Thesis (PhD. (English Studies)) -- University of Limpopo, 2020 / One of the important duties of performative art is the idea of creating a sense of recognising people’s predicaments, especially those whose voices have been suppressed. This study seeks to employ Applied Theatre techniques to investigate community underdevelopment and youth under-empowerment with a view to discover why there is a prevalence of the human-trafficking plague in Africa, with South Africa and Nigeria as case study. On the assumption that this approach could possibly have a desolating effect through the way in which some community members would feel about their situations, field works in Mabopane (South Africa) and Eleyele (Nigeria) were conducted in order to examine the prevalence of the neglect of the youths of these communities as well as human-trafficking occurrences and possibilities. Through the results from field works, the study seeks to unveil possible relationships community and youth neglect share with the human- trafficking scourge in both regional leading countries, in particular, and the globalised world, in general. KEYWORDS: Applied Theatre; Human-Trafficking; South Africa; Nigeria; Community Development; Youth Empowerment.

Thesis (M. Dev. (Planning and Management)) -- University of Limpopo, 2019 / The National government has implemented a rural development strategy, known as the Comprehensive Rural Development Programme (CRDP), in various areas of the country including Muyexe village. The CRDP focused on community organization and mobilization as well as strategic investment in economic and social infrastructure. The programme adopted an approach that empowers Muyexe communities. It is built on the premise that rural areas in the country have the potential to be developed in a way that generates jobs and economic opportunities, thus providing an alternative to the urban centres, and contributing to the reduction of rural-urban migration. Muyexe has been one of the pilot areas in the country where the CRDP was implemented by the national government. The purpose of this study is to investigate the extent of the contribution of CRDP women empowerment in Muyexe. The study adopted a mixed research method (quantitative and quantitate) in order to describe and understand the impact of CRDP on women empowerment. The researcher used a questionnaire to collect data from 92 households, which were selected randomly. In addition, qualitative data was collected through one-on-one interviews, observation and literature review. Interviews were conducted with ten (10) CRDP facility managers, employees and government officials who were selected purposively. Findings indicate that the condition of women living in the village has improved as women are allowed to engage in decisions that directly affect them, and women are treated with respect and dignity. There are signs of improvement in terms of women’s empowerment, namely access to resources such as land, health care, water and electricity; involvement in the projects that are designed to benefit the community; and holding leadership positions, despite the cultural and traditional practices. However, the participants of the study perceive that women are not satisfied with their working conditions and the income they earn. Another finding of the study is that CRDP has implemented various facility services in order to benefit the local community of Muyexe, through setting up a library, recreation centre, computer centre, early childhood learning centre, post office, clinic, doing road vii construction and many more. Other projects implemented include water reservation tanks, electricity, toilets and backyard gardens. This study found that the infrastructure and service facilities that were developed through the CRDP have a major impact in the lives of women in the village. Women have more access to houses, water reservation tanks, and electricity and sanitation facilities. Moreover, the projects initiated by CRDP have benefited women and their families as well as creating employment opportunities and skills training. The CRDP has not fully achieved its purpose of empowering the community, women in particular, due to several implementation challenges including inadequate coordination, theft and vandalism, and nepotism. Thus it is crucial for the policy makers and implementers to look into the different challenges that women are facing and come up with appropriate strategies that will further empower rural women in the study area. / National Research Foundation (NRF)

Dissertation submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts (Community Work) in the Department of Social Work in the Faculty of Arts at the University of Zululand, 2006. / This study examined aspects and strategies the communities adopt to manage the production and the distribution of agricultural commodities. The research also focused on problems experienced by small - scale farmers in the production and management of their produce. The food security of the communities relies on the good management of natural resources and production. It would appear that communities need to utilize and manage natural resources properly and appropriately if future generations have to sustain good produce for their livelihood. The study further found out that small-scale farmers live in conditions that are intolerable in terms of their access to water, market and land. The identified problems limit the access of farmers to produce good quality agricultural commodities, which could be acceptable to market retailers and wholesalers. Agriculture cannot be neglected as the backbone of community survival. Empowering communities about agricultural production management is a development strategy that is aimed at facilitating economic growth. In conclusion the researcher recommends that communities need to be provided with inputs like irrigation facilities so that their production could not be seasonal but could be able to produce throughout the year.

A dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Humanities, in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Masters of Arts in Journalism and Media Studies at the University of the Witwatersrand in 2016 / The research set out to investigate how the Voluntary Medical Male Circumcision (VMMC) programme in South Africa facilitated stakeholder participation in its communication processes to improve the uptake of services in the context of national targets. Studies reviewed have highlighted challenges in the implementation of the participatory model to achieve communication goals. This qualitative study used document analysis, in-depth interviews and Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) for data collection. The research has revealed other limiting factors including unequal opportunities to influence decisions as a result of varying levels of authority and access to mediated public spheres. While those with power end up being further empowered through participatory approaches in terms of voice and visibility, the representation of the inputs of the lower level stakeholder group is limited to head count. A five-day visit to a VMMC clinic in Alexandra Township attributes marginalisation by exclusion from decision-making processes as one of the reasons for people’s inability to translate knowledge into the positive public response. The study was inconclusive about the influence of the model on the actual service uptake because the purpose was to provide a textual description of the participants’ experiences and not the impact. / XL2018

Thesis (MPA.) -- University of Limpopo, 2022 / Policy development and management remains the subject of boardrooms and societal preoccupation. This is precisely because policies are a vehicle for customer service and service delivery. For any product or service that is produced or consumed or used, there must be certain standard operating procedures, processes, and protocols generated and developed to produce or deliver that product or service to the users (consumers) who are mainly the people. Therefore, policy implementation is the framework that guides processes and procedures to deliver services and products to the people. Thus, this study focuses on the policy implementation process. The aim of the study was to investigate public policy implementation, with a focus on the indigent policy in a local municipality. A qualitative study was undertaken to investigate implementing the indigent policy in the Greater Tzaneen Local Municipality, hereafter referred to as the Greater Tzaneen Municipality. A non-probability sample frame was used where purposive samples were drawn from among municipal administrators (staff), ward committee members, community development workers, politicians (Councillors), indigent beneficiaries, and ordinary community members of the Greater Tzaneen Municipality. Data was collected using semi-structured open-ended question interview guide. In-depth, face-to-face (one-on-one) and telephonic interviews were conducted with the director responsible for finance and the councillor responsible for the social cluster portfolio in the Greater Tzaneen Municipality respectively. Focus group discussions including the officers (staff) responsible for the management and delivery of the indigent services in the Greater Tzaneen, the ward committee members, the community development workers (six), the ward councillors (six), community members and the indigents (six) of the Greater Tzaneen Municipality were also conducted. The participants were organised into Groups A, B, and C for efficient data management. There was a total complement of 20 participants and respondents. This study used the 5C Protocol plus the sixth C, hereinafter also referred to as the Protocol, to investigate implementing the indigent policy in the Greater Tzaneen Municipality. Findings and recommendations deduced from the study mainly highlight the positive or negative outcomes of compliance, namely, lack of capacity to measure water and sanitation in rural areas; policy content well designed and packaged; context variable still needs more attention to cite but a few

Thesis (M.Dev. (Planning and Management)) -- University of Limpopo, 2022

Thesis (M.Dev. ( Planning and Management)) -- University of Limpopo, 2021 / Cooperatives are recognised as an important instrument to reduce poverty, create employment, achieve economic growth and development. As a result, smallholder farmers with common interests have organised themselves and registered agricultural cooperatives. However, the operational performance of smallholder agricultural cooperatives for sustainable community development has remained poor. The purpose of the study is to explore the operational performance of smallholder agricultural cooperatives for sustainable community development in Elias Motsoaledi Local Municipality in Limpopo Province. Mixed research design was used in this study. Data was collected from sixty participants, questionnaires and semi-structured interviews were used to collect primary data for both quantitative and qualitative methods. The study found that smallholder agricultural cooperatives in the area of the study face challenges such as lack of managerial skills, poor governance, lack of adequate financial support and access to loans, lack of clarity on policy as well as lack of alternative strategies. The main findings of the study confirmed that there are challenges associated with the operational performance for sustainable community development. Inadequate financial support and lack of managerial skills were regarded as the main challenges that hinder the operational performance for sustainable community development. The study has suggested alternative strategies and recommendations that can assist smallholder agricultural cooperatives to improve their operational performance for sustainable community development.

