Thesis (M.M. (Public and Development Management))--University of the Witwatersrand, Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management, Wits School of Governance, 2016 / This study ... explores the role of governance in facilitating community based television stations to achieve effectiveness.The case study is South Africa's most successful community TV station, Soweto TV. [Abbreviated abstract. Open document to view full version] / GR2018

Thesis is submitted in partial fulfilment for the degree of Master of Architecture (Professional) to the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment, School of Architecture and Planning at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2017 / The home dressmaker is a figure so constant in domestic history that one would be hard pressed to find, even today, somebody who cannot recall a woman from their family sewing at the dining room table. Within a highly industrialised world people rely more than ever on the industry of the machine and it’s endless whirring of fast consumption production. In the process, we have lost the respect for both the process and the product of the hand-made object. The fast-food, fast-living, immediate-access and instant-gratification of a post war America and Europe began an erosion of the morals-of-making which people have relied upon for centuries. Growing industries of cheaply produced clothes, shoes and fabrics from India and China have decimated these formerly strong South African industries. This dissertation aims to address the continued role of home sewing- historically undocumented- as an ‘invisible’ economy and define its position as a driving force for change through a ‘Skills Revolution’. Using the lens of a South African born, Johannesburg based and family run dressmaking and sewing teaching business, Italian Dressmaking School, this thesis aims at addressing the pressing social and economic needs of South African creative industries by providing a platform for personal and community skills development and learning. Italian Dressmaking School was founded in 1961 by my grandmother Irene Sansalvadore, and today continues to provide the tools for women to learn the craft of home sewing. This dissertation aims at providing both the space for women, in particular, to gain a skill in a craft that has historically been considered ‘women’s work’ alongside aligned crafts of weaving and textile dyeing within the historic fabric trading area of Fordsburg. South Africa no longer produces much in the way of textiles, bar traditional shweshwe, which is produced solely in the Eastern Cape and a handful of smaller mills scattered around the country. While pure cotton and linen is hard to come by, increasingly expensive and highly desirable, South Africa on a whole imports all of this fabric from China, Russia and India amongst others. The aim of this project is to build onto an existing nucleus already to be found in Johannesburg, providing South Africas’ residents with the skills to start their own micro businesses centered around the production of cloth, the dyeing/colouring and/or printmaking of produced fabrics and the final garment construction with its dual phases of patternmaking and sewing. This thesis does not aim to compete with industries like China but rather to re-establish a formerly successful craft based industry. The autonomy of people in establishing their own identity is arguably one of the most essential needs after the most basic; survival. This dissertation is not for the fashionista but rather for the woman who has used her hands, for time immemorial, making the cloth that shrouds us all. / XL2018

This thesis is based on a community called Kwena Malapo near Lanseria. It is a group of people that sit between the threat of relocation and the opportunity to develop along with the new proposed development of Cradle City. The land on which the informal settlement exists sits on the border of this development and the community are fighting to stay where they are. They lack basic services and infrastructure have poor education and no skills investment which makes them vulnerable. The aim of this thesis is to put forward the design of a community hub that will serve the community, give them an opportunity for learning and contribution as well as the ability to develop with the new economic growth, instead of facing relocation. Along with skills development and business opportunity the hub aims to serve the 13 informal settlements that surround Kwena Malapo.

Thesis (M.Dev.) --University of Limpopo, 2009 / This study focuses on the impact of the community development projects on the livelihoods of the people. The aim of the study is to assess the impact of the community development projects and the livelihood of the community of Lepelle-Nkumpi Municipality. The study examines the operations and performance of the community development projects since they started. The objectives of the study are to assess the impact of the community development projects on the livelihood of the beneficiaries and the community in terms of income, jobs and living standards, as well as identify and recommend appropriate intervention strategies where necessary. The finding of the study revealed that the community development projects did have an impact on both job creation and income generation, although the income part of it is not satisfactory. The other findings were the skewed participation where women were dominating. The study reveals that the government and the private sector should play an active role in training the beneficiaries, encourage youth participation in order to ensure sustainability of the projects, and also expose the project members to different technologies available in agriculture to ensure mass productions which will translate into better incomes from the projects.

