Thesis (MTech (Public Management))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2019. / Community participation is an important aspect of South African government policies that deal with integrated development planning and sustainable development. This report presents aspects of community participation in housing development in Site B Khayelitsha. The importance of community participation is acknowledged as it enhances the ability of the community members to demonstrate and use their own views to deal with specific issues and to address the needs and problems that emerge and prevail in their societies. Communities should be involved in the ‘selection, design, planning and implementation’ of projects that will have an effect on them and from which they are going to benefit; and continuous feedback to communities forms a fundamental part of any development activity. The research investigated the Khayelitsha community concerned about the lack of community participation in housing development. The literature covered the legislative framework, philosophy, core principles and values as well as the levels and method of community participation. Mixed method approach was followed in the form of questionnaire survey, followed by the interview. Based on the findings, specific recommendations are made with a view to assist the municipality to improve the level of community participation in the Khayelitsha community.

This study was a user oriented evaluation of the South African Non-government Organizations Network (SANGONeT), a regional electronic information and communication network for development and human rights workers. SANGONeT emphasizes the need for integrating a variety of information related tasks through the use of information and communication technologies (lCT). Its mission is to facilitate the effective and empowering use of ICTs by development and social justice actors in Southern Africa. While SANGONeT is one of the oldest networks for development and human rights sectors in South Africa, no other evaluations of this particular network, from the users' perspective could be traced. The study sought to determine SANGONeT's intended users' perceptions of the network, in terms of their level of awareness and, utilization, accessibility, relevance of the network and its level of facilitation in networking. SANGONeT was evaluated using effectiveness indicators. The respondents were the development and human rights organizations in K waZulu-Natal which subscribed to SANGONeT, or those which use certain services provided by the network as well as those which do not use the network but which are potential users. The SANGONeT subscribers formed only a small proportion of the population. They were all included in the study. A number of potential subscribers who were nonsubscribers were added. According to the findings, the subscribers were satisfied with the services that SANGONeT provides and they do see it as a networking facilitator. The nonsubscribers and the nonusers were not aware of the network's existence or the services it provides. Underutilisation does not result from the problems of accessibility and relevance. Lack of awareness emerged as the main reason for the underutilisation of SANGONeT in KwaZulu-Natal. Based on the findings of the study, recommendations are made for SANGONeT as well as suggestions for further study. / Thesis (M.I.S.)-University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2001.

Abstract not available. / Thesis (M.A.F.A.)-University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 1997.

