Local opposition to town planning applications creates time delays for developers, town planners, and municipal authorities, while also increasing financial costs associated with development. For local communities, opposition means considerable time and financial investment to protect the place they live in from unwanted development. Place attachment, which develops as a result of experiences with or in a place, is one of the reasons why local communities oppose land development – this reaction towards proposed land changes is often considered NIMBYist. Although disciplines such as natural resource management already trained its focus on the influence of place attachment as a motivating factor in participatory planning intentions internationally, it is not clear whether there exists a relationship between place attachment and public participation in South African town planning processes. As such, the aim of this research is to explore the relationship between place attachment and public participation in a South African town planning process. This research focuses on the lived experience of place attachment of residents of the Bult area of the Tlokwe Local Municipality in the North West Province of South Africa, and the role that place attachment experiences played in their participation in a town planning process. The research design is qualitative, using archival data, located participant interviews, and supportive photographic data to explore the lived experiences of 18 participants from three case studies. The data was analysed thematically. The data indicated the link between actual or potential incremental changes through town planning actions in an urban environment and the impact these changes had on the well-being of the residents of that place. The effect of incremental urban changes, actual or potential, motivated participants to participate in the public participation process of rezoning applications in order to oppose the environmental changes. These potential and/or actual environmental changes also led to place protective actions outside the formal participation process. This research indicates that due consideration should be given to opposition to town planning applications, as it can in fact be driven by deeper emotional reasons that cannot be expressed in the legal and technical language associated with the town planning discipline. These reactions should not be considered in a negative light by developers, town planners, and municipal authorities, as they can provide insight on what types of land use changes can implemented successfully in a place. To this effect, a life cycle relationship between place attachment and public participation in a town planning process (as it happened in the three case studies) is proposed as a point of departure for future research. A suggestion is made to incorporate place attachment in urban planning practice. / PhD (Urban and Regional Planning), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

In any democratic dispensation public participation is a wide spread concern and highly topical to guide a discourse on openness, transparency, and inclusiveness in government. The importance and contribution of public participation to a healthy and developing democracy should not be underestimated. There are various forms of public participation that are known in the literature. They range from general consultation, submission of comments to public institutions, to direct negotiations and interaction. In the South African Police Service, the notion and principles of public participation are embedded in a modern community policing approach. This approach was adopted by the South African Government post-1994. The concept Community Policing is generally about making policing more community-centred through the active engagement of community members in the affairs of the police. Community policing is multidimensional in addressing social problems such as crime and poverty. It also involves community empowerment to guide the community in addressing their own challenges. To give operational impetus to a community policing approach, Community Policing Forums (CPFs) have been established as a mechanism to foster public participation in general and active community engagement in policing matters in particular. The roles of CPFs are entrenched in national legislation and a comprehensive regulatory framework further guide the functioning of these structures. The functioning of these CPFs is, however, not without challenges. By following a qualitative case study design, this study investigated the particular challenges associated with public participation in the CPFs of the Tlokwe Local Municipality (TLM). The study has been conducted in the three police stations of TLM, namely Potchefstroom, Ikageng and Buffelshoek. The aim of this study was to present the need for the development of a comprehensive strategy to enhance public participation in CPFs in TLM. Such a strategy is suggested as main solution to address the variety of challenges identified. / MA (Public Management and Governance), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

Many families have been deprived access to basic human needs like food, clothing, shelter, protection, education and health services because of poverty. In South Africa poverty remains a challenge, resulting from economic and social inequalities, where 40% of its population still live in poverty (Landman, Bhorat, Van der Berg & Van Aardt 2003). The study aimed at ascertaining and describing the needs identified by adult members living in poverty, in the Lukhanji Municipality. The researcher used a probability, systematic, random sampling method to obtain respondents for the study. A non-experimental, descriptive, quantitative research approach was adopted. A questionnaire was used to collect data from 150 respondents, after which a numerical data analysis was done with the assistance of a statistician. Unemployment could be ascribed to lack of education and skills, which exposed families to poor living conditions, ill-health, insecurity and other social ills. Recommendations were made to solve these problems. / Health Studies / M.A. (Health Studies)

