The study is mainly characterised by social, cultural, and economic aspects that influence the housing typology and design in rural areas, since these places have been in a critical condition compared to urban areas. This has led to the use of design suitable for urban areas in rural areas. This act threatens to undermine rural characteristics such as rural settlement patterns and traditional housing which acknowledge people's origin and lifestyle. As a result, people fail to contrlbute to their own development mainly because of the technological advancement that acquires people with intensive skills. The study was conducted in the rural community of Mpukunyoni in Mtubatuba. The residents still live under the traditional leadership of Inkosi Mkhwanazi. The housing project implemented in the area highlight some complications because of the housing typology that the developers have used which fails to incorporate cultural meaning in them. This questions the role played by the community which sees enabling approach as a possible solution. It encourages people themselves to be gradua11y drawn into their development. It aiso alleviates poor conditions and empowers people to restore their human dignity while recognising their potential. The study sees a need for rural housing policy to be revaluated so as to include other relevant factors like incorporating traditional authorities in decision making so as to influence the policy makers to recognise cultural aspects because rural and urban areas are not the same therefore, they must be treated differently. In that way, the developers can have a clear understanding of what housing means to rural people so as to provide them with. housing that must be passed on from one generation to the other. / Thesis (M.Housing)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2005.

South Africa is one of the Third World countries which are mainly characterised by underdevelopment in almost all aspects of life. This would include social, economic and to certain extent, physical aspects. Their rural areas are in a critical condition as compared to their urban areas. The major problem with such areas is that the rural poor (tribal areas inclusive), cannot contribute significantly to their own development. This is mainly due to inherent inequalities in the benefits of economic development, and technological advancement which operates under the umbrella of capitalism. Rural housing development is a deliberate intervention programme that should be designed in such a way that the people themselves are gradually drawn into the mainstream of development action. It would mean that any governmental assistance to communities should at the time be a learning process for the beneficiaries. Such actions would act as attempts to alleviate the poor conditions in the rural areas, and then empower people in realising their potential and restoring human dignity. This dissertation is a critical overview of the formulation of a rural housing policy. The study looks mainly at the housing condition in the tribal areas, with special focus to housing problems in these areas. A special reference was made to Oshwashweni (Empangeni) in KwaZulu/Natal. The area was chosen because of the rural communities that are still living according to the traditional style of the Zulus. Furthermore, their housing situation is dominated by traditional style. The study revealed that rural housing development is hindered by administrative, social and even technical constraints. Thus, a need for a well-structured housing development was confirmed. Policy formulation has been regarded as the structured and secure instrument for bringing development within the tribal rural areas, and the rural areas as such. On the basis of outcomes of the study, some recommendations have been offered towards guidelines for formulating a policy. / Thesis (M.Sc.U.R.P.)-University of Natal, 2000.

The study is about the impact of housing development in the KwaZulu-Natal traditional authority areas under the ownership of Ingonyama Trust Board. These pieces of land are under administration of the Chiefs (Amakhosi). A case study of Isimahla Rural Housing Project had been utilised to reach provable findings. It was one of the first rural developments established on the basis of the Additional Rural Guidelines (as amended) that advanced to an implementation stage; approximately 500 houses or top structures were constructed by 2007. The researcher has chosen this topic because it has an involvement of the elements of systems theory and complexity. Through complexity something new is normally established because complex systems have a way of self-organizing and change could be intentional or unintentional. Another reason for choosing the topic is the researcher’s working experience where rural housing development is a key performance area. Rural Housing Development is one of the main priorities of the MEC for Housing in KwaZulu-Natal. The KwaZulu-Natal Department of Housing developed the guidelines for rural housing in 2003 to enable the delivery of housing in the deeper rural areas. There were concerns from the traditional leaders with respect to their authority and powers. Concerns included the alienation of land, ownership of the project and the role of the traditional council. There was confusion regarding the initiation of rural projects. In addition, major causes of concerns amongst traditional leaders were based on the planning process. There was a perception that a setup like urban township settlements would be formed. To overcome the abovementioned concerns the Provincial Department of Housing created a partnership with the chiefs and all other relevant stakeholders involved in rural development. The Additional Rural Guidelines (2003) were then amended to accommodate such a partnership. The amended guidelines mainly focused on the following elements: - The acknowledgement of the existing functional tenure as an acceptable form of tenure for rural housing developments - The housing norms and standards do not apply to the level of services in rural developments, but do apply to the top structures - The introduction of the Global Positioning System (GPS) as an acceptable methodology for positioning beneficiary sites - The National Home Builders Regulations Council (NHBRC) registrations do not apply to rural development - Outlining the roles and responsibilities of the key stakeholders in the rural development process. There were a greater number of projects approved by Department of Housing (DoH) in almost all the municipalities of KwaZulu-Natal after the launch of the Additional Guidelines, but in 2008 some of them had not yet advanced to the implementation stage. The Isimahla Rural Housing Project, based at Vulamehlo Municipality under the Ugu District Council has outshone the other rural projects. The study was to get an understanding as to whether rural development creates job opportunities for the local people, equipped local community beneficiaries with necessary skills in building and administration addressed land tenure issues and brought about sustainable development. Briefly, the utilization of Checkland’s epistemology on soft systems methodology assisted to reach some findings in the complexities facing rural housing development. What came out clearly is that integrated development needs to be vigorously implemented for rural development to be sustainable, managing of partnerships and stakeholder participation, utilization of project management principles and adherence to the principles of spatial development planning. There should be training and development, homestead gardening and subsistence farming to achieve sustainable development through integrated development planning by the municipalities of KwaZulu-Natal. The findings could help rural housing stakeholders in improving the practice and improve delivery. It could also assist in the current debate on rural development that is part of the policy review by the Provincial Department of Housing KwaZulu-Natal. Due to tight schedule to complete the study the findings could not be implemented as per Checkland’s soft systems methodology, but they could be of use in the future. / Thesis (M.Com.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Westville, 2010.

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.