I am employed by the Department of Education as a Senior Education Specialist, / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2009.

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 is an examination of services in previously disadvantaged rural areas of South Africa with special reference to health and education. The case study approach was used in this study and Okhombe Ward of the Amazizi area in Northern Kwazulu-Natal was selected for this research project. The purpose of the study was firstly to determine the socio-economic profile of the people in Okhombe. Secondly, the study intended to identify whether services that enhance well-being are available in the Okhombe. Thirdly, the study aimed at assessing the quality and adequacy of the services that are available. Fourthly, the study aimed at ascertaining the concerns, problems and needs of people. Fifthly, the study intended to establish whether power dynamics compete with each other in the acquisition and accessibility of services and; lastly to forward recommendations based on findings from this research. The research found that the people were happy with the manner in which decisions were taken regarding the village. Meetings are called up at the community hall and every household is invited. There is consultation and negotiation with the people. This study found that, the health needs of the people are being catered for by the many traditional healers in the area and a mobile clinic that visits the Okhombe Ward on two Wednesdays a month. The main clinic that services the Okhombe Ward and entire Amazizi area is located some ten kilometers from Okhombe. There are no emergency and hospital services available in the area. While the people are happy with services of the many traditional healers in the area, they are not satisfied with the present health provisions by the Department of Health. It is recommended that a full tinle clinic be established in Okhombe to replace the mobile clinic and that provisions be made for hospital and emergency services in the Amazizi area. There is a primary and a high school that caters for the educational needs of the children. The high school lacks electricity, water supply and an administration building. The Principal and the heads of departments at the high school make use of space in the adjacent community hall. Both schools did not have their full complement of educators in January 2001. The primary school has electricity and a standpipe for water. Further, the schools did not have resources such as properly maintained sports fields, laboratories, libraries and good toilet and sanitation facilities. There also was a shortage of desks and chairs at both schools. The Okhombe community places great stress on education and this is borne by the fact that they would like both boys and girls to be educated. They would like a skills training centre for school leaving children to be established in the area. The people believe that education and skills training would enable the youth to secure employment in the competitive labour market. The community also wants Adult Basic Education to be reintroduced in the area. The Department of Education must provide the necessary infrastructure in terms of furniture, administration buildings, ablution facilities, libraries and equipped specialist rooms. It must also provide a full complement of educators for the schools at the beginning of each year in order that the schools function at an optimal level. Schools must offer subjects like woodwork, agricultural science, metalwork, computer studies, etc. that will help prepare youth for later employment. To this end schools must be equipped with the necessary workshops, specialist rooms and qualified educators. A traditional hierarchical system exists in Okhombe. At the local level, the Induna is in charge. Above the Induna is the Chief. The chief is the most powerful person in the area under his control and all disputes are taken to the Chief's court. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of Durban-Westville, 2002.

South Africa is faced with the challenge of delivering priority community services. Research shows that past development policies and practices were "top down" with the planners planning and implementing projects without involving communities. Community participation was generally of a token nature and limited to tHe early phases of the project. It was this lack of interaction between the professionals and the community that was often blamed for project failure. Also planners often produced documents or plans that technically appeared right but were not a priority for the communities. The extensive use of technical terminology and planning jargon resulted in the plans often being inaccessible to the communities for which they were prepared. Due to such failures, the process of community participation in development has become a major influence upon development thinking and practice. It is the subject of continuing debate in modern society. Community participation has been recognised as an effective way of helping rural and urban people to focus energy and resources in solving community problems. This is because, when community members organise, plan or share tasks with the professionals, it contributes financially to the projects and helps them take decisions about formulating activities that affect their lives which better meet their needs. / Thesis (M.T.R.P.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, 2005.

Water is an indispensable basic human need which is protected by several provisions within legislation. However, despite extensive legislation access to water is problematic for many rural schools in South Africa. The achievement of the Millennium Development Goals and national goals that are time bound are not possible with the structural barriers that loom. This research study, sketches the experiences of learners and educators who have been exposed to poor access to water within a rural primary school in Jozini, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. This research study employs a qualitative research paradigm using a case study method to provide an in-depth understanding of the schooling context where there is poor access to water. The main aim was to explore in-depth how the schooling community is affected and what coping strategies are employed to deal with poor access to water. The research study was approached using ecological systems and social justice perspectives. Findings suggest that the consequences of poor access to water at school level are numerous and become even more complex when there is a lack of water at community level. In a compounding manner the consequences have the potential to, in the long term, have irreversible negative effects on learners and their potential to access quality education. Furthermore educators and management are placed in an invidious position to accommodate the challenges associated with poor access to water at school as part of their everyday teaching routine. Educators are failing to teach and learners are failing to learn thus the education system is rendered dysfunctional. The recommendations echo those of the participants who maintain that the community and the school must have access to water in order to improve the quality of life of all. Changes at the structural level in terms of how access to education is defined are a necessity. Co-operative governance, more stringent monitoring and evaluation of the education system, approaching education from a child-friendly perspective, adopting a human rights approach to fiscal spending and the involvement of chapter 9 institutions to ensure social justice are examples of the structural changes required and are part of the recommendations. / Thesis (M.Soc.Sc.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2010.

