Text in English / The purpose of this study was to explore and describe the experiences of community members regarding their participation in hospital boards in Dr Kenneth Kaunda district, North West Province. A qualitative exploratory-descriptive research was conducted on a purposively selected sample of community members who served in the board for a minimum period of two years. Data were collected by means of individual interviews and analysed by means of thematic data analysis. Three themes that emerged from data analysis were creation of opportunities, benefits and challenges. A mix of positive and negative experiences was expressed by community representatives regarding their participation in hospital boards. Participants described their experiences as enjoyable and empowering while others described it as a learning experience through which they acquired knowledge and new skills. The challenges experienced whilst serving in hospital boards included ineffective communication, poor relations and role conflict as a result of lack of role clarification. The findings from the study may be used to enhance the effectiveness of hospital governing boards through the participation of community members. / Health Studies / M.A. (Public Health)

Thesis (MPA (School of Public Management and Planning))--Stellenbosch University, 2008. / Since 1994, the newly elected democratic government of the Republic of South Africa, starting with the government of National Unity, has introduced various policies and legislation in an endeavour to place the country on a path to recovery after the demise of apartheid. The national government has placed this responsibility in the hands of municipalities, or local government as they are commonly referred to. As a result, municipalities have an active duty to create conducive environments to enable local communities to participate in the preparation, implementation and review of their Integrated Development Plan (IDP). The purpose of this study is to assess the public participation of Rosendal-Mautse, one area among the five towns that comprise Dihlabeng Municipality, in the IDP process of Dihlabeng Municipality. In view of the anthology of legislation governing “public participation” at local government level, the study poses two hypotheses, which were tested against the data collected. Furthermore, two additional research questions were formulated to guide the research process. Results of the research are provided in a way that will enable the reader to draw his or her own conclusions on the value of this study. The literature review on international understanding and practices of public participation suggest that participation has grown and that its role has extended in development. This has resulted in the birth of new approaches that cut across theory, policy and practice, with each approach in turn producing its own trajectory and contextual specificities that are characterised by unique debates and empirical evidence. Municipalities are currently burdened with the responsibility to achieve socio-economic goals associated with public participation. However, despite compliance with legal requirement for public participation, only an appropriate knowledge of the process leading to meaningful participation and the relevant skills hold the key to success in this quest to reconstruct and develop the country where all will live a better life.

Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2013. / Bibliography / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: During the past number of years, the pressure on universities worldwide, including universities in South Africa, has increased to bridge the gap between higher education and society. This includes becoming active partners with its communities. Therefore, the importance of community engagement as one of the three pillars of higher education, alongside teaching and learning, and research, has gained considerable momentum. Higher education institutions in South Africa are also increasingly challenged to elevate the status of their teaching and to raise their levels of community engagement. This also pertains to the area of postgraduate education, which points to the need for a close relationship between teaching, learning and research. The aim of this study was to develop a contextualised and integrated curriculum framework for community-engaged teaching, learning and research in a postgraduate Play Therapy programme. This was done using a contextualised perspective on higher education with reference to current higher education legislation in South Africa as well as curriculum development in general. A literature review of community engagement provided a perspective on the current state of community engagement - nationally, as well as internationally. The study used a qualitative single case study design and an interpretive paradigm to generate empirical data. The first phase of the empirical part of the study focused on determining the current state of community engagement within the postgraduate Play Therapy programme. Data was generated using questionnaires completed by current students and lecturers. In the second phase of the empirical study, semi-structured interviews were conducted with lecturers from 13 national as well as international higher education institutions to review curriculum frameworks and content from other higher education community engagement models. The last empirical phase included two focus groups, one with current students and one with current lecturers in the postgraduate Play Therapy programme under investigation. From the findings of the study, a curriculum framework emerged which outlines community engagement within the postgraduate programme. The emerging framework points to the need for a stronger integration of teaching and learning with community engagement (service component) through service learning. In the South African context and within the programme that was investigated, service learning provides for engaged learning which includes experiential learning and opportunities for students to engage in interactive and experiential processes. The study has also pointed out that research within the postgraduate programme should reflect, in a much stronger way, links to community-based research. Such links may benefit a scholarship of engagement. Also, the research component of the programme needs to be linked more closely to teaching and learning in order to better inform the curriculum in terms of trends, needs and priorities. These activities need to take place within community partnerships with a reciprocal benefit to both the programme and the communities involved. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Universiteite wêreldwyd, asook in Suid-Afrika, het gedurende die afgelope paar jaar druk ervaar om die gaping tussen hoër onderwys en die gemeenskap te verminder. Dit sluit in om aktiewe vennote van gemeenskappe te word. Die belangrikheid van gemeenskapsbetrokkenheid as een van die drie pilare van hoër onderwys, saam met leer, onderrig en navorsing, het dus aansienlik toegeneem. Hoëronderwysinstansies in Suid-Afrika word ook uitgedaag om die stand van hul leer en onderrig te verhoog en die vlakke van hul gemeenskapsbetrokkenheid te versterk. Dit geld ook vir nagraadse opleiding, wat neerkom op 'n hegter verband tussen leer, onderrig en navorsing. Die doel van hierdie navorsing was om 'n gekontekstualiseerde en geïntegreerde kurrikulumraamwerk vir gemeenskapsgerigte leer, onderrig en navorsing binne 'n nagraadse program in Spelterapie te ontwikkel. Dit is gedoen deur 'n kontekstuele oorsig van hoër onderwys te gee met verwysing na die huidige hoëronderwys-wetgewing in Suid-Afrika asook 'n oorsig oor kurrikulumontwikkeling. 'n Literatuuroorsig van gemeenskapsbetrokkenheid het perspektief op die huidige stand van gemeenskapsbetrokkenheid landwyd én wêreldwyd verskaf. Hierdie studie berus op 'n kwalitatiewe enkelgevallestudie-ontwerp en benut 'n interpretatiewe paradigma om die empiriese data te genereer. Die eerste fase van die empiriese gedeelte van die studie was gerig op die bepaling van die huidige stand van gemeenskapsbetrokkenheid in die meestersprogram in Spelterapie. Data is gegenereer deur die gebruik van vraelyste wat deur huidige studente en dosente ingevul is. In die tweede fase van die empiriese studie is semi-gestruktureerde onderhoude met dosente van 13 nasionale asook internasionele hoëronderwysinstansies gevoer om die kurrikulumraamwerke en inhoud van ander hoër instansies se gemeenskaps-betrokkenheidsmodelle te verken. Die laaste empiriese fase sluit twee fokusgroepe in - een met huidige studente en een met huidige dosente in die meestersprogram in Spelterapie, wat die onderwerp van hierdie studie uitmaak. 'n Kurrikulumraamwerk het vanuit die bevindinge van die studie ontstaan wat 'n uiteensetting van gemeenskapsbetrokkenheid in die meestersprogram in Spelterapie verskaf. Die opkomende raamwerk dui op die behoefte aan sterker integrasie van leer en onderrig met gemeenskapsbetrokkenheid (dienskomponent) deur middel van diensleer. In die Suid-Afrikaanse konteks en in die program wat ondersoek is, bied diensleer die geleentheid vir betrokke leer wat die volgende insluit: ervaringsleer en geleenthede vir studente om betrokke te raak by interaktiewe ervaringsprosesse. Die studie het ook uitgewys dat navorsing in die meestersprogram op 'n baie sterker wyse die verband met gemeenskapsgerigte navorsing moet reflekteer. Hierdie konneksies kan ook die vakkundigheid van betrokkenheid versterk. Daarby moet die navorsingskomponent van die program nader aan leer en onderrig beweeg sodat die kurrikulum altyd die jongste tendense, behoeftes en prioriteite weerspieël. Hierdie aktiwiteite moet in gemeenskapsvennootskappe plaasvind om voordele vir die program sowel as die betrokke gemeenskappe te bied.

Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2014. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This dissertation sought to understand the experience of six participants as members of a cluster group of socially marginalised youth in a farmworker community. Through a collaborative process, the study sought to reframe the perceptions around the behavioural outcomes of membership to such an outcast group. Theories of empowerment through active participation underpinned the whole study. The study was qualitative in nature and used a Participatory Action research methodology which created the space for creative exploration with enabling methodologies such as the Youth Engagement Cycle and Activity Theory. Data were collected through focus group- and semi-structured interviews; participant observation and participant generated artefacts. Six adolescent males who were part of an already established cluster group of socially marginalised youth at a school were purposively selected into the study. The analysis of data was an ongoing and iterative process informed by the theories that underpinned the study and through content analysis of emerging themes. The study revealed that the cluster group was not formed with delinquent intent. Instead, it was created as a space that allowed its members to feel a sense of belonging, security and being valued. However, the group dynamic caused individual self-efficacy to become so enmeshed with collective agency that if left unchecked, it had the potential to propel its members along a trajectory to delinquency. The dissertation recommends understanding cluster groups as unique heterogeneous entities that show insight and empathy into the challenges their cohorts experience. Recognising that this elevates the peer group's influence above that of adults the study recommends a collaborative, well-structured and strategic intervention that allows individuals to experience success and self-influence in attaining mastery within the group dynamic. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie verhandeling het ten doel gehad om ses deelnemers se ervaring as lede van 'n 'cluster' groep gemarginaliseerde jongmense binne 'n plaaswerker gemeenskap te probeer verstaan. Deur middel van 'n proses van samewerking, het die studie gepoog om die persepsies rakende die gedragsuitkomste van lidmaatskap binne so 'n geïsoleerde groep te herformuleer. Die hele studie is gebaseer op teorie van bemagtiging deur middel van aktiewe deelname. Die verhandeling was kwalitatief van aard en het gebruik gemaak van 'n Deelnemende Aksie Navorsingsmetodologie wat ruimte geskep het vir kreatiewe ontdekking met bemagtigende metodologieë soos bv. "Youth Engagement Cycle" en "Activity Theory". Data is ingesamel deur middel van 'n fokusgroep en semi-gestruktureerde onderhoude; deelnemer waarneming en deelnemer gegenereerde artefakte. Ses adolessente mans wat reeds deel was van 'n gevestigde groep sosiaal-gemarginaliseerde jongmense by 'n skool, is doelbewus geselekteer vir die studie. Die analise van die data was 'n deurlopende en iteratiewe proses wat belig is deur die teorieë waarop die studie gebaseer was asook deur inhoudsanalise van die ontluikende temas. Die studie het getoon dat die 'cluster' groep nie gevorm is met misdaad as doel nie. Inteendeel, die groep het ontstaan as 'n ruimte wat sy lede toegelaat het om 'n mate van geborgenheid, sekuriteit en waardering te ervaar. Die groepsdinamiek het individuele self-doeltreffendheid toegelaat om so verbonde te raak met kollektiewe agentskap dat indien dit nie gekontroleer was nie, dit die potensiaal getoon het om sy lede op 'n trajek van jeugmisdaad te plaas. Die verhandeling beveel dus aan dat 'n 'cluster' groep gesien word as 'n unieke heterogene entiteit wat insig en empatie toon met die uitdagings wat lede ervaar. Op grond van die feit dat dit die portuurgroep se invloed bo die van die volwassenes verhef, wil die studie 'n samewerkende, goedgestruktureerde en strategiese bemiddeling aanbeveel wat die individu sal toelaat om sukses en selfgelding te ervaar met die bereiking van bemeestering binne die dinamiek van die groep.

The study focused on City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality situated in Gauteng Province. The study aims to explore the City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality process of legalising squatters in relation to social development. A qualitative approach using semi- structured interviews, focus groups, observations and public documents was used to explore the process of legalising of squatters in relation to social development. The researcher, based on the evidence from the respondents, public documents and the discussion of findings, concludes that there is a positive relationship between the process of legalising of squatters in the City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality and social development as an approach. The City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality process of legalising squatters is in line with the South African legislations and social policies. The finding will add value to the City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality, Department of Human Settlements, Non –governmental and Faith Based Organisations and other sector stakeholders working with informal settlement dwellers in the following ways: a) Helping the City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality in the implementation of informal settlement policies and processes; b) Recommendations to policy issues; c) Advancement of knowledge. / Social Work / M. A. (Social Work)

Despite various policing strategies in the recent past, the police alone have not been able reduce crime in Soshanguve. Research into how partnerships in policing can assist in finding solutions to crime prevention is limited. The police have come to realise that they need the active involvement and cooperation of and support from the community and other role players to prevent crime. This research has as its aim the identification of the challenges in establishing partnerships in policing the Soshanguve policing area. A qualitative approach was adopted. An interview schedule with predetermined questions was designed, piloted and used in focus group interviews with participants who are actively involved in partnerships in policing in the area. Interviews were conducted with 45 participants in three focus group interviews to obtain their views, opinions and perceptions of partnerships in policing. The collected data was transcribed verbatim (using words and phrases of the participants), analysed and interpreted. The data was analysed and interpreted using manual open coding, with the aim of identifying and examining patterns of similarities or differences in the data. A literature study was conducted to gain a better understanding of partnerships in policing. Research indicates that partnerships in policing have been effectively implemented in other parts of the world and can be implemented in South Africa in general and in Soshanguve in particular. Factors that inhibit partnerships in policing between the police and the community as well as in other environments were identified. These factors include among others, lack of trust, communication and cooperation. Recommendations are made to all concerned; particularly to the South African Police Service management on how partnerships in policing can be effectively implemented. / Criminology and Security Science / M. Tech. (Policing)

