Thesis (MPA)--University of Stellenbosch, 2003. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study was embarked upon to evaluate the contribution which World Vision as agent and catalyst of development has made towards addressing social issues in Lesotho. Specifically, the study evaluates Taung Area Development Programme which is one of the World Vision community development programmes established to improve social conditions in the rural communities particularly, in Tsoloane, Ha-Mopoane and Qhalasi. The study seeks to investigate three important areas; 1. Participation: to assess whether the communities have been involved in the planning of the projects, identified their own priorities for the projects or used their lands and other resources to exercise control over their economic, social and cultural development. 2. Empowerment: to assess how the projects have strengthened the capacity of local communities. This includes the transfer of skills through training for the purpose of equipping people to engage in their own development. 3. Sustainability: to assess the long-term viability of the projects. Data was gathered through the use of qualitative and quantitative data collection techniques. To conduct both methods a snowball technique was applied. The data gathered was tabulated in graphs and pie charts. The results were then discussed and analysed in terms of the aims of this research. Regarding participation, the findings of the study revealed that to a large extent people were able to participate in the planning of the projects. People were able to identify their objectives and make a decision to embark on Income Generating Activities (IGA) such as raising poultry and pigs, sewing, and making baskets, candles and soap. The IGA enabled project members to feed and earn income for their families. The study further revealed that while certain people were able to participate in the planning of their projects, in development activities such as the building of feeder roads, people’s participation was minimal. This blueprint and top down planning approach allowed for little public participation. The study also found that World Vision’s religious involvement was appreciated for the moral support it provided. Another important issue the study brought to light was that people had an opportunity to use their indigenous knowledge in their projects. Regarding empowerment, almost all the respondents believed that World Vision played an important role by training people to handle various activities within projects. Apart from the training given, people also acquired different skills and knowledge. Most of the respondents acquired technical and economic knowledge, while others became skilful in farming and health matters as well as in handcraft. Empowerment in the Taung Area Development Programme has also manifested itself through the improved living conditions of the local people. The study found that infrastructure such as schools and roads have been established. As regards primary health care, respondents indicated that they had access to clean water due to the presence of a community tap. HIV/AIDS awareness, disease prevention campaigns and the building of toilets have contributed to improved living conditions in the Taung Area Development Programme. Though HIV/AIDS awareness and disease prevention campaigns were essential for primary health care, few people were knowledgeable about deadly diseases such as HIV/AIDS. As a result there was still a need for World Vision to underpin the spread of HIV/AIDS awareness within the communities. Sustainability has been attributed to the long-term survival of the development projects and their future operation. The findings of this study confirmed that people in the Taung Area Development Programme were optimistic that the skills and knowledge they have acquired, and the projects themselves will generate resources and continue to operate after World Vision’s departure, especially with regard to IGA projects. The study results confirmed that people who mainly engaged in development activities such as at Qhalasi showed that they could only utilise their skills and knowledge to a small degree. The main conclusion reached by the study is that the Taung Area Development Programme as one of World Vision’s programmes has to a large extent transformed the lives of the local people. As a result of World Vision involvement in the Taung Area Development Programme, people-centred development is manifestly seen to promote the participation and empowerment of the people as well as the sustainability of the development projects. