The 1996 constitution of South Africa was adopted as the supreme law of the Republic so as to establish a new society based on democratic values, to 'improve the lives of all citizens and to free the potential of all persons by every means possible' (1996:Section 27). Every person now has certain inherent rights which were denied to most prior to the 1994 elections. All persons have the right to dignity, and the right to have their dignity respected and protected. The State agrees, 'within its resources as outlined in its macro economic strategy GEAR' (Beck 2000: 195) to take reasonable legislative and other measures to achieve the progressive realization of people's rights and to have these rights respected. There is a major shift in the way society is governed. Government legislation reflects the move away from the harsh, discriminatory laws of the past, to a new social order based on democratic principles. Most welfare organizations are willing to embrace the new dispensation and some are well advanced in the transformation process which embraces the developmental approach to social welfare. This research looks at two such organizations within the context of a case study. Its purpose is not to detail the difficulties and tensions faced by the organizations in terms of the implementation of a developmental approach to social welfare, but rather to explore how two groups of people from very diverse backgrounds, politically, historically and economically, learn to work together on a developmental project during a time of monumental change. It details how the two organisations made progress together in spite of their many difficulties and differences, to bring each phase of the Project to fruition during the period October 1997 - October 2001. I use the actual geographical names of the Project during the research but the names of the organisations and the participants have been changed to protect identities. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2003.

Challenges of implementing Integrated Development programmes can be seen in the difficulty in aligning different departmental budgets and processes in the implementation phase of projects. This has had many implications for development. However, the use of conventional and single sector approaches to meet development needs has been more apparent. The need to respond to a lack of basic services and poverty in rural and periurban has been growing. Absence of appropriate rural and peri-urban development approaches, and non-alignment of policy and budgets across government structures have resulted in the use of urban based models. This has culminated in the creation of settlements that are unable sustain themselves over time. The dissertation puts forward the hypothesis that "community development through the housing approach is not an appropriate development mechanism for rural and peri-urban areas". It also highlights problems faced in attempting peri-urban and rural areas. This is illustrated by a case study - Intathakusa Integrated Development Programme. This is a peri-urban and rural development programme located within the boundaries of eThekwini Metropolitan Area and is used to illustrate problems faced by a number of areas of similar nature. This project attempted to deliver integrated programmes within the urban edge and the peripheral parts of the city. Qualitative research methods facilitated an in-depth exploration of relevant issues in this dissertation. Development practitioners and community representatives were interviewed to elicit information on the challenges facing peri-urban and rural development and to explore possible alternatives. The dissertation concludes with suggestions for sustainable livelihoods approaches for rural and peri-urban areas. The research also acknowledges that the housing package is perhaps a basic requirement for rural and peri-urban areas. It acknowledges that housing offers a means through which a bundle of basic services (over and above a house) can be delivered. The research concludes by arguing that if this funding mechanism is to be used in rural and peri-urban areas, it should be repackaged to include bigger site sizes and agriculture. / Thesis (M.Sc.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2004.

The study investigates ecotourism potential at Ntimbankulu forest, a remote area which is found at Ugu District Municipality. The essential elements of true ecotourism according to Ceballos-Lascurain, Drake, Boo, Brandon, are: " the participation and involvement of the local communities and residents in close proximity to the site". It is for this reason that the researcher adopted the stakeholder theory which involves local community, NGO and the Government. The main aim of the research is: to improve the standard of living of people near Ntimbankulu forest, (b) to conserve and preserve the natural resources of the forest, (c) to promote and sustain development in the area,( d) to make local community realize the need to protect their natural heritage site which is a huge "rock ship" with a lion crest on one of its side, that is found in the deepest part of the jungle. Lastly, to make the local people benefit from the natural resources found in this Forest. The study also looks at the history and culture of the area. It is hoped that the development of Ntimbankulu Forest will bring many benefits to the local community involving better education, job opportunities, and environmental awareness. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2010.

