Around the globe, towns and cities are growing rapidly in developing countries due to migration. The rate of urban growth outweighs job creation and the ability of most governments to provide basic services and infrastructure. The process of migration often precipitates into high levels of poverty and hunger, leading many urban dwellers to engage in agricultural activities to help themselves in satisfying their food need. The context of the research area is the NMBM townships where urban agriculture projects are taking place. There are three urban agriculture projects that were selected for this study and these are located in three different townships within the NMBM. Two of these projects are located in the Port Elizabeth area, which are the Emmanuel Haven Hydroponics Project, which is located in Motherwell Township, and the Walmer Hydroponics Co-operative that is in Walmer Township. The third project is located in the Uitenhage area near Kwa Nobuhle Township and that is the Tinarha Agriculture Tourism Initiative (TATI). The discussion in this research focuses on the NMBM poverty alleviation projects in the form of urban agriculture as a key driver of LED. The discussion also focuses on different factors that are required for urban agriculture projects to be effective and sustainable in the NMBM. Five project participants from each project responded to a structured questionnaire. Two municipal officials, the Agricultural Technician and the Urban Agriculture Director were interviewed and responded to a separate structured questionnaire. The third official, Assistant Director for Economic Development and Recreational Services was not interviewed but completed a questionnaire. The aim of the interviews was to determine the following from the project participants: (i) The impact of the projects in their livelihood; (ii) The role of the projects in creating employment; (iii) The views of the project participants regarding the sustainability of the projects. vi The aim of the interviews was to determine the following from the municipal managers: (i) The approach of the NMBM to urban agriculture initiatives as a LED strategy; (ii) The role of NMBM to ensure sustainability of the urban agriculture projects. The theoretical base that underpins this research hinges on four theoretical approaches: the basic needs approach, the people-centred development approach, the participation approach and the sustainable development approach. The research method that was chosen for this study is qualitative method included the following data collection instruments a literature review, a documentary analysis, a survey using questionnaires and interviews with project participants and municipal officials responsible for urban agriculture in the NMBM. The literature review formed the conceptual basis against which the information gained from documentary analysis, interviews and questionnaires were analysed. The projects that participated in the study were formed, amongst others, to alleviate poverty, thereby serving one of the basic needs which is food. Food is one of the basic needs in terms of Maslow‟s Hierarchy of Needs. The data collected in this study revealed that the three projects helped the project participants a great deal in meeting their basic needs, especially the food need. Therefore, there is a direct connection between the Basic Needs theory and the rationale behind the formation of these projects. In conclusion, the researcher has been able to draw a link between the theoretical underpinnings of the study and the practice as represented by experiences of the group sample. The researcher has also been able to demonstrate how the aims and the objectives of the study have been met.

The technical and vocational education and training, (TVET) sector has shown a rapid growth since 1998 in South Africa. This sector aimed to provide education and training to empower the youth of South Africa. Policies were established and put in place to manage students’ attendance, however, absenteeism seemed to be on the rise. This study aimed to explore factors influencing students’ absenteeism and recommend strategies to address the factors influencing students’ absenteeism at a TVET College in Nelson Mandela Bay District. In an attempt to address the aim of this study, a qualitative research approach was employed and a case study method was used. Data were collected by means of focus group interviews, semi-structured interviews and document analysis. The findings of this study revealed that student absenteeism was caused by students’ factors, college-related factors and socio-economic factors. This study revealed that National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) was the major contributing factor in students’ absenteeism due to delayed payments. With respect to the negative impacts of students’ absenteeism, the findings of the study further revealed that lecturers are experiencing hardships in completing the syllabi on schedule time. The result revealed that student attendance policy was ineffective to manage student attendance. This study recommended that the TVET college should exercise discipline to students and establish a disciplinary committee. This will ensure that the students adhere to the attendance policy and improve students’ attendance. / Educational Management and Leadership / M. Ed. (Education Management)

