This study was conducted in the rural community of Makhabeleni in Kranskop. This community is under the traditional leadership of Inkosi M Dlomo. One of the Development projects undertaken is the rural housing subsidy scheme, implemented through the Provincial Department of Housing in KwaZulu-Natal. A random sample of 30 respondents was drawn from a population of local residents who are already occupying the constructed houses. The study aims at highlighting the implications of lack of integration of sustainable livelihoods approach in rural housing projects. It argues that the packaging of rural housing projects should incorporate both sustainable livelihoods and community participation approaches. These approaches in housing development should not only focus on the top structure or the shelter, but on other factors, such as infrastructure, electrification, agriculture water and sanitation services. Such an integrated and holistic approach requires proper co-ordination on the part of all stakeholders so as to create sustainable livelihoods and contribute in the elimination of poverty. The findings in this study are that local sustainable livelihoods are the way of life of people, therefore should be considered in the housing delivery process. The conclusion and recommendations drawn from the findings are that integrated rural housing development should be coordinated to promote sustainable livelihoods and local economic development initiatives. Such integration would have a ripple effect in attracting local people, who work in urban areas, to return to their rural communities and invest in housing and also improve the housing conditions in their communities. / Thesis (M.T.R.P.)-University of Natal, 2001.

This thesis explores the material and non-material impacts of private game farming for a group of farm dwellers in KwaZulu-Natal. The thesis is located within the context of an increasing trend whereby farm dwellers are being relocated in order to provide farm owners with the economic opportunity that commercial game farming entails. The thesis emphasises the marginalised position of the farm dwellers and points to the fact that the farm dwellers themselves often have little control and knowledge regarding their legal rights. It further emphasises the lack of protection that this group receives from the authorities. Even though legislation has been implemented to address tenure insecurity, in reality this legislation has made little difference to the lives of farm dwellers. The thesis concludes that as a direct consequence of the relocation the farm dwellers were affected materially, but perhaps more important were their ‘invisible’ non-material losses. Their non-material losses include loss of self-esteem, increased social marginalisation and the cutting of their ties to their ancestral land. / Thesis (M.Sc.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2011.

MRDV / Institute for Rural Development

MRDV / Institute for Rural Development

When Namibia became independent in March 1990, the new government pledged to alleviate poverty, unemployment and to improve the living standards of the formerly disadvantaged groups in the country. Rural development was presented as one of the priorities because the majority of the people live in or still have strong ties to the rural areas. Rural housing and rural development consist of a number of components. Both have similar objectives, inter alia, the improvement of living standards. Development efforts are often impeded by an urban bias in government policies and projects. In the case of Namibia, certain areas do not even have a formulated policy to guide developments, especially in communal areas with a high population concentration. This study explores to what extent the government has realised rural development policies and in particular rural housing in Northern Namibia as a means to improve living standards. / Public Administration and Management / M.A. (Development Administration)

Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2013. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Gated developments, also known as gated communities, have become a feature of urban living throughout the world and have been the subject of intensive research. Gated developments in South African cities are a ubiquitous feature of the post-apartheid urban landscape with many new housing developments in the form of secure estates or fortified townhouse complexes. Almost all the international literature on gated developments has focused on them as a metropolitan phenomenon. Very few international studies have investigated gated developments in non-metropolitan locales and this topic is unexplored in the South African context. This dissertation addresses this research gap. The study area is the entire non-metropolitan area of the Western Cape province. The politicoadministrative concept of non-metropolitan is used rather than the descriptor rural because the latter implies an area of primary production with no diversification of productive activities. The study area excludes the metropolitan area of Cape Town but includes the rest of the province within which there are settlements of varying sizes having a diverse range of economic activities. It is in these places that gated developments were investigated to cover and discover particular aspects of the hitherto unexplored non-metropolitan gated developments of South Africa. The specific objectives were to place the research in the theoretical and conceptual debates of gated developments; map the occurrence of the phenomenon; and spatially analyse the location and security aspects of the developments at a macro scale. Two towns, Swellendam and Ceres, were selected as case studies as their gated developments present a host of significant features warranting further micro-scale analysis. The spatial and locational analyses yielded other researchable themes specific to certain types of developments, namely retirement gated developments in Oudtshoorn and Swellendam and gated developments outside the urban edge. A comprehensive spatially-linked database of gated developments in the study area was compiled from numerous sources, culminating in a process of groundtruthing that resulted in the collection of data on the physical features of each development. Qualitative data was collected from respondents through interviews, electronic communications and a questionnaire survey. Distribution patterns of gated developments were determined from spatial data and data on physical features was used to calculate security level index values for the gated developments. These data sets enabled spatial and typological comparisons to be made. Qualitative data added a ‘voice’ to the quantitative data and provided insights into social, economic and planning aspects of gated developments. The location of gated developments in the province is largely determined by proximity to metropolitan Cape Town and areas with high occurrences of amenities. The spatio-temporal patterns and typological distinctions of gated developments are influenced by location-specific factors. In some towns the gated developments typify a living space and in others a living and lifestyle space. The security features of gated developments also vary typologically and spatially. Crime data was used to show that the distribution of non-metropolitan gated developments is not necessarily associated with towns with high levels of criminal activity. Security in these developments is not a response to rampant crime, rather a strategy brought into play in case something happens – preparedness in the unlikely event of a breach of security. The gated developments in the two case-study towns are strongly influenced by locationspecific needs, the purposes of residents and the processes of municipalities. Niche market gated developments, as represented in the thematic case studies of retirement gated developments and gated developments outside the urban edge are promoted by pull factors within towns and by the allure of an exclusive rural residential lifestyle of living in areas with high amenity offerings. The latter is linked to the transformation of agricultural land into gated developments, which signals a shift to postproductivist change in the study area. The results of this seminal investigation into non-metropolitan gated developments suggest avenues for further research endeavour. These include the need for greater understanding of the changing nature of social relations between gated and the non-gated inhabitants of non-metropolitan locales; investigation of the potential for increased topophobia within towns; and examinations of the functions of the various stakeholders and role players in establishing non-metropolitan gated developments. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Geslote woonbuurte, ook bekend as geslote gemeenskappe, ’n kenmerk van baie stede regoor die wêreld, het die onderwerp van intensiewe navorsing geword. Geslote woonbuurte in Suid-Afrikaanse stede is ‘n alomteenwoordige kenmerk van die post-apartheid stedelike landskap met baie nuwe behuisingsontwikkelings wat as beveiligde landgoede en meenthuiskomplekse gebou word. Die meerderheid van die internasionale literatuur oor geslote woonbuurte beskou hulle as ’n metropolitaanse verskynsel. Baie min internasionale studies het geslote gemeenskappe in niemetropolitaanse lokaliteite ondersoek en dié onderwerp is onverken in die Suid-Afrikaanse konteks. Hierdie proefskrif vul dié navorsingsleemte. Die studiegebied is die hele nie-metropolitaanse gebied van die Wes-Kaap provinsie. Die politiesadministriewe konsep ‘nie-metropolitaans’ word gebruik in plaas van die benaming ‘landelik’ omdat laasgenoemde ’n gebied van primêre produksie met geen diversifisering van ekonomiese aktiwiteite impliseer. Dus, sluit die studiegebied die metropolitaanse gebied van Kaapstad uit, maar sluit die res van die provinsie in waar nedersettings van verskeie grootte en met ’n diverse reeks ekonomiese aktiwiteite voorkom. Dit is in hierdie gebiedens dat geslote woonbuurte ondersoek word met die doel om besondere aspekte van hierdie tot nou toe onverkende nie-metropolitaanse geslote woonbuurte in Suid-Afrika, na vore te bring. Die spesifieke doelwitte is om die navorsing binne die breër teorietiese en konseptuele debatte rondom geslote woonbuurte te plaas; die verspreiding van die verskynsel te karteer; die ligging en die sekuriteitsaspekte van die woonbuurte op makro skaal ruimtelik te ontleed. Ceres en Swellendam word as gevallestudies behandel. Die twee dorpe se geslote woonbuurte ’n menigte beduidende kenmerke van hul geslote woonbuurte vertoon, wat verdere mikro skaalanalise regverdig. Die ruimtelike en liggingsanalises het navorsingwaardige temas oor spesifieke tipes geslote woonbuurte onthul. Die temas sluit geslote aftreewoonbuurte in Oudtshoorn en Swellendam en geslote woonbuurte buitekant dorpsgrense in. ’n Omvattende ruimtelike databasis van geslote woonbuurte binne die studiegebeid is uit verskeie bronne saamgestel en ’n proses van terreinverifiëring het vir die inwin van data oor fisiese kenmerke van elke woonbuurt gesorg. Kwalitatiewe data is by respondente verkry deur middel van onderhoude, elektroniese kommunikasie en ’n vraelys opname. Verspreidingspatrone van die geslote woonbuurte is aan die hand van die ruimtelike data vasgestel en die data oor die fisiese verskynsels is gebruik om ’n sekuriteitsindekswaardes van die geslote woonbuurte te bereken. Die datastelle het ruimtelike en tipologiese vergelykings moontlik gemaak. Kwalitatiewe data het ’n ‘stem’ aan die kwantitiewe data verleen en insig in die sosiale, ekonomiese en beplanningsaspekte van geslote woonbuurte verskaf. Die ligging van geslote woonbuurte in die provinsie is grootliks deur nabyheid aan die Kaapse metropool en gebiede met ’n hoë voorkoms van geriewe beïnvloed. Die ruimtelike- en tydspatrone en tipologiese kenmerke van geslote woonbuurte is deur liggingspesifiekefaktore beïnvloed. In sommige dorpe is die geslote woonbuurte as ’n ‘leefruimte’ gekenmerk, terwyl ander geslote woonbuurte as ‘leefruimte en leefstylruimte’ getipeer word. Die sekuriteitsverskynsels van geslote woonbuurte het ook tipologiese en ruimtelike verskeidenheid getoon. Misdaaddata is gebruik om te toon dat die verspreiding van nie-metropolitaanse geslote woonbuurte nie noodwendig ooreenstem met dorpe met hoë misdaadsyfers nie. Sekuriteit is nie ’n reaksie op buitensporige misdaadsyfers nie, eerder ’n strategie wat in werking tree in geval iets gebeur – paraatheid vir die onwaarskynlike gebeurtenis van ’n sekuriteitskending. Die ontwikkeling van geslote woonbuurte in die gevallestudiedorpe is sterk deur liggingspesifieke behoeftes, die doelstellings van inwoners en prosesse van munisipaliteite beïnvloed. Geslote woonbuurte wat nismarkte bedien, soos dié wat deur die tematiese gevallestudies verteenwoordig is, word bevorder deur sekere aantrekkingsfaktore wat dorpe bied en die bekoring van ’n eksklusiewe landelike residensiële lewensstyl in gebiede met ’n hoë voorkoms van geriewe vir lewensgenieting. Laasgenoemde is gekoppel aan die omskepping van landbougrond vir die bou van geslote woonbuurte wat ’n aanduiding van post-produktivistiese verandering in die studiegebeid is. Dié eerste en gedagteprikkelende ondersoek oor nie-metropoolitaanse geslote woonbuurte opper temas vir verdere navorsing. Dit sluit in ’n verstaan van die moontlike veranderings in sosiale verhoudings tussen die inwoners van geslote en ongeslote nie-metropolitaanse lokaliteite, die moontlikheid van verhoogde topofobie in dorpe; en ondersoeke oor die rol van verskillende insethouers en rolspelers in die ontwikkeling van nie-metropoolitaanse geslote woonbuurte.

