The study investigated indigenous land management practices in the North West Province with special reference to Miga and Tsetse villages. The study found that the apartheid forced removal policies had a great impact on the socio-economic and cultural life of the communities in the two study villages. The communities were resettled in a new harsh environment in which they encountered. various problems with adaptation. The land management practices in Miga and Tsetse villages were different from the traditional farming practices in their places of origin in the then Western Transvaal, where they were self-reliant. The new farming practices in Miga and Tsetse are based on modern agricultural land use system, which include the use of modern equipment and other inputs. Most of the community members cannot afford them due to high levels of unemployment. Moreover, given the arid conditions of the area, the new farming practices depend on availability of rain. The policy strategies and projects instituted and implemented by both the Bophuthatswana government and the North West Provincial government did not benefit the two communities much. Lack of funds and dependency on government funds made the projects unsustainable. The study recommended that since the Miga and Tsetse Communities have access to land for farming, the North West Provincial Department of Agriculture should put more emphasis on promoting and improving indigenous farming methods by incorporating them into the provincial agricultural development strategies. This is due to the fact that these practices are sustainable and affordable to the local communities. They are adaptable and tuned to the needs of people. Also, they pertain to cultural values of the communities. Moreover, the current poverty situation in Miga and Tsetse villages necessitates the great need for the communities to initiate other income generating ventures beside agriculture. The government should provide the communities with the necessary support including capacity building to ensure the sustainability and success of these projects / (M.Soc.Sc.) North-West University, Mafikeng Campus, 2005

The concern with the relevance of human rights to the socio-economic and political development in South Africa is of threefold account, namely human rights, socio-economic and political development, and South Africa. Human rights have been consistently applied as a common standard of achievement in the realisation that development cannot be implemented in pure economic terms only, but implies the 'duties of all people towards all other people. For rights only come into their own through practice, the interaction of socio-economic and political facts with values. The importance of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of I 0 December 1948 is of primary account in this regard. This implies the right to development of all people as well as the classical meaning of equity. The main social function of human rights is to become essential ingredients in legal, political and social reality in each and every country. The socio-economic implementation of human rights in the entire world includes the facts and peculiarities of South Africa in the context of ethnic pluralism. This covers the unrealistic overtones of apartheid, the unabated pressure of the United Nations and the achievement of the new South Africa. There is a great difference between merely criticising and getting things done. An important issue is the sustainability of the RDP, with its emphasis on Mandela's linkage XI between human rights, the rule of law and economic prosperity. COSATU with its unrealistic trade unionism however, remains the chief stumbling block to the unfettered free market economies and investments which are required for genuine job creation. Short of this the RDP and GEAR, which have got off the ground, are in danger of collapse. It is recommended that the ANC should work towards a genuine multi-party democracy at a realistic level where honest criticism is respected. The universal implications of human rights require that people should not be protected overduly simply because they are black at the expense of others who simply happen to be white. Some people are not more equal than others merely by virtue of being white or black. / Political Science / D. Litt et Phil. (Politics)