The title of the research is Sustainability Performance Evaluation Management Systems Model for Individual Organizations and Supply Chains. This research has achieved its aim to develop and demonstrate the practical implementation of a simple and objective sustainability performance evaluation management system model for individual organizations and supply chains. It has resulted in the recognition that a new concept – Network of Interested Partners – underpins the achievement of sustainability. The term acknowledges the interdependence and reflects the essential cooperation that must be achieved between business organisations, their commercially related entities and the local community if progress towards sustainability is to be achieved. It therefore encompasses and extends the concept of a supply chain as currently used. Sustainable Development is defined by the World Commission on Environment and Development as development, which meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future societies to meet their own needs. Organizations, as part of human activities, also have to be sustainable. The sustainability of organizations is directly linked to the continual improvement of business performance. Many organizations have found a way to improve performance through the establishment of management systems. International Organization for Standardization (ISO) standards are recognized worldwide as reliable and efficient tools for the implementation of management systems. However, they do not always result in the desired improvement in outcomes. Therefore, if the required improvement of business performance is to be achieved, improved methodologies for development and implementation of performance evaluation (PE) processes are necessary. These methodologies must take into consideration sustainability principles. They also have to be applicable to individual entities and supply chains, with or without management systems in place. Supply chains are important because it is being increasingly recognized that overall supply chain performance is a means of adding value and competitive advantage to all businesses. In the first part of the research a performance evaluation model or PE (version 1 model) was developed. This was used as criteria to compare and evaluate existing performance evaluation processes and outcomes of individual organisations and their respective supply chain within the Gladstone region, Australia. Questionnaires have also been used to identify and evaluate the needs of the interested parties in relation to the organizations’ and supply chains’ business performance and processes of performance evaluation. All the information provided in the first part of the research was used by the researcher to develop the Sustainability Performance Evaluation Management Systems model or SPEMS (version 2 model). This incorporates the concepts of Network of Interested Parties/Partners. In particular, one of the outcomes is recognition that organizations need to establish partnerships if effective supply chain performance improvement is to be achieved. Therefore the establishment of partnerships has become a key requirement for the implementation of SPEMS. The establishment of partnership among participants of a supply chain of Gladstone and implementation of the eight first steps of the SPEMS (version 2 model) in this supply chain was commenced successfully through workshops. The supply chain was formed by commercial organizations, government entities and interested parties from the community. SPEMS requires that partners all have the same level of ownership and authority in the decisions of the supply chain. Some new terms and their definitions have been created within the research to support the new SPEMS model. They include: Network of Interested Partners, sustainability for organizations, sustainability KPI and sustainability friendly organizations. All of the above are encompassed within the final SPEMS (version 3 model).

The New Zealand Government is striving to improve the way it measures progress and plans for change in an integrated ‘whole of government’ manner. The Local Government Act 2002 serves to strengthen participatory democracy and community governance. Under the Act, local authorities are charged with monitoring, and, not less than once every three years, reporting on the progress made by the community in achieving its outcomes for the district or region. These outcomes belong to the community and encompass what the community considers important to progress towards. Indicators that measure economic, social, environmental, cultural and democratic progress at local level are a primary tool that local authorities use to measure the progress towards their desired outcomes. To successfully track progress, it is important that indicators are technically sound and reflect the values of the entire community. The monitoring of indicators is expected to be ongoing and participatory. The New Zealand Government has leant heavily towards a decentralised locally driven approach to community indicators. The purpose of this study was to explore the manner in which different local authorities have undertaken community indicator: development, monitoring and reporting. This was undertaken through a two pronged approach: 1). A scoping exercise assessing the contents of eighteen local authority LTCCPs, 2). In-depth case studies of community indicator programmes of five of the eighteen local authorities. It was found that the approaches used to develop, monitor and report community indicators ranged abruptly across local authorities. Some councils appear to have relatively robust and meaningful indicator processes in place, which are both technically sound and have gained representative community input. In contrast, other councils hold a compliance mentality towards community indicators and have done the bare minimum when designing their indicator frameworks. These frameworks have tended to be council dominated with few opportunities for community involvement. In addition to this, local authorities poorly communicated indicators through their LTCCPs. The inadequate information detailing indicators processes is unlikely to both educate and promote community buy-in. Councils must place greater emphasis on the engagement of the entire community including other governmental departments, to ensure that indicators are relevant and meaningful for all. Consistency across local authority indicator frameworks will also help to ensure that all local authorities are working in an integrated manner towards the common goal of improving community well-being. Initiatives such as the Linked indicators Project and the Quality of Life Project are possible methods of ensuring consistent indicator frameworks. Finally, councils must provide greater information about community indicators within their LTCCPs.

