The Land Reform projects are primarily challenged by post-settlement support. They mainly rely on government grants to survive and in some instances, projects have failed due to lack of sufficient post-settlement support. There are many government and private institutions and mandated and private businesses that offer post-settlement support to LRAD beneficiaries. Their impact can only be measured against improvements in the livelihoods of beneficiaries. While land reform has been in existence in SA, the main source of support evidently seems to have been the Comprehensive Agricultural Support Programme (CASP) in the form of a government grants. The existence of other sources of post-settlement support cannot be ignored, but the extents to which these support mechanisms are combined have contributed to the improvement of sustainable livelihood of the beneficiaries, as measured through livelihood assets. The main aim of this study is to explore how the LRAD beneficiaries in the Witzenberg Municipality in the Western Cape employ their livelihood strategies. It explores the types of support received by the beneficiaries and how the support has been used. To determine the progress made through the post-settlement support received by the beneficiaries in an attempt to achieve rural livelihoods strategies, the study discusses the status of the farms during the inception and also the current status. Many studies done by role players and academics in the field of land reform mainly explore the monetary benefit and ignore or pay less attention to the livelihood in five capitals. The needs confronting beneficiaries in the form of livelihood strategies are presented in the form of capital; for example, physical, natural, human, social, economic and financial capitals. This paper seeks to establish an understanding of how beneficiaries of land reform achieve their livelihood, given the constraints of post-settlement support to land reform in South Africa.

This treatise investigated the productive utilisation of child support grants (CSGs) with particular reference to Benoni town. The South African government introduced the CSG, which replaced the old maintenance grant in 1998. The aim of the CSG is to cater for the needs of vulnerable children living in South Africa such as education, basic health, food, shelter and protection. Since its introduction, CSG has been able to reach millions of vulnerable children in South Africa. Despite this success, the grant is still fraught with administrative inefficiencies and fraudulent activities committed by some CSG recipients. The researcher’s findings exposed the inappropriate and wasteful expenditure associated with the grant usage, by recipients of CSG. The researcher discovered that some mothers use grant money to buy alcohol and beauty products for themselves instead of the child’s needs. The reason associated to this wasteful expenditure was that the child is kept under the care of the grandmother who takes good care of the child, thus giving the mother the opportunity to use the grant she collects as she wishes. The main aim of this investigation was to find out how CSGs can be effectively and efficiently utilised by parents and guardians in Benoni and to make recommendations for better usage. The study also examined the effects of CSGs on children in Benoni and whether they are beneficial or not. The qualitative method of research was used and the study was descriptive in nature. Questionnaires were distributed to state officials and interviews conducted with CSG recipients. The findings from this research revealed that some of the respondents use the money to buy alcohol and beauty product for themselves instead of the child’s needs, making the implementation of CSGs ineffective and inefficient. This shows that there is a misuse of state funds by recipients of CSGs whereas there are millions of vulnerable children out there who do not have access to this cash transfer. The department of social security is encouraged to ensure effective and efficient utilisation of CSGs by recipients through state officials.

Across the globe, Affirmative Action broadly understood as a preferential redistributive policy intended to redress socio-economic inequalities created by past discriminatory labour policies, has been fraught with controversy and immense opposition from those who do not benefit from it. South Africa’s version has faced similar challenges to the extent that it is generally believed that non-beneficiaries’ reluctance to support it is based on their need to protect their long-standing economic advantage. The purpose of this study was to explore issues underlying the enduring stakeholder conflict over Affirmative Action in the South African context. In doing this, it focused exclusively on non-beneficiaries, investigating their perceptions of the policy. Additionally, the study sought to establish whether non-beneficiaries think Affirmative Action had any implications for the creation of a workplace environment in which all employees feel valued. The study was conducted following an exploratory approach and a qualitative design. In-depth interviews were conducted with 20 non-beneficiaries ranging from business practitioners to public representatives in parliament. Purposive sampling techniques were used to sample participants from organisations that had publically declared their views in opposing Affirmative Action. Findings showed that non-beneficiaries viewed Affirmative Action as a racist policy with a strict focus on numerically-representative outcomes. The study found that non-beneficiaries view Affirmative Action as a policy whose impact extends beyond workplace recruitment processes. It also showed that the policy is considered to have created negative externalities for the society and hampered business efficiency. The study revealed a belief that the policy has failed to correct socio-economic disparities. It also established that non-beneficiaries were unlikely to support Affirmative Action as they considered it an extractive economic policy. Furthermore, the study revealed that lack of good-quality economy-relevant education and skills were critical binding constraints to effective implementation of any measures to eradicate persistent socio-economic inequalities. An alternative input-based, socio-economic focused framework is proposed to address the fissures identified in the existing policy. / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2014. / lmgibs2015 / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / MBA / Unrestricted

