Thesis (MPhil)--University of Stellenbosch, 2005. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The South African wine industry has a history of super-exploitation. Wine farm labour practices such as paternalism, tied housing, tied employment and the tot system have maintained farm worker communities in a trapped and dependent position. Within these trapped farm worker communities social pathologies such as alcohol abuse, a highly unstable family life, illegitimacy and illiteracy are common. On an individual level, members of these communities are predominantly low in selfconfidence, self-esteem, self-reliance etc. On a communal level, domestic violence, child battering, drunken brawls, knife stabbings etc. are common in farm worker communities. In response to these conditions in wine farm worker communities, a number of initiatives have been launched within the South African wine industry. This research study focuses on one of these initiatives, called the New Beginnings project. As one of the first projects of its kind, it succeeded in releasing a farm worker community from its trapped and dependent position. This was the outcome since the project succeeded as a community development process. The community development process is essentially about building or increasing social capacity. The building of social capacity refers to a process whereby both agency and solidarity are increased within a community. Agency or capacity building has to do with the building of values, attitudes, knowledge, skills and personal qualities, e.g. self-esteem and self-reliance, of individual community members, while solidarity has to do with the building of cohesion, trustful relationships and connectivity among various community members. The New Beginnings project illustrates that community development practice that abide by guiding principles that aim to achieve both agency and solidarity building within a community, would eventually result in the sustainability of the project. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die Suid-Afrikaanse wynbedryf het ‘n geskiedenis van super-eksploitasie. Arbeidspraktyke soos paternalisme, gebonde behuising, gebonde indiensneming asook die dopstelsel het verseker dat plaaswerker-gemeenskappe in ‘n gevange en afhanklike posisie gehou word. Die gevolg is dat sosiale euwels soos alkoholmisbruik, ‘n hoogs onstabiele gesinslewe, onwettigheid asook ongeletterdheid algemeen voorkom in hierdie gevange plaaswerker-gemeenskappe. Op ‘n indiwiduele vlak, het die oorgrote meerderheid lede van hierdie gemeenskappe min selfvertroue en selfwaarde. Op ‘n gemeenskaplike vlak, kom gesinsgeweld, kindermishandeling, dronkmansbakleiery en messtekery algemeen voor in plaaswerker-gemeenskappe. As teenvoeter vir die bogenoemde toestande in plaaswerker-gemeenskappe, is verskeie inisiatiewe aan die gang gesit in die Suid-Afrikaanse wynbedryf. Hierdie navorsingstudie fokus op een van hierdie inisiatiewe, genaamd die ‘New Beginnings’ projek. As een van die eerste projekte van sy soort, het hierdie projek daarin geslaag om ‘n plaaswerker-gemeenskap vanuit sy gevange en afhanklike posisie te bevry. Die resultaat van die projek was juis moontlik omdat die projek as ‘n gemeenskapsontwikkelings- proses geslaag het. Die gemeenskaps-ontwikkelings-proses gaan hoofsaaklik oor die bou of vermeerdering van sosiale kapasiteit. Die bou van sosiale kapasiteit verwys na ‘n proses waartydens beide agentskap en solidariteit binne ‘n gemeenskap vermeerder word. Agentskap of kapasiteitsbou het te make met die skep van waardes, houdings, kennis, vaardighede asook persoonlike eienskappe, bv. selfwaarde en selfstandigheid, van indiwiduele gemeenskapslede, terwyl solidariteit te doen het met die bou of skep van samehorigheid, betroubare verhoudings en ‘n eenheidsgevoel tussen verskeie gemeenskapslede. Die ‘New Beginnings’ projek wys dat gemeenskapsontwikkelings- praktyk wat hou by die riglyne om beide agentskap en solidariteit binne ‘n gemeenskap te bou, uiteindelik tot die volhoubaarheid van die projek aanleiding sal gee.

