This study investigates the livelihoods impacts of eco-tourism in Hogsback, the extent to which local community members are effectively participating in eco-tourism activities as well as the negative implications of ecotourism in Hogsback. A qualitative research methodology was employed in order to have a deeper understanding of the issues under study. Simple random sampling and purposive sampling techniques were used to select respondents. In-depth semi structured interviews were used to collect data from 40 respondents and 6 key informants. The study established that eco-tourism activities help mainly individuals rather than the whole community at large and those who benefit; it improves their lives as well as benefiting the economy of the country. This study also found out that the government plays a role to promote development of ecotourism in the community, this is through infrastructure development and providing services for tourism. Lastly the study found out that there are conflicts over ownership of eco-tourism activities, limited funds in promotion of eco-tourism activities and that there is no eco-tourism development strategy. The study recommends that the government of South Africa should design and implement a comprehensive eco-tourism development strategy that puts people at the core.

This document has been prepared for debate within the ranks of the ANC. It does not represent an agreed policy, but rather seeks to contribute to a democratic process of formulating our movement's economic policy. The movement believes that economic policy should address itself to the demands and needs of the majority of the people, and active discussion and debate is essential if they are to have a more prominent place. The ANC has long recognised the necessity for political liberation and constitutional changes to be accompanied by socioeconomic transformation. The Freedom Charter proclaimed the necessity for the people to share in the countries wealth, for the land to be distributed to those who work it, for there to housing, security and comfort for all, and for the doors of learning and culture to opened. The constitutional guidelines also recognised the need for economic restructuring to be part of the process of constitutional change. / "This document has been prepared for debate within the ranks of the ANC". -- Introduction / "DEP workshop, Harare, 20-23 September 1990."

The study was conducted in Eastern Cape Province, South Africa with the objective of characterising milk production and consumption among the communal households. A pretested semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect data through a single visit survey between June 2014 and May 2015. The study was undertaken in five randomly selected communal districts using a multi – stage area probability sampling method. Household sample size was calculated using a statistical methodology through a fixed formula based on a rural population size of 4410000, at a confidence level of 95 percent. A total of 500 households were selected with a sample size of 20 households in 5 communities within five different communal districts within the province. Half of the total sample size was used to represent the number of non-milk producing households (250) to get a true reflection on consumption profiles for nonproducers. Across the province the average communal family size was between 5-10 members with a monthly income of ZAR1340 per household. On average, pasture land size of the sampled households was 1 ha, with a range of 0.25-1.7 ha. The numbers of animals per species found in the studied province was highest for sheep (310) followed by cattle (227) and goat (87). Average livestock holding per household in the study area was 9.85 TLU (Tropical Livestock Unit). According to the respondents the predominant milking livestock numbers were between 1-3 animals milking per household. In the studied area traditional hand milking of livestock was the major milking practices at 12 percent in goats, 15 percent in sheep and 45 percent in cattle milk production. Consumption was the predominant reason for milk production recorded at 27 percent across the province. Milk production was 43 percent most preferred in cattle followed by 32 percent in goat and least at 29 percent in sheep across the province. In general, from the study it was noted that the majority (38 percent) of the respondents across the province indicated 0-5mins as the time it took to milk most milk producing livestock. The majority of the milking practices was done (37 percent) predominantly once a day, followed by 2 percent twice daily across the province. The daily milk production was on average (0.45±1.07) 2-5 litre in cattle, (4.86±0.814) 0-1litre in goats and (2.62±0.42) 0-1 litre sheep per producing house hold with in the province The monthly raw milk consumption in the province was (2.20± 1.42) 2-5 litres of cattle milk, (4.78±0.79) 2-5 litres of goat milk and (4.98±0.69) 2-5 litres of sheep milk per consuming household.