Thesis (M. Dev.) -- University of Limpopo, 2016 / Land reform in a form of land redistribution has been implemented in developing countries including South Africa. Land reform in South Africa was introduced to address the effects of the racial discrimination practices of the apartheid government, which led to black people being denied access to land prior 1994. The objective of land redistribution is produce commercially viable land reform projects, which will be able to sustain livelihoods of the poor. However evidence from some studies suggest that a large number of these projects have failed. This study aimed to explore the impact of land redistribution programme on the livelihoods of beneficiaries of the Monyamani, Lwalalemetse and Maboi3 (MOLWAMA) farms in the Polokwane municipality, Limpopo province who have benefited from Settlement Land Acquisition Grant (SLAG) a sub-programme of land redistribution. A quantitative research design was used. Data were collected through a semi-structured questionnaire and analysed using the SPSS software. Since the main objective was to determine how the standard of living, the researcher used key indicators such as household income, access to services, production of food for food security, empowerment, security and health. The main findings of the research are that while beneficiaries indicated a positive change on their standard of living, it was evident that because the land was not optimally utilised, the benefits could be much higher but for a number of challenges that they were still experiencing. Beneficiaries highlighted a number of challenges which include water shortages, drought, financial mismanagement, conflict amongst beneficiaries, uncommitted beneficiaries, low wages, low representation of women and youth and lack of financial assistance. In order to resolve these challenges, the study recommends a number of policy interventions. Specifically, on building capacity of beneficiaries by providing entrepreneurship and financial management trainings. The government and other stakeholders should encourage the youth to participate in land reform projects and provide them with necessary skills which, will enable them to work productively. Provision of infrastructure such as access roads, water, electricity and markets is very crucial for successful and sustainable projects.

Approximately 49 million Americans are 65 years and older, 80% of whom have ≥1 chronic condition, while nearly 70% of Medicare beneficiaries have ≥2 such conditions. Moreover, avoidance of medical care is frequently seen among older adults; a national survey reported that over 33% of participants avoided seeking care even when they suspected that they should go to the doctor. Healthcare avoidance, especially by older adults, can result in adverse health and economic outcomes including higher use of emergency department (ED), longer inpatient stays, and poorer health status, alongside emotional burden. Studies have shown that perceived satisfaction of care and the need to seek care as a result of presence of illness are associated with care seeking behaviors. Thus, this study aimed to examine the extent to which these enabling and need factors translate to care seeking behaviors among Medicare beneficiaries. This is a cross-sectional study that includes 13,441 Medicare beneficiaries who responded to the 2018 Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey (MCBS). MCBS provides information on the beneficiaries’ medical conditions including healthcare utilization, healthcare access, and satisfaction with care. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were conducted to test the association between satisfaction of available care by specialists; satisfaction with the quality of medical care received the year before; presence of chronic illness like cardiovascular diseases (CVD), diabetes, arthritis, lung disease (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma, etc.) and depression, with care seeking behavior among Medicare beneficiaries. Care seeking behavior, which is the outcome of interest, was defined using three measures: not doing anything to avoid going to the doctor, not keeping sickness to self, and going to the doctor as soon as one feels sick. Of the total respondents, only about 29% showed care seeking behavior. Being male, being Hispanic, and having more than high school education were significantly associated with higher care seeking behavior. Lower likelihood of care seeking behavior was seen among beneficiaries who were dissatisfied with ease getting to doctor from home [adjusted odd’s ratio (aOR)=0.635; p

