The central objective of the research study was to evaluate the 2020 Citywide Economic Growth and Development strategy, with reference to the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality (NMBM). The Citywide Economic Growth and Development strategy for the NMBM was developed in 2004 in relation to the need for Local Economic Development. The need for Local Economic Development (LED) has been mandated by the national government of South Africa as prescribed in the direction toward developmental local government post - 2000. The National Framework for Local Economic Development in South Africa serves as a strategic implementation guide for municipalities. The National Framework for Local Economic Development provides a supportive foundation to assist municipalities such as the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality in improving its economic development through concentrations on suggested actions. Through support for municipal Local Economic Development strategies, the objective of Local Economic Development was to offer local government, private sectors, non - profit organisations and local communities the opportunity to work together to improve the local economy. The aim has thus been to enhance competitiveness and encourage inclusive sustainable growth. The 2020 Citywide Economic Growth and Development strategy for the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality includes its strategic approach to promote sustainable growth within its specified municipal environment. Formulation of the strategy includes descriptions of sector strategies as a mechanism to promote transformation and improved economic development in a sustainable manner. Content Analysis and the case study methods were utilised to evaluate the 2020 Citywide Economic Growth and Development strategy in the undertaking of the research study as a way of examining the formulation of the Local Economic Development strategy of the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality, in order to determine v the shortcomings in Local Economic Development as brought about by ineffective policy formulation process. Discourse Analysis was also used to understand the policy foundations as influenced by the previous apartheid regime and its accompanied injustices on the citizens of South Africa. The brief descriptions of major economic developments and sector strategies for the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality shows the detachment of policy content from clear strategic action plans has depicted an incongruence in efficiency and sustainable development. This has placed developmental policy formulation under scrutinisation and evaluation. The findings indicate that there is a need for revision and/ or reformulation of the current 2020 Citywide Economic Growth and Development strategy of the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality in promotion of effective sustainable development and an improved local economy. The impact of a failure to revise and rework the strategy has detrimental effects on the promotion of an effective and efficient economy in the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality. Therefore, the lack of detail within the 2020 Citywide Economic Growth and Development strategy must be tackled by policy formulators to ensure economic growth and an alignment with the objectives as contained in the national mandate for economic development.

The automotive industry in South Africa exists in its current state due to the developmental programmes created by the South African government. During the next three years the government’s main development policy for the automotive industry will change from the Motor Industry Development Programme (MIDP) to the Automotive Production and Development Programme (APDP). As a result of this change there were feelings of uncertainty experienced across the domestic automotive industry during the APDP’s design and the period leading up to its launch, more or less years 2008 to 2010. Also present is the fear that the industry would collapse when faced with global competition should this change not fully comprehend all aspects of South Africa’s automotive industry. The research problem addressed in this study was to determine the effect on the sector’s competiveness in light of the impending change in governmental development programmes. This was accurately explained and expressed clearly while sub problems were identified from areas in the main problem that required further analysis due to their criticality or lack of clarity. A comprehensive literature review was executed to understand the nature and extent of the South African automotive industry, the Motor Industry Development Programme and the Automotive Production and Development Programme. A primary research instrument was constructed, in the form of a questionnaire, to test specific themes exposed during the literature review which can influence the sector’s competitive advantage. This questionnaire was distributed with the assistance of industry representative bodies NAAMSA (National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa, the domestic de facto representative body) and NAACAM (National Association of Automotive Component and Allied Manufacturers, a component manufacturers’ representative body), to an even spread of respondents representative of the senior management and executives of automotive companies in South Africa. From the results obtained from the sample group, it seemed that there was consensus on many issues regarding the current structure of the South African automotive industry. Specifically, the profitability of vehicle assemblers and component manufacturers is heavily iii influenced by the incentives offered under the MIDP and the industry is not viable without them. The respondents were virtually unanimous in indicating that there is a need for some form of incentive programme and were positive about the effect the MIDP has had thus far on the automotive industry of South Africa, particularly the effect on the structure, focus and encouraging a reduction in complexity. The research found that it is common practice for OEMs to include the import duty on vehicles imported for domestic consumption even though this duty will be paid with the use of import-duty rebate credit certificates (IRCCs), which are provided to those vehicle assemblers who are net exporters of vehicles. Looking to the future, it emerged that the APDP will have a similar, positive effect on the domestic automotive industry when compared to the MIDP, but the effect will be experienced in a more aggressive manner. Companies will be encouraged by the new development programme to more aggressively improve aspects such as restructuring, rationalising, reducing model proliferation and improving low scale economies for example. Also the APDP will encourage OEMs to increase plant production volumes and ensure that reasonable scale economies are present to develop a domestic component supply industry to a degree. However, the volumes will be insufficient to create a world-class supplier industry. As a result automotive companies will have to be more aggressive in their adoption of more automated production processes and through Automotive Investment Scheme capital investment will increase in both vehicle assemblers and component manufacturers. Component manufacturers indicated that they would invest more in the coming years under the APDP than previously while vehicle assemblers indicated that their investment levels will remain as before. While this is good for the industry, labour is somewhat left out of this: considering the APDP’s focus on increased volumes and capital investments automotive companies are not incentivised to make use of labour-absorbing production processes. The study also found that there is still a need for tariff protection and that the domestic industry would collapse in the face of global competition. The research found that the APDP was compliant with South Africa’s commitments to the World Trade Organisation. Finally, the Department of Trade and Industry’s goal of producing 1.2 million vehicles per annum by 2020 was revealed to be unrealistic and unreachable.