The first aim of this research was to examine the current financial technologies, outreach and fmancial viability over time (from 1997 to 2002) of four MFOs providing agricultural, microbusiness and consumption credit in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), South Africa (SA). Understanding the limitations and advantages of these financial technologies could facilitate institutional reform to improve access by low-income people to viable formal financial services in KZN. The second aim of this study was to estimate factors that affect the credit rationing decision and applicant loan default at the MFO providing consumption credit (MFOI), and the factors affecting default on medium-term agribusiness loans provided by MF02 which was one of the agricultural MFOs. These analyses were intended to help to improve client selection procedures and to reduce loan default rates at these MFOs. Study results show that institutions that finance specifically agricultural activities could improve the quality of their services by providing better access to branches and reducing loan approval times through improved screening and administrative procedures. Making financial services (consumption and production loans) available to both non-agricultural and agricultural sectors would also help to reduce portfolio risks resulting from the covariant incomes of small farmers. Savings mobilisation should also be considered, although institutions need to develop appropriate capacity to handle savings before mobilising deposits. The study shows too that the rural poor in SA have the capacity to save (for example, the average number of active savings accounts held by individuals at MF02 rose to 474 052 in 2002). Study results also suggest that the provision of both savings and loan services helps an institution to reduce borrower transaction costs in accessing financial services and means that savings can serve as a form of collateral and borrower information for lenders. Lenders need to charge interest rates that reflect the true cost of lending in order to cover costs, given that small loans to the rural poor in SA are risky and costly to administer. Charging a suitable interest rate, however, is not a sufficient condition for achieving financial self-sustainability. Reducing high arrears through stricter loan contract enforcement will also promote the financial self-sustainability of MFOs in SA. Moveable assets, such as vehicles and equipment, were not effective sources of collateral due to the high costs of attaching these assets in rural parts of KZN. Cessions on sugarcane crops were often constrained by flaws in collection mechanisms, where borrowers could deliver sugarcane to sugar mills on non-borrower quota numbers. Secure and transferable property rights were important preconditions if land was to have value as collateral. Collateral substitutes such as joint liability mechanisms were less effective when lending to large farmer groups (30 - 60 members) compared with small groups (4 - 6 individuals) of micro-entrepreneurs operating in urban areas in SA. Costly legal action to recover debts further undermined borrower accountability for loan repayment and thus did not discourage morally hazardous activities. Reputational capital was an integral part of the financial technology successfully used by MFO1, and could be more effectively developed by agricultural lenders in SA if they strictly enforce the policy of denying borrowers access to future funds if they default on previous loans. Based on data over the period 1998 to 1999, less contactable borrowers that were employed in sectors with a high likelihood of retrenchments, with higher debt-to-income ratios and with more defaults and payment profile arrears, were more likely to be credit-rationed by MFO1 staff. Applicant contactability was another key part of MF01's monitoring intensive financial technology, but constrains MFO1 from broadening its financial services to small businesses if these are not easily contactable. Credit bureau information on previous loan default was critical in this microfinance market where it is difficult to obtain formal collateral. The policy implication is that lenders need to share default information and credit bureaus need to correctly capture this information. Borrowers with higher debt commitments, previous loan defaults, who were less contactable and who worked in sectors where employment was less secure, were more likely to default at MFO1. Low-income borrowers had lower levels of liquidity that reduced their ability to repay debt. The influence of contactability in loan repayment highlights the trade-off between monitoring-intensive and collateral-intensive technologies. Although MFO1 used reputational capital as a collateral substitute, the imperfect nature of this collateral type necessitated intensive client monitoring. Lender MFO1 also needed a well-diversified portfolio across employment sectors to reduce the impact of systemic income risks. The impact of previous credit history on loan repayment suggests again that this information can be an effective collateral substitute if information is shared between lenders, and the rule of not granting credit to defaulters is strictly enforced. Based on data over the period 1993 to 1994, borrowers with smaller loans (lower asset bases and smaller businesses), lower own equity contributions, engaged in contract ploughing and cartage or broiler production ventures, with lower liquidity and with no previous borrowing experience, were more likely to default of MF02's medium-term agricultural loans. Larger borrowers had well-diversified asset bases that enabled them to better withstand negative income shocks and reduced the need to divert funds for loan repayment to current consumption. Improved liquidity generated from other sources of income (such as wage remittances and other business ventures) also improved loan repayment ability. Lenders thus need to focus on all sources of income, not just on the income generated by the investment project for which finance is provided, in assessing client repayment capacity. Ploughing contractors probably need closer monitoring to ensure that equipment is properly maintained and that sufficient income can be generated from the business to repay loans. These contractors could also be encouraged to diversify into contract transport activities that provide more regular income. Given the increased competition and periodic outbreak of disease in the chicken industry when the study was conducted, borrowers should be encouraged to diversify to reduce price risk. Increasing the owner's equity stake in the investment, while a second-best option, may be a suitable alternative where collateral is ineffective in enforcing loan contracts. Borrowers that had an established record with the lender tended to repay their loans, again highlighting the importance of reputation in a borrower-lender relationship. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2003.