The purpose of this study was to explore the role of microfinance in the Sekhukhune District, Limpopo Province. The Hulme’s Impact Framework and the Capabilities Approach were used to understand the role of microfinance. A qualitative approach was used to gain an insight into the perspective of both the beneficiaries and the providers of microfinance. Semi-structured interviews were used to collect in-depth data from 30 participants from two developmental Microfinance Institutions operating in the Sekhukhune District. The results showed that Microfinance offered a variety of services, such as savings, small loans as well as business and health education, mainly to women who were interested in doing business. Loan eligibility for the institutions depended on both the ability to pay back and to save. Failure to pay back resulted in being excluded from the programme. Although loans were meant for business purpose, some clients found a way to use them for income smoothening and loan repayment. Overall, the results indicate that microfinance was used to supplement other government poverty-eradication tools such as monthly grants to the elderly and children. Moreover, microfinance is perceived by both beneficiaries and providers to bring about both economic and social capabilities. It was also revealed that, even though microfinance has some benefits, there are still some challenges faced in the industry. Beneficiaries perceived the interest rate to be satisfactory microfinance. However, the interest rates charged by the Microfinance Institutions is higher than what is charged by commercial banks. In the quest to cover operational costs, such interest rates that have left some of the poor in an unending cycle of poverty. Based on the findings, this study recommends that, the government should come up with other intervention strategies in addition to supplement microfinance. For instance, to help micro-entrepreneurs, the government could assist by building smaller shops to rent out to micro-entrepreneurs they could sell their goods. In addition, the government should build financial systems that work for the poor; create legal systems which that encourage market entry. / Economics / M. Com. (Economics)