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die doel van hierdie studie was om die bydrae wat World Vision as agent en katalisator van ontwikkeling gemaak het om sosiale kwessies in Lesotho aan te spreek te bepaal. Die studie, meer spesifiek evalueer die Taung Area Develoment Programme, wat een van World Vision se gemeenskapontwikkelingprogramme is wat gevestig is om maatskaplike toestande in landelike gebiede te bevorder veral in Tsoloane, Ha-Mopoane en Qhalasi. Die studie poog om drie belangrike areas te ondersoek; 1. Deelname: om te bepaal of gemeenskappe betrek was by die beplanning van die projekte, deur die identifikasie van hulle eie prioriteite vir die projekte, of die gebruik van hul grond en ander hulpmiddels om beheer oor hul eie ekonomiese, sosiale en kulturele ontwikkeling uit te oefen. 2. Bemagtiging: om vas te stel in watter mate die programme die kapasiteit van plaaslike gemeenskappe versterk het. Dit sluit in die oordrag van vaardighede deur opleiding, om mense toe te rus om in hulle eie ontwikkeling betrokke te raak. 3. Volhoubaarheid: om die langtermyn lewensvatbaarheid van die projekte te bepaal. Data is versamel deur die gebruik van kwalitatiewe en kwantitatiewe data-insamelingstegnieke. Om albei tegnieke uit te voer was die sneeubal steekproeftegniek toegepas. Die data wat versamel was, is in grafieke aangebied. Die resultate was daarna geanaliseer en bespreek in terme van hierdie studie se doelstellings. Met betrekking tot deelname, het die bevindings van die studie bewys dat die betrokke mense in ’n groot mate bevoeg was om deel te neem aan die beplanning van die projekte. Mense was bevoeg om doelwitte te identifiseer en besluite te neem om inkomste-genererende aktiwiteite (IGA) aan te pak. Die aktiwiteite het pluimvee en varkboerdery, naaldwerk, en die maak van mandjies, kerse en seep ingesluit. Die IGA het dit vir projeklede moontlik gemaak om kos en ’n inkomste vir hulle families te verdien. Die studie het verder vasgestel dat, afgesien van die feit dat sommige mense bevoeg was om aan die beplanning van hul projekte deel te neem, die deelname in ontwikkelingsprojekte soos die bou van toeganspaaie, minimaal was. Die tipiese “van bo na onder’’ voorskriftelike benadering tot beplanning het min geleentheid vir publieke deelname toegelaat. Die studie het ook bevesting dat die godsdienstige betrokkenheid van World Vision, weens die morele ondersteuning wat dit bied, hoog gewaardeer was. Nog ’n belangrike aspek wat die studie aan die lig gebring het, was dat die mense die kans gebied was om hul inheemse kennis in hul projeke aan te wend. Met betrekking tot bemagtiging, het feitlik al die respondente geglo dat World Vision ’n belangrike rol gespeel het om mense op te lei om veskeie aktiwiteite binne hul projekte uit te voer. Benewens die opleiding wat ontvang was, het die mense ook verskeie vaardighede en kennis opgedoen. Die meerderheid van die respondente het tegniese en ekonomiese kennis opgedoen, terwyl andere in landbou en gesondheidsaangeleenthede en ook handwerk vaardig geword het. Bemagtiging in die Taung Area Development Programme is ook deur die verbetering in die lewensomstandinghede van die plaaslike bevolking geopenbaar. Die studie het ook gevind dat die infrastruktuur met die bou van skole en paaie verbeter was. Met betrekking tot primêre gesondheid, het die respondente bevesting dat hulle toegang tot skoon water gekry het deur middel van ’n gemeenskaplike kraan. Veldtogte soos MIV/VIGS bewusmaking, voorkoming van siektes en die bou van toilette het tot verbeterde lewensomstandinghede in die Taung Area Development Programme bygedra. Afgesien van veldtogte soos MIV/VIGS en siektevoorkoming wat vir primêre gesondheidsorg belangrik is, beskik min mense kennis van dodelike siektes soos MIV/VIGS. Dit blyk dus dat World Vision meer klem sal moet lê op die verspreiding van kennis van MIV/VIGS binne die gemeenskappe. Die langtermyn oorlewing van die ontwikkelingsprojekte sal aan volhoubaarheid gekoppel moet word. Die bevindings van hierdie studie bevestig dat mense in die Taung Area Development Programme optimisties was dat die vaardighede en kennis wat hulle verkry het, en die projekte, selfhulpmiddels sal genereer wat nog in werking sal wees lank na die vertrek van World Vision, veral met betrekking tot die IGA projekte. Hierdie studie bevestig dat persone wat hoofsaaklik betrokke was by ontwikkelingsprojekte soos by Qhalasi, net tot ’n geringe mate hulle vaardighede en kennis kon gebruik. Die belangriskte slotsom wat hierdie studie bereik het was dat die Taung Area Development Programme, as een van die World Vision programme, in ’n groot mate die lewens van die plaaslike mense getransformeer het. As gevolg van World Vision se betrokkenheid in die Taung Area Development Programme, word mensgesentreerde ontwikkeling nou gesien as bevordelik vir die betrokkenheid en bemagtiging van die bevolking sowel as die volhoubaarheid van die ontwikkelingsprojekte.

