This study evaluates the potential for community-based ecotourism as conservation and development strategy in Kome village, which is an unprotected area. The study adopts the ecotourism concept to illustrate how communitybased ecotourism can be a tool for conservation and development in poor rural communities. Adopting the intensive case study design, the study investigates the major challenges for community-based ecotourism in Kome village. Findings reveal that Kome community derives low socio-economic benefits including limited earnings, low employment, poor benefits sharing and lack of entrepreneurships. Kome has a potential to offer better community-based ecotourism products due to diverse tourist attractions ranging from historical, cultural activities to natural scenery. The study suggests and recommends formation of a partnership between the Kome community, private, public sector and the NGOs as a strategy for development. The study concludes that ecotourism can be an appropriate option for conservation and development for Kome village.

This dissertation addresses an age-old topic, but introduces some different insights. Overall, it is a sound piece of research that satisfies the requirements of a course work masters. Her topic is interesting in the context of a large-scale infrastructure project and the research questions are carefully formulated. The research method is appropriate and adequately described. In view of the (not unexpected) difficulties encountered with respondents in the field, she has made effective use of the sources that were available. The theoretical framework appears to cover most of the relevant literature; and is written in a coherent way. The description of the case study is clear. It presents a complex and fascinating set of stakeholders and daunting challenges for Planners attempting to mediate between macro, national scale infrastructure needs on the one hand, and on the other, social justice in communities where the prevailing laws and practices militate against women and the poorly educated. The findings are reported in chapter 4. These provide a valuable insight into dynamics within and surrounding the participation process. In the course of this chapter, she unveils an interesting array of issues, many of which are about power relations. This makes the topic difficult to research fully in the context of an MTRP dissertation. However, while not achieving much analytical depth, she has produced a useful set if insights that will be of value to other researchers in this field. The conclusions and recommendations have been dealt with in a systematic, yet thoughtful manner. / Thesis (M.Arch)-University of Natal, 2001.

Development stakeholders globally argue that participatory development is the best model of development strategy in achieving sustainable, self-reliant development. This is one of the major tools of democracy used by democratic governments. This type of development strategy asserts that if people decide on their own development and if development becomes personcentred, there is a high possibility of successful and sustainable development projects within communities. It should be understood that participatory development involves people’s participation in development projects from the adoption stage of project to monitoring and evaluation of those projects. In Lesotho, lack of participatory development in development projects is reflected in environmental impact assessment reports by a number of developers. In these reports, participatory development and beneficiary empowerment are not regarded as valuable. It seems empowerment and capacity building is on the margins of the government and developers in Lesotho. This study addresses issues of participatory development with the focus of the Lesotho Highlands water project. It provides a critical examination of the events around the project from its conception, the beginning of the construction of phase one of the project to the end of this phase. The study then provides a critical analysis of the treaty of the Lesotho Highlands Water Project signed in 1986 with much reflection on participatory development and all it entails. / Thesis (M.Sc.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2013.

This study focused on community participation in relation to policy formulation in Lesotho. It paid particular attention to whether the Lesotho community participated in the formulation of the Lesotho Land Bill 2009. Literature related to the concept of participatory development, community participation and policy formulation was reviewed. From the literature, it was clear that the attainment of effective community participation in policy formulation is not something that can take place overnight and this makes community participation a crucial aspect of any development project. The study used the qualitative approach to provide more information and detailed examination of community participation in the formulation of the Lesotho Land Bill 2009. This approach adopted the case study design. The data was collected using focus groups, interview schedule and document analysis. The study found that the government did not consult widely on the Bill before it was enacted into an Act of parliament. Therefore, it recommends that the government of Lesotho should involve all relevant stakeholders to participate in policy formulation. This will help to establish a link between the government and civil society stakeholders at local levels, for participatory policy-making to be effective.