Through a case study of the Umdoni Local Municipality the study assessed the claims made in the Ugu District Municipality 2008 Report that eMalangeni and eMahlongwa communities have achieved 100 percent water provision. Furthermore, the study used the Rostowrian‟s four of the five-stage model of development to interrogate whether water service provision has improved the standard of living of the people in these two communities. The findings of this study reveal that there is a positive correlation between the installation of water standpipes and an improvement of the standard of living, though it is spread unevenly in these areas. The study concludes that government departments such as the Departments of Water Affairs and Forestry, Agriculture and Rural Development and Land Reform should forge strong relationships aimed at assisting the UDM to achieve its prime objective of improving the quality of life of all who fall under its jurisdiction. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2012.

In many parts of South Africa, a growing trend to convert traditional commercial agricultural farms to wildlife-based forms of land use is having significant but largely unexplored impacts on farm dwellers and neighbouring rural communities. This trend is very evident in the province of KwaZulu-Natal where there has been a significant shift in rural landscapes as land is being “rehabilitated”, from commercial cattle farming in particular, and developed into Private Game Reserves (PGRs). This research forms part of a larger project funded by Southern African Programme for Alternatives in Development (SANPAD). One of the research partners was the Association For Rural Advancement (AFRA), an independent Non-Governmental Organisation working on land rights and agrarian reform in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. AFRA‟s work focuses on black rural people whose rights to land have been undermined, whose tenure is insecure, and who do not have access to sufficient land to fulfil their development aspirations or their basic needs. Very little research has, however, been conducted on the large shift in land use in northern KwaZulu-Natal and how rural communities are being impacted in these areas; a situation this study intends to begin to remedy. This study focuses on the north-eastern area of the province, and in particular the Mkuze region, where the move to create PGRs has significantly changed the social and physical geography of the area. In order to gain a clearer understanding of this phenomenon, research was conducted on the relationship between the tribal/ traditional community of Ingwenya and five surrounding game reserves (namely, Thanda/ Intibane, Mkuze, Phinda, and Kube-Yini). While Mkuze is a state game reserve, created in the early twentieth century, the others are PGRs. The study was both quantitative and qualitative in nature which involved collecting household questionnaire surveys in the community of Ingwenya, in-depth interviews with ex-farm dwellers, questionnaire surveys with the managers of the five PGRs chosen in this study, oral and documentary evidence and participant observation. / Thesis (M.Soc.Sc.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2011.

This study investigated the role played by School Governing Bodies (SGBs) in addressing issues of democracy and social justice in schools. A case study was conducted in two rural primary schools from Ugu district in KwaZulu-Natal. The intention of this study was to highlight the factors that hinder full participation of all SGB members in public state schools, including rural primary schools. It was also to gauge the policies and strategies employed by SGBs when addressing issues of democracy and social justice in their schools. My study is a qualitative research which has utilized a case study approach. I have opted for a qualitative methodology because I intended to explore phenomena, (SGBs), in their natural settings and I was be able to use multi- data collecting methods, i.e. interviews, observations and document reviews, which enabled me to interpret, understand, explain and bring meaning to them (Anderson, 1998). I have opted for a case study approach because I was studying the particularity and complexity of two SGBs, coming to understand their activities within important circumstances, in this case, the SGB roles in addressing issues of democracy and social justice (Stake, 1995). The theories that underpin this study are democratic schooling and social justice. I have reviewed local and internal literature on parental involvement and social justice in this study. This project has afforded me with the opportunity to engage with SGBs through interviews and I have been able to gauge amongst other things, their understandings of the role that SGBs must play in addressing issues of democracy and social justice. I was also able to learn the frustrations experienced by SGBs when implementing the policies in schools. Some of these frustrations were due to the challenges that some educators and some parents pose for the SGBs in the day-to-day running of the SGBs. Based on the findings I have made some recommendations such as that schools must introduce class or grade representatives which could serve in some committees. Female learners could also be involved in activities such as debates in order to enhance their self-confidence. Policies that the SGBs use when addressing democracy and social justice in the schools could be translated into isiZulu to make sure that all stakeholders understand these policies. The Department of Education could also assist the schools in ensuring that parents in rural areas have access to ABET classes, where they can learn to read and write as well as acquire relevant skills. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2013.

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.

No abstract available. / Thesis (M.T.R.P.)-University of Natal, Durban, 1991.