Thesis (MPhil (Sustainable Development Planning and Management))--University of Stellenbosch, 2004.

South Africa has one of the highest levels of inequality in the world, and the government has attempted to redress extensive material, social and political deprivation. It has been confronted by the tension between the need for rapid delivery of essential services and the aspiration for people-centred development. Limited resources and insufficient capacity have led the state to contract out service provision to the private sector. There has also been a shift toward self-sufficiency which has placed pressure on service users to manage their own development. 'Public-private Partnerships' have come to be a common feature of many development projects. These partnerships must be understood in relation to prevailing conditions within South Africa. Extensive poverty, social turbulence, an unaccountable state bureaucracy particularly in local government, and vested interests which do not support the goals of redistribution envisaged in the constitution all exist. Public-private partnerships are relatively new to South Africa. Four issues were raised about these relationships: Will they lead to the promotion of efficient and effective service delivery? Do they promote good governance? Is there a specific role for NGOs in public-private partnerships and finally what are the conditions for genuine participation by local communities within public-private partnerships? A study of public-private partnerships in the water sector, involved in the Community Water Supply and Sanitation Programme was undertaken. A variety of research methods, notably formal and semi-formal interviews and focus group discussions were employed to explore these relationships. Fieldwork was conducted between November 1998 and January 1999. The research involved familiarisation with new South African policy legislation which is set to alter the entire institutional environment. The study also drew upon international literature in order to assess the influence of global changes upon the water sector in South Africa, and also to locate the forms of water service provision within broader theoretical contexts. The key organisations which were investigated, and those which played a role in the Community Water Supply and Sanitation Programme were: the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry; the Mvula Trust, a large national non government organisation (NGO); various water committees supported by the Mvula Trust; and the Build, Operate, Train and Transfer (BOTT) consortia, which are joint ventures between the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry (DWAF), private firms and the Mvula Trust. Turning first to the question of the efficiency and effectiveness of public-private partnerships in service delivery, the findings of this study reveal that there are gaps in service delivery in the water sector which are not being filled by public-private partnerships. Poor performance by project managers, cases of exploitation by project and training agents of community organisations, and insufficient accountability (especially on the BOTT projects) towards the water users, are widely in evidence. Key leadership and managerial functions within these ventures are missing. The findings of the study reinforce the need for the state to play an active role in managing and leading public-private partnerships. The second issue concerning the relationship between public-private partnerships and good governance, reflects confusion in state priorities. The Water Services Act stipulates the importance of local government managing water service provision. Yet public-private partnerships currently bypass this level of governance. Turning to the third issue of the role for NGOs in public-private partnerships, it could be argued that like other NGOs in South Africa Mvula has to deal with various contradictions. In many ways it operates as a parastatal, not as an NGO. Mvula is dependent on the state for funding, the recent funding crisis has highlighted the dangers of such reliance upon the state, and Mvula can be criticised for being short sighted and too trusting. It has also meant that Mvula has had to adopt DWAF's policy objectives which differ markedly from those of the Trust. At another level, though, Mvula's ability to introduce innovative approaches to water service delivery and to influence policy on water service delivery proves that there are ways in which state and non-state actors can engage in useful relationships. The debate about participation has also been woven into the discussion about public-private partnerships. The basis for public-private partnerships in South Africa has been that local communities would manage their own development processes. Radical participation has been entrenched both in the constitution of SA and in the goals of the RDP. Yet none of the actors (even the Mvula Trust) promote radical participation. At best a watered down version based on community consultation was applied, although in numerous projects participation was token. For the foreseeable future participation will remain a central element of service delivery. Service providers will have to allocate more resources and time toward supporting community organisations to manage their own development. This in tum will increase the costs of service delivery. In the long term these functions should be handed over to local government, in order that rural dwellers may concentrate on their livelihoods. The most critical project in the next ten to fifteen years will be to build strong local government. The biggest challenge will be to change the organisational mindset of these presently conservative and weak structures. A theme, which has underpinned this dissertation, has been the debate between efficiency and equity. Questions remain as to whether it was possible to reconcile these perhaps conflicting goals. In essence: was it possible for public-private partnerships to deliver basic services, both speedily and by redistributing resources to the poorest. This research has found that public-private partnerships in the water sector have failed to excel with either of these goals. The Mvula trust is concerned with the participation of the poorest, yet these projects are much slower than the services provided by the BOTT consortia. The BOTT consortia are able to undertake rapid service delivery although there is limited involvement by local communities, which in turn threatens the long-term sustainability of the BOTT projects. The lessons to be learnt from this case study are that privatisation and the contracting out of state services need to be accompanied by the simultaneous development of strong institutions. These include NGOs, CBOs, private contractors and local and national state institutions. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of Natal, Durban, 1999.

