The study was intended to assess the impact of social grants on beneficiaries with specific focus on Buffalo Municipality. The challenge of social injustice and inequality in the management and distribution of resources is challenge of any responsive government globally in providing social securities in different forms to secure the vulnerable and under privileged within the society. The South African government has introduced a comprehensive liberally inclusive social welfare scheme to address social injustice and economic inequality of excluded in the former apartheid government, which characterises the historic past of racial exclusive government of the majority black and the coloured. In other to assess the impact of grants in addressing inequality and social exclusiveness, the research was conducted using Desk Top Analytical approach and also explored ANOVA Two-ways and One-way, to test the degree of association and standard deviation to establish the contrast of effects based on spatial difference and social development of the urban, semi-urban and rural settlements which beneficiaries are living. Also, to establish whether or not the policy is achieving social cohesion, human development and transformation, which should be taken, place within the concept of social welfare. The theoretical frame work adopted is a multi-theoretical approach in dealing with the complexity around social welfare. The research is specifically looking for a theory of change in social grants administration in other to understand the impact and extent of the intervention in bringing about desired and motivated change as the scheme main priority of developmental social welfare in South Africa. Pearson correlation, Chi-square correlation and Tukey”s Post hoc Test are some of the instrument used in assessing the impact of grants on beneficiaries. The outcome of the study showed a highly significance p-value =.019, p<0.05 in spatial variance between Urban and Rural and the in between variance of .025, p<0.05 for Rural –Urban- Semi-urban (Fig.23 and Tab 8a). The study also, revealed an association between Child dependency and Sexual crime to be .009, p<0.01 (Fig 24 and Tab 6), Public violence in Rural area shows Post Hoc Test result of Mean= 2.6, SD= 2.07 for rural, Mean=1.40 SD= 1.52, for urban and a Mean=0.3, SD=0.54 for semi-urban in a descending order as it relate to social crime statistics (Fig.20). This implies that there are more frequent public violence in rural areas than that of the urban and semi-urban. The overall result shows a very strong correlation among all the variables of grants beneficiaries to be statistically relevant. This implies that the social grants intervention.

Ongoing instability in the nursing workforce is raising questions globally about the issue of nurse turnover. It is against this background that this research examines the impact of learning, advancement and quality of work-life on turnover intentions among nurses in selected hospitals from Eastern Cape. Little research has been conducted to investigate the impact of the above mentioned subjects on turnover intentions among nurses in the South African health sector. Research questions as well as hypotheses were formulated as the means to gain data on the subject. The research employed a quantitative design with a sample size of 160 nurses and 159 were returned. The data analysis consisted of both descriptive and inferential statistics. The main findings of the study showed a positive relationship among job satisfaction, work-life rewards, learning and advancement opportunities and job satisfaction. However, there were negative relationships between job satisfaction and turnover intentions; work-life rewards and turnover intentions; and also among learning, career advancement and turnover intentions. Finally, suggestions were made to the top management in the Health sector to come up with strategies and mechanisms that improve nurses’ quality of work-life and offering them training and advancement opportunities through organisational change programs.

This study was conducted at Engcobo Local Municipality in the Eastern Cape Province to assess the role of municipal structures and systems in the implementation of small town revitalisation strategy. From onset, it highlights that numerous attempts to implement small town revitalisation have failed because of lack of institutional capacity. In addressing this problem, the study outlined the following objectives. To assess role played by municipal structures and systems on implementation of small town revitalisation. To identify institutional challenges experienced during implementation of small town revitalisation strategy. To propose alternative institutional measures that can lead to effective implementation of small town revitalisation. In achieving the study’s objectives; literature from both developed and developing countries was reviewed and it was learnt that institutional capacity is important for efficient implementation of the strategy. Systems theory was also reviewed so as to provide conceptual basis that underpins this study. Data was collected through primary methods and secondary sources. Research participants were chosen by random sampling from councillors, managers, business and traditional leaders. Research findings revealed that there were institutional problems which hinder implementation of the strategy such as lack of competent human resources, insufficient budget and shortages of machinery. Through analysis of findings, the research proposed that small town revitalisation strategy should be reformulated and role of municipal structures be clearly defined. Both councillors and officials should be capacitated. The study further recommended that local people and stakeholders should be involved in the conception and implementation of small town revitalisation strategy. Areas for further research were proposed at the end.