Thesis (M.DEV.) --University of Limpopo, 2011 / The aim of this study is to assess the impact of immigrants on the development of Mankweng community. The units of analysis are the immigrants in Mankweng township and the residents who are affected by the presence of the immigrants. This was a qualitative case study. The researcher used purposive sampling method to select the participants. Two interview guides were used; one for immigrants (guide A) and the other for the residents (guide B). In-depth interviews were conducted with the respondents. The findings revealed that immigrants left their home countries because of factors such as poor economic conditions and political violence. There is evidence to suggest that good governance and a favorable political climate has made South Africa a high ranking receiving country. According to this study, immigrants are blamed for unemployment and crime in Mankweng township. However, the study also shows that immigrants do not wait for jobs to be created for them. They are self employed and hard-working. Immigrants who own businesses hire local residents. The study further suggests that xenophobic attacks on immigrants can be reduced by educating the residents about the creation of jobs. Recommendations from the study include the formulation of more policies that will regulate migration. Evidently existing policies have loopholes as the immigrants find it easy to get into the country. The study also suggests that there is a dire need for the government to fund the acquisition of rare and critical skills such as in the sciences like computer technicians. The study also recommends that the youth must be encouraged to start their own businesses. Co-development systems with the sending countries must be put in place to attract the most skilled immigrants to come. As such, incentives such as housing allowance or immigrants’ allowance should be given to those who are contributing to the economic development to stay longer. Partnership programs must be formed with sending countries to discourage future immigration movements of unskilled immigrants. Lastly, the study recommends that law enforcement at the border gates must be strict, so that illegal immigrants do not enter the country.

Thesis (M.DEV.) -- University of Limpopo, 2013 / The study aims to provide insights into the nature and extent of development funding provided to various poverty eradication projects by the National Development Agency (NDA) and its subsequent impact on reducing poverty in the predominantly rural communities of the Makhuduthamaga Municipality in the Limpopo Province. It examines in detail the impact made by the NDA on community development through the disbursement of funds to poverty eradication projects. It also provides insights into the total number of the NDA-funded projects and the total proportion of the NDA-funds allocated to them in the Makhuduthamaga Municipality. The study further examines the nature of the NDA support regarding the design of the interventions, relevance, participation of communities, delivery modalities and sustainability. The effectiveness of the NDA-funded projects in community development is determined using employment opportunities created, income generated, skills transferred, assets accumulated, sustainability mechanisms and community empowerment indicators. Although all of these indicators are found to be tightly linked to the NDA’s mandate of poverty eradication, the extent to which the NDA has achieved its objectives in disbursing development funding earmarked for poverty eradication and strengthening of CSOs was yet to be determined, hence the relevance of this study. The study, therefore, highlights key issues regarding the types of employment opportunities created and levels of income emanating from the NDA-funded projects. The study further highlights various areas of community empowerment, financial and sustainability measures put in place for the sustainability of the NDA-funded projects. Using a combined method of research, that is the qualitative and quantitative case study approach, the study highlights in detail insights into the impact made by the NDA on community development, particularly on Makhuduthamaga Municipality. The study highlights that while the NDA made some strides in the creation of employment opportunities, income generation, food security and community empowerment, both financial and institutional sustainability proved to be a daunting challenge for the NDA-funded projects Tailor-made and accredited training interventions coupled with the introduction of market-driven products to the NDA-funded projects as opposed to heavy reliance on donor funding will go a long way in bringing about productivity and, most probably, positive balance sheets and the maximum impact on the NDA funded projects.

Research in the area of service-learning has been steadily growing over the past decade, with an interest in the benefits for all parties involved in its implementation. However, research into the impact that service learning has on the community has been severely under-researched remaining practically absent from the service-learning research agenda. This qualitative study attempted to gain in-depth knowledge on the impact of service learning on two school communities. The research made use of participatory research techniques as they allow the researcher to access the ‘community voice’ and ‘hand over’ the research process. As the focus groups involved children, participatory techniques were used to elicit information regarding what element of the service-learning programme affected the learner’s experiences of participating in the service-learning programme. Ranking activity was the participatory technique used (Theis and Grady, 1991). The study had interesting results relating to what elements affect the community experience of service-learning programmes. Main findings include student characteristics, relationship development and how the students gain from service-learning. It gained insight into many areas that require further study relating to community experiences, and illustrates the complexity that characterises the community experience. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2009.