The Church and clergy, during Apartheid played a significant role in the South African political process. It was possible to divide the church into three distinct groups, pro-government, anti-government and neutral churches and clergy. The Dutch Reformed Church because of its close association to the National Party was often dubbed the “National Party of Prayer.” They played an important role in providing moral legitimacy for the regime. On the other hand, church leaders including Allan Boesak and Desmond Tutu were synonymous in their fight against apartheid. The Church still plays a significant role in a democratic South Africa. By virtue of Stats SA 2011 which states that just under eighty percent of South Africans have Christian affliations. However, democratic South Africa has secular constitution which clearly indicates the separation between church and government. Clergy find themselves in an ambiguous situation in a ‘secular state.’ What exactly is the broader role of the Church and in particular clergy in democratic ‘secular’ South Africa? The ambiguity is also fuelled by politicians who often request clergy’s participation in the political process and on other occasions state that clergy should keep to “church business” Part of this enquiry is be answered by asking clergy what they believe their role is. In 2014 a selection of Christian leaders in the Nelson Mandela Bay area decried the governance in the NMBM and South Africa in general. It is to be seen as awakening of clergy in the political process. The objectives of the study are as follows: to look at how Christian religious leaders construct their role in a post-apartheid context with a specific focus on the NMBM, to capture the views of government and political parties1 on what role the Church should play in post-apartheid South Africa, A comparative thematic analysis to determine if there are any similarities or differences in how the Church perceives their political role vis-à-vis the perception of government.

Sustainable agriculture is explained by Reddy (1995: 22) as the ability for agricultural projects to produce crops and at the same time be able to maintain production without failing. With growing populations in urban areas, the importance of urban agriculture has become increasingly important. This research aims to study the factors that contribute to the success and failure of selected urban agricultural projects within the Nelson Mandela Bay by looking at how the community benefits from two selected community projects. It is however important to note that there are various factors contributing to the success and failure of any project. This research looks into the viability of the environment that the projects are in, the level of community membership, ownership structures, how messages are communicated between stakeholders, and the purpose of the project as well as the resources available to see the project through. Urban agriculture becomes a very important practice to the urban poor, as it subsidizes household income when the produce is sold and reduces expenditure when it is consumed (Kirkland, 2008: 23). Zooming into the Nelson Mandela Bay, it is evident that this practice is also beneficial for the communities in which the projects operate, however, challenges such as theft make such projects dependent on funders and donors.

South Africa has been experiencing service delivery protests especially in the African communities. These protests are a manifestation of conflict and dissatisfaction of communities in the ruling party in government. In order to reduce conflict, it is critical that the ruling party in government addresses the basic needs of these communities as the people start to lose confidence in the government. The study seeks to investigate whether service delivery protests could be prevented through improved provision of basic services in the communities, focusing in the New Brighton Township community, in Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality as the area of study. The provision of basic services is important for the livelihood of any community. The study analyses the extent to which poor service delivery can lead to community conflicts or revolt against the ruling party in government. Some areas of New Brighton Township community are experiencing a backlog of basic service delivery. Members of this targeted community fall within the previously disadvantaged category and expected the ruling party in government to meet their basic service needs. Chapter one provides an introduction which gives a brief overview of the study, problem statement, aims, research objectives and questions, preliminary literature review and research methodology to be employed by the study. Chapter two provide a literature review of community conflicts in relation to basic service delivery needs and peoples’ expectations. Chapter three provide the legislative framework for the developmental local government and the role of section/chapter nine (9) institutions especially the Public Protector’s role in relation to conflict. Chapter three will also provide reasons for the establishment of Local Municipalities. Chapter four provides proposals for the approaches and strategies to eliminate conflicts and policy implications. The chapter also provide an analysis of the participants’ responsesfrom the questionnaires. Chapter five will be a summary with concluding remarks and recommendations, as proposals with mitigating measures arising from the research.

Managing cultural differences in today’s work environment has received the attention of researchers all over the world. What has received far less attention is the managing of the cultural differences between service provider workers and customers and how this is perceived to lead to achieving great service quality. This research project focuses on the cultural differences between culturally diverse South African service provider workers and South African customers, with some reference to international customers. The questionnaire used in this research includes questions embodying the service quality instruments developed by Parasuraman, Zeithaml, and Berry (1988) and Hofstede’s (1991) cultural dimensions. The questionnaire was completed by 81 students of the East Cape Midland College in the Nelson Mandela Metropole. A Pearson’s correlation coefficient was calculated for each service quality instrument and each cultural dimension. The resulting correlation coefficients were analysed and a positive or negative correlation between each service quality instrument and each cultural dimension is shown. The implications of each positive and negative correlation are shown and how it impacts on perceived service quality delivery. The implications for service quality management are shown, followed by recommendations for the management of a culturally diverse workforce.