Tourism has been increasingly used for, and directly linked with, rural poverty reduction in developing countries. In recent years, it has, however, been criticised by rural developers for its lack of concern for the rural poor and for being too increasingly focused on tourism specifically. Instead, it is argued that these inadequacies can be addressed by the Sustainable Livelihoods Approach (SLA), a widely used organising framework for facilitating poverty reduction. But the application, and to an extent the principles, of the SLA may not fully fit the tourism situation, and vice versa. Therefore, a comprehensive understanding about the relationship between the SLA and tourism needs to be explored. This thesis incorporates a review of the literature on rural and tourism development. Gaps between the SLA and tourism are identified. It is suggested that the SLA cannot fully address the issues when tourism is used as a rural livelihood strategy. New knowledge and thinking are needed. Based on the literature review, a Sustainable Livelihoods Framework for Tourism (SLFT) is proposed as a guiding tool in rural development when tourism is a livelihood strategy. For testing the applicability of the SLFT, a mixed methodology and case study research method was adopted. Three mountainous rural villages, respectively at involvement, development and rejuvenation Tourism Area Life Cycle (TALC) stages, in central China, were examined. Before implementation of the case study, SLFT indicators were firstly developed. Findings show that the SLFT provides an overall organising framework for the consideration of rural development using tourism as a livelihood strategy at all stages of TALC. Revisiting the SLFT, it is argued that an additional attraction capital should be added to the SLFT. Attraction capital includes natural, cultural, and other attractions, and is defined as all resources used to attract tourist arrivals from which local people benefit for better livelihood objectives. Based on the findings, the SLFT and its key elements are revised to offer a more complete insight and understanding of a tourism livelihood system for the purpose of tourism planning and management. Particular attention is drawn to the newly introduced concept of institutional capital, mainly evidenced in community participation practice. Appropriate institutional policies and practices can ensure local people share the benefits from tourism. The implication of a participatory approach is extended to access to tourist markets, benefit sharing, as well as participation in the decision-making. This research indicates that improvement of livelihood assets by tourism enhances local people’s resilience to vulnerability contexts. Institutional arrangements play an important role in mediating this process as well as the impact of vulnerability contexts through the planning portfolio (e.g., planning, policy-making, and legislation). Future research is suggested to evaluate and improve the SLFT’s applicability in multiple development contexts, and to explore ways of further developing SLFT indicators as a means for evaluating the usefulness of the SLFT.

This paper presents a case study from Ngamiland, northern Botswana where community~ based natural resource management (CBNRM), through a joint venture agreement (NA) between a Community~based Organisation (CBO) and the private sector for nonconsumptive tourism has been implemented with the objective of contributing to localised poverty alleviation and livelihood diversification through employment and CBO fee revenue. The economic contribution of these benefits is considered with respect to commonly accepted norms and standards within the development ideology of sustainable development and its global measurements; therefore, a brief background of the concepts of poverty, livelihood and ecotourism is presented to provide context for the evaluation of CBNRM as a preferred land~use in Botswana. An evaluation of the significance of wage employment revenue and consequent remittances in the specific case study is intended to contribute to existing studies which have primarily emphasised the contribution of CBO fee revenue only to households. It is concluded that wage employment revenue makes a significant contribution at a household level to localised poverty alleviation and livelihood diversification compared to the insignificant contribution ofCBO fee revenue. / Thesis (M.Env.Dev.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2006.