Food security and self-sufficiency in the rural areas has been and remains a major concern for the South African government. The study aimed to investigate farmer’s perception of factors influencing small-scale vegetable production in Tsengiwe village in the Eastern Cape. The research focus was on the following aspects that may have an influence on small-scale vegetable production: socio-economic factors, production and resource deficiencies and the impact of indigenous leafy vegetables. The researcher conducted several demonstration workshops during the field work. The pilot studies and community engagements were essential to extract knowledge systems embedded in the cultural traditions of indigenous or local communities. The action research was part of the reflective process of broadminded problem solving led by researcher and community. The research approach used a triangulation research method to extract information, whereby both quantitative and qualitative research was used to ensure greater accuracy. The main data collection was obtained from interviews with small-scale farming households in the Tsengiwe area. The study revealed that households were dependent on elderly female pensioners to source food and water. These women received most of their income from social grants and were mainly responsible for all farming activities in the households. Most households attempted to produce vegetables, although food security and self-sufficiency through own production was rarely achieved.Other perceived farming challenges included: lack of market accessibility, irrigation infrastructure, drought, financial limitations and soil degradation. Indigenous leafy vegetables were found to play a nutritional role in times of food shortage and not as much for their medicinal value. The study recommended the following interventions: Support for the elderly women in development and production practices, interventions to address factors affecting vegetable production, improving soil structure, working towards food self-sufficiency, moving away from dependence on mechanisation in rural farming.

Game ranch owners are spoilt by the high prices overseas hunters are prepared to pay, and tend to forget that in the long term it is the local market that may ensure the survival of the game industry. More effort should therefore be put into marketing hunting opportunities for the local hunter. This research focused on analysing the typical building blocks of marketing strategy applicable to service organizations. This was done to determine and evaluate the building blocks of marketing strategy applicable to game ranches in the Eastern Cape Province who are targeting local biltong hunters. A literature review was conducted to determine the ideal building blocks of marketing strategy for service organizations such as game ranches. Thereafter, a survey was conducted by means of a questionnaire to determine the ranchers' perceptions of marketing and evaluate their marketing strategies. Most of the respondents: had a fair idea of what marketing entails; were unaware of the thread that links customer expectations, satisfaction and loyalty; realized the importance of relationship marketing with external markets, but not with internal markets; perceived direct competition as their biggest threat, while other travel opportunities were seen as the most important substitute for hunting; mainly positioned themselves based on the features the ranch offered, and believed that the standard of service delivery and physical features of the ranch (the nature of the offering) were their important competitive advantages. The study proposes that the framework of building blocks of marketing strategy, designed by the researcher be used as a tool with which marketing strategies for game ranches in the Eastern Cape Province targeting local biltong hunters could be developed. Additional research on topics such as advertising and the various market opportunity strategies of diversification and product development, could lead to improvement and modification of this framework, making it an even more powerful tool in developing marketing strategies.

A background of serious disparities in past welfare policies, legislation and programmes, necessitated the need for a far-reaching new social welfare policy in South Africa. The adoption of the White Paper for Social Welfare by Parliament in February 1997, set the path for the new social developmental approach to social welfare, dealing with key substantive issues in addressing the restructuring of social welfare services, programmes and social security. The Eastern Cape Province is one of the poorer provinces in South Africa. Negative radio and print media reports on social welfare in the province in the past three years has made it clear that serious problems and disparities face the provincial department. Several of these media reports highlighted issues relating to poor service delivery and unacceptable conditions of underdevelopment and poverty still prevailing in the province. The Eastern Cape Welfare Department has been plagued by fraud and corruption, and in a report of the Eastern Cape legislature’s standing committee on welfare in 2001, it was found that fraudulent activities, corruption and misconduct by government officials are still prevalent in the welfare department. The objective of this research was to assess whether the Eastern Cape Department of Social Development (Welfare) is implementing this new social developmental approach to social welfare, as set out in the 1997 White Paper for Social Welfare.

