We are living in a world where academics and politicians seek to define the problem of poverty and where a range of policies and programmes have been introduced in response to one or other version of the problem. Over the years, academics , politicians , sociologists, economists and anthropologists have not come to an agreement on what poverty is or what should be done about it. They often talk about cross-purposes, the size and the seriousness of the problem. However, they agree on one thing: that poverty, wherever it exists, is a complex problem that requires sustainable and integrated policy responses . Research of poverty in South Africa has traditionally been divided into a threestage process: facts, causes and strategies. It is no longer acceptable to confine poverty research to only collecting data or analysing causes. Research should focus on finding ways and initiating programmes to prevent and cure the symptoms. The poor must be uplifted from their situation and have hope in the future. This research adopts a different approach altogether. It draws on the theory of Systems Thinking to illuminate understanding of the different aspects of poverty in a holistic and integrated manner. A South African example is presented, which clearly shows the interrelationships between government departments and the gaps of the present poverty alleviation and eradication policies and programmes. It argues that for poverty to be understood and for proper measures to be put in place, one must understand the dynamics surrounding poverty, as well as the interconnections between them. / Thesis (M.Sc.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2007.

The construction industry is an important role player in any country. Past research has shown that the industry suffers from a poor image which, inter alia, resulted in a lack of new entrants. A quarterly survey conducted by the Construction Industry Development board (CIDB) showed that over 50% of survey respondents recorded a severe shortage in skilled labour. The objective of this study was to determine how young people viewed the construction industry, how employers and employees within the industry viewed construction, whether companies were involved in promoting the industry, and if the industry was attractive as a career choice to high school students. The literature reviewed stated that the construction industry was globally suffering from a poor image and critical shortage of skills. The literature provided the researcher with a number of factors which contributed to the industry’s poor image. These factors were empirically tested against the opinions of high school students and employers and employees in construction via questionnaires. Interviews were conducted with industry professionals who had over 20 years of industry experience. The interviews allowed insight into the image and what has made it poor. It also indicated that there was little being done to promote careers in the industry. The industry did have a poor image from the perceptions of high school students, employers and employees. Very few students indicated a willingness to work in construction. The lack of new entrants, shortage of skilled labour and lack of promotion were not conducive to a sustainable industry. The dissertation ends with recommendations for addressing the issue of the image from the perspective of high school students and recommendations for further research. / Thesis (M.Sc.Const.Man)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2013.

This thesis explores variations and shifts in gender roles in housing delivery and the construction. Although presently excluded from construction activities, women have in the past constituted substantial proportions of builders in many countries worldwide. In parts of sub-Saharan Africa, for example, women have traditionally been responsible for building house. However, recent studies and reports indicate that women in Botswana and other countries in the region are grossly underrepresented in construction activities. The few women currently employed in the construction industry work mostly as labourers. Boserup and other scholars have attributed the gendered division of labour to economic development, technological changes, patriarchy, capitalism colonialism or modernisation Based on qualitative and quantitative studies undertaken in the township of Lobatse, Botswana, and adopting a pluralistic and holistic approach, I however posit that gender roles and relations are outcomes of negotiation and normalisation processes through which men and women (as individuals or in groups) use their power and positions in society to access and control resources and services. The outcomes and negotiation processes are themselves conditioned by a web of interacting and intersecting historical, social, economic, political and environmental factors. I further argue that in the context of Botswana, traditional gender roles were shaped by prevailing patriarchal ideologies and institutions, the country's fragile environment, subsistence modes of production, and frequent intertribal wars that characterised the region. However, men's takeover of housing and construction activities that emerged during the colonial period was due to the intersection of Western influences, men's temporary migrations to South Africa, commoditisation of labour and the introduction of the market economy. Women's exclusion from the construction industry has since been entrenched through the atrophication of women's traditional building skills caused by widespread preferences for exogenous building materials and Western style houses. Due to lack of non-traditional building skills, women have been forced to work as labourers in the waged construction industry or as unpaid managers, supervisors and caterers in self-help housing. Robbed of their ability to build houses, women have been obliged to negotiate new gender relationships and strategies for accessing and owning houses. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, 2005.