This thesis is focused on the possibilities how to receive a grant for renovation of agricultural enterprise from Rural development programme. The aim of this thesis was to describe and evaluate grant aided project and to point out problematic areas which could threaten grant receiving. Structure of this work is to provide not only generalized information but especially concrete information for grant receiving from Rural development programme.

M.A. / This study focuses on the development of an affirmative action strategy for a group of companies within the retail sector in South Africa. The reasoning behind the study is that enough has been said and written about affirmative action, about what it is and about what it should be. The time has now come to develop an appropriate strategy which will be accepted within the given company. The strategy must be one which can be successfully implemented in the business environment of the company concerned. A strategy has been developed around the selected company's organisational structures, people, geographic spread, culture and need to implement such a strategy. The study acknowledges that the strategy developed is relatively conservative, especially when compared to other radical or aggressive affirmative action strategies. Ultimately, the company's culture, readiness to accept affirmative action policies and resistance thereto have dictated the contents of the strategy, and the manner of its implementation. In the study, an overview is presented of literature on affirmative action as well as of current and imminent labour legislation. Cognisance is also taken of the views of other role players. The overview of the literature and the legislation form the core around which the strategy has been developed. Finally, a strategy acceptable to the company studied has been presented. The conclusions drawn from the study are that an affirmative action strategy and its implementation: remain controversial and create fears at all levels of employment; will only succeed if the strategy has the support of all role players; should be developed and assessed in accordance with the organisational culture and needs of the company wishing to introduce the strategy. The company decided that the inequities of the past should be eliminated and that discrimination at all levels of employment should be removed. Simultaneously, essential skills and experience has to be retained. The company's strategy should not involve and may not be perceived as discrimination in reverse.

LL.M. (International Law) / Please refer to full text to view abstract.

Masters in Public Administration - MPA / This study examined the issues and concerns for improving productivity in the public sector in South Africa, aligned in particular with the processes of its fundamental transformation, and the aims and objectives of the Reconstruction and Development Programme (RDP). More than that, it provided the view, the approach, the strategies and techniques to bring about productivity improvement. Productivity is not presented as a panacea to solve all problems. It is presented mainly as an attitude about the importance of productivity that must be acquired followed by suggestions for how to bring about its development. To provide both a comprehensive and at the same time a focused approach to improving productivity in the public sector. A second objective was to describe new skills and proven strategies that could be used for productivity improvement. The study discusses various approaches to improving productivity in the public sector that can be implemented in a number of practical ways. A third and primary objective was to recommend a model that would effectively improve productivity in the public sector. This model deals with the quantification of productivity gains through the restructuring of budgets and thereby achieving significant savings that could be transferred to priority RDP programmes. This study used both qualitative and quantitative methods. The study reviewed both domestic and international published work and current research within universities, policy bodies, government departments and elsewhere, including a reconsideration of previous work. The following conclusions were reached and recommendations made: Substantial efficiency and productivity gains are envisaged through the introduction of various models for improving productivity which include a structured productivity improvement programme, the use of performance enhancing methods, performance measurements and performance related pay. Furthermore, savings, resources and capacity can be released by the RDP programmes through: Restructuring and reprioritizing the budget programmes by making small cuts in what were apartheid-serving programmes and reallocating the human, material and financial resources thus released for high priority RDP programmes/projects. International experiences show that a direct link between falls in public investment, physical infrastructure and decline in productivity exists. The effectiveness of the public sector to a large extent conditions economic development. The move towards a leaner and more cost effective public service in South Africa should be based, not on privatisation, but on the creation of effective partnerships between government, labour, business and civil society, and the building of high levels of community involvement in the local delivery of services.