Thesis (M.Dev. (Planning and Management)) -- University of Limpopo, 2023 / The study aimed at investigating the efficacy of the Integrated Development Plan (IDP)‟s implementation to enhance basic service delivery at Mpakeni Village in the Mpumalanga Province. The South African government constitutionally mandates local municipalities, which are the spheres closer to societies, to provide basic services to their constituencies. The South African government has been attempting to address service delivery challenges and existing backlogs bequeathed by the apartheid regime. For this reason, instruments such as the IDP have been formulated to enhance basic service delivery, especially in previously disadvantaged communities. However, in many South African municipalities, such as Mbombela Local Municipality, the IDP is used only as a blue-print rather than a tool to enhance basic service delivery. The study was guided by the Humanistic Paradigm and Systems Theory. It employed both qualitative and quantitative research approaches to investigate the institutional factors that lead to effective IDP implementation. Assisted questionnaires and interviews were used to collect data from the respondents in the Mpakeni Village. The sample of the study was used to select different household respondents and municipal officials. The study involved a total of 70 household respondents and 4 key informants from the municipality. The research findings indicated the lack of capabilities in the municipality, high corruption rate and maladministration, as factors which hindered the improvement of basic service delivery. It was found that many of the residents do not understand what an IDP is all about. This means that many local citizens have little or no knowledge about how basic services are delivered to their communities. It was also found that there is lack of public participation during the IDP process and its implementation. Therefore, the study concluded that IDP implementation does not enhance basic service delivery because of the inexperience of municipal officers, among other things. Consequently, the study recommended that only experienced candidates should be employed to implement the IDP whilst the existing ones should be trained.

Thesis (M.Dev. (Planning and Management)) -- University of Limpopo, 2022 / The implementation of community development projects in rural South Africa was expected, among other outcomes, to empower women by creating opportunities for their sustainable livelihoods. This study investigated contributions made by such development projects on women empowerment in Lulekani of Ba-Phalaborwa Municipality of Limpopo Province. The research objectives were to determine the nature of community development projects, to examine the role of the projects in empowerning women and to find out strategies required to improve the impact of the projects on women empowerment. Anchored within an interpretivist philosophical paradigm, the study employed a qualitative research approach using a case study method. The study population consisted of women who actively participate in community development projects and those who are outside the projects. Purpose sampling was applied in selecting the sample. Inclusion criteria were that participants should have been participating in the projects and/or residing in the community of Lulekani. The sample also included a few women who did not participate in the projects. This was done for comparative purposes. For data collection, unstructured face-to-face and focus group interviews were used. Data were collected about relevant issues on empowerment such as, but not limited to, skills development, income generation, accumulation of assets, social capital and human resource development. The study found that the projects were contributing to women empowerment by creating employment and generating income for them and their families. However, it was evident that much more could be done to multiply the size of incomes and improve their lives of in terms of skills development and by providing support for the long-term sustainability of the projects. The study therefore recommends that policy makers should consider developing to more holistic and appropriate strategies to improve contributions of community development projects on women empowerment. The study concludes that while community development projects have a potential to empower women, this critically depends on strengthening their capacity, particularly with respect to management and administration of those projects as well as enhancing their access to markets and other support.

The study took a qualitative approach to the analysis of the effect of the politics-administrative interface on municipal service delivery. It was a case study of the Mnquma local municipality in the Eastern Cape Province. The researcher developed a keen interest in researching on the topic because the political infighting and clashes between politicians and administrators of the municipality have caused a public outcry for the root causes of the infighting to be effectively addressed and redressed. It is hoped that the findings and recommendations of the study will help, reshape public policy implementation, service delivery and fostering of mutual cooperative relations between politicians and administrators both at local government level and any other sphere of government in South Africa. The study, is categorized into five chronological chapters, with chapter one (introduction and background), chapter two (literature review), chapter three (research design and methodology), chapter four (data analysis, interpretation and presentation) and chapter five (conclusions and recommendations). The researcher used a sample size of 40 respondents who were selected using snowball sampling, a non-random sampling design spread accordingly over both politicians and administrators. Data collection was made possible through an open-ended questionnaire, interviews, observations and documentary analysis. Various reports and media statements were also used to augment this empirical study. The study also used an in-depth qualitative data analysis technique which was descriptive in nature and the study made numerous deductions and findings based on the collected and collated data. Findings of the study were, inter alia, too much politicization of the public sector, interference between politicians and administrators into each other’s affairs and vice versa and adverse effects of cadre deployment which are damaging service delivery. The study made numerous recommendations which included, inter alia, training and development of administrators and politicians on their respective roles and responsibilities, enforcement of the politics-administrative interface as a mutually beneficial approach to service delivery, need for proper interpretation of Acts and policy documents and the enforcing of section 139 interventions into municipalities.