that participants consented to the publication of data and findings using codes for the name of participants.

Clinical trial number: Not applicable.

Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.