This study is set out to conduct a comparative analysis of mainstream and alternative media to understand how The Cape Times mainstream newspaper and GroundUp alternative online media outlet framed the 2017 “service delivery protests” in Cape Town, South Africa. Scholarly literature has demonstrated that the mainstream media marginalises the voices of certain communities and that the alternative media can fill this gap. Often, marginalised communities use protests to attract media coverage, as a way of reaching both the public and elected officials. Ultimately, numerous protest groups find it difficult to get the attention they desire, while news coverage of the social conflict is framed within a protests paradigm. The study analyses differences in the two media outlets’ coverage of social conflict, including the use of delegitimising devices such as the prominent use of official sources for quotes, while using dramatic frames that tend to ridicule protest action and portray them as violent. Qualitative and quantitative methods were used in a multimethod approach. The data was found in the SA Media news clippings database, supplemented by searches on Google and the GroundUp search engines. Coverage of the protest in GroundUp was in line with the literature, which states that the horizontal nature, bottom-up and fluid traditions of alternative media may be a more appropriate conduit for protest communications and social movement (Van De Donk et al, 2004; Dahlberg, 2007). The key finding of this study was that the mainstream Cape Times deviated from the protest paradigm, using the protesters as sources in preference to officials. This finding is a departure from the reviewed literature, which indicated that the mainstream media has a habit of following the protest paradigm when covering protests events, marginalising and dehumanising protesters and relying on official sources (Mcleod & Hertog, 1999). It also links to previous scholarship that has established a strong connection between the commercialisation of the media and the robust representation of official sources in the media.

More than half a century after the liberation of the majority of African countries, Africa is facing major socio-economic challenges including unemployment, slow economic growth and inequality. With waves of violent service delivery protests over the last few years throughout South Africa, it is now more than ever vital to identify the key challenges to development and the ways to overcome these trials. The importance of plans for development, and that reliable data plays an essential role in development have been wildly discussed, especially as the legitimacy and reliability of plans are highly dependent upon the quality of the data utilised. Even though data plays such a significant role in development, quality up to date data is expensive, difficult to obtain and in many instances not available. Furthermore, South Africa and many developing countries do not have the luxury of such data, nor the skills and resources to develop high quality statistics on a regular basis. In the light of the importance of accurate up-to-date data for planning and the lack of the aforementioned data in South Africa, the dissertation explores means of ‘accessing’ high quality up-to-date data by the use of ‘proxy indicators’. The dissertation seeks to explore whether it would be possible to use proxy indicators to measure local economic conditions and to identify a set of proxy indicators that accurately portray the economy. The study commences with an analysis on the relationship between a number of proxy indicators and the national economy in order to identify a set of proxy indicators that accurately portrays the economy where after the accurate indicators is empirically tested to that of the local economy in three study areas. The study established that six proxy indicators can be used to measure the local economy in South Africa. These are the (1) number of middle class residential properties sold, (2) growth in residential building activity, (3) retail sales of durable goods including business profit, (4) hardware sales including business profit, (5) volume of sales of spare parts for vehicles and (6) fuel consumption. Apart from the fact that the indicators mirror the economy to a high degree, a number of trends with regards to the dynamics of the relationship between the indicator and the economy were revealed. The study demonstrated that there is merit in further studies regarding the use of proxy indicators in planning / Dissertation (MTRP)--University of Pretoria, 2013. / gm2014 / Town and Regional Planning / unrestricted

Magister Legum - LLM

No description available.

No description available.

Magister Legum - LLM / South Africa

The advent of a political democracy in South Africa in 1994 generated hope for a better life for all South Africans especially those marginalised during the apartheid era. The newly formed democratic government was confronted with the mammoth task of expounding and decreeing policies and processes that would warrant equality and equity in the provision of basic services to its citizens. Local government being the third sphere of government and which is closest to the people was entrusted with the responsibility of rendering basic services to its people as well as to address the backlogs that have accumulated during the apartheid era as depicted in the 1996 Constitution. Despite the efforts made by government to meet the requirements of the people in providing them with adequate basic services such as clean water, electricity, roads housing and refuse removal, these services were either not provided at all or it was done at a snail‟s pace. This led to widespread service delivery protests. In light of the above, this empirical study investigates the causes of the service delivery protests in City of Johannesburg (CoJ) from 2009 until 2014. Numerous studies have been pursued to examine the reasons and causes for service delivery protests and the conclusions derived is the slow pace of providing electricity, water and sanitation to the local communities. It therefore can be deduced that no democracy can subsist and prosper if citizens are still living in deprivation and in a state of discrimination and unemployment without them having visions for a better life. The manifestation of service delivery protests is thus a risk to South Africa‟s young democracy and its sustainability, which cannot be ignored. The findings of this study clearly revealed that communities in the CoJ are discontented and disgruntled because of, amongst other things, the lack of delivery of basic services, the deployment of cadres to municipal management positions, the abuse of the tendering system, nepotism and favouritism, which have negatively affected service delivery. / Public Administration and Management / M. Admin. (Public Administration)