Thesis (MPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2000. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The theme of this study is the practice of participatory democracy and its link to local development. The context is the current policy trend to consider the local authority as the core development agent. Governance is seen as a partnership between civil society and local state authority. The mechanism for linking democracy and development is the concept of integrated development planning. This study investigates the integrity of the process of public participation as reflected within integrated development planning. The democratic transition in South Africa forms the backdrop of the study. South Africa, a relatively newly formed democracy, has put legislation, political and social structures in place to support the transformation it intended. The question that remains and that is being researched in this study, is whether the lOP is a sincere attempt on the side of the government to install authentic participation on the part of the local community or is this another scheme for political expediency? The study reflects the transition to democracy on social and political level and on all levels of governance. In the case of local government, it describes the transformation of the role of local government to that of development agent in its jurisdiction of governance. A case study approach is used. The democratic transition in the field of local government and its application in a specific rural development region are selected as case material. The West Coast Development Region, a demarcated development region of the Western Cape, has been chosen as a testing ground for a number of reasons, but most importantly, because this region has taken the lead to implement the newly passed policy of integrated development planning in South Africa. The region also offered the most favorable circumstances for the study as it has been subjected to systematic and sustained development and capacity building inputs from the state since the elections in 1994. These include capacity building of ROP forums and Spatial Development Initiative. An empirical study of the process of public participation within the integrated development planning in this region was done after the first round of the process in 1997/1998. A group administered questiormaire is used to measure the knowledge and attitudes of participants who attended the workshops that were held by the local authority as medium of participation. Two measurements, one at the start of the workshop and one at the end, provided comparable data on changes in attitudes and levels of knowledge. The results indicated definite change in knowledge levels, but did not impact significantly on the attitudes of participants. The findings are presented here and form the basis of a wider study in local democracy and development to be proposed. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die tema van hierdie studie is die praktyk van deelnemende demokrasie en die verband met plaaslike ontwikkeling. Die konteks is die huidige beleidsrigting wat die plaaslike owerheid as die sentrale ontwikkelingsagent beskou. Regering word gesien as 'n vennootskap tussen die burgerlike gemeenskap en die plaaslike staatsowerheid. Die meganisme om demokrasie en ontwikkeling met mekaar te verbind, is die konsep van geintegreerde ontwikkelingsbeplanning. Hierdie studie ondersoek die integriteit van publieke deelname soos dit manifesteer in geintegreerde ontwikkelingsbeplanning. Die demokratiese transformasie van Suid Afrika vorm die agtergrond van die studie. Suid Afrika, 'n relatief nuutgevormde demokrasie, het wetgewing daar gestel om die voorgenome demokratiese oorgang te ondersteun. Die vraag wat gevra en ondersoek word in hierdie studie, is of die geintegreerde ontwikkelingsbeplanning 'n opregte poging is om ware deelname aan die kant van die gemeenskap te bewerkstellig of is hierdie nog 'n skema vir politieke gewin. Die studie reflekteer die oorgang na 'n demokrasie op sosiale en politieke vlak sowel as in alle vlakke van regering. In die geval van plaaslike regering, word transformasie in die rol van die plaaslike owerheid na die van ontwikkelingsagent in sy regsgebied beskryf. 'n Gevallestudie benadering word gebruik. Die demokratiese oorgang op die gebied van plaaslike regering en die toepassing daarvan in 'n spesifieke ontwikkelingstreek word gebruik as gevallestudiemateriaal. Die Weskus Ontwikkelingstreek, 'n afgebakende ontwikkelingstreek van die Wes-Kaap Provinsie is gekies as toetsingsgebied om verskeie redes. Die belangrikste hiervan is omdat hierdie streek die leiding geneem het om die nuutgeproklameerde wetgewing van geintegreerde ontwikkelingsbeplanning in Suid Afrika te implimenteer. Die streek het ook die mees gunstige omstandighede gebied vir die studie, aangesien dit sedert die 1994 verkiesing onderwerp is aan volgehoue en sistematiese ontwikkelings- en bemagtigende insette deur die staat. Dit sluit onder andere in kapasiteitsbouprogramme vir HOP forums en 'n ruimtelike ontwikkelingsinisiatief. 'n Empiriese studie is gedoen oor die proses van publieke deelname in die ge'integreerde ontwikkelingsbepanning in die streek kort na die voltooiing van die eerste rondte daarvan in 1997/1998. 'n Groepgeadministreerde vraelys is gebruik om die kennis en houdings van deelnemers wat werkswinkels bygewoon het, te toets. Hierdie werkswinkels is deur die plaaslike owerheid gehou as medium van deelname. Twee metings, een aan die begin en een aan die einde van elke werkswinkel is geneem. Dit het vergelykbare data om veranderings in kennis vlakke en houdings aan te dui, gebied. Die resultate het aangedui dat daar defnitiewe veranderings in kennis plaasgevind het, maar dit het nie beduidende verskil gemaak aan houdings van deelnemers nie. Die bevindinge word hier aangebied en vorm die basis van 'n wyer studie in demokrasie en ontwikkeling wat aanbeveel word.

