Student Number : 0210329K - MSc research report - School of Construction Economics and Management - Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment / The government of Lesotho is experiencing a rapid rate of dilapidation of its dwelling houses, and if this goes unabated, the government will lose even more in terms of the expenditure on maintenance and repair, and eventually the houses themselves, thereby losing a good asset base. The research considers the possible causes of the rapid rate of dilapidation of the Lesotho government dwelling houses. It draws attention to the level of effectiveness of the property management structure and or framework of the Lesotho government. Further it considers the possible overall effects of the current continued dilapidation on the management of the property assets by the Lesotho government. The research draws attention to the present system of property management practiced by the government, and compares it with that of the private sector, considers the ways in which the government may have to adapt, and suggests that while the government dwelling houses are neglected in terms of maintenance, there will be some countervailing opportunities for a more effective strategic use of the property asset. A number of respondents drawn from the private sector, two government departments, and the housing occupants, were interviewed using administered and self-administered questionnaires for this research. The hypotheses ‘that efficient property asset management is significantly dependent on a good property management framework/structure’ and ‘that there is a correlation between the declining property values and the level of rentals payable to the Lesotho government’ were confirmed. This is seen in the fact that the Lesotho property management structure lacks the capacity to manage their pool of available housing structure. Moreover, that the kind of expertise available is not fitting to be able to manage the government houses. The Lesotho government lacks the required expertise for the management of its housing assets, and this has led to a rapid dilapidation of the housing stock for the inadequacy in management resulted in poor maintenance of the housing stock, as the management failed to identify key issues in property management. 3 Keywords: Property Dilapidation, Maintenance, Dwelling houses, Government Property Management.

Thesis (M. Dev.) -- University of Limpopo, 2019 / This study examines the effect of asset management on social work services delivery in the Department of Social Development (DSD), Capricorn District. The aim of the study was to explore factors that lead to the mismanagement of assets in the department. For social workers to deliver services or to operate, the Department of Social Development (DSD) as the employer must ensure that infrastructure (office space and facilities), information management and technology equipment must be provided to social welfare practitioners (employees). For their effective functioning, certain basic infrastructure and equipment are needed by social welfare service practitioners, particularly social workers who are legally obliged to provide services in a particular manner. The problem of lack of resources has been also observed and that service providers who are social workers end up using their own resources in an attempt to provide service delivery and administration of their duties as social workers. The objectives of this study were to examine the state of asset management in the department; to assess the effect of asset management on service delivery; and to propose strategies that may enable the department to deal with emerging issues. The study was guided by questions such as the following: What is the current state of asset management as it relates to service delivery? How does asset management affect service delivery? What strategies may enable the department to deal with emerging issues? The study adopted the qualitative research approach to collect primary data through face-to-face semi-structured interviews. It further used thematic content analysis to analyse data. Through the use of this approach, it was noted that asset problems have a negative impact on social work service delivery. From the data collected, the study revealed that there are numerous problems that social workers come across in the process of providing services and mainly because of lack of adequate assets. These problems affect service delivery negatively, and include lack of transport; insufficient office space; and lack of furniture, computers, printers and landline or cellular phones. Social work services cannot be properly, effectively and efficiently provided without adequate asset management. The study recommends that the DSD should provide social workers with assets in order to render better service. It is important for one to know that social work services and asset management are two related entities.

Thesis (MBA.) -- University of Limpopo, 2015 / The Department of Economic Development, Environment and Tourism is mandated to focus on growing the provincial economy, empowering women and youth, on supporting small businesses and co-operatives and improving the lives of the people of the province for the better as indicated in the Limpopo Economic Development, Environment and Tourism Province Budget Vote (2015/16). Economic growth and social wellbeing are closely tied to the ability to protect the natural environment. Mining, electricity generation and agriculture are among the economic activities that have a direct impact on the environment and need to be carried out in a sustainable and responsible manner. Towards this vision, the assets which are furniture, transport, computer hardware and other machinery and equipment need to be managed efficiently and effectively in order to fulfil the needs of society and the departments. These assets represent an enormous value for the owner which is LEDET and for society at large. To grasp the full potential of these assets, a deep and thorough understanding of an asset’s complete lifetime is needed. However, the assets especially physical assets, public buildings and infrastructures are not managed properly and that results in numerous challenges and audit queries that are raised by the Auditor General. The purpose of this study was to investigate the challenges that are facing the asset management unit of Limpopo Department of Economic Development & Tourism (LEDET). Asset Management has been hailed as important in order to enable government to deliver proper services to the citizens of the country. This has encouraged the researcher to undertake the study in order to add more knowledge on the asset management process of the government, looking at the challenges and possible solutions. The need for this study was considered relevant and necessary as government departments and other private sectors face numerous challenges in implementing the asset management. Limpopo Department of Economic Development, Environment and Tourism, as a case study, faces challenges in fulfilling some of its mandate due to lack of support from asset management activities. In terms of its strategic plan, the department seeks to address issues relating to economic growth, the promotion and development of tourism and using environmental management to guide and monitor sustainable development in the province. These challenges have negative implications on the delivery of services to the communities it serves. In this study, the researcher investigated the following: demographic profile of respondents, challenges facing asset management, the impact of asset management on service delivery and lastly the best practice on the implementation of asset management. Data were analysed into themes and revealed communication, training, interpretation of relevant prescripts, limited resources, proper allocation of resources and effective participation of relevant stakeholders as, amongst others, challenges to the process. The study concluded by providing recommendations to management of the Limpopo Department of Economic Development, Environment and Tourism on how to improve the asset management activities to achieve the strategic goals of the department. The recommendations proposed are improved communications with stakeholders, development of asset plan, skills capacity of asset management officials and sourcing the asset information system that integrates with the financial system to provide a reliable asset register. / LEDET (Limpopo Department of Economic Development & Tourism)