This treatise explores the Matatiele boundary demarcation dispute and, in particular, the role that unmet basic human needs play in this dispute. The subject of identity is also explored. In 2006, the government of South Africa decided that Matatiele should no longer be part of the province of Kwa-Zulu Natal (KZN) and instead should be incorporated into the province of the Eastern Cape. This decision divided the community of Matatiele into two groups; one was pro-KZN and the other, pro-Eastern Cape. In 2008, violence broke out between these two groups. The government’s decision and the resulting violence have created a situation of protracted conflict in the community of Matatiele with rivalries and antagonism being part of the fabric of the society. This treatise attempts to analyse this conflict and link it to the theory of basic human needs as advocated by conflict theorists such as John Burton and Johan Gultang. Human needs theorists hold the view that unmet psychological and physical needs are sources of social conflict and can lead to protracted conflict. This treatise also explores the efficacy of problem-solving workshops and referendums as conflict-resolution techniques for boundary demarcation disputes. The data were collected from unstructured, in-depth interviews with a sample of eleven respondents. The data indicate that there is a nexus between this conflict and the theory of basic human needs and that community-identity concerns are central to this dispute. The findings of this study suggest that the conflict is multi-faceted and that the underlying causes can be attributed to unmet human needs. The data was analysed using the grounded theory approach. This allowed the key causes of the conflict to be identified and subsequently informed the recommendations presented in the conclusion of this treatise.

This paper will be looking at unemployment in South Africa, since this is a serious matter. A number of policies in South Africa have been formulated to address the issue of unemployment since the transition from apartheid to democracy. The paper will attempt to define unemployment and the different types of unemployment. Even though policies have been designed, this does not necessarily mean that unemployment has, therefore, been reduced. In my research I will be concentrating on unemployment. I would be touching on ways that could be used to improve unemployment, in order to alleviate poverty. We are faced with challenges in our country and in the small town where we live: Matatiele. South Africa is faced with challenges, which will be addressed in the study, as it will be looking at the economy since the apartheid era ended, and the commencement of democracy under the African National Congress (ANC) government. The study will tackle the theories that were used in unemployment and the policies that were introduced, in order to improve unemployment. The study will be mentioning the different solutions that could be adopted, in order to improve unemployment and to alleviate poverty. It is not only the responsibility of the government, but through agricultural training and increased access to farming – especially in the area of Matatiele– government needs to subsidise these people, in order to produce people with skills. Unemployment would then decrease. Tourism is a prominent job-creator, because of the many opportunities it creates for semi-skilled labour, and because Matatiele people are friendly and hospitable. This could be accomplished through better education, investment to create more job opportunities, and fostering economic growth in the country (Emeka Okafor). The policy implications are that government should diminish labour-market segmentation, and the obstacles to entering the productive informal sector may be relevant. However, it should also look to other developing countries with high levels of unemployment. How have they coped with these problems.

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / This case study of three rural villages in Matatiele district in the Eastern Cape, South Africa examines the extent to which the diversification of rural livelihoods and processes of social differentiation are interconnected. The study combines intensive and extensive research methods to explore livelihoods diversification and social differentiation in the villages of Litichareng, Mutsini and Thaba Chicha. The intensive research consisted of 36 life history interviews, a wealth ranking exercise and a focus group discussion. The extensive research consisted of a survey of 124 households. The study makes use of political economy concepts of class, power and inequality and argues that these concepts enhance the heuristic value of livelihoods approaches which have often been critiqued for under-theorising power and politics. In the contemporary capitalist world, particularly in the global ‘South’, livelihoods have increasingly become diversified as rural households combine agricultural and non-agricultural sources of income for both survival and accumulation purposes, often straddling the rural-urban divide. In the ‘ de-agrarianisation’ thesis, livelihood diversification has been interpreted as entailing a shift from agrarian livelihood systems to non-agrarian modes of existence in the context of increased urbanisation and industrialisation. These kinds of large-scale processes have been unfolding in rural Matatiele, but this study argues that rural households combine both agricultural and non-agricultural sources of income and emphasises the continued importance of agricultural sources of income in rural livelihood systems. De-agrarianisation is cyclical and not unilinear, as some components of farming have remained important and resilient (homestead garden cultivation and livestock production) while other have declined (dry-land cropping in large arable fields).These shifts in agriculture occur against the background of state-sponsored, large-scale agricultural development schemes introduced to commercialise agriculture and reverse de-agrarianisation and fragmentation of rural livelihoods, but which have largely failed to do so. The challenge for scholars is how to characterise rural households, small-scale farmers, or ‘peasants’ in the light of highly diversified livelihood systems and their straddling of the rural and urban divide. This study uses a political economy approach and defines rural households that engage in small-scale agriculture as petty commodity producers in capitalism, combining class places of capital and labour and subject to social differentiation. The study argues that the highly diversified livelihood systems characteristic of rural households reflect a ‘crisis of social reproduction’ as rural households struggle to survive and accumulate. In this study it is argued that rural households are part of growing ‘classes of labour’ within contemporary capitalism.

Thesis (MPA (School of Public Management and Planning))--University of Stellenbosch, 2006. / The National Treasury of South Africa has recognised supply-chain management (SCM) as forming one of the key financial management reform focus areas. The SCM Regulations issued by the National Treasury are so new to local government that their particular relevance to the different municipalities is, as yet, unknown. The implications of the Regulations are being phased in over a 12-month period, giving municipalities the opportunity to draft, adopt, and implement their SCM policies. No guide or model therefore yet exists that can be adapted to suit Matatiele Municipality in its quest to implement all the components of SCM in order to improve service delivery.