Thesis (MS en S)--Stellenbosch University, 2003. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: In South Africa, Multi-Purpose Community Centres (MPCCs) have been identified as the primary approach for the implementation of development communication and information as they potentially offer a wide range of services that communities can utilise for their own empowerment. This affords the community an opportunity to become more self-reliant. The new Local Economic Development (LED) policy paper (2002) highlights the mobilisation of internal resources, capacities and skills consistent with the sustainable development objectives that government is now more aggressively pursuing. Community participation and empowerment play a significant role in any community, therefore, municipalities need to create the conditions for greater public participation and empowerment. It should be done with regards to the disadvantaged or marginalised groups in accordance with the conditions and capacities in a municipality. In the Dwars River region, various services are being planned ranging from skills development to tourism, but these depend on sufficient financial aid. The nature and location of the MPCCs in South Africa makes financial sustainability difficult because the majority of them largely serve historically disadvantaged communities with limited financial resources to pay for services. It is also important to note that economic growth does not necessarily imply poverty alleviation and/or skills development as components of the government's communication and information approach. MPCCs can transform communities but will be time consuming and requires participation from all spheres of government and civil society. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: In Suid Afrika was Veeldoenige Gemeenskap Sentrums geidentifiseer as die primêre benadering vir die implementering van informasie en kommunikasie programme, veral omdat hierdie progamme 'n reeks dienste aanbied, wat die gemeenskap kan benut vir hul eie bemagtiging. Dit gee aan die gemeenskap die geleentheid om meer onafhanklik te word. Die nuwe Plaaslike Ekonomiese Ontwikkelings beleidsdokument (2002) beklemtoon die mobilisering van interne hulpbronne, kapasiteit en vaardighede konstant met die volhoubare ontwikkelings objektiewe wat die regering meer aggresief nastreef. Publieke deelname en bemagtiging speel 'n kenmerkende rol in die lewens van die gemeenskap. Verder blyk dit duidelik dat munisipaliteite, publieke deelname en bemagtiging moet bevorder. Munisipaliteite moet ook kondisies vir publieke deelname en bemagtiging skep. Hierdie twee strategieë moet veral toegepas word op vorig benadeelde en gemarginaliseerde groepe en gemeenskappe in lyn met die kondisies en kapasiteit van die betrokke munisipaliteit. Die Dwarsrivier Vallei bied verskeie dienste aan wat vaardigheidsontwikkeling en toerisme insluit. Dit sal grootliks afhang van die streek se finansiële kapasiteit. Die aard en ligging van Veeldoenige Gemeenskap Sentrums in Suid-Afrika maak finansiële volhoubaarheid Gemeenskap Sentrums moeilik, bedien want die meerderheid Veeldoenige grootliks die historiese benadeelde gemeenskappe met hul beperkte finansiële hulpbronne. Dit is ook belangrik om te beklemtoon dat ekonomiese groei nie noodwendig armoede uitwissing impliseer nie, maar so eerder vaardigheidsontwikkeling (bv. Informasie Tegnologie). Veeldoenige Gemeenskap Sentrums kan gemeenskappe transformeer, maar sal baie tydrowend wees en benodig gemeenskap deelname in alle sfere van regering en plaaslike gemeenskap.