Financial support is one of the main ways in which the Swedish government can encourage restoration and construction of wetlands. Despite having the tool of financial support for constructing wetlands in place, there is little information on how the support systems are structured and how they compare to each other. Another knowledge gap is the regional variation in wetland construction among counties and how this differs between them.  The purpose of this study is therefore two-part. Firstly, to map and compare the three main financial systems for constructing wetlands in Sweden, namely LOVA (the Local Water Preservation Grant), LONA (the Local Initiative for Nature Conservation) and the RDP (the Rural Development Programme). Results from the national comparison among financial systems shows that the RDP is the significantly most influential grant in wetland construction, whereas LOVA make up 9% and LONA 1% of the sum of hectares of constructed wetlands. These findings are the reason why this study only uses the RDP as a basis for the second purpose of this study, which is to investigate the regional variation in wetland construction. These results reveal two main findings, firstly that Skåne is the county with the most constructed wetlands, both in terms of hectares and number of wetlands. Finally, the purposes of the constructed wetlands which are financed by the RDP, are reviewed in this study. The purposes differ greatly between counties and do not necessarily align with the targets set in the Regional Action Plans.  The reasons for the large variations between counties, the low numbers of constructed wetlands within LONA and the administrative process of the RDP are topics which are recommended to research further.

Masters in Public Administration - MPA / This study investigates problems around provision of social housing with a specific focus in social housing programmes in South Africa. Research is looking at challenges faced by the municipality in making sure housing beneficiaries receive houses of their own. This challenge arises from the ability of government to provide enough and adequate houses to people with housing demand. The government has promised to provide for each citizen a roof over their head however the apparent housing allocation and distribution process has been slow with some parts of the society being excluded from the housing subsidy. Since 1994 after democracy took place, the government has built 1 million houses however this was not enough to secure houses for all, as many individuals are still living in shacks with little or no access to basic services. This paper looks at the challenges and experiences in social housing learnt by housing beneficiaries mainly in the Siyanyanzela Informal Settlement.

Masters in Public Administration - MPA / Emerging contractors play a significant role in the employment and skills development landscape as they are the employers of unskilled and semi-skilled labour in the construction industry (Western Cape Department of Transport and Public Works (DTPW): Contractor Development Policy, 2016; Rass, 2019). In 2004, the National Cabinet approved the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) to encourage job creation imperatives through the provisioning of skills and business enhancement initiatives for the targeted Historically Disadvantaged Individuals (HDIs), specifically the unskilled and semi-skilled labour force of the South African construction industry (Makiva, 2015; DTPW, 2021; DTPW: Contractor Development Programme (CDP) Policy, 2016; Rass, 2019). In response to this call, in 2012 the Western Cape Department of Transport and Public Works (WC DTPW) designed and implemented the Contractor Development Programme (CDP) with parallel aims.

Thesis (Ph. D. (Social Work)) -- University of Limpopo, 2021 / In South Africa, shelters that accommodate survivors of domestic violence also adopted the Skills Development Programme with the intention of empowering survivors to be financially self-reliant. In shelters the Skills Development Programme is rendered for a period of six months depending on the stay of the survivors. Despite the provision of the Programme, which has been identified as intervention strategies towards poverty alleviation, it is evident that the level of skills training provided does not conform to the identified skills shortage in the economy. Sometimes it is due to limited time which the training had provided.The programme is not sustainable, and as a result, there is a high beneficiary turnover. Furthermore, resources of training beneficiaries to be independent are limited. Monitoring and evaluation is also poor. This programme is acknowledged to be expensive. The graduation from this programme does not mean success for the survivors. Instead, it results in the participants going back to poverty status and be dependent on government resources to make a living post-institutionalisation. This study titled “An evaluation of the effectiveness of Skills Development Programmes in the shelters accommodating survivors of domestic violence in Gauteng Province, Tshwane Region” evaluated the effectiveness of the said programme. It has adopted a qualitative approach which was evaluative in nature, guided by the Stages of Change Model (Trans-theoretical Model) underpinned by Theory of Reasoned Action. The participants consisted of three (3) different sets. They were survivors (individuals) of domestic violence from the shelters, shelter managers and a focus group made out of those individual survivors. Five (5) survivors of domestic violence and five (5) shelter managers were interviewed on a face to face basis. Semi-structured interviews were employed to collect data. This was followed by a focus group discussion. Multiple sources provided verification and trustworthiness while complementing similar data. As a result, more comprehensive data was obtained. During the data analysis process, different themes emerged. These were presented in the form of a report. It was evident that the Skills Development Programme presented in the shelters is not effective to help survivors of domestic violence to be financially self-reliant. However, there is a potential in the programme if it can be well resourced. / The National and Provincial Department of Social Development