Thesis (MA)--University of Stellenbosch, 2006. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The study examines the Western Cape municipal Integrated Development Plans (IDPs) and questions whether these IDPs include Information and Communication Technology (ICT) initiatives that promote development. IDPs are used by municipalities as multi-sectoral plans that provide situation analyses of municipal areas and determine development priorities in municipal areas. These development priorities must be met within certain budget and time constraints. Globalisation and the technological revolution have led to the rapid development and convergence of technology. Technology, such as the Internet and cellular telephones, has had various influences on society. One of these influences includes the possible application of ICT for the purpose of development. Therefore both IDPs and ICT can be applied for developmental purposes. The study thus brings together two seemingly unrelated concepts, namely Integrated Development Plans and Information and Communication Technology and aligns them with one another through the concept of development. The study includes three main objectives. Firstly, the Integrated Development Plans of the municipalities in the Western Cape were examined to ascertain whether these municipalities address ICT in their IDPs. Secondly, the nature of the ICT initiatives was determined. This refers to whether the ICT initiatives are for use in the community or for use in the municipality. Finally, a framework was developed, which includes the classification of the different types of municipalities, together with the different types of ICT initiatives. Recommendations were made based on this framework. The various theoretical issues discussed in this study include the transformation of local government in South Africa and the establishment of developmental local government. Various issues concerning the use of ICT for development are also discussed and they include the ‘Information Society’, the ‘Digital Divide’ and ICT for development. This discussion emphasises that success of ICT initiatives for development depends on the nature of the underlying policy agenda; this agenda must be demand-driven and pro-poor. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie studie ondersoek die Wes-Kaap munisipale Geintegreerde Ontwikkelingsplanne (GOP’s) en bevraagteken of dié GOP’s Inligting en Kommunikasie Tegnologie (IKT) inisiatiewe wat ontwikkeling bevorder, insluit. GOP’s word deur munisipaliteite as multi-sektorale planne gebruik wat toestandsontledings van munisipale gebiede voorsien en die ontwikkelingsprioriteite in munisipale gebiede bepaal. Hierdie ontwikkelingsprioriteite moet binne sekere begrotings- en tydsbeperkings bevredig word. Globalisering en die tegnologiese revolusie het tot die spoedige ontwikkeling en samevoeging van tegnologie gelei. Tegnologie, soos die Internet en selulêre telefone, het verskeie uitwerkings op die samelewing teweeggebring. Een van die uitwerkings sluit die moontlike aanwending van IKT vir ontwikkelingsdoeleindes in. Beide GOP’s en IKT kan dus vir ontwikkelingsdoeleindes aangewend word. Die studie bring daarom twee oënskynlik onverwante onderwerpe, naamlik Geintegreerde Ontwikkelingsplanne en Informasie en Kommunikasie Tegnologie deur die konsep van ontwikkeling by mekaar uit. Die studie bevat drie hoof doelwitte. Eerstens om die Geintegreerde Ontwikkelingsplanne van die munisipaliteite in die Wes-Kaap te ondersoek om vas te stel of hierdie munisipaliteite IKT in hul GOP’s aanspreek. Tweedens is die aard van die IKT inisiatiewe vasgestel. Dit verwys na IKT inisiatiewe wat binne die gemeenskap óf binne die munisipaliteit plaasvind. Laastens is ’n raamwerk ontwikkel. Dit sluit ’n klassifikasie van die verskillende soorte munisipaliteite, asook die verskillende soorte IKT inisiatiewe in. Aanbevelings wat gemaak word, word op hierdie raamwerk gegrond. Verskeie teoretiese kwessies word ook verder in hierdie studie bespreek. Dit sluit die transformasie van plaaslike regering in Suid-Afrika en die totstandkoming van ontwikkelingsgerigte plaaslike regering in. Verskeie kwessies wat die gebruik van IKT vir ontwikkeling betref, word ook bespreek. Dit sluit die ‘Inligting-gedrewe Samelewing’, die ‘Digitale Gaping’ en IKT vir ontwikkeling, in. Hierdie bespreking beklemtoon dat die geslaagdheid van IKT inisiatiewe vir ontwikkeling van die aard van die onderliggende beleidsagenda afhang; dié agenda moet aanvraag-gedrewe en ten gunste van armes wees.