Thesis (MPhil) -- University of Stellenbosch, 2001. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Community radio stations in South Africa are faced with a huge challenge to become sustainable in the process of serving their communities. The issue of sustainability itself is complex and shaped by a range of conditionalities. These include community participation, funding, regulatory and licencing factors, staff and management expertise, and the strategic planning and management capacity of a station. Often the communities themselves are materially poor and unable to contribute in monetary terms to the radio station. However, these same communities are also a source of wealth when it comes to experience, ideas, human power and time. A major challenge is for station management to develop organisational strategies that facilitate full utilisation of this community resource in the process of sustaining their stations. The focus of this study is on two stations in the Western Cape - Bush Radio and Radio Zibonele - and how their management is responding to the challenge of sustainability. Bush Radio has evolved a diversification strategy based on providing formal training and development as an income-generator, and Radio Zibonele has responded through a strategy of selling airtime to advertisers. This work describes these sustainability strategies and explores whether they constitute 'building a brick column or a brick wall'. The conclusion suggests that while both radio stations demonstrate varying degrees of community participation, clear internal systems of monitoring and control of resources, they differ in some fundamental respects of strategy. Bush Radio, on the one hand, shows a clear commitment to consciously diversifying income sources in a way that does not leave the station highly dependent on any single source. This, the writer submits, constitutes an attempt at building a "brick wall". Radio Zibonele, on the other hand, shows a clear commitment to consolidation and reliance on advertising revenue as a single source of income for the station. To the extent that this station relies on a single source of income and does not demonstrate any strategic objective of diversifying sources, the writer submits, it is building a "brick column". The basic assumption of this study is that while the challenge of sustainability constitutes an objective reality facing community radio stations in South Africa today, the subjective responses developed by station management to deal with this challenge can and often do make a difference. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Gemeenskapsradiostasies in Suid-Afrika staan voor 'n groot uitdaging om volhoubaar te ontwikkel. Volhoubaarheid as sulks is kompleks en word deur 'n verskeidenheid faktore beinvloed. Dit sluit in gemeenskapsdeelname, befondsing, regulerings- en lisensierinqsfaktore, personeel- en bestuursvernuf en die strategiese beplanning en bestuurskapasiteit van die stasie. Meestal is die gemeenskappe self arm en nie daartoe in staat om in rnonetere terme 'n bydrae tot die stasie te lewer nie. Dieselfde gemeenskappe is egter ook 'n bron van rykdom in terme van ondervinding, idees, mannekrag en tyd. Een van 'n stasiebestuur se grootste uitdagings is om organisatoriese strateqiee te ontwikkel wat die volle gebruik van die gemeenskapshulpbron sal fasiliteer in die proses om hul stasies volhoubaar te ontwikkel. Die fokus van die studie val op twee stasies in die Wes-Kaap - Bush Radio en Radio Zibonele - en hoe hul bestuur op die uitdaging van volhoubare ontwikkeling reageer. Bush Radio het 'n diversifiseringstrategie ontwikkel wat op formele onderig en ontwikkeling as 'n inkomstegenereerder gebaseer is. Radio Zibonele, daarenteen, konsentreer op adverteerders. Die werk beskryf die volhoubaarheidstrategiee elk van die radiostasies. Die gevolgtrekking word gemaak dat albei radiostasies wei verskillende grade van gemeenskapsbetrokkenheid, duidelike interne monitorsisteme en beheer van hulpbronne het. Tog verskil hulle ten opsigte van sekere fundamentele strategiee. Aan die een kant het Bush Radio 'n duidelike verbintenis tot 'n bewustelike diversifisering van inkomste op so 'n manier dat die stasie nie afhanklik is van een bron van inkomste nie. Die skrywer vergelyk dit met die bou van 'n "baksteenmuur". Radio Zibonele, aan die ander kant, is verbind tot advertensies as die enigste bron van inkomste. Aangesien die stasie op 'n enkele bron van inkomste vertrou en nie enige strategiese doelwitle vir die diversifisering van hulpbronne het nie, vergelyk die skrywer dit met die bou van 'n "baksteenpilaar" . Die basiese veronderstelling van die studie is dat die reaksie van die stasiebestuur In deurslaggerwende verskil kan maak om die uitdaging van volhoubare ontwikkeling Suid- Afrikaanse radiostasies die hoof te bied.

The Ward Committee System was introduced in South Africa in 2001 as a tool to bring government closer to the people and to enhance participatory democracy. The Makana Municipality adopted the system in 2002. Previous research on local government indicates that these structures have not been effective due to the lack of resources to sustain them. This study was interested in furthering such research, using the Makana Municipality as a case study during which unstructured, in-depth interviews and focus group discussions were conducted with Ward Councillors, Ward Committee Members and Grade 12 learners. The aim of the research was to investigate whether the ward committees did indeed promote the notion of participatory democracy and to what extent grass roots development has been enhanced by this structure of local government. The findings from both the respondents and the observations indicate that, in addition to the lack of resources, the underutilization of the Ward Committee System is a result of the effect of opposing political affiliations within the ward committee system, affiliations that undermine the goal of collaborative decision-making. Whereas the ward committee system is a positive idea, the findings suggest that the government is not supporting these structures by failing to equip the ward committee members with necessary capacities and skills. Therefore, if municipalities are committed to bridging the gap between local government and the community, and are keen to enhance participatory democracy, then capacity building of the ward committees and respect for their role during the decision-making process need to be taken seriously. At present, ward committee members are not influential and active in the decision-making process. In addition, the youth as prospective future ward committee members seemed disillusioned with the notion of participatory democracy, and instead have adopted the mentality that nepotism and corruption, as displayed by those in power, is the only way of governance. This research suggests that the ward committee system, intended to bring government closer to the people, may in fact not only alienate government from the people, but also the people from each other.