A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Arts in fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Library and Information Science in the Department of Information Studies at the University Of Zululand, South Africa, 2017 / The need to manage tacit indigenous knowledge (TIK) through Information and Communication Technology (ICT) tools is imperative because it is at risk of becoming extinct without proper recordable and management systems. Indigenous Knowledge (IK) is largely tacit in nature and is mainly preserved in the memories of elders which is a risk to its documentation and preservation. We argue that ICT can be used effectively for enabling documentation, access and use of IK in the modern society. The study mainly focused on the types of ICT tools used for capturing, storing and disseminating IK in South Africa’s KwaZulu-Natal province. Specifically, the study investigated the use and types of ICT tools, in the management of indigenous knowledge, in the province of KwaZulu-Natal. For the purpose of the study, five research objectives were used that guided the research questions. These research objectives included: discussing the nature of indigenous knowledge; evaluating the types of indigenous knowledge practices in South Africa’s KwaZulu-Natal province; discussing the types of ICT tools currently used in the management of indigenous knowledge; discussing problems encountered in the availability and use of ICT tools in managing IK; and discussing strategies for improving the use of ICT tools in the management of indigenous knowledge. The theoretical basis of the study was informed by the Knowledge Creation theory (KC) by Nonaka as discussed in detail in chapter two. The study adopted a post-positivist research paradigm to enable multiple perspectives from participants/target population rather than a single reality. Both quantitative and qualitative research approaches were simultaneously used during a single phase of data collection. Quantitative data was gathered by survey method involving self-administered questionnaires with ICT users/beneficiaries. The qualitative data was gathered by both survey and qualitative content analysis largely through open-ended questions, which were embedded in the semi-structured interviews with owners or custodians of IK. In depth literature review and document analysis formed part of qualitative content analysis. The sample for the study was drawn from ICT users/beneficiaries and owners or custodians of indigenous knowledge in the province of KwaZulu-Natal. Notably, the ICT users/beneficiaries consisted of researchers, information specialists and/or librarians, academic staff, students and/or trainees on IK, cultural officers, IK recorders, IK documentation centre managers, and journalists and artisans. Furthermore, respondents who were owners or custodians of IK consisted of traditional healers, diviners and herbalists, traditional farmers, traditional musicians, rural artisans, community elders, traditional midwifery, rainmakers, chiefs, and traditional food specialists and storytellers. The study employed probability and non-probability sampling where cluster, snowball and purposive sampling techniques were used at different stages to select the respondents. A total of 96 questionnaires were administered to ICT users/beneficiaries and 57 (59%) were returned. Additionally, interviews were conducted with the owners or custodians of IK. 224 owners or custodians of IK were sampled, however, 196 (88%) were interviewed. The quantitative data from the ICT users/beneficiaries was analyzed using Statistical Package for the Social Science (SPSS). The qualitative data from owners or custodians of IK was analyzed through the use of qualitative contents analysis. The study acknowledged the wealth, access and use of indigenous knowledge in the province and showed that indigenous knowledge is not only used by indigenous people, as it is also being used by professional people for their own benefit. Many categories of traditional roles of custodians of IK have brought about the sustainability of indigenous knowledge practices in KwaZulu-Natal as it is still vital in these modern times and highly relevant in the areas of medicine and agriculture. Although KwaZulu-Natal has proven to possess rich indigenous knowledge practices, the knowledge is not sufficiently recorded with relevant ICTs for future use. There is a growing use of multiple ICT tools by institutions, IK centres and individuals to record or capture, store and disseminate indigenous knowledge which is quite positive. It is observed that ICT users/beneficiaries and owners or custodians of IK require ICT literacy to improve access and use. The challenges facing IK access are not uniform between ICT users/beneficiaries and owners or custodians of IK. The most crucial challenges among ICT users/beneficiaries and owners or custodians of IK was related to access to relevant ICT infrastructure and resources and lack of digital skills. The existing IK policy should be revised to accommodate rapidly changing ICT requirements of the sector. This study contributes to current literature and discourses on IKS; interrogates the applicability of knowledge creation theory and models to IK research; adds fresh data, information, and knowledge on IK research, particularly in South Africa; and proposes practical solutions to ICT application for IK development. The full thesis is available in the University of Zululand Institutional Repository and other publications from the thesis.

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Thesis (MPA.) -- University of Limpopo, 2017 / The disability grant administration and dispensation has always been a challenge to the Department of Social Development and cause for concern from recipients of the disability grant. The Government decided on establishing the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) as an entity to specifically deal with the administration of social grants including the Disability Grant. A number of studies have been conducted around the management and administration of the disability grant. The purpose of this study was to assess the efficiency and effectiveness of the administration and management of the disability grant. It further shows that the South African government spends a substantial amount of money in dispensing this grant. It is therefore necessary to investigate through an empirical research if these funds reach their intended beneficiaries, namely, the disabled community. This study employed the qualitative method which involved documents analysis, Questionnaire, interview and observation. Policy documents and reports from SASSA were analysed. Twenty applicants and twelve officials and three assessing doctors were interviewed. The findings of the study reveal that, although the SASSA has an improved model in place to redress and to contribute towards the effectiveness of the administration, there are still certain policy areas that needs to be reviewed. These policy areas include, amongst others, the appeal process, turnaround time, access and processing of the grant. In view of the findings from this study, the major recommendation is that there is a need to review the current booking system to ensure that the applicants are not subjected to unnecessary transports costs, time and delays. The SASSA needs to embark on vigorous and on-going community campaigns to educate the society on the operations of the SASSA and its jurisdiction within the Makhuduthamaga area. KEYWORDS: Administration; applicants; assessment; beneficiaries; Care Dependency Grant; Disability Grant; Grant-in-Aid; Makhuduthamaga; Recipients and the SASSA.