Information and communication technologies (ICTs) have been widely researched as a mechanism for improving the socio-economic status of disadvantaged, rural communities. In order to do this numerous technology-based initiatives have been introduced into disadvantaged, rural communities to assist them in various aspects of their lives. Unfortunately, even when the proposed benefit of a particular technology is clearly evident to its initiators, the adoption by the target users is often uncertain. This has also been the case with e-commerce in agriculture. Despite the numerous benefits of e-commerce for agricultural producers, the uptake has been low. Trust is a critical pre-condition for the adoption of e-marketplaces. E-marketplaces expose consumers to the risk of non-delivery or misrepresentation of goods ordered and the misuse of personal information by external parties. Additionally, the time investment needed to make a shift to e-marketplaces and the opinions of important reference groups affects the user’s willingness to trust and depend on an e-marketplace. This study was undertaken to assess the extent to which rural users with limited ICT experience would trust and, consequently, adopt an e-marketplace to support agricultural trade. A pragmatic philosophy was adopted in this study, indicating that the researcher’s view of reality is founded on the practical implications and outcomes that are observed. This study used a Canonical Action Research strategy to design, develop and deploy a voice based e-marketplace to assist the trading activities of a Western Cape based aloe community. The community was allowed to utilise thee-marketplace over a period of eight weeks. Thereafter, interviews were held with the participants to investigate their perceptions of the technology. As a result, a model proposing the factors that must be in place for trust to be achieved in a voice based e-marketplace was proposed. The study found that the trustworthiness of a technology results from the technology’s technical capability to satisfy the needs of its users reliably. Usability and security were found to be important determinants of the trustworthiness of a technology. Furthermore, the requirements elicitation process was found to be central to achieving trust as it defines the necessary criteria for developing secure, usable, functional, and reliable technologies that meet the needs of their users.

This study investigates the impact of urban agriculture in the city of East London as well as the possibility of adopting agricultural urbanism as an urban farming model to bolster food security. The study goes further to understand the role that could be played by University of Fort Hare and Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality in capacitating small scale urban farmers in the city of East London. Unemployment and food insecurity are the key challenges that are affecting many families in South Africa, including urban dwellers. The main objective of this study therefore is to investigate the contributions of urban farming in securing food security and livelihoods in East London. This study adopted a mixed methods research approach, where both quantitative and qualitative methods were used to harvest data. Statistical analysis (descriptive) was then used to analyse quantitative data. Thematic approach used to analyse qualitative data. The study shows that urban farming plays an important role in the livelihoods of urban dwellers. However, the sector still faces various challenges such as lack of recognition by authorities. The study also revealed that the city of East London has potential to establish agricultural urbanism as it has most of the essential aspects that are necessary to establish it. The study recommends strengthening of the partnership between University of Fort Hare, Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality and small scale urban farmers in East London.

The democratic government in South Africa has brought about several policies which were initiated for rural development, and one of the government’s strategies was to involve the agricultural sector. Farmer Support Programmes (FSPs) were developed to assist small-scale farmers to become commercial farmers. The study looked at the participation of small scale farmers in the planning and implementation of the FSPs in the Amahlathi Local Municipality. 108 small scale farmers were selected using a non-random purposive probability and twelve farmers’ organisations. Semi-structured questionnaires and semi-structured interviews were used as the data collection tool and method respectively. The data analysis used was a descriptive analysis and a thematic analysis. The results revealed that the farmers have a positive perception towards the support programmes being helpful in their farming needs. The positive perception was especially on the extension and advisory services, dipping and vaccination programme, and the supply and funding of inputs and assets. However, the results revealed that there was no significant difference between gender and the perception of the farmers when a chi square test of association was performed. The results also revealed that the farmers and farmers’ organisations were not involved in the planning of the programmes by the government. It is therefore recommended that for the success of the FSP and for economic growth in the rural areas, the government has to avoid using a top-down approach when developing these programmes, and instead consult the farmers and the farmers’ organisations to know the specific needs of the farmers in their farming practices.

