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Article History

Received: 5 August 2025

Accepted: 22 April 2026

First Online: 1 May 2026

Declarations

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: The data used in this study were collected as part of a structured stakeholder engagement event involving adults. According to University of Johannesburg guidelines, this type of activity does not require formal ethical approval, as it involves voluntary participation, non-invasive data collection, and does not include minors or sensitive personal data. The stakeholder engagement was classified as a non-research / low-risk engagement and are exempt from formal review by a Research Ethics Committee (REC) / Institutional Review Board (IRB). However, ethical principles were rigorously adhered to, including obtaining informed consent, maintaining anonymity, and ensuring confidentiality. This is in line with the guiding principles of the Process, Energy and Environmental Technology Station and its mandate under the Technology Innovation Agency, South Africa. All participants were adults (18 years and above). Participants were informed of the purpose of the activity, and their contributions were voluntary. All data were anonymised prior to analysis. All participants were adults (18 years and above) informed about the objectives of the stakeholder engagement and their voluntary participation. Informed consent was obtained from households participating in the community participation sessions through a signed attendance register for the community event. No personally identifiable or sensitive personal data were collected, and all responses were anonymised prior to analysis.

: All authors approved this manuscript’s submission. Informed consent was obtained from all household participants for inclusion of anonymised data in any figures or tables, and for publication of any content that might otherwise identify individuals.

: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.