Thesis (MAdmin)--Stellenbosch University, 2000. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The study is devoted to the determination of an appropriate financial management and budgeting system to support a transforming South Africa. Given the challenges and opportunities presented by the new political dispensation, both locally and abroad, the evolution of financial management and budgeting systems is analysed. Specifically, elements of each budgetary system that stood the test of time to the present, are studied. International case studies of countries that have undergone (or are undergoing) the transformation process successfully, or otherwise, are fully discussed to serve as invaluable lessons and experience for South Africa on its quest for a smooth and swift transformation, to prevent it from ending up as just another unsuccessful transformation. This then serves as a broad foundation for an appropriate financial management and budgeting system which is proactive in the transformation process. South Africa will not reinvent the wheel. Unlike other countries that waited for transformation problems to fall upon them, the South African financial management and budgeting system manipulates the financial management policies. It achieves this by broadly defining the objectives to be achieved through prioritisation and reprioritisation, formulate clear strategies for shortterm, medium-term and long-term plans, goals, processes, functions and activities. It applies all the positive elements of input-orientated systems, activity/ performance measuring systems, objective/goal-orientated system, medium term expenditure framework and multi-year budgets studied and drawn from lessons and experience of other countries. South Africa's appropriate financial management and budgeting system is a broad crosswalk model vacillating between all systems from a broad definition of objectives, goals, processes and activities ending up with a strong financial management tool. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Dié studie word gewy aan die daarstelling van 'n Geskikte Finansiële Bestuur en Begrotingstelsel om 'n veranderende Suid-Afrika te ondersteun. Teen die agtergrond van die uitdagings daargestel deur die nuwe politieke bestel word die revolusie van finansiële bestuur- en begrotingstelsels plaaslik en in die buiteland ontleed en in perspektief geplaas. Meer spesifiek is die elemente van elke begrotingstelsel wat die toets van die tyd deurstaan het, bestudeer. Internasionale studies van lande wat die veranderingsproses suksesvol ondergaan het (of tans daarmee besig is), of andersins, word volledig bespreek om as 'n onskatbare les en ondervinding vir Suid-Afrika in sy soektog na 'n gladde en vinnige transformasie te dien en om te verhoed dat dit op net nog 'n onsuksesvolle transformasie uitloop. Dit dien dan as 'n breë grondslag vir 'n Geskikte Finansiële Bestuur- en Begrotingstelsel wat proaktief in die Suid-Afrikaanse transformasieproses is. Suid-Afrika sal nie die wiel kan heruitvind nie. Anders as in ander lande wat op transformasieprobleme gewag het om hulle te tref, kan die Suid- Afrikaanse Finansiële Bestuur- en Begrotingstelsels finansiële bestuursbeleid pro-aktief ondersteun. Dit word bewerkstellig deur 'n omvattende bepaling van die mikpunte wat bereik moet word deur priorisering en herpriorisering van planne, doelwitte, prosesse, funksies en aktiwiteite op die kort, medium en lang termyn. Dit is moontlik indien al die positiewe elemente van verskillende finansiële bestuur- en begrotingsteiseis, soos bestudeer in en geleer uit ander lande se ondervindings toegepas word. Suid-Afrika se Finansiële Bestuur- en Begrotingstelsel behels 'n breë omvattende model wat put uit al die stelsels wat 'n bepaling van doelstellings, mikpunte, prosesse en aktiwiteite bevat ten einde te eindig met 'n sterk Finansiële Bestuurswerktuig.

Thesis (MBA)--Stellenbosch University, 2001. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Tourism is seen and promoted as the economic cure in the developing world. However, in recent years it has been realised that tourism is not an easy or quick solution to economic growth. Business and government have identified tourism as one of the country's critical job providers. In 1989 Smith (1989: 15) identified the following challenges confronting the tourism industry: • A lack of credible measures and objective analysis. • Diversity of the industry. • Complexities created by geographical characteristic of the industry. • The lack of industry organisation. • The need to anticipate future developments. Can the Tourism Industry stimulate the economy and be a solution to unemployment? As the Western Cape is seen as the tourism leader in South Africa, this study will determine whether the industry will lead to an economically stronger Western Cape and ultimately be a helpful and healthy source of income to South Africa. The writer will start this study with world tendencies and