There has never been an age in which change did not take place. However, the increase in the unpredictability of many factors of the 21st century means that organisations are susceptible to, and must embrace change. This results in an increase in the pace at which organisations may have to deal with change. This research study evaluates the interventions considered to bring about optimal change within organisations. In order to complete this study it was necessary to address the fundamentals of change management, tools utilised to manage change and the current theoretical models that assist organisations in managing change. The study took place within the Eastern Cape as it is regarded as the second fastest growing economy in South Africa. The researcher used the automotive cluster as the population for the study as it is the largest industry within the Eastern Cape. Based on the theoretical findings of a literature survey a questionnaire was developed and distributed to a randomly selected sample in the automotive cluster. The objective of the questionnaire was to evaluate the theory used and to develop a process model of change management. The results of the empirical study were statistically analysed and interpreted. Among the most important findings of the research was the fact that organisations in the Eastern Cape do not follow any specific theoretical model for managing change and very few organisations have a formal change management policy. Although the respondents to the survey acknowledged that it is imperative to engender an awareness of change management principles, especially among top management, the majority does not adhere to this principle because it is too time consuming! This research study highlights a number of areas where the management of change can be improved and presents a practical process model that can be adapted and used by the majority of organisations within the East Cape Motor Industry Cluster.

Early in 2003, African Muslims in Uitenhage’s township, Kwa-Nobuhle, learnt that Muslim women, led by Sheikh Nceba Salamntu, in South Africa’s Port Elizabeth New Brighton township, were allowed, contrary to previous practice, to follow a funeral procession right up to the graveyard. The resultant discomfort on the one hand, and excitement on the other caused by this event among Muslims in the township, forms the basis of this research. It gives focus to Muslim women, the ones most affected by their customary restriction from the gravesites. The researchi exposes the basis for women’s exclusion from funeral processions in the Muslim community. It was established that many of these Muslim women who challenged the practice were converts from Christianity to Islam. One of the bases for their action was that they were passive recipients of Islam. Furthermore, it was found that the exclusion of women from the funeral procession has no basis in Islamic writings.

A number of outcrops of the Witteberg Group and lowermost Karoo Supergroup rocks were studied in the area south of the Darlington Dam, Jansenville District, with the aim of documenting structural characteristics of the area. All lithologies are folded with fold styles varying from gentle to near isoclinal (based on interlimb angle). Fold axes are either sub-horizontal or plunging at gentle to moderate angles whereas axial planes dip gently to vertically (predominantly steep to sub-vertical). Folds verge predominantly towards the north but where southward verging they are associated with faulting or strongly folded areas. Folds plunge gently to the east-southeast and west-northwest. The area consists of a large anticlinorium with both first and second order folds occurring. Eastwest striking faults occur in the study area and are classified as normal, reverse and thrust faults. A study of the joint sets shows that there are four dominant joint directions, namely 18o, 33o, 97o and 107o (in order from least to most important). An interpretation of the tectonic history is presented in which the relationships between faults and folds show that faults formed during and after folding. Folding, and reverse and thrust faulting, occurred during the compressional events that formed the Cape Fold Belt, whereas the normal faults formed during the relaxation of these compressional forces or during the break-up of Gondwana.

The exploitation and conversion of rangeland ecosystems is often explained by economists as being the result of an undervaluation of the goods and services provided by the rangelands. Undervaluation of rangelands may contribute to their mismanagement or their transformation to monoculture, such as livestock or gathering. Similarly, this may lead to inappropriate policy recommendations and prescriptions. This study undertakes a valuation exercise in an effort to address causes of undervaluation. The objective of the study is to estimate the annual direct, indirect and non-use values per household of communal rangelands in the Eastern Cape Province, based on both primary and secondary data. The exercise incorporates the two major direct uses, both marketed and non-marketed, of rangelands - livestock and gathering. Contingent valuation method based on stated preferences by individual household was used to value the indirect and non-use values of the communal rangelands (e.g. erosion protection and burial sites). Data was collected using PRAs, structured questionnaires and interviews by trained enumerators. The study shows that half of the households owned livestock, which is the main economic use of the rangelands and gathering of natural resources also made an economic contribution. Every household was involved in collection of range resources such as fuel wood, wild fruits, thatch grass, building poles, hunting, fishing make a significant contribution to the direct use values: in the case of gathering it shows that there is “hidden harvest” of many of the natural resources from the rangelands. Indirect and non-use values are shown to be important in the communal areas but are difficult to quantify; the results of these are based on qualitative analysis. Keywords: communal rangelands, demand curve, direct use values, indirect use values, individuals’ preferences, non-use values, willingness-to-accept and willingness-to-pay.