Thesis (MTech (Tourism and Hospitality Management))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2007. / South Africa is a fast growing and developing sport tourism destination and has hosted various international sport tourism events. With specific reference to the 2006 Old Mutual Two Oceans Marathon (OMTOM), which is considered one the most beautiful marathons in the world, this study focuses on different stakeholders' perceptions concerning the management and socio-economic impacts of sport tourism events. Questionnaire surveys for spectators (n=200), participants (n=200) and residents (n=400), as well as key informant interviews for established businesses (n=20), stallholders/exhibitors (n=20), sponsors (n=4), the event organiser (n=1) and the destination marketing organisation (n=1), were designed specifically for this study. Spatially-based random sampling for spectators and participants, was implemented, while purposive sampling for residents, stallholders/exhibitors, established businesses, sponsors, the event organiser and CTRU, were adopted to collect data. Volume counts were undertaken to estimate the number of spectators, while the number of participants was provided by the event organisers. The direct economic impact of the total of the event's contribution to the local economy was ascertained by utilising spending patterns of the spectators and participants. The contribution of the event to the local economy is estimated at R44.7 million, which is relatively significant. The event is diverse in terms of spectators and participants. The stakeholders were generally satisfied with the event organisation. Engendering community pride, utilising a sport tourism event as a regional showcase and providing economic opportunities for local businesses in terms of leveraging opportunities, were key benefits for local businesses and residents in close proximity to the race route. However, problems such as traffic congestion and insufficient parking were raised by all stakeholders and there is still room for improvement in this area as well as the management on the day of the event. The study reveals that there is a greater need to consider attendees' motivations, spending patterns, perceptions and altitudes, demographic profiles, the dire need for community involvement, as well as current and possible event leveraging opportunities for local businesses to enhance the management and positive impacts of sport tourism events. Furthermore, this study also provides holistic information to manage sport tourism events and to retain standard service quality, fulfil customer satisfaction and generate more economic, socio-cultural benefits for the tourist destination in a sustainable manner. Stakeholders can share information, which would improve relevant performance problems in the sport tourism event industry, moreover, effectively make management decisions and assess the socio-economic impacts of sport tourism events.

M.Com. (Financial Economics) / The main concern of this study was to evaluate whether an announcement to host major international sporting tournaments in South Africa is perceived by stock market investors to be associated with net economic benefits for the domestic stock market. If the economic activities associated with a tournament are perceived to be beneficial stock prices should react positively and if such activities are perceived to be bad then prices should react negatively; else there should be no reaction if such announcement conveys no relevant investment information for the stock market. The study applied an event study methodology to analyse the daily historical log returns of the Johannesburg Securities Exchange (JSE) All Share Index (ALSI). It uses bidwinning announcements that South Africa would host three major international sporting tournaments, namely, the 1995 Rugby World Cup, 2003 Cricket World Cup, and 2010 Soccer World Cup. Event windows of 41 days, inclusive of announcement dates, are used to observe price reactions. The estimation samples consisted of 250 daily returns in the pre-event window period. Overall, the results showed that in South Africa all announcements led to a positive price reaction. Thus, the announcements for South Africa to be hosting these tournaments conveyed useful positive information to investors in the JSE.

HIV/AIDS is undoubtedly the single most important and daunting health problem facing Africa. Globally too, this is one of the most serious health, medical and social preoccupations of our time (Chinery-Hesse, 2000: 1). The aim of this research study is to evaluate the strategic impact of HIV/AIDS on first level component suppliers to the motor industry located in the Nelson Mandela Metropole. To achieve this aim a literature study was undertaken to determine the patterns of development, the infection statistics and to explore strategic options and actions for dealing with the effects of the disease. An empirical study has been conducted to assess the opinions of senior management within first level component suppliers. The results from the study indicate that most companies in the selected group believe that HIV/AIDS will have a serious impact on their organisations. In conclusion, various recommendations have been made with regards to the findings ascertained in the literature review and empirical study.

M.Com. (Strategic Management) / Please refer to full text to view abstract