Abstract not available. / Thesis (M.Dev.Studies)-University of Natal, Durban, 2001.

After decades of optimistic theories of development, increasing global poverty and inequities remain at troublingly high levels. By the close of the twentieth century the development enterprise was accused of having “…reached an impasse, trapped within its own meta-narratives and unable to capture the diversity of the third world in any relevant and constructive manner” (Abrahamsen, 2000: ix). Similar observations have been made by Binns and Nel, (1999), McMichael (1996), Rivero (2001) and Rihani (2002) among others. These observations raise fundamental suspicions on the traditional approaches to development. The emerging consensus tends to favor bottom up approaches to development, anticipating that these might be better equipped to address underdevelopment. Thus the concepts of democratization and decentralization feature centrally in the prevailing literature. Literature seems to suggest that these emergent discourses have absorbed assumptions and contradictions. This in turn has rendered these discourses potentially deficient of meaningful impact. The specific task of this dissertation is to investigate participation issues in integrated planning. This will be achieved through assessing small businesses related LED in eThekwini municipality. Integrated Development Planning is a process through which South African municipalities prepare a strategic development plan, for a five year period. The Integrated Development Plan (IDP) is a product of the integrated development planning process. The IDP is a principal strategic planning instrument which guides and informs all planning, budgeting, management and decision-making in a municipality. Since the IDP involves participation of a number of stakeholders, it is crucial for the municipality to adopt an appropriate approach and also put in place appropriate structures to ensure effective participation. Here are some principles on participation: · The elected council is the ultimate decision-making forum on IDPs. · The role of participatory democracy is to inform, negotiate and comment on those decisions, in the course of the planning/ decision-making process. · Public participation has to be institutionalised in order to ensure that all residents of the country have an equal right to participate.” (Republic of South Africa, undated). Cornwall (2006:63) has already expressed serious worries on the way participation has navigated the development industry. For its part, she argues, “…contemporary participation discourse represents a reflux of strikingly similar policies, sentiments and pronouncements from a barely-remembered colonial past. Alongside the significant continuities in discourse and practice that span the colonial and post-colonial eras, the genealogy of participation in development reveals discontinuities and dissonances, broken records and broken promises” Within Cornwall’s concerns, this research project sought to understand the degree in which tendencies of top down approaches might still thrive in South Africa’s Local Economic Development discourse in regards to small businesses, despite policy commitments to participatory planning and governance. The findings suggest an urgent need to revisit the conceptualization of participation mechanisms. They further suggest this would impact on the approach to LED programs, and in particular those relating to small business development. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2010.

Community radio stations play an important role in the development of their communities. Forte FM is a community radio station located at University of Fort Hare Alice campus and was established to facilitate development in communities within the Amathole district municipality. Alice, a small rural town under Raymond Mhlaba Municipality, is one of the communities under the coverage of Forte FM. This study assessed the role that Forte FM plays in facilitating the development of Alice community. The study adopted a mixed method design in which questionnaires and interviews were used to collect primary data. The study findings show that although Forte FM is faced with serious financial challenges, it contributes to the development of Alice in various ways which includes providing the community with agricultural information, health information, promoting local culture, equipping the community with skills, promote local artists and sports personnel and educational programmes. The findings also revealed that the community is involved in the management of some aspects of the station’s operations through a board which is elected annually by the community itself. The results indicate that the radio station involve some community members in programming as experts on some topics or as people who have experienced an ordeal so they could share their experiences and advice other people how to manage similar situations. However, there is need to involve the community in the whole production process. The respondents’ attributed poor levels of community participation in programming to insufficient funds. The study recommends that Forte FM should lobby members of the community to fund the production of programmes since the station belongs to the community. This will enhance the sense of community ownership towards the radio station.