In recent years, immense effort has been channelled towards the Information and Technological development of rural areas. To support this development, telecommunication networks have been deployed. The availability of these telecommunication networks is expected to improve the way people share ideas and communicate locally and globally, reducing limiting factors like distance through the use of the Internet. The major problem for these networks is that very few of them have managed to stay in operation over long periods of time. One of the major causes of this failure is the lack of proper monitoring and management as, in some cases, administrators are located far away from the network site. Other factors that contribute to the frequent failure of these networks are lack of proper infrastructure, lack of a constant power supply and other environmental issues. A telecommunication network was deployed for the people of Dwesa by the Siyakhula Living Lab project. During this research project, frequent visits were made to the site and network users were informally interviewed in order to gain insight into the network challenges. Based on the challenges, different network monitoring systems and other solutions were deployed on the network. This thesis analyses the problems encountered and presents possible and affordable solutions that were implemented on the network. This was done to improve the network‟s reliability, availability and manageability whilst exploring possible and practical ways in which the connectivity of the deployed telecommunication network can be maintained. As part of these solutions, a GPRS redundant link, Nagios and Cacti monitoring systems as well as Simple backup systems were deployed. v Acronyms AC Access Concentrators AMANDA Automatic Marylyn Network Disk Archiver CDMA Code Divison Multiple Access CGI Common Gateway Interface.

This thesis relates the work of a non-governmental organisation, The Spirals Trust, to discussions on human and participatory development. The focus of the study is one of The Spirals Trust’s projects, the 2006/7 Tantyi Youth Empowerment Project, which is discussed in relation to theoretical material on human development and participatory development. Collectively these perspectives are defined in this thesis as ‘participatory human development’. The 2006/7 Tantyi Youth Empowerment Project illustrates some of the challenges that face the practice of participatory human development. Workshops and focus group interviews were conducted with participants who were part of the 2006/7 Tantyi Youth Empowerment Project in order to draw out their experiences of the project. Questions were created from themes that emerged from the participants’ discussion of their experiences and these questions were then posed to members of staff of The Spirals Trust. The experiences of both the participants and the staff members are discussed in order to explore issues that emerge in the practice of participatory human development in the 2006/7 Tantyi Youth Empowerment Project. The results highlight the challenges of putting into action the tenets of participatory human development. Feedback showed that a focus on personal development can help cultivate the ethic of participation. The effort that this entailed on the part of facilitators is discussed. The importance of exposing and continually working with power dynamics that may emerge in projects of this nature is revealed and the eroding influence of bureaucratic compliance in projects like this one is explored. The study also suggests that there is a need to promote development initiatives that challenge the political status quo rather than just finding ways to incorporate the marginalised more effectively into current systems. New questions that the research poses to the practice of participatory human development are considered in conjunction with suggestions for further research.

Development backlogs, in terms of unemployment and poverty, plague many developing countries. Countries have established and implemented various policies and plans to address these challenges. In response to these development backlogs, South Africa has instituted the notion of decentralisation and developmental local government, whereby local governments are largely responsible for initiating and facilitating development in the area under their jurisdiction. Furthermore, the potential role the private sector can play in development is being increasingly recognised by government, politicians, academics and developers alike. Uitenhage has a strong corporate presence and therefore this sector has the potential to contribute towards development in the town. However the concept of using corporate social responsibility (CSR) to promote development in South Africa is relatively new and, as will be revealed in the case study, definitions and underlying motivation for undertaking CSR vary. Local Economic Development (LED) and, more recently, CSR, have been recognised as major drivers of development and are being implemented throughout the country. As this thesis illustrates, they often merge and can work hand-in-hand to promote local development. Although the private sector, through CSR has the potential to contribute to development, they often do not have the available human resources to implement development initiatives. As is evident in the case study, partnerships between the private and public sectors often emerge as a result. Development institutions play a key role in development and often assist in bridging the gap between citizens, the state and the market. The development institutions in Uitenhage often act as instigators and facilitators on behalf of the larger corporations. The case study in Uitenhage, is a locality where there is a strong automotive industrial cluster and several major firms which are active in the development process. Furthermore, development institutions are committed to the socio-economic development of the town and the promotion of small micro medium enterprises (SMMEs), through various support services. The development institutions, often in partnership with the local government and the public sector, have initiated various local developmental projects in the town, of which three will be discussed in the case study. In this thesis, case study research reveals that corporations often do not meet their potential developmental role and their CSR actions are often considered as ‘window-dressing’ aimed at boosting their corporate image. Similarly, with regard to the development institutions, their development and job creation results look impressive at first glance, but further investigation reveals a collapse of a large number of projects. Despite the potential of LED and CSR to be major drivers of local development, there are still a number of hindering factors, which will be revealed in this thesis and lessons to be learnt which can help to inform future local development projects