Are South Africa's water service delivery policies and strategies equitable, accessible, affordable, efficient, effective and sustainable for Msunduzi low-income households? The primary objective of this study was to elicit the community experience of South Africa's water service delivery policies and strategies and link these experiences to a broader analysis of policy and strategy to locate water service delivery contraventions, inconsistencies and inadequacies. The secondary objective was to initiate community-based platforms for engagement with water-related issues and build capacity within local community task teams to initiate lobbying and advocacy strategies to support community-suggested and research-outcome reforms thereby returning popular control to the locus of communities. The study was conducted in KwaZulu-Natal, within the Msunduzi municipal jurisdiction, under the uMgungundlovu district municipality (DC22) in the period from October 2002-April 2003. Households in five low-income urban areas were included in the study: Imbali (units 1 and 2), Sobantu, Haniville and Thembalihle. The study employed a community action research design using non-probability sampling. Surveys, conducted by community researchers, were complemented by broad community engagement approaches, informal interviews with external stakeholders and the initiation of platforms for information sharing and fundamental debate. The study revealed two significant findings. The first finding found that South Africa's water service delivery policies, strategies and implementation mechanisms were inconsistent with the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry's sector goals of equity, affordability, efficiency, effectiveness and sustainability. They contained serious scientific and social inadequacies, inequitably promoted economic considerations above social and environmental considerations; lacked regulation and monitoring systems to identify and address implementation contraventions; were not receptive to the socioeconomic situations of low-income households and should be fundamentally re-worked. Policies and strategies purported to ensure that the basic water service requirements of low-income households were met, essentially compounded socio-economic constraints and compromised human rights, justice and equity. The second finding was related to popular involvement and engagement. Community consultative processes for input into local and national policies and strategies were inadequate and often pseudoparticipatory; political platforms (local and national) for communities to engage and influence decision-makers were inadequate or lacking; and the community control, ownership and acceptance of the Msunduzi water service delivery institution and its mechanisms were low. Recommendations for the reform of policy, strategy and implementation of such reforms were advocated through the vehicle of reviews, evaluations and audits, to inform the necessary amendments, adjustments and intensification of local and national regulation and monitoring mechanisms. Lobbying and advocacy strategies, to support the implementation of reforms, were promoted through community-based approaches of popular engagement with water-related issues, information dissemination; community mobilisation and popular control of public processes. / Thesis (M.Sc.)-University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2003.

Worldwide the experiences of refugees on place and their integration into host countries are understood differently. This study seeks to understand how asylum seekers and refugees found a place and settled in South Africa cities. The study focuses on asylum seekers and refugees, not on economic immigrants. By using a qualitative case study approach, the research has been able to explore how Great Lakes region refugees, living in the eThekwini Metropolitan Area, negotiate their place in the city and to what extent they are and they can be integrated into the eThekwini municipal IDP (Integrated Development Planning). The study explores their life experiences of place, social exclusion, social networks and views on their integration. Refugees and key stakeholders in Durban Metropolitan were interviewed and conclusions are drawn from their responses and the literature consulted. The eThekwini Metropolitan inner-city area was chosen as the focus of the research because the majority of Great Lake region refugees are living and working in this area (personal life experience - the researcher, 2010). Nineteen refugees (including three community leaders), and ten stakeholders were chosen and interviewed by using purposive and snowball sampling methods. Interviews were conducted by using in-depth interviews while data was analyzed using the interpretative-descriptive research approach. A multicultural theory is used as the main approach to understand and to guide this study. Therefore some of the findings emanating from this study will add to the understanding of how to deal with the complexity of our urban spaces and provide challenges and opportunities which planning needs to understand and engage within the response of refugee communities in South African cities. This includes installation of refugee reception centres at the point of entry, refugees' integration of municipal policies, and efficient implementation of the existing South African refugee policies. / Thesis (M.T.R.P.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2011.