Memoria (licenciado en ciencias jurídicas y sociales) / Desde su creación y adopción en el año 1955, las Reglas Mínimas para el Tratamiento de los Reclusos fueron reconocidas como la base para la elaboración de políticas penitenciarias en el tratamiento de las personas privadas de libertad. Sin embargo, con el paso del tiempo y producto del desarrollo en el ámbito legislativo internacional en lo que al tratamiento del recluso se refiere, se hizo necesaria su actualización. Se inició así un proceso de discusión y revisión de las diversas materias que regulaba, concluyendo tal labor en el año 2015 con la adopción de las Reglas Mínimas de las Naciones Unidas para el Tratamiento de los Reclusos o Reglas Nelson Mandela, a modo de homenaje al difunto presidente de Sudáfrica. Constatando en el ámbito nacional las precarias condiciones carcelarias, se hace necesario efectuar un análisis de las Reglas Mandela, dando cuenta de sus fundamentos y principios, así como aquellas materias que fueron modificadas para adecuarse a los nuevos tiempos. En el mismo sentido, la presente memoria se refiere a las principales normas nacionales que se encargan de regular la gestión de los recintos penitenciarios y los derechos y garantías de los reclusos, con énfasis en el Reglamento de Establecimientos Penitenciarios, a fin de determinar si éstas incorporan elementos de tales Reglas.

Thesis (M.Com (Economics and Economic History))--Rhodes University, 2006.

Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2012. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Nelson Mandela stands as one of the most powerful symbolic figures of the past century, embodying notions of freedom, peace, racial reconciliation and the struggle against tyranny. As largely uncontested as this image is today, its constitution has by no means been uncomplicated. Before he was incarcerated on Robben Island, Mandela was viewed as a young, militant firebrand within the ANC-led liberation movement, an image which was counterpointed by his patrician lineage, education and professional success as a lawyer. His highly visible embodiment of this complex identity served to elevate him not only to the top of the black Johannesburg social hierarchy, but to the forefront of the liberation struggle. The state-sanctioned view of him was, by contrast, as a terrorist, agitating for the destruction of the state. During his imprisonment on Robben Island, the government sought to entirely expunge his words and likeness from active circulation, which ironically facilitated the process of myth-making around him. After his release from prison, Mandela largely succeeded in claiming agency over his image – the one which still persists in the international public imagination – facilitated in large part by the publication of his autobiography, Long Walk to Freedom, and the numerous acts of reconciliation and diplomacy which he undertook. In writing this thesis, I have sought to trace the process of mythmaking around Mandela, questioning how the disparate, and often contradictory, ideas around him have been narrativised and incorporated into the mythical figure we are familiar with today, both by him and others. I have divided the narrative construction of Mandela into two broad epochs: the ―dominant‖ narrative, which developed from his entry into politics until his release from prison in 1990, and the ―official‖ narrative, which developed from his release from prison. I seek to illustrate the processes by which the dominant narrative was constituted, and how this narrative construct gained increasing ideological currency during his imprisonment on Robben Island. I then seek to illustrate how the numerous, often-conflicting elements of the dominant narrative were ultimately consolidated and largely supplanted by the official narrative, as represented by Long Walk to Freedom, focusing specifically on its theme of progress and maturation. In my conclusion, I argue that many of the ideological elements which fed the mythical construction of Mandela in the dominant narrative, as a youthful, masculinised liberation fighter, persist today. The promise which the Mandela of the official narrative embodied, of South Africa as a ‗miracle‘ nation destined to move beyond the vestiges of Apartheid – including racism, unemployment and poverty – has largely failed to materialise, allowing these elements to gain an ideological currency once more. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Nelson Mandela word beskou as een van die belangrikste simboliese figure van die afgelope eeu, en hy verteenwoordig begrippe soos vryheid, vrede, rasse-versoening en die stryd teen tirannie. Alhoewel hierdie beeld grootliks onbetwis is, was die vestiging hiervan geensins ongekompliseer nie.Voordat hy op Robbeneiland aangehou was, was die jong Mandela as a ‗n militante vuurvreter in die ANC-bevrydingsbeweging gesien; hierdie beeld is teengestaan deur sy aristokratiese afkoms, opvoeding en professionele sukses as ‗n prokureur. Sy hoogs sigbare vergestalting van ‘n komplekse identitiet het nie net gehelp om hom te verhoog tot die bo-punt van die swart Johannesburgse sosiale hiёrargie nie, maar ook tot die voorpunt van die bevrydingstryd. In teenstelling het die staat hom beskou as ‘n terroris wat die staat will vernietig. Terwyl hy sy tronkstraf op Robbeneiland uitgevoer het, het die regering aktief probeer om sy woorde en foto‘s uit sirkulasie te verkry; dit het egter, ironies genoeg, die proses van Mandela se mitifisering vergemaklik. Na sy vrylating uit die tronk, het Mandela grootliks daarin geslaag om sy publieke beeld terug te neem en te herskep, grootliks deur middel van sy outobiografie Long Walk to Freedom en deur talle versoenings- en diplomatieke dade te onderneem. Dit is hierdie beeld wat steeds in die internasional publiek se geheue voortduur. In hierdie tesis, beoog ek om Mandela se mitifiseringsproses na te spoor, om te bevraagteken hoe die uiteenlopende en dikwels teenstrydige idees, beide deur hom en ander, rondom hom genarrativiseer is en opgeneem is in die mitiese figuur met wie ons vandag vertroud is. Ek het die narratiewe konstruksie van Mandela verdeel in twee breё periodes: Die ―dominante― verhaal, wat ontwikkel het vanaf sy toetrede tot die politiek tot met sy vrylating uit die tronk in 1990, en die „amptelike― verhaal, wat ontwikkel het vanaf en na sy vrylating uit die tronk. Ek beoog om te prosesse waardeur die dominante narratief/verhaal geskep is, te illustreer, en om te wys hoe hierdie narratiewe samestelling toenemend ideologiese waarde gekry het tydens sy tronkstraf op Robbeneiland. Daarna beoog ek om te illustreer hoe die dikwels teenstrydige elemente van die dominante verhaal/narratief uiteindelik gekonsolideer en vervang is deur die amptelike verhaal, soos verteenwoordig deur Long Walk to Freedom, deur spesifiek te fokus op diè werk se tema van vooruitgang en volwassewording. In my gevolgtrekking, argumenteer ek dat baie van die ideologiese elemente wat die mitiese konstruksie van Mandela in die dominante verhaal ondersteun het, as jeugdige, manlike vryheidsvegter, vandag voortduur. Die belofte wat die Mandela van die amptelike verhaal gesimboliseer het, dat Suid-Afrika, as ‘n ―wonderwerk―-nasie, bestem is om die oorblyfsels van Apartheid – insluitend rassisme, werkloosheid en armoede – te oorkom, het grootendeels misluk om te verwewenlik, wat hierdie elemete weereens ‘n ideologiese waarde laat verkry het.