the realities of tourism and then move onto tourism in South Africa, including both international and domestic tourism. An important factor for economic growth is the tourism potential in the Western Cape, which will be examined. It is clear from all the data and literature that the tourism industry hold potential for growth in South Africa. Wesgro (2001) has identified the Western Cape as the strongest tourism region. The Western Cape can offer unusual and alternative experience to tourists as facilities are in place for eco-tourism with excursions such as shark diving. The Western Cape is furthermore ensuring that more business tourists can be accommodated with the building of the Conference Centre in Cape Town. Government has realised the potential of the tourism industry and as such has increased the budget allocation drastically. This means that marketing can be done more aggressively ensuring that both the domestic and international tourist markets grows. On the negative side is the effect that crime and political instability has on the tourism industry. It is interesting to note that despite crime, tourism arrivals are still increasing. A vital challenge for the tourism industry is to develop and promote our cultural assets and experiences. Repositioning the role of the previously disadvantage within the tourism infrastructure is an issue that needs to be addressed. We need to re-evaluate, re-package and re-interpret our distinct resources. The Western Cape's growth potential lies in its natural beauty and favourable weather, the wide variety of internationally renowned natural tourist attraction, and a well established infrastructure, all available at a relatively low cost to foreigners. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Toerisme word gesien en adverteer as die ekonomiese oplossing in die ontwikkelende wêreld. Dit is egter die afgelope jare besef dat toerisme nie 'n maklike of vinnige oplossing vir ekonomiese groei is nie. Die besigheidswêreld en die regering het toerisme geïdentifiseer as een van die land se kritiese werkvoorsieners. Smith (1989: 15) het in 1989 die volgende uitdagings wat die toerisme industrie konfronteer, geïdentifiseer: • 'n Tekort aan geloofwaardige maatstawwe en objektiewe ontleding. • Die uiteenlopendheid van die industrie. • Ingewikkeldhede geskep deur die geografiese eienskappe van die industrie. • 'n Tekort aan industrie organisasie. • 'n Behoefte om toekomstige ontwikkelings te voorspel. Kan die toerisme industrie die ekonomie stimuleer en die oplossing vir werkloosheid wees? Aangesien die Wes-Kaap gesien word as die toerisme leier in Suid Afrika sal hierdie studie poog om te bepaal of die industrie sal lei tot 'n ekonomies sterk Wes-Kaap en uiteindelik 'n gesonde bron van inkomste vir Suid Afrika. Die skrywer sal die studie begin met wêreldneigings en die realiteite van toerisme en dan oorgaan tot toerisme in Suid Afrika, insluitend beide internasionale en binnelandse toerisme. 'n Belangrike faktor vir ekonomiese groei wat bestudeer sal word is die toerisme potensiaal in die Wes-Kaap. Dit blyk duidelik uit data en literatuur wat bestudeer is dat die toerisme industrie groot potensiaal vir Suid Afrika inhou. Wesgro (2001) het die Wes-Kaap as die sterkste toerisme streek geïdentifiseer. Die Wes-Kaap kan buitengewone en alternatiewe ervarings aan toeriste bied aangesien fasiliteite reeds bestaan vir eko-toerisme met ekskursies soos haai-duik. Die Wes-Kaap is verder besig om te verseker dat besigheidstoeriste geakkommodeer kan word met die aanbou van die nuwe konferensie sentrum in Kaapstad. Die regering het ook die potensiaal van die toerisme industrie besef en het as sulks die begroting aanwysing drasties verhoog. Dit het tot gevolg dat bemarking meer aggressief kan plaasvind en verseker sodoende dat beide die binnelandse en internasionale toerisme markte groei. Aan die negatiewe kant is die effek wat geweld en politieke onstabiliteit op die toerisme industrie het. Dit is egter interessant om daarop te let dat toerisme aankomste nog steeds groei ten spyte van misdaad. 'n Belangrike uitdaging vir die toerisme industrie is om ons kulturele bates en ervarings te ontwikkel en bevorder. 'n Saak wat aandag moet geniet is die herposisionering van vorige agtergeblewende mense binne die toerisme infrastruktuur. Ons sal ons hulpbronne moet herevalueer, herverpak en herinterpreteer. Die Wes-Kaapse groeipotensiaal is geleë in sy natuurlike skoonheid en gunstige weer, die wye verskeidenheid van internasionaal erkende natuurlike toeriste attraksies en 'n goed gevestigde infrastruktuur wat alles beskikbaar is teen 'n relatiewe lae prys vir buitelanders.