Thesis (MPhil (Sociology and Social Anthropology))--Stellenbosch University, 2008. / The NGO sector is continuing to diversify, experiencing increasing competition from the for-profit market and pressure from the state looking for support through service delivery. There are growing internal and external calls for the development of appropriate evaluation methods within NGOs, intended to provide a much needed transparency, and to monitor and evaluate the sector’s accountability, legitimacy, and credibility – the very politics of its image and identity. As a result many NGOs are adapting their strategic behaviour to increase their efficacy to meet these new challenges. Professionalization or corporatization is said to be transforming NGOs into new regimes of efficiency, leading to their absorption of increasingly commercial practices. How professional NGOs go about their business has become as important as what they do. Using an ethnographic approach and participant observation, this study reveals the many constraints and opportunities one such NGO faced as it employed strategies to professionalize, and the various forms of organising it exhibited in its political, economic and social context. I explore the social interface between the organisation and its environment, and again between the staff members and the organisation itself. The study explores the connectedness between the broader context and the local experience, which in turn informs the NGO’s shifting strategies. An ‘embedded’ understanding provides insight into the evolution of social processes behind the production of everyday life within the professional NGO, exploring how it arrives at a certain coherence in the face of multiple realities at the local level. Development literature is used as a point of departure before applying anthropological theory as a lens through which to interpret the research questions. I place the NGO in a historical context and depict the political nature of the state-NGO relationship within a contract culture and competitive market. Discourses around surviving the embedded contradictions within accountability and legitimacy are explored. I reveal the pains of institutional and cultural evolution within the organisation under the push to professionalize as staff search for meaning and agency in everyday practice. And finally, I describe how the professional NGO negotiates an identity through both the external and internal politics of representation. There is no simple trajectory for professional NGOs. I find instead a competitive fight for survival and increasing dependence on political and economic savvy. The professional NGO has to constantly re-define and re-affirm its mission, while staff members weather the effects of this ongoing change and are forced to continually reconcile the very meaning of their work and identity to make sense of this experience. As an organisational study this contributes to an understanding of one professional NGO’s survival strategies in context, its organisational culture as an activity, and individual sense-making and identity formulation in the local setting. This study hopes to reveal what is gained and lost through employing the strategy to professionalize, and add to a growing body of research narrating the evolution within the NGO sector, informing questions currently being asked by state, business, and civil society groups.

Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2012. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: In 2007 the National People and Parks Programme was rolled out as a platform for co-management between successful land claimants, indigenous natural resource user groups and conservation authorities. It aimed to promote social ‘transformation’ in conservation management by responding to the needs of all South Africans. This thesis engages with the efforts made by CapeNature Conservation Board and RasTafari bushdoctors in the Boland area to resolve a conflict around the illegal harvesting of indigenous medicinal flora from protected areas. An investigation into the discursive and material practices of the RasTafari bushdoctors reveal what they present as a substantially different way of being-with-nature in comparison to the historically produced dominant conception of nature. This difference cannot be understood outside the complex relations from which they emerge and allows a better understanding of the social condition for the possibility of Bossiedokters’ voices to be heard today. This thesis culminates with a critical analysis of recent dialogues between Bossiedokters and CapeNature around co-management platforms. These I argue reveal that the inequalities voiced by the healers are once again silenced by government practices ostensibly designed to uplift them. Conceptualising this conflict through the lens of ‘environmentality’ suggests its usefulness as well as its limitations in grasping contemporary South African dilemmas about transformation of nature. While RasTafari bushdoctors want to reclaim their social authority, the question remains how and whether they will be able to transform conservation practice before conservation practice transforms them. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die Nasionale ‘People and Parks’ program was in 2007 aangekondig as die platform vir mede-bestuur tussen suksesvolle land eisers, inheemse natuurlike hulpbron gebruikersgroepe en natuurbewaringsowerhede. Dit het ten doel gestel om sosiale "transformasie" in natuurbewaring te bewerkstelling deur gehoor te gee aan die behoeftes van alle Suid-Afrikaners. Hierdie tesis vertolk die pogings aangewend deur CapeNature Conservation Board en RasTafari Bossiedokters in die Boland ten einde die konflik te oorkom rondom die onwettige oes van inheemse medisinale flora vaniut beskermde gebiede. Die ontleding van die diskursiewe en materiële praktyke van die RasTafari Bossiedokters openbaar hoe hul vertolking van hul unieke wyse van omgang-met-natuur staan in kontras met die dominante histories-geproduseerde opvatting van die natuur. Hierdie verskil kan nie verstaan word buite die komplekse sosiale verhoudinge waaruit dit materialiseer nie, en kan bydra tot 'n beter begrip van die sosiale toestande benodig om te verseker dat die Bossiedokters se stemme meer helder gehoor kan word. Hierdie tesis ontwikkel as 'n kritiese ontleding van onlangse dialoë tussen Bossiedokters en CapeNature soos gevoer rondom mede-bestuur platforms. Die dialoë openbaar dat aanklagtes van sosiale ongelykheid gemaak deur die Bossiedokters, bloot stilgemaak word deur die regering se strukture, ten spyte daarvan dat die strukture oënskynlik ontwerp was om hierdie ongelykhede aan te spreek. My konseptualisering van hierdie konflik as ‘n voorbeeld van 'environmentality’, toets die toepaslikheid sowel as die tekortkominge van hierdie konsep om sin te maak van kontemporêre Suid-Afrikaanse dilemmas aangaande die transformasie van die natuur. Die RasTafari Bossiedokters poog steeds om hul sosiale aansien te herwin, maar die vraag bly staan of hulle in staat sal wees en hoe hulle tewerk moet gaan ten einde natuurbewaring se praktyke te verander voordat natuurbewaringspraktyke hulle verander.

Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2012. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The occupation of policing is one that is traditionally associated with men and regarded as a masculine sphere. The South African Police Service (SAPS) is no exception. My thesis seeks to investigate how masculinity is experienced by male and female officers in the SAPS in one specific police station in the Western Cape. Connell’s (1995) three-fold model of the structure of gender in society is used to understand masculinity, along with her distinction between hegemonic and subordinated forms of masculinity. According to this model, gender is structured through power relations, production relations and cathexis. Through an analysis of organisational police culture operating at three levels - formal, institutional and ‘canteen’ (or informal) – I explore the experiences of police officers in this regard. Each of these levels offers a different arena of analysis for understanding the culture of policing in the South African context. In my discussion, I highlight that although Connell’s model of how masculinity is constructed is useful for understanding the dynamics of police culture across these different levels, the experience of masculinity by both male and female police officers has to be understood as a complex process. The idea of a simple hegemonic masculinity is too limiting in understanding gender dynamics and relationships within the institution. My thesis also argues that, within the confines of the SAPS, there is a need to value certain traits perceived as ‘masculine’, such as physical strength, while also taking into consideration the value of other attributes generally perceived as ‘feminine’, such as compassion. The acceptance of a more androgynous police service, with more space for personnel to move between socially accepted gender roles and expectations, is needed. The valuing of these traits should not be gender-specific, but should create opportunities for officers to be able to display both ‘masculine’ and ‘feminine’ traits and engage in ‘masculine’ and ‘feminine’ duties, regardless of their gender. The field research was located at a single police station, referred to as The Dorp Police Station. A qualitative, case study methodology was employed, drawing extensively on in-depth interviews with individual officers along with limited informal and participant observation at the police station. Content analysis of the online version of the official police journal provided an additional source of data for the study. The study also involved an engagement with general and South African literature on masculinity, policing and police culture. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die beroep van polisiëring word tradisioneel beskou as manlike bedryf. Die Suid-Afrikaanse Polisiediens (SAPD) is geen uitsondering nie. My tesis poog om ondersoek in te stel oor hoe ‘manlikheid1’ deur beide manlike en vroulike beamptes in die SAPD by spesifiek polisiestasie in die Wes-Kaap ervaar word. Connell (1995) se drievoudige model van die struktuur van gender in die samelewing word deur die loop van hierdie tesis gebruik om ‘manlikheid’ te verstaan. Tesame hiermee word daar onderskeid getref tussen ‘hegemoniese2 en ondergeskikte vorme van ‘manlikheid’. Volgens hierdie model is gender gestruktureer deur magsverhoudinge, produksieverhoudinge en Cathexis. In hierdie tesis ondersoek ek die ervaringe van polisiebeamptes rakende die drie vlakke - formele, institusionele en ‘kantien’ of informele kultuur - waarop polisiekultur in organisasies funksioneer. Elkeen van hierdie vlakke bied ander gebied van analise wat beter verstandhouding van die polisiekultuur in die Suid-Afrikaanse konteks bied. In my bespreking beklemtoon ek dat, alhoewel Connell se model rakende die konstruksie van manlikheid in die samelewing nuttige hulpmiddel is om die dinamika van polisiekultuur oor die bogenoemde vlakke te verstaan, moet daar in ag geneem word dat die ervarings van ‘manlikheid’ van mans en vroue in die polisie komplekse proses behels. Die idee van eenvoudige ‘hegemoniese manlikheid’ is te beperk vir die verstaan van gender dinamika en die verhoudings in die instansie. My tesis beweer ook dat daar behoefte in die SAPD is om waarde te heg aan eienskappe wat as ‘manlik’ beskryf word, soos bv. fisiese krag. Terselfdetyd word daar ook waarde geheg aan eienskappe wat as ‘vroulik’ beskou word, soos bv. deernis. Daar is behoefte vir die aanvaarding van meer androgene polisiediens met meer geleentheid en ruimte vir lede om tussen sosiaal aanvaarbare genderrolle en -verwagtinge te beweeg. Die waardering van hierdie eienskappe behoort nie gender-spesifiek wees nie, maar moet eerder geleenthede skep vir lede om beide ‘manlike’ en ‘vroulike’ pligte te voltooi, ongeag van hul gender. Die veldwerk is gedoen by enkele polisiestasie, waarna verwys word as Die Dorp Polisiestasie. Kwalitatiewe metodologie wat wat gevallestudie behels is gebuik tydens die studie. Daar is gebruik gemaak van indiepte onderhoude met individuele beamptes asook beperkte informele deelnemende waarneming by die polisiestasie. Aanvullende bron van data vir die studie was gevind in die vorm van inhoudsanalise van die amptelike aanlynpolisiejoernaal. Daar is ook in diepte gekyk na die algemene Suid-Afrikaanse literatuur rakende ‘manlikheid’, polisiëring en polisiekultuur.

Thesis (MPhil (Sociology and Social Anthropology))--University of Stellenbosch, 2009. / Community participation is a concept that is frequently mentioned in community development. Practitioners in development believe that in order for projects to succeed, communities need to actively take part in designing, implementing and shaping the projects that affect them. The aim of this thesis is to evaluate community participation by measuring quantitative and qualitative indicators of participation. It is important to note that there are no universal indicators of participation. The thesis presents three projects as case studies. In order to measure participation in the three cases, the quantitative and qualitative indicators of participation of Oakley et al. are reviewed. The indicators are applied across all three cases and the analysis indicates whether they were high, low or absent. It is also important to note that to measure participation effectively requires one to spend lengthy periods at the project site and this proved to be a challenge, as will be shown in the thesis. The thesis also demonstrates that to a large extent community participation is contextual. Of the three projects, two were rural projects and one an urban project. The two rural projects, Mongoaneng Development Forum and TsweloPele Women‟s Co-operative, were initiated by members of the community and aimed at addressing issues of poverty. The urban project, Motherwell Youth Development Forum, was specifically targeting young people with the aim of providing them with skills. Key findings include the fact that each of the cases was highly diverse, and furthermore, when measuring these cases, a common thread was that not all participation indicators were present at any given stage. Another key finding is that co-operation amongst project members tends to yield positive results and the reverse yields negative results. Another finding relates to the sustainability of the projects, pointing to the fact that even though two of the cases were doing well, their sustainability was questionable.