The City of Tshwane is the capital city of South Africa and the administrative seat of government. The status of the city as a capital creates high expectations on the level of basic service delivery on municipal services like waste management, water, electricity and health. The city is currently facing challenges in relation to the delivery and implementation of waste management services. In an attempt to find solutions to the waste management challenges of the city a study on the implementation of waste management services is undertaken by the researcher. The study identifies and then analyses the underlying reasons for the challenges faced by the City of Tshwane in the implementation of waste management services. This aim of this study was to investigate and to analyse the implementation of waste management services in the City of Tshwane’s historically disadvantaged areas with particular focus on Region 01, 02, 05 and 07. In order to investigate these factors, a descriptive research design and qualitative methodology was used which related to convenient and purposive sampling of officials and data collected from fifteen (15) respondents using semi structured interviews and observations. The study also utilised document analysis to interpret the challenges and solutions related to the research topic. It emerged from the study that a lack of capacity and resources to perform efficient waste management services underpinned many of the challenges experience by the city. The failure of the city to ensure community participation and involvement is another reason for the challenges the city faces in waste management. Furthermore, the lack of policy implementation and enforcement is an element that the city needs to deeply consider. When policy is crafted with input of residents and when there is a social contract as to the roles and responsibilities of each party, it becomes easier to enforce. Some of the challenges that the city faces with regards to waste management can also be attributed to political interference and institutional deficiencies. Beyond issues like capacity, institutions and others, the city will continue to face challenges if it does not seriously invest in innovation and new technologies that address its generic and specific conditions in relation to the management of waste. The marginalisation and selective enforcement of by-laws on the informal recyclers and reclaimers are some of the findings of the study that demonstrate the inability of the city to find specific solutions to specifics regions on waste management .These challenges resulted in the peri urban regions like region 01, 02, 05 and 07 not receiving quality and consistent waste management services. The study recommends some interventions to address the waste management problems identified in the highlighted regions and entire City of Tshwane. Some of the recommended interventions include, assessing the unique characteristics of the communities and regions with a view of identifying waste management solutions that will be relevant for the circumstances and profile of such regions, ensure that proper and adequate resources, infrastructure and capacity is deployed to such areas to improve the waste services in those areas. Furthermore aggressive education and awareness campaigns conducted in partnership with communities will be critical to change people’s attitude towards waste management and a clean environment. This can be achieved through a consultative process led by the City of Tshwane in partnership with its communities and enforced through a progressive and incentive driven by-law system. / Public Administration and Management / M.P.A. (Master of Public Administration)

Text in English / The study investigated the policing of service delivery protests in South Africa with specific reference to Free State province. Failure by local governments to provide basic services to the previously disadvantaged South Africans has led to a number of service delivery protests taking place. The manner in which these protests are managed by the police in South Africa more especially the Public Order Police who are specialists in this field, raises concerns. One would perceive that the police are losing the battle in dealing with protest action for they are criticised for their brutal tactics in quelling the violence. This brutal handling of protesters dates back to the apartheid era and not much has changed contrary to the expectations of a newly formed democratic country. This therefore led to the investigation as to why the police in South Africa fail to contain such protest actions. The South African Police Services (SAPS) as it is known in a democratic South Africa employed tactics from international countries in order to introduce more professionalism in the SAPS. Although better tactics have been introduced, this did not seem to improve the situation because not only are properties destroyed but many lives are also lost through police action. The researcher conducted his investigation in the central part of South Africa in the Free State Province concentrating in the three main areas; namely Bloemfontein, Welkom and Bethlehem where the Public Order Police units are based. The investigation resulted in the researcher arriving at the conclusion that there are a number of challenges that are experienced by the SAPS when dealing with protests and the main problem identified was that of a shortage of manpower. This problem create challenges when it came to managing the number of protests taking place and exacerbated by not allowing the police to use the tactics that they were trained in. As much as we acknowledge these challenges, there are best practices that can be learnt from international countries. The crowd psychology strategies applied by the Swedish police as well as the high tolerance level of the British police, are the good practices that can be recommended in dealing with protests in South Africa. / Police Practice / M.Tech. (Policing)