A dissertation of limited scope submitted to the Faculty of Arts in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the course-work Master of Arts degree in the Department of Social Work at the University of Zululand, 2000. / This study examined the impact of crime on socio-economic development at Somopho Tribal Authority, which is a rural area under Nselem (Lower Umfolozi) district. The researcher is concerned with the growing rate of crime, which is perceived to have affected community development. Survey research methods were employed in this study and adhered to two techniques of data collection, namely, self-administered questionnaires and person-to-person interviews. The limitations of the study were economic and time factors. Hypotheses were tested, confirmed that there is indeed a relationship between high crime levels and unemployment. The study found that the Somopho area is fraught with problems of high unemployment high crime levels and lack of physical infrastructure. Secondly, it was shown that the levels of crime like robbery and assault cases are the order of the day. Many crimes are committed either during the day or at night. This study made several recommendations relating to what should be done to ensure that local residents, potential developers and investors feel safe at Somopho. .Among other recommendations put forward are the establishment of community relations with the police, like community policing forums (CPFs) and development community safety centres.

A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Arts in fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts in the Department of Criminal Justice at the University of Zululand, 2000. / Fear of crime has become a much documented crime related problem. It can lead to avoidance behaviour, for example when normal social activities are curtailed and certain areas are avoided. Lewis and Salem (1986:3) conclude that "fear of crime [has become] as much of a social problem as the crime itself. Fear of crime is escalating in most parts of South Africa. In black urban as well as rural areas, it is so high that it seriously affects lifestyles and quality of life. The impact of crime can be noted in the changes in lifestyle that are made as a result of the threat of crime. People restrict their normal activities and alter their behaviour in response to the fear of crime. Many countries in the western world have been grappling with the reality of high levels of crime for a number of decades. The crime problem is closely related to the general stability and economic position of a country. This is a well known fact that in South Africa people tend to restrict their normal activities and alter their behaviour in response to fear of crime. The consequences of fear of crime are varied and numerous: psychologically, fear of crime generates feeling of anxiety, genera! mistrust, alienation, dissatisfaction with life and in some cases, mental illness (Glanz 19B9:54). Socially the fear of crime may lead to: — a breakdown of social cohesion and solidarity; — curtailment of normal activities; — avoidance of sites and situations associated with crime; — disappearance of sociability, mutual trust, willingness to support or assist other people; and — the avoidance of strangers (Smith & Glanz 1989:54).

1. This research study examines aspects of the effectiveness of the Every ChildlYouth Matters (ECMIYM) programme with regard to its implementation in 2006. Part 1 of the study explores the practical implications of ECM/YM for professional practice across the different welfare agencies, through a series of loosely structured interviews with managers, case workers and young offenders (aged up to 16 years). From an analysis of the data, using grounded theory approaches, three key findings were inducted. These findings suggested the following: I. A lack of consistency in the quality of targeted support provided by integrated services for the most vulnerable children and young people and their families; II. A lack of fine tuning in: a) the identification of vulnerability across different cohorts of children and young people, according to their changing circumstances; b) the ways in which information (about vulnerable children and young people) is shared and used across the different welfare agencies. 2. Reflection on these findings led to a further review of the literature that focuses on critiques of social policy. The analyses of research data within this domain suggest the limitations of social policy making that conforms to a linear, mechanistic approach, because it does not respond to individualised, local need. This suggests further that it is the policies themselves that account for the perceived lack of fine tuning identified in the above findings in part one of this research thesis. Therefore it was important, next, to capture data which drew on respondents' personal perceptions of welfare provision, which might endorse, or otherwise, those aspects in which part 1 of the study suggested that the ECM/YM agenda is failing, in some localities, to meet the needs of the most vulnerable children, young people and their families. 3. In part two of this study, further research was conducted through a series , of extended conversations with: male offenders (aged between 16 and 24 years); parents/partners of prisoners; managers from voluntary/not for profit organisations and senior multi-agency professionals. The data were analysed using a phenomenological approach. Overall, the findings suggest that a purely mechanistic, evidenced-based approach to providing welfare support for vulnerable children, young people and their families can result in negative outcomes when compared with a more contextualised, holistic approach.