Abstracts in English, Southern Sotho and Afrikaans / The purpose of the study was to explore and describe the perceptions of electricity stakeholders (referred to for the purposes of the study as electricity customers) regarding their communication with Lesotho Electricity and Water Authority (LEWA) during electricity tariff reviews in 2016 and 2017. LEWA is the electricity regulator, while Lesotho Electricity Company (LEC) is the national power distributor in Lesotho. The electricity customers participated in the review process. The study was framed within development communication, with particular focus on its derivative, participatory communication. The principles of stakeholder theory were also considered. The study combined both quantitative and qualitative research approaches for data collection. The findings of the study were triangulated using an online self-administered questionnaire, a focus group moderator’s guide and a qualitative document analysis. The results were interpreted in line with the proposed practical guidelines. The finding of the study is that although LEWA endeavoured to collaborate with electricity customers during electricity tariff review processes, its implementation of participatory communication was inadequate. Furthermore, electricity customers have not yet fully embraced the importance of participating in electricity tariff review processes, because they perceive such endeavours not to be useful. As a result, the findings of the study encapsulate revised practical guidelines to fit an electricity review setting, which could serve as a heuristic for similar organisations as well as provide insights into the benefits of participatory communication in the various aspects of their work. / Morero wa phuputso ena e ne e le ho hlahloba le ho hlalosa maikutlo a ba nang le seabo motlakaseng (ba boletsweng e le bareki ba motlakase molemong wa phuputso) mabapi le puisano ya bona le Lekgotla la Taolo ya Motlakase le Metsi Lesotho (LEWA) nakong ya ditlhahlobo tsa ditefiso tsa motlakase ka selemo sa 2016 le 2017. LEWA ke molaodi wa motlakase, athe Khampani ya Motlakase ya Lesotho (LEC) ke yona moabi wa matla wa naha ya Lesotho. Bareki ba motlakase ba nkile karolo tshebetsong ya tlhahlobo. Phuputso e hlophisitswe kahara puisano ya ntshetsopele, e shebane haholo le puisano ya yona eo eseng ya pele, le ya bonkakarolo. Ditekanyetso tsa dikgopolo tsa ba amehang le tsona di ile tsa hlokomelwa. Phuputso e kopantse mekgwa ya dipatlisiso ya bongata le boleng ka bobedi bakeng sa pokello ya datha. Diphumano tsa phuputso di ne di arotswe ka dikgutlo-tharo ka tshebediso ya lethathamo la dipotso le fumanehang inthaneteng, tataiso ya motho ya lekanyang wa sehlopha seo ho tsepamisitsweng maikutlo ho sona le manollo ya tokomane ya boleng. Diphetho di ile tsa hlaloswa ka tumellano le ditataiso tse sebetsang. Phumano ya phuputso ke hore leha e le hore LEWA e ne e leka ho sebedisana le bareki ba motlakase nakong ya ditshebetso tsa tlhahlobo ya ditefiso, ho kenngwa tshebetso ha yona ha dipuisano tsa bonkakarolo ho ne ho sa lekana. Ntle le moo, bareki ba motlakase ha ba so ka ba amohela bohlokwa ba ho nka karolo ditshebetsong tsa tlhahlobo ya ditefiso tsa motlakase, hobane ba bona boiteko bo jwalo bo sena thuso. Ka lebaka leo, diphumano tsa phuputso di akarelletsa ditataiso tse ntlafaditsweng tse sebetsang bakeng sa ho nepahala boemong ba tlhahlobo ya motlakase, bo ka sebetsang e le tharollo bakeng sa mekgatlo e tshwanang hammoho le ho fana ka lesedi la melemo ya puisano ya bonkakarolo dikarolong tse fapaneng tsa mosebetsi wa yona. / Die doel van hierdie studie was om die persepsies van elektrisiteitsbelanghebbers (waarna vir die doel van die studie verwys word as elektrisiteitskliënte) rakende hul kommunikasie met die Lesotho Electricity and Water Authority (LEWA) gedurende elektrisiteitstariefhersienings in 2016 en 2017, te ondersoek en te beskryf. LEWA is die elektrisiteitsreguleerder, terwyl die Lesotho Electricity Company (LEC) die nasionale kragverspreider in Lesotho is. Die elektrisiteitskliënte het aan die hersieningsproses deelgeneem. Die studie het in die konteks van ontwikkelingskommunikasie geskied, met spesifieke fokus op die afleiding, deelnemende kommunikasie. Die beginsels van belanghebberteorie is ook in ag geneem. Die studie het kwantitatiewe en kwalitatiewe navorsingsbenaderings tot data-insameling gekombineer. Die bevindings van die studie is getrianguleer met behulp van ʼn aanlyn selfgeadministreerde vraelys, ʼn fokusgroepmoderatorsgids en ʼn kwalitatiewe dokumentontleding. Die resultate is geïՙnterpreteer ooreenkomstig die voorgestelde praktiese riglyne. Die gevolgtrekking van die studie is dat hoewel LEWA probeer het om met elektrisiteitskliënte saam te werk gedurende elektrisiteitstariefhersieningsprosesse, hul implementering van deelnemende kommunikasie ontoereikend was. Verder besef elektrisiteitskliënte nog nie ten volle die belangrikheid van deelname aan elektrisiteitstariefhersieningsprosesse nie, omdat hulle sodanige pogings nie as nuttig ervaar nie. Gevolglik is die bevindings van die studie ʼn samevatting van hersiene praktiese riglyne om by ʼn elektrisiteitshersieningskonteks te pas, en dit kan dien as heuristiek vir soortgelyke organisasies en kan ook insig gee in die voordele van deelnemende kommunikasie in die verskillende aspekte van hul werk. / Communication Science / M.A. (Communication)