This study investigates whether public works programmes are a means to sustainable livelihoods using the Zibambele road maintenance programme, a public works anti-poverty programme implemented in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The study is driven by the rising levels of unemployment and poverty that prevail in the country. Poverty has a spatial dimension with rural areas bearing a large proportion of the poor, particularly women. Sustainable livelihoods would rely at least in part on an improvement in women's positions. The focus of this study is to establish whether Zibambele has an impact on women's control over household resources, decision-making, power in the household and securing livelihoods. In addressing unemployment and poverty, the developmental reforms of the government in South Africa have gone against the argument that market driven reforms alone, render economic growth. The South African government has addressed poverty and unemployment through a wide range of options such as public works, which embody John Keynes' idea of the need for state intervention in the workings of the market. It has implemented a variety of social assistance programmes. Public works programmes are heralded as playing a dual role: providing employment to unemployed people who are economically active, and, on the other hand, creating useful economic infrastructure. Women are specifically targeted and approximately 95 per cent of contractors are women. Zibambele aims to improve their position by reducing their risk of poverty. The data was collected by interviewing contractors of the Zibambele programme who reside in Nkwalini in Umbumbulu (Durban region) and Nxamalala, in Sweetwaters (Pietermaritzburg region) in KwaZulu-Natal, and through focus group discussions. The interviews were supplemented with information from DoT officials and documentation from the department. The analysis shows that the Zibambele programme has significantly helped many women. Zibambele promotes livelihood activities of contractors and in some instances gives the women power to make decisions in their households. It also shows concludes that the programme gives women dignity, which further enables them to engage in activities that bring money to their households. Although Zibambele has positive benefits for short-term unemployment, this may not be applicable in the long-term and can create serious effects on the poor participating in the programme. In light of this, sustained employment is needed for poverty reduction. The South African government has realised that with the scale of unemployment and poverty that exists the market cannot simply be left to resolve these problems, instead an active state is needed. Therefore it has actively directed resources to the poor through the implementation of public works and social assistance. / Thesis (M.Dev.Studies)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2006.

This study focuses on urban transformation that has taken place in the post-apartheid South African city. In particular it examines the role that estate agents play in urban transformation in the setting of two adjacent former white neighbourhoods of Glenwood and Umbilo. During apartheid, racial superiority coupled with discriminatory legislation meant that estate agents worked in a racially structured market. A review of related literature suggests that operations of estate agents are crucial to the achievement of mixed neighbourhoods as they can be both gatekeepers and agents of change. While a lot has been said about urban transformation in the new South Africa, there exists a literature gap on the role that estate agents play in this transformation. The study therefore explores what estate agents’ and black homeowners’ perspectives and experiences are on the issue of urban transformation. Ten interviews were conducted with estate agents and another ten with black homeowners. One interview was also conducted with the ward Councilor with a goal of obtaining their view of the change that has been experienced in the two neighbourhoods. The findings from the study suggest that there has been a significant change in the operations of estate agents and this has been necessitated by, and resulted in, urban transformation. The change in the operations of the estate agents has been in line with changes in both the economic and political spheres which shape the post-apartheid era. Estate agents have incorporated the new changes in their operations and property ownership and transfer is now done on an affordability basis rather than on racial consideration. However, areas of contestation still exist. Property purchases within a particular ownership arrangement called share block have resulted in some difficulties for purchasers both from the controlling companies of these blocks and also in terms of securing financing from banks. It is crucial to note, however, that black homeowners view estate agents as having undergone tremendous restructuring and have been the major agents of urban transformation in the new South Africa. Residential racial mixing has not been followed by racial integration, a view that is shared by estate agents and black homeowners, but neighbourhoods are thought to be fairly harmonious. / Thesis (M.Dev.Studies)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2011.