A research report submitted to the faculty of Commerce, Law and Management, University of the Witwatersrand, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Management (in the field of Public and Development Management) March 2015 / The citizen science approach has a role to play in the restoration of river health in catchments affected by pollution. Everyone can become involved in monitoring the health of a river, dam, estuary or wetland closest to them. In KwaZulu-Natal, uMngeni and Msunduzi Catchments, voluntary participation in river health initiatives has been adopted by schools, conservancies, NGOs and catchment management forums. The purpose of the study was to explore the perceptions and experiences of the use of miniSASS, a simplified South African Scoring System (SASS) tool for monitoring river health in uMngeni and Msunduzi Catchments over the past 15 years. A qualitative exploratory and descriptive study was undertaken through semi-structured interviews and documentary analysis. The researcher managed to purposively select a sample of ten participants, mainly the active users of the miniSASS citizen science tool in the identified catchments. The finding of the study is that miniSASS is perceived and experienced as a valuable community-based educational tool in Msunduzi and uMngeni catchment which has led to local government authorities to respond faster in solving incidents of industrial pollution; address poorly maintained water infrastructure and fix the leaking sewers contaminating freshwater. The study recommends that a further investigation be made on the economic value of citizen science contribution in KwaZulu-Natal since there were indications that it has already benefited some of the accommodation businesses who appreciated the change in the nearby streams.

Thesis (M.Dev.) --University of Limpopo, 2018 / The aim of this study is to investigate and assess the effectiveness of Greater Tzaneen Municipality in implementing LED strategies in rural communities. Although the concept of Local Economic Development has been studied and widely debated in South Africa, the present study intends to determine the extent to which the implementation of LED strategy by Greater Tzaneen Municipality contributes towards improving the livelihood of communities for sustainable local economic development. In other words, the study purports to develop a more holistic understanding of the dynamics of local economic development efforts. This is a mixed method study in which elements of qualitative and quantitative approaches to collect, analyze, validate and interpret data were used. Quantitative design was used to profile respondents and do some statistical analysis of the population. The quantitative design used was in the form of a semi-structured survey questionnaire to acquire statistical data. Since the study is heterogeneous, stratified random sampling was used for the quantitative design whereby ward councillors, ward committees, project leaders and community stakeholders (n= 60) participated. For the qualitative aspect of the study face-to-face interviews schedule was used in order to construct the reality from the interviewees‟ world and to gain more in-depth dynamics and complexities by virtue of being the more natural form of interaction with respondents. Key municipal officials directly involved in LED and those who have more knowledge and information concerning LED implementation were identified by means of purposive sampling technique (n=10). The findings revealed that even though Greater Tzaneen Municipality on average is on the implementation side, there are some factors that hinder it from achieving the 100% LED strategy implementation. Even though policies are in place, it appears like LED strategies have produced very few success stories for various reasons country wide which among others includes lack of capacity within municipalities, financial constraints and poor and incorrect implementation. The other challenge is that communities regard LED as employment creation by municipalities and should not be viewed only as creating economic benefits, but as playing a vital role in poverty alleviation and therefore should have a strong social focus. As per the constitutional mandate Section 152 (1), (2) and Section 153 LED should be an integral part in the planning activities of municipalities across departments and not be afterthought. The process should clearly reflect participation by all wards and their respective communities, local economic growth, poverty alleviation and job creation as well as prioritizing human development initiatives.

Thesis (M. Dev.)-- University of Limpopo, 2011. / Sustainability of poverty relief projects: an evaluative case study of Madumeleng community bread making project in Greater Letaba Municipality in Limpopo Province This mini-dissertation was conducted on a community poverty alleviation project that was implemented by government through the Department of Social Development at Madumeleng village. Madumeleng is a village in Bolobedu(Modjadji) under the Greater Letaba Municipality in Mopani District. The Greater Letaba Municipality is one of the rural municipalities in the district of Mopani. The project was identified by the community members as a flagship towards addressing poverty within the village and eventually in the municipal area. The project was initiated by a group of women who started as volunteers. Their objective was to make the project big and viable within the society. The women had wishes also that the project should eventually create more jobs for the community members and thereby contribute in alleviating poverty and unemployment. The above resonates well with the objective of government and in particular the Department of Social Development in funding these projects. The study was ignited by the fact that after all the efforts by government to provide funding and ensure that the project members are capacitated, still the project collapsed. The project could not last longer than it was expected and this was the main reason for the study. The study should contribute in surmounting some factors which might have contributed into the collapse of the project. Government should also be able to draw lessons from the study to improve on the approach when they fund future projects.