This dissertation represents one of the limited South African studies that attempts to estimate the recreational value of the identified set of bathing beaches within the local municipal area of the Nelson Mandela Bay (NMB). More formally, this research presents the findings of selected stated preference study used for the monetary measurement of the benefits of the improvements to the NMB bathing coastlines. Using the choice experiment method, this dissertation examines the beach users’ preferences for beach management at various beaches in NMB. The choice experiment analysis was designed to elicit individuals’ willingness to pay for the selected changes. The results are used to assess the relative importance of each beach characteristic identified. The survey is implemented on the users of beaches in NMB. The beach characteristics or attributes by focus group discussions were namely (1) bathing water quality (2) public safety by means of visible policing (3) the presence of dog mess on beaches and (4) availability of lifeguards on duty. The monetary attribute selected by focus groups as most appropriate was an additional environmental water charge. The five attributes had varying levels, one corresponding to the current scenario (status quo) and the other levels to the marginal change. These attributes and their levels were combined to generate different management options, each associated with a 'monetary price'. Respondents were asked to choose their preferred alternative within the choice sets, each consisting of three management options where one alternative was the status quo. The estimation strategy consisted of estimating a conditional logit model. Results revealed that people are willing to pay to (1) keep the water quality at the excellent current level (2) for improvements in public safety through visible policing (3) the continued of the presence of dogs on beaches and (4) for an increase in the number of lifesavers on the bathing beaches. The findings of the analysis are used to inform the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality (NMBM) on the improvements most preferred by beach users in the context of beach management.