The challenges facing small scale irrigation development in South Africa are varied and complex. This complexity is exacerbated by the many years of systematic neglect, in tandem with material and intellectual impoverishment of the majority of participants in this agricultural sector. Attempting to juggle sustainable development of small scale agriculture and environmental and socio-economic advancement is difficult, but there is sufficient evidence in the literature to suggest that small scale agriculture is increasing not only in South Africa but in Sub-Saharan Africa (Collier and Field, 1998) There is no doubt that this observed increase in irrigated communal gardens result from their increasingly important role of providing food security and as means of augmenting family income. Hence the government,NGO' s and other private sector organisations have increased their support for these small scale agricultural initiatives. Small scale agriculture is therefore increasingly becoming a common land use, and with this increased support, it is likely to become a major water user, particularly as it is located in close proximity to the water source. Hence both practices and processes for small scale agriculture require careful study. Irrigation practices have been studied in KwaZulu-Natal where small scale community gardens are continuously developing. The study included two locations near Pietermaritzburg. The first, at Willowfontein, involved irrigation by furrow , and the second, at Taylors Halt, involved irrigation by hand, using containers. The dynamics of the subsurface flow was monitored using tensiometry and modelled in detail using a two dimensional, soil physics model, Hydrus-2D, to evaluate the application efficiency. This study consisted of three parts viz: socio-economic system appraisal, technical measurement and monitoring, and modelling. Important findings obtained include the following: The highlighting of pertinent socio-economic issues governing water use and allocation and other operations in developing small scale agricultural conditions, including constraints to the development of this sector under the conditions described. The demonstration of the use of reasonably inexpensive, but sophisticated measuring techniques to observe the soil water processes in small scale community gardening practices. Accurate simulations of soil water infiltration,redistribution and uptake using the Hydrus2D model. With these successful simulations, together with the results of the social system appraisal, more efficient irrigation scenarios are proposed and evaluated. The development of a methodology that could be used to assess small scale irrigation efficiencies, with computer simulation models used as tools to conduct such an assessment. / Thesis (M.Sc.)-University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2001.

The study of development in the 1960s and early 1970s was characterised by major struggles between competing ideological positions . Writings were dominated by attempts at getting the ideologies right , hence the proliferation ofNeo-Marxist and Neo-Classical discourses. The vociferous debates between development theorists such as Andre Gunder Frank (1966), Paul Baran (1962), W.W. Rostow (1963) and their followers) were indicative of this period. A fundamental shift occurred in the late 1970s, however, when the focus of development studies shifted to the more technical issue of how to get prices right. World Bank and International Monetary Fund intervention in state affairs were a characteristic of this fundamental shift, with the now notorious Structural Adjustment Programmes (SAPs) of the 1980s being a direct result of this movement. The whole terrain of development studies has once again, however, undergone reconstruction, with the emergence of an entirely new strain of development-oriented thought in the 1990s. The key development problem being identified by social scientists at present is the institutional context in which development takes place. It has finally emerged that this issue surpasses those debates concerning ideology and monetary issues. Development protagonists now acknowledge that they can no longer look at development without considering the institutional environment in which it is to take place. Irrespective of ideology and price factors, then, it has finally been realised that development is highly contingent upon the establishment of a sound development-oriented institutional environment. Although the international development arena has experienced this fundamental shift, very little research has been done , thus far, on the dynamics of KwaZulu Natal 's institutional environment. As such very little is known about its efficacy in supporting or initiating development programmes in the province. If one considers the enormity of the development task in KwaZulu Natal this is an extremely unsatisfactory situation. KwaZulu Natal undoubtedly needs a sound institutional environment that supports development, thus making a study of how the province's institutional environment impacts on development imperatives an extremely important endeavour. It is hoped that this dissertation helps in some small way to fill the research void that is clearly apparent in KwaZulu Natal. It needs to be iterated right at the outset, however, that this dissertation is not meant to be an extensive, all encompassing critique of KwaZulu Natal's institutional environment. It is rather an exploration of those important issues pertaining to its institutional environment that impact so dramatically on development imperatives in the province. / Thesis (M.Soc.Sci.)-University of Natal, Durban, 1995.