When Namibia became independent in March 1990, the new government pledged to alleviate poverty, unemployment and to improve the living standards of the formerly disadvantaged groups in the country. Rural development was presented as one of the priorities because the majority of the people live in or still have strong ties to the rural areas. Rural housing and rural development consist of a number of components. Both have similar objectives, inter alia, the improvement of living standards. Development efforts are often impeded by an urban bias in government policies and projects. In the case of Namibia, certain areas do not even have a formulated policy to guide developments, especially in communal areas with a high population concentration. This study explores to what extent the government has realised rural development policies and in particular rural housing in Northern Namibia as a means to improve living standards. / Public Administration and Management / M.A. (Development Administration)

This study is about the gender dimensions of land reform in South Africa. The case study is that of a housing and resettlement project in Daggakraal, Mpumalanga Province. The aim of the study was to describe and analyse empirical realities for rural women, in relation to land, in Daggakraal. The focus was on the research questions for the study namely the nature of land reform practice; whether gender issues were central in land reform at all stages of the project; whether or not participation of women was truly genuine; and the constraints that were faced in the process of land reform delivery. The study was conducted in Daggakraal, a rural town in Mpumalanga province, South Africa. Research methods employed were both quantitative and qualitative with more emphasis on the latter. A total of 100 respondents participated in the study. This number included 10 key informants 3 of whom were trained as research assistants. The findings indicate that there was very little gender analysis carried out prior to land reform. For this reason land reform has not benefitted the women and men of Daggakraal. Land reform policies and other legislation put in place were not followed to the letter in Daggakraal and in other areas of the country where land reform was implemented; the first land reform (SLAG) has not benefitted the poor, especially women; the rural terrain is an area of contestation and competing interests between women and men. There is also a lack of institutional arrangements to implement a gendered approach to land reform. This study demonstrates the need to tackle and transform the existing power relations at the household level, if government is serious about the gender dimension of land reform in South Africa. In a small way it is hoped that this study will contribute to the limited writing on land reform and gender and also provide a gendered critique of the land reform programme in South Africa. The Gender Analysis Framework (GAF) and the feminist and gender perspectives have helped the researcher to understand and explain the gender dynamics in Daggakraal. / Development Studies / D. Litt. et Phil. (Development Studies)

M.Comm. / The purpose of this dissertation is to assess the progress that has been made in the provision of housing finance to low-income earners. In 1994, housing affordability was constrained, as around 86% of households earned below R3 500. The focus, therefore, is on the role played by both government and the four major banks in broadening access to housing finance for these households and also those who earn less than R7 500. Frameworks that brought about certain initiatives aimed at addressing this problem are explored. On the side of government, the housing subsidy scheme and the role played by the government housing finance institutions (i.e. the National Housing Finance Corporation and the Rural Housing Loan Fund) are explored. On the banking sector side, the provisioning of housing finance prior to and after the implementation of the Financial Sector Charter (FSC) in 2004 is investigated. The dissertation concludes by looking the challenges that exist in the low-cost housing finance environment. The paper notes that, although some considerable progress has been made in the broadening of access to housing finance, there is a huge gap between the number of subsidies approved and the number of households that have benefited from the government subsidy scheme, possibly resulting from, among other things, capacity constraints at local government level. In respect of the banking sector, data analysed shows that bank involvement in the low-income market was very minimal before the implementation of the FSC. However, as much as some progress has been made, there are some serious challenges in this market that could have possibly prevented the role players from extending this access to the rest of the target group.

This study is about the gender dimensions of land reform in South Africa. The case study is that of a housing and resettlement project in Daggakraal, Mpumalanga Province. The aim of the study was to describe and analyse empirical realities for rural women, in relation to land, in Daggakraal. The focus was on the research questions for the study namely the nature of land reform practice; whether gender issues were central in land reform at all stages of the project; whether or not participation of women was truly genuine; and the constraints that were faced in the process of land reform delivery. The study was conducted in Daggakraal, a rural town in Mpumalanga province, South Africa. Research methods employed were both quantitative and qualitative with more emphasis on the latter. A total of 100 respondents participated in the study. This number included 10 key informants 3 of whom were trained as research assistants. The findings indicate that there was very little gender analysis carried out prior to land reform. For this reason land reform has not benefitted the women and men of Daggakraal. Land reform policies and other legislation put in place were not followed to the letter in Daggakraal and in other areas of the country where land reform was implemented; the first land reform (SLAG) has not benefitted the poor, especially women; the rural terrain is an area of contestation and competing interests between women and men. There is also a lack of institutional arrangements to implement a gendered approach to land reform. This study demonstrates the need to tackle and transform the existing power relations at the household level, if government is serious about the gender dimension of land reform in South Africa. In a small way it is hoped that this study will contribute to the limited writing on land reform and gender and also provide a gendered critique of the land reform programme in South Africa. The Gender Analysis Framework (GAF) and the feminist and gender perspectives have helped the researcher to understand and explain the gender dynamics in Daggakraal. / Development Studies / D. Litt. et Phil. (Development Studies)