Importance is being placed on local economic development (LED) by the South African government, given the paradigm shift away from viewing local government as simply delivery agents to the concept of developmental local government. LED is essentially an ongoing process, based on local initiatives and driven by local stakeholders (especially the local government) to arouse economic activity and to create jobs in a specific locality. In an attempt to evaluate the impact of job creation and poverty alleviation, this study investigated the role played by LED as a tool for job creation: a case of Mafube local municipality. Participants included the community members, business people, Mafube local municipality members, especially members of the LED unit. The study found that, undoubtedly, LED plays an important role since it contributes towards job creation and poverty alleviation. The study recommends that for local governments to be effective in the process of LED, the local government must put in pragmatic and relevant strategies and involve all potential stakeholders in all the stages of the LED process. This should be complemented by efforts of the provincial government to strengthen the local government in the process of LED.

Importance is being placed on local economic development (LED) by the South African government, given the paradigm shift away from viewing local government as simply delivery agents to the concept of developmental local government. LED is essentially an ongoing process, based on local initiatives and driven by local stakeholders (especially the local government) to arouse economic activity and to create jobs in a specific locality. In an attempt to evaluate the impact of job creation and poverty alleviation, this study investigated the role played by LED as a tool for job creation: a case of Mafube local municipality. Participants included the community members, business people, Mafube local municipality members, especially members of the LED unit. The study found that, undoubtedly, LED plays an important role since it contributes towards job creation and poverty alleviation. The study recommends that for local governments to be effective in the process of LED, the local government must put in pragmatic and relevant strategies and involve all potential stakeholders in all the stages of the LED process. This should be complemented by efforts of the provincial government to strengthen the local government in the process of LED.

The extent of a community experiencing social vulnerability depends on the community’s ability to access resources that may contribute to coping mechanisms (either within the household or provided externally by a responsible authority) that decrease the impacts and effects of a disaster. Therefore, the purpose of this research was to identify the existence of social and institutional mechanisms that aim to reduce experiences of water inaccessibility and the causes of social vulnerability, and increase coping mechanisms within Kayamandi. Kayamandi is a low income residential community on the north-westerly periphery of the greater Stellenbosch town in the Western Cape. The research attained responses through questionnaires and surveys from residents, community organisations and responsible personnel. These surveys allowed the researcher to produce raw attribute data for each household that assisted in spatially representing vulnerable households and informing the five priority areas of the Hyogo Framework for Action. Contributing to this method of attaining information, secondary geographic data collection was obtained through the Stellenbosch Local Municipality, the National Geospatial Information Directorate and the National Demarcation Board. The findings of this thesis established that household and public water infrastructure contribute to the risk of experiencing social vulnerability that affects economic standings and quality of health within the community. Contributing to this and due to Kayamandi’s politically sensitive and historically fractioned community, social cohesion has also been noted as an area of vulnerability. Although these vulnerabilities are experienced, residents are able to implement technical, social and municipal reliant coping mechanisms. However, although efforts from Stellenbosch Local Municipality do respond to most of the key indicators within the Hyogo Framework for Action, the study found no concrete efforts within the Stellenbosch Local Municipality that illustrate integrated mechanisms to reduce the impacts of disasters and compound effects. / Magister Artium - MA