Thesis (MPhil (Sociology and Social Anthropology))--University of Stellenbosch, 2006. / Worldwide various studies have been undertaken to investigate the influence of discrimination due to sexual preference and the impact thereof on the homo- and bisexual student during his/her student years. As opposed to this, few studies have been done at tertiary institutions in South Africa. This study investigates homosexuality as a sub culture by illustrating the experiences and perceptions of a selected group of homo- and bisexual students with regards to social interaction within a heterosexual student environment.

Thesis (MPhil (Sociology and Social Anthropology))--University of Stellenbosch, 2009. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study examines the issue of informal settlement fires, specifically in Kayamandi a township of Stellenbosch in the Western Cape province of South Africa. The study aims to identify the relevant role-players involved in addressing the issue and to understand the unique dynamics involved in this type of fires at the local level context. The study illuminates the main contextual factors that contribute to the perpetuation of informal settlement sprawl in South Africa and that relates to the risk and vulnerability experienced by informal settlement dwellers. A qualitative research approach was followed and a triangulation of data collection methods was used, combined with a relatively broad literature study to capture the complexity of the related issues. The contextual focus includes the macro-economic factors that contribute to the environment in which informal settlement fires occur, and furthermore, developmental, economic, political and social aspects and the related experience of poverty, urbanisation and unemployment. It was found that the theoretical underpinning of both the fields of Disaster Management and Community Development are relevant for analysis and addressing the research questions. Furthermore, that a relationship exists between the Disaster Management, Development and Community Development fields. This is particularly evident in Disaster Management policy and planning as related to prevention, mitigation, and public participation, such as community involvement in Community-Based Risk Assessments. Key findings suggest that local government in the demarcated study area has great influence on how the problem of informal settlement fires is addressed. From national to local municipality level, the State plays the largest role in addressing the issue and takes the responsibility for addressing informal settlement fires as part of disaster management mandates prescribed in legislation. The local government agenda as influenced by Disaster Management legislation include efforts related to awareness, education and training focused on Kayamandi as an informal settlement community and can be considered community development initiatives. This further relates to the view taken in the thesis that informal settlement fires are a social issue and not only an operational issue. Therefore the broad social, economic and political context and history were included and it was shown that the ‘problem’ of informal settlement fires is part of a greater developmental context and related processes. A variety of community development theories were chosen as a useful framework for analysis in this study and to approach issues of risk and vulnerability on a community level. It also presents a conceptual framework for including both non-governmental stake-holders and the affected community as role-players. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie studie ondersoek die kwessie van vure in informele nedersettings en spesifiek in Kayamandi, ‘n informele nedersetting van Stellenbosch in die Wes-Kaap provinsie van Suid- Afrika. Die doel van die studie is om die relevante rolspelers te identifiseer wat betrokke is by die aanspreek van die kwessie en om die unieke dinamika van vure in hierdie plaaslike konteks te verstaan. Hierdie studie beklemtoon die belangrikste kontekstuele faktore wat bydra tot die uitbreiding van informele nedersettings in Suid-Afrika en wat verband hou met die risiko en kwesbaarheid van inwoners van informele nedersettings. ‘n Kwalitatiewe navorsingsbenadering is gevolg en ‘n triangulasie van dataversamelingsmetodes is in hierdie studie gebruik. Dit is met ‘n relatief breë literatuur-studie gekombineer om die kompleksiteit van die verwante kwessies weer te gee. Die konteksuele fokus sluit in makro-ekonomiese faktore wat bydrae tot ‘n omgewing waarin informele nedersettingsbrande voorkom, en voorts, ontwikkelings-, ekonomiese-, politieke- en sosiale aspekte, sowel as die verwante ervaring van armoede, verstedeliking en werkloosheid. Daar is bevind dat die teoretiese begronding van beide die velde van Rampbestuur en Gemeenskapsontwikkeling relevant is vir ontleding en om die navorsingsvrae te kan beantwoord en dat daar ‘n verhouding tussen Rampbestuur, Ontwikkeling en meer spesifiek Gemeenskapsontwikkeling bestaan. Dit kom veral na vore in Rampbestuurbeleid