Rural development efforts in Third World countries often fail to meet the needs of the most disadvantaged members of society. The priviledged continue to get a disproportionate share of the fruits of development. This is so in spite of the fact that development thinking has changed from the days when the poor were expected to benefit from development through the "trickle down" effect. It is now widely recognised that development should be focused on people in their local communities (human development) and not on the economy per se. To achieve this type of development requires an appropriate strategy of development, and people's/community participation is such a strategy. People's participation in development takes place through community based organisations. The organisations faciiitate the development of the human potential of members. This study investigates the conditions under which rural community participation takes place in lesotho. The Thabana-Morena Integrated Rural Development Project is used as a case study. The first objective is to determine the appropriateness of the organisations through which community participation was promoted in the project. The second objective is to isolate the political and administrative factors which affected participation in the project. Thirdly, the study tries to identify factors at the village level which influenced participation in the project. Fourthly, the study evaluates the effectiveness of the project in experimenting with participatory approaches, given that development projects are basically mechanisms for testing the appropriateness of national policies before applying them on a wide scale. Finally, a set of principles is developed on the basis of which participatory development can be facilitated. / Development Studies / D. Litt. et Phil. (Development Administration)

Rural development efforts in Third World countries often fail to meet the needs of the most disadvantaged members of society. The priviledged continue to get a disproportionate share of the fruits of development. This is so in spite of the fact that development thinking has changed from the days when the poor were expected to benefit from development through the "trickle down" effect. It is now widely recognised that development should be focused on people in their local communities (human development) and not on the economy per se. To achieve this type of development requires an appropriate strategy of development, and people's/community participation is such a strategy. People's participation in development takes place through community based organisations. The organisations faciiitate the development of the human potential of members. This study investigates the conditions under which rural community participation takes place in lesotho. The Thabana-Morena Integrated Rural Development Project is used as a case study. The first objective is to determine the appropriateness of the organisations through which community participation was promoted in the project. The second objective is to isolate the political and administrative factors which affected participation in the project. Thirdly, the study tries to identify factors at the village level which influenced participation in the project. Fourthly, the study evaluates the effectiveness of the project in experimenting with participatory approaches, given that development projects are basically mechanisms for testing the appropriateness of national policies before applying them on a wide scale. Finally, a set of principles is developed on the basis of which participatory development can be facilitated. / Development Studies / D. Litt. et Phil. (Development Administration)