Waste reprocessing is a growing trend in different communities around South Africa which has become influential to the socio-economic liberalism of the people that are recycling at source in their respective areas. The focus of the research study is on the contributions of community-based organisations involved in recycling towards the social and environmental sustainability. The study explores (i) work done by community-based organisations in recycling, (ii) how the organisations turn unwanted products in to something usable and manage to sustain themselves and provide for their families, and (iii) how unpleasant municipality policies on the management of waste are to the organisations involved in recycling. As a result a comprehensive and consistent information set comprising significant contributions from the responsible stakeholders that contribute to the national waste stream will be expressed; regarding the development of relevant statutory frameworks to address and clarify issues facing reprocessing at large. South Africa is signatory to a number of international accords, hence a comprehensive international perspective on waste re-utilisation is incorporated. The notion of partnership is emphasized as it ought to be accompanied by other measures that can unleash a practical validity and influence; hence the public-private partnership strategy towards recycling is recommended as a requisite to try and tackle the challenges facing community-based organisations and the system of managing waste especially in the Emfuleni Local Municipality. The partnerships should be determined as the principle framework between the people, the private sector and the entire administration. The more serious the community-based organisations towards the system of managing waste around an area, the better it will turn out to be for the communities concerned. Unemployment is also the biggest issue thus far and strategies have long been implemented to tackle the crisis, and yet the public is still faced and halted by means that are expensive in nature. Advanced educational facilities for instance, which are still major challenges to the people around Emfuleni. The logic of responsibility now is therefore to develop, implement and enforce recently formulated legislation to encourage the masses to be involved in the process of recycling. Indeed, the lack of co-ordination by private sector, the people and local authorities has resulted in the involvement of community-based organisations being regarded as non-existing and not being intensified in South Africa. The contributions made by waste pickers in making sure that the green environment concept is maintained in societies they live in, is in fact the actual concern in undertaking these research study. The negative stigma associated with the communities involved in recycling is endured as individuals are able to support their families and themselves through recycling ingenuities. The Emfuleni Local Municipality has some of the best strategies and plans to address the involvement of community-based organisations in their disposal, and the full implementation of this category has to prioritised in order to achieve a hospitable and sustainable environment for the area. / M Development and Management (Public Management and Governance), North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2014

The concept public participation as the bedrock of participatory democracy has the advantages of empowering civil society in decision-making skills and in legitimizing execution of programmes and projects. The vehicle driving public participation is the system of Ward Committees. legislations such as White Paper on Local Government and the Constitution obligate municipalities to involve communities in facilitating development. Participation is an essential part of local democracy and is a statutory prerequisite for the local community to be drawn into decision-making through processes such as the integrated development planning. The task of Mafube Local Municipality is not only to provide services that encourage sustainable living standards but, to also guarantee that the Mafube community is involved in council strategies and activities that affect the lives of local community. The study was undertaken to determine the effectiveness of ward committees in becoming partners in the developmental role of Mafube Local Municipality. For the purpose of the study, hypothesis was formulated that ward committees are necessary mechanisms for facilitating service delivery and yet social and administrative challenges confront their efficient functioning at Mafube Local Municipality which needs to be resolved. To test the hypothesis, empirical research method of open ended questionnaires and interviews was used to test attitudes and perceptions of councillors, ward committees and the community of Mafube Local Municipality on the effectiveness of ward committees. Amongst other findings, it was found that: * Ward committees as community structures are well known by the community of Mafube. * Ward committees need an on-going training with regard to their roles and responsibilities so that they are empowered to execute their duties as is required of them. * The literacy level among certain ward committee members poses a challenge in enabling them to understand municipal programmes or projects. * Public participation is viewed as consultation because there is minimal participation of the community during the planning and decision making of the municipal programmes or projects. * Majority of community members do not attend ward or public meetings. * Elections of ward committees are sometimes not fair and transparent, depending on political affiliation. The study concludes with recommendations for consideration and implementation by Council of Mafube Local Municipality in enhancing service delivery. / M Development and Management (Public Management and Governance), North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2014

Thesis (MPA.) -- University of Limpopo -- 2016. / Refer to document

Thesis (M. Com.) --University of Limpopo, 2018 / The purpose of this study was to investigate the efficiency and effectiveness of e-business applications when used for the creation and delivering of value propositions that the target markets that businesses desire to achieve in the Limpopo Province. The study had three objectives. (1) To identify the e-business applications that can be used in the development of new value propositions for businesses (2) To identify the benefits that the use of e-business applications offers to businesses (3) To determine the relationship between the use of e-business applications and the operational performance of the value propositions. The study was quantitative in nature. Exploratory and descriptive research were utilised to the use of e-business applications by businesses. A sample size of 330 businesses was used. The questionnaire was based on a thorough theoretical basis and a pilot study was conducted to improve the validity. The Cronbach alpha test was conducted to ascertain the reliability of the research instrument. Data was collected through the use of self-administered questionnaires in a survey. SPSS was used for data analysis. The results indicate the e-business applications, the benefits of e-business and the relationship between the e-business applications and operational performance of value propositions. Recommendations to businesses utilise e-business applications so that they are able to create and deliver value propositions in an efficient and effective manner are made.