Theses (MBA)--Stellenbosch University, 2002. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The concept of international competitiveness has become increasingly important due to globalisation and increased integration between nations and has been referred to as a "new type of warfare" in modern economies. With the advent of globalisation, countries have become more integrated not only through trade but also in financial markets. Consequently, the question of attaining sustainable development through international competitiveness has become very significant. As globalisation proceeds, it would appear that a combination of factors are raising the demand for skilled labour and lowering the demand for unskilled and semi-skilled labour. In South Africa, at least over the short term, the predictions are for declining demand for unskilled and semi-skilled labour and rising demand for skilled and professional occupations. South African manufacturing firms are generally characterised by low spending on innovation. Today there is a shift in the pattern of world trade away from commodity production and raw material intensive simple manufactured goods and towards increasingly knowledge-intensive goods and services. As the more traditional bases of securing a competitive advantage decline for South African manufacturing firms, the ability to compete will increasingly turn on their capacities to master information technology. Technological infrastructure is becoming a key asset for the future competitiveness of a nation. Technology also impacts on education. Therefore, the priority of a competitive nation is to develop the people who will operate the new technological infrastructure and strive to be on the leading edge of future developments. This is one of the reasons why South Africa has to improve on its technology in order to be attractive to foreign investment. It is clear ,that South Africa's current education and training system is not adequate to address the future challenges of the country. An integrated, restructured education and training system that is geared to supplying the necessary manpower to ensure high productivity and international competitiveness is needed if South Africa is to become globally competitive. Therefore the importance of education and training to upgrade people to enable them to earn more cannot be overemphasised. Much more emphasis must be put on technical training in South Africa. After some difficult years of isolation, South Africa has increased its rating on international competitiveness by three positions from 42nd in 2001 to 39th in 2002. It is hoped that South Africa's economic growth rate improves as a result of its pursuit of privatisation; reform of the state sector; and liberalisation of trade and tariffs. The social inequalities inherited from the past, high unemployment and a relatively high inflation rate may constrain the government's economic policy. The development priorities of developing countries such as South Africa include achieving sustained income growth for their economies by raising investment rates, strengthening technological capacities and skills and improving the competitiveness of their exports in world markets, distributing the benefits of growth equitably by creating more and better employment opportunities and protecting and conserving the physical environment for future generations. The new and more competitive context of liberalising and globalising the world economy in which economic activity take place imposes considerable pressures on developing countries to upgrade their resources and capabilities if they are to achieve these objectives. This study seeks to investigate the extent to which international competitiveness contributes to the economic development of South Africa, by studying the theory of comparative advantage and its implications to the modern theory of trade. The study explores and identifies key factors of international competitiveness and globalisation and the success of the application of international competitiveness into practice. The study concludes with possible areas of further research. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die konsep van internasionale mededingendheid word toenemend belangrik weens globalisering en groter integrasie tussen nasies en daar word in hedendaagse ekonomieë daarna verwys as 'n "nuwe soort oorlog". Met die koms van globalisering het lande nie net deur handel nie maar ook in finansiële markte meer geïntegreerd geraak. Die kwessie van die bewerkstelliging van volgehoue ontwikkeling deur internasionale mededingendheid het gevolglik baie belangrik geword. Namate globalisering voortgaan wil dit voorkom asof 'n kombinasie van faktore die vraag na geskoolde arbeid verhoog en die vraag na ongeskoolde en halfgeskoolde arbeid laat daal. In Suid-Afrika word 'n kleiner vraag na ongeskoolde en halfgeskoolde arbeid en 'n groter vraag na geskoolde en professionele beroepe oor ten minste die kort termyn voorspel. Suid-Afrikaanse vervaardigingsmaatskappye word oor die algemeen deur lae besteding aan innovasie gekenmerk. Daar is tans 'n verskuiwing in die patroon van wêreldhandel weg van kommoditeitsproduksie en grondstof-intensiewe eenvoudige vervaardigde goedere na toenemend kennis-intensiewe goedere en dienste. Namate die meer tradisionele grondslae waarop Suid-Afrikaanse vervaardigingsmaatskappye 'n mededingende voordeel verkry het, verdwyn, sal die vermoë om mee te ding toenemend afhang van hul vermoë om inligtingstegnologie te bemeester. Tegnologiese infrastruktuur word 'n baie belangrike bate vir die toekomstige mededingendheid van 'n land. Tegnologie het ook 'n impak op onderwys. Die prioriteit van 'n mededingende land is dus die ontwikkeling van die mense wat die nuwe tegnologiese infrastruktuur sal bestuur en wat daarna strewe om aan die spits van toekomstige ontwikkelings te wees. Dit is een van die redes waarom Suid-Afrika sy tegnologie moet verbeter ten einde aantreklik te wees vir buiteland,sebelegging. Dit is duidelik dat Suid-Afrika se huidige onderwys- en opleidingstelsel nie voldoende is om die toekomstige uitdagings vir die land die hoof te bied nie. 'n Geïntegreerde herstruktureerde onderwys- en opleidingstelsel wat daarop gemik is om die nodiqe mannekrag te voorsien om hoë produktiwiteit en internasionale mededingendheid te verseker, word vereis indien Suid-Afrika mededingend wil wees in die internasionale arena. Die belangrikheid van onderwys en opleiding om mense op te gradeer ten einde hulle in staat te stel om meer te verdien, kan nie oorbeklemtoon word nie. Groter klem moet op tegniese opleiding in Suid-Afrika gelê word. Na moeilike jare van isolasie het Suid-Afrika sy gradering ten opsigte van internasionale mededingendheid met drie posisies verbeter vanaf 42ste in 2001 tot 39ste in 2002. Suid-Afrika se ekonomiese groeikoers sal hopelik verbeter as gevolg van sy strewe na privatisering, hervorming van die staatsektor, en liberalisering van handel en tariewe. Die maatskaplike ongelykhede van die verlede, hoë werkloosheid en 'n betreklik hoë inflasiekoers kan moontlik die regering se ekonomiese beleid aan bande lê. Die ontwikkelingsprioriteite van ontwikkelende lande soos Suid-Afrika sluit die volgende in: volgehou inkomstegroei vir hul ekonomieë deur beleggingskoersverhogings, verbetering van tegnologiese kapasiteite en vaardighede, die verbetering van die mededingendheid van hul uitvoere in wêreldmarkte, die billiker verdeling van die voordele van groei deur meer en beter werkgeleenthede te skep, en die beskerming en bewaring van die fisiese omgewing vir toekomstige geslagte. Die nuwe en meer mededingende konteks van die liberalisering en globalisering van die wêreldekonomie waarin ekonomiese aktiwiteit plaasvind, plaas- groot druk op ontwikkelende lande om hul hulpbronne en kapasiteite te opgradeer indien hulle hierdie doelwitte wil bereik. Hierdie studie poog om die mate waarin internasionale mededingendheid tot die ekonomiese ontwikkeling van Suid-Afrika bydra, te ondersoek deur die teorie van mededingende voordeel en die implikasies daarvan vir die moderne handelsteorie te bestudeer. Die studie ondersoek en identifiseer die hooffaktore van internasionale mededingendheid en globalisering en die sukses van die toepassing van internasionale mededingendheid in die praktyk. Die studie word afgesluit met voorstelle vir moontlike verdere navorsing.

Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2014. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: In the first essay of this thesis, a medium scale DSGE model is developed and estimated for the South African economy. When used for forecasting, the model is found to outperform private sector economists when forecasting CPI inflation, GDP growth and the policy rate over certain horizons. In the second essay, the benchmark DSGE model is extended to include the yield on South African 10-year government bonds. The model is then used to decompose the 10-year yield spread into (1) the structural shocks that contributed to its evolution during the inflation targeting regime of the South African Reserve Bank, as well as (2) an expected yield and a term premium. In addition, it is found that changes in the South African term premium may predict future real economic activity. Finally, the need for DSGE models to take account of financial frictions became apparent during the recent global financial crisis. As a result, the final essay incorporates a stylised banking sector into the benchmark DSGE model described above. The optimal response of the South African Reserve Bank to financial shocks is then analysed within the context of this structural model.

Thesis (MComm (Economics))--University of Stellenbosch, 2007. / A new political dispensation in 1994 heralded a period of optimism for many ordinary South Africans, who hoped for freedom and an escape from poverty. Since this transition, however, South Africa has registered steady increases in unemployment, which was already high and widespread at that stage. The new policy environment introduced a mix of legislation which changed the way in which South African society was to be structured: separate development was abandoned, the pillars of Apartheid dismantled, and equitable access to education and jobs was enacted. At the same time, the Reconstruction and Development Programme (RDP), as well as the Growth Employment and Redistribution (GEAR) document addressed, amongst other issues, socioeconomic and labour market disparities. Economic growth was to bolster employment generation. Rising unemployment is, in light of these diverse changes, a source of considerable concern to labour market participants and policymakers alike: the benefits of better understanding the dynamic forces at play are potentially large. Given the many and farreaching changes referred to above, it is a complex task to disentangle specific reasons for the outcomes realised in the labour market, and more so the manner in which these have interacted to arrive at the status quo...

The market value of Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) companies listed on the JSE Securities Exchange (JSE) has fallen to only 2% of the overall market capitalisation of the JSE. Many BEE companies have disappeared from the exchange and there have been many failures.<br /> <br /> In the context of the report of the BEE Commission (BEE Com), it is essential to understand why these failures have occurred and it is essential to research methods of structure, capitalisation and listings to ensure that ownership of the economy is fairly distributed in future as per the recommendations of the BEE Comm. The motivation for this research project is based on the fact that as a member of the Historically Disadvantaged Group in this country, and after having qualified in the Faculty of Law with a commercial background, I would like to attempt to make a meaningful contribution to the transformation that should take place to facilitate equality of ownership of the economy.<br /> <br /> The proposed research is critically important as the recommendations of the Commission have to be implemented as a matter of urgency, given the current slow growth rate of the economy and given the fact that as many more new enterprises could be listed on the JSE, it would provide further access to jobs, thereby positively impacting on the unemployment situation thereby contributing to poverty relief.

Since Ricardo's nineteenth-century suggestion that the mean's of financing government spending is irrelevant, theoretical debate concerning the burden of government debt has been vigorous / Thesis (M.Econ.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2006.

Ph.D. (Economics) / Street waste pickers are a visible group of people trying to survive under poor socio-economic conditions. They participate in the informal economy as self-employed entrepreneurs. Despite the income-earning opportunity generated by the waste that is freely available, their social and economic conditions remain poor. This study is the first national study to investigate the social and economic conditions of the street waste pickers in South Africa. The national study covers thirteen major cities in South Africa and uses a mixed method research design. A literature review on informal waste picking activities and the participation of the poor in these activities provide a basis from which the socio-economic conditions of the street waste pickers could be analysed. A theoretical overview of poverty theories, the unemployment problem, and the characteristics of the informal economy and informal recycling activities help to contextualise the street waste pickers in terms of the link that exists between poverty, unemployment, and street waste picking activities as a marginal form of informal self-employment. With this as background, qualitative and quantitative data on the socio-economic conditions of the street waste pickers was collected from the street waste pickers themselves and from the buy-back centres with whom they interact on an almost daily basis.