Thesis (MEng)--Stellenbosch University, 2014. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: South Africa's system of socio-economic development planning is complex and ine ective. There are many regulatory authorities involved, often with unclear responsibilities and inadequate procedures of implementing objectives. Planning for development in South Africa needs to take various factors into account. Economic growth is pursued, while social imbalances are addressed and the environment is protected against unreasonable damage. The term Sustainable Development is an important concept in the vision of many of the regulating authorities, however, the implementation of sustainability is di cult. This study considers an approach which aligns activities in a specifi ed region to the vision and objectives of the applicable regulatory authorities, as an alternative to achieving objectives strictly through enforcing regulations. This thesis developed an integrated evaluation model which can be used to evaluate the alignment of a small-scale farm to the visions and objectives of certain regulatory authorities. Four small-scale farms in the Letaba catchment of the Limpopo Province were used as a case study to be evaluated against national and regional development visions. On a national level the National Development Plan (NDP), the National Framework for Sustainable Development (NFSD), the Integrated Sustainable Rural Development Strategy (ISRDS) and the principles of Water Allocation Reform (WAR) were regarded. For regional categorisation, the relevant municipal Integrated Development Plan (IDP), Spatial Development Framework (SDF), Local Economic Development (LED) plan and the applicable Catchment Management Strategy (CMS) were considered. The Letaba catchment area has speci c development constraints regarding water. For this reason, the impact the four farms have on the water of the region was evaluated in addition to their alignment with regional development visions. The hydrological evaluations were performed through the use of the Soil and Water Assessment Tool. Hereby it was determined whether objectives of development planning were realistic in terms of water availability. It was established that the location of a farm is a determining factor of the impact it has on the catchment area's water supply. The developed Integrated Evaluation Model combined all the visions and objectives of the mentioned strategic documents to speci cally assess the contribution a small-scale farm makes. The evaluation results provide insight into the alignment of activities to the ideals of a region and can be useful when formulating actions to reach a common vision. Small-scale farms are well-aligned to the objectives of WAR, the CMS and ISRDS. The farms have a limited contribution to the ideals of the NDP and NFSD and results against the IDP, the SDF and the LED di er considerably for each farm. Furthermore, the results of the farms' alignment with regional objectives do not correspond to the hydrologically ideal locations. Therefore, the development of small-scale farming should take hydrological information into consideration. The Integrated Evaluation Model proves to be valuable, understandable and applicable to evaluate the alignment of small-scale farms to the visions of regulatory authorities. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Suid-Afrika se sisteem van beplanning vir sosio-ekonomiese ontwikkeling is ingewikkeld en one ektief. Daar is verskillende regulatoriese owerhede betrokke wat maklik aanleiding gee tot onsekerheid ten opsigte van verantwoordelikhede asook tot onvoldoende benaderings tot implementering. Om ontwikkeling in Suid-Afrika suksesvol te laat geskied, moet verskeie faktore inaggeneem word. Behalwe vir die strewe na ekonomiese groei, moet sosiale agterstande gelyktydig aangespreek word en moet hierdie ontwikkeling van so 'n aard wees dat die omgewing nie onnodige skade lei nie. Volhoubaarheid is 'n gemeenskaplike ideaal van die meeste partye betrokke by die beplanning van Suid-Afrika se ontwikkeling. Die implementering van hierdie oogmerk is egter onduidelik. Hierdie studie oorweeg 'n benadering wat alle handelinge in 'n bepaalde gebied in ooreenstemming bring met die visie en doelwitte van die toepaslike regulatoriese owerhede. Hierdie benadering word as 'n alternatief gestel teenoor 'n benadering om doelwitte slegs deur regulasies te bereik. Hierdie tesis het 'n Geïntegreerde Evalueringsmodel ontwikkel wat die mate waartoe 'n klein plaas 'n bydrae maak tot die visie en doelwitte van regulatoriese owerhede meet. Vier kleinskaalse boerderye in die Letaba Opvangsgebied in Limpopo was ondersoek as 'n gevallestudie. Hierdie plase is geëvalueer teen nasionale- en streeksontwikkelingsvisies. Op 'n nasionale vlak is die Nasionale Ontwikkelings Plan (NOP), die Nasionale Raamwerk vir Volhoubare Ontwikkeling (NRVO), die Geïntegreerde Volhoubare Landelike Ontwikkelings Strategie (GVLOS) en die waardes van die Water Toekenning Hervorming (WTH) beskou. Ten opsigte van streeksontwikkeling, is die betrokke munisipale Geïntegreerde Ontwikkelings Plan (GOP), die Ruimtelike Ontwikkelings Raamwerk (ROR), Plaaslike Ekonomiese Ontwikkeling (PEO) plan en die gepaste Opvangsgebied Bestuurs Plan (OBP) inaggeneem. Water is 'n beperkende faktor tot ontwikkeling in die Letaba opvangsgebied. Omrede, word die vier plase se impak op die watertoestand van die gebied bepaal, sowel as die bydrae tot die visie van die regulatoriese owerhede. 'n Opstelling van die studie-area is gemaak met die Soil and Water Assessment Tool ten einde hidrologiese a eidings te maak. Hierdeur is bepaal of die visies en doelwitte soos gestel deur die beplanningsdokumente vir ontwikkeling, realisties is ten opsigte van die waterbeskikbaarheid. Die studie het bevestig dat die ligging van 'n plaas 'n bepalende faktor is tot die plaas se uitwerking op die gebied se water. Die ontwikkelde Geïntegreerde Evalueringsmodel kombineer die visies en doelwitte van die bogenoemde strategiese dokumente om die bydrae van 'n klein plaas te meet. Die evalueringsresultate verskaf insigte rondom die ooreenstemming van plase teenoor die visie van 'n streek en kan nuttig gepas kom wanneer spesi eke aksies beplan word om 'n gemeenskaplike doelwit te bereik. Kleinskaalse boerdery is in lyn met die doelwitte soos bepaal deur die OBP, GVLOS en WTH. Die bydrae wat die plase ten opsigte van die NOP en NRVO se ideale maak is egter beperk. Verder verskil die resultate grootliks vir elke plaas ten opsigte van die bydrae gelewer tot die visies van die GOP, ROR en PEO. Gewensde resultate ten opsigte van bydrae tot ontwikkelingsvisies het nie ooreengestem met die liggings wat aanbeveel is deur die hidrologiese studie nie. Dus moet hidrologiese inligting inaggeneem word tydens besluitneming vir die ontwikkeling van kleinskaalse boerdery. Die Geïntegreerde Evalueringsmodel bied waarde, is toeganklik en is toepaslik om kleinskaalse boerdery te meet tenoor die visies van regulatoriese owerhede.