en - beplanning soos van toepassing op voorkoming, mitigasie en publieke deelname. Van die belangrikste bevindinge suggereer dat die plaaslike regering in die gegewe studie die grootste invloed het oor hoe die probleem van brande in informele nedersettings aangespreek word. Van nasionale tot plaaslike vlakke neem die Staat die verantwoordelikheid vir die aanspreek van informele nedersettingsbrande, soos vervat in mandate wat deur rampbestuur wetgewing bepaal word. Die plaaslike regering se agenda soos bepaal deur Rampbestuur wetgewing bevat gemeenskapsontwikkelingsidees oor deelname en inklusiewe beplanning, bewusmaking, opvoeding en spesifieke opleidingsinitiatiewe wat op Kayamandi afgestem is. Dit sluit verder aan by die siening, soos geneem in die tesis, dat informele nedersettingsbrande meer as net ‘n operasionele kwessie is, maar ook ‘n sosiale dimensie insluit. Om hierdie rede word die breër sosiale, ekonomiese, politieke en historiese konteks in die studie ingesluit, soos wat dit op die ‘probleem’ van informele nedersettingsbrande as deel van die groter ontwikkelingskonteks en prosesse dui. ‘n Verskeidenheid van gemeenskapontwikkelingsteorieë is as ‘n bruikbare raamwerk geselekteer vir ontleding en as ‘n benadering om risiko en kwesbaarheid op gemeenskapsvlak aan te spreek. Dit bied ook ‘n konsepsuele raamwerk om beide nie-regeringsrolspelers en die geaffekteerde gemeenskap ook as rolspelers in te kan sluit.

Thesis (MPhil (Sociology and Social Anthropology))--University of Stellenbosch, 2008. / This study examines the issue of housing delivery in South Africa since the democratic elections in 1994. The case study of Fisantekraal, a low-income housing project situated close to Cape Town in the Western Cape, illustrates the challenges associated with housing delivery and allocation. The study illuminates the main issues associated with housing allocation and delivery, as well as how these processes were managed in the said housing project. The study is descriptive in nature and explores the relationship between housing policy and practice. The method of Policy Analysis for Sustainable Livelihoods was employed because it emphasises the significance of the processes that formulate and enlighten policy. Additionally, it places the spotlight on the livelihood priorities of vulnerable groups and the impact policies and institutions have on them in terms of accessibility to livelihoods assets, such as housing. The national housing policy is discussed as a response to the severe housing need experienced in South Africa, resulting from high population growth, smaller households, urbanisation and the Apartheid legacy. The key variables known to influence the rate of housing delivery such as financial constraints at local government level, under-spending due to capacity constraints, insufficient resource allocation and a lack of suitable land, are discussed in this regard.

Thesis (M.Phil (Science and Technology Studies))--University of Stellenbosch, 2005. / The purpose of the study is to investigate and provide an overview of the science and technology systems of three countries, namely South Africa, India and Malaysia. The study seeks to describe the process of science and technology policy development; the relationship of science policy with national policies of these countries and the link between the science and technology policies and national goals. It also identifies the differences, strengths and weakness of the three systems and shows their relevance to Lesotho. The methodology followed in the study was qualitative, conducted through desk research. The source of data was archival, specifically in the case of historical background of the three science systems and documentary, in terms of the current situation of the science systems of each country. The comparative analysis was textual based on the findings of the three case studies of each country. The comparative analysis depicts the common features, strengths and weaknesses, pertaining to each country. The common features were identified in the areas of; National System of Innovation, Politicisation of Science, Indigenous Knowledge Systems and Pubic Understanding of Science. The differences of the three systems were characterised on trends in investment on science and technology, in terms of inputs in research and development, institutionalisation of science, nature of the policies and their implementation process inclusive of the policy instruments, and provision of conducive environment for the prolific growth of science and technology, as a key to socio-economic development of any nation. The comparative analysis also provides lessons to be learned for a Least Developing Country (LCD) like Lesotho. This is in view of the current situation where the country is at its infancy stage to establish a stable, well-coordinated science and technology system. The study recommends pragmatic solutions and strategies that can be copied and be employed, in order to enable science and technology have meaningful contribution towards socio-economic imperatives of Lesotho.