Thesis (M.Dev.) -- University of Limpopo, 2012 / The study focused on the Local Economic Development (LED) challenges facing the local government in Limpopo Province. The specific study area was Motumo Trading Post located in Molemole Local Municipality. Molemole Local Municipality is one of the five municipalities in the Capricorn District Municipality. The study was qualitative in nature and included some elements of quantitative research in the form of numbers, graphs and tables and concentrated on the functionality of the Motumo Trading Post project. The respondents in this study were the community members of Matoks (known as Botlokwa in Sepedi), the Councillors of Molemole Municipality, managers of both Molemole local Municipality and Capricorn District Municipality, the traditional leaders and mayors of Molemole Local Municipality and Capricorn District Municipality. The study indicates that the local government, through municipalities is faced with challenges of bringing about economic growth to the poor people, especially in rural areas, through local economic development projects. The findings in this study indicate that Motumo Trading Post, which is a government initiative to improve the standard of living of Matoks community, has had no impact since its completion. The community of Matoks did not benefit from the project and the plans by the municipalities were not realised. The study also shows that not enough was done to involve the stakeholders in the planning and development of the project.

Thesis (M.Dev.) -- University of Limpopo, 2012 / his study investigates the impact of poverty-alleviation projects on women development at Mogalakwena Municipality in Limpopo Province. Focus is on three projects, namely; Malokong, Masipa and Rooiwal poultry projects. The researcher has used the qualitative paradigm in this study, though limited aspects of the quantitative approach were also used. Convenience sampling has been used to collect data from a sample of forty (40) women from all the three identified poultry projects. All the respondents are women beneficiaries of different ages in the above-mentioned poultry projects. The study highlights employment generation and appropriate technology versions of growth with equity theories to justify the necessity of poverty-alleviation projects. It confirms the chief characteristic of the employment version that illustrates the projects’ ability to employ different groups of people, particularly those with very low educational backgrounds. These projects enable them to get income that can be used to pay school fees, buy food and pay medical bills in support of their families, thereby improving the overall wellbeing of women in rural communities The approaches (qualitative and quantitative) advocate for the use of local technologies and labour intensive methods to create more jobs and produce economic spin-offs. Poultry projects were chosen because they are appropriate and relevant to the needs of most communities of the Mogalakwena Municipality who are predominantly rural and poor. The study found out that the projects benefit local residents by providing affordable food security needs in the form of fresh chicken meat. These products are a vital source of protein which is necessary for good health. In addition, members derive both economic and social benefits from poultry projects. Given the threats to sustainability of these projects, the study recommends that the government employ more Agricultural Extension Officers and mobilise financial resources to support the activities of these projects. There is also an increased demand for more training on various aspects of management and production for members to maximise output. The study also identifies the significance of a continuous monitoring and evaluation of projects on a regular basis.

The early industrialization and subsequent emergence of migrant labor system in South Africa disrupted conventional economic methods and social cohesion of society, particularly in the former rural homeland areas. Insufficient economic resources in villages pushed people to search for work in the urban areas. On the other hand, abundance of employment opportunities in the urban areas pulled people to venture into the cities. Apartheid control of out-migration from the rural areas added to this complexity. The system encouraged male migrants and placed restrictions on the migration of women to towns (Banks 2001:18). These conditions led to a host of social and economic problems that perpetuated poverty in rural areas. The coming to power of the African National Congress in 1994 has not significantly changed !hese dynamics. Two major problems emerged III rural areas. Traditional agriculture and livestock productions were replaced by heavy dependence of rural households on migrant remittances, which were often unreliable. Secondly, the migration of men forced rural women to develop their own strategies for income earning in order to support their families. In facing the challenges many women organized themselves into groups and made use of the available resources to establish income-generating projects (lGPs). Income generating projects are initiatives to generate income and employment in order to deal with the scourge of poverty. However, the projects are often too small to generate any meaningful income, particularly when viewed in relation to the time and effort invested on them. According to Muchena (1987:44), the projects are often within the realms ofwomen's traditional roles of sewing, knitting and baking. This study focuses on these projects. While IGPs sprung up as ways to alleviate poverty, there are questions as to their effectiveness. Mayoux (1989:1) states that, IGPs have not been economically viable, they have had serious problems and they have not achieved their aims. Despite this, women have continued to initiate and engage in such projects. Furthermore, men have also participated though to a lesser extent. / Thesis (M.T.R.P.)Architecture-University of Natal, 2002.

No abstract available. / Thesis (M.T.R.P.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, 2004.