The Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) has been seen by government as a poverty-alleviation initiative in which many South Africans receive training and temporary employment that assist them in enhancing their employability. This has been seen in many rural communities as assisting with development of the community. It has been emphasize that this programme boosts the local economy while at the same time providing much needed financial support to those that are faced with lack of community development and unemployment. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of the programme on community upliftment, with particular reference to community perceptions of the programme and training that is offered within the programme itself. Challenges with the implementation and execution of the programme were explored, in order to develop recommendations that will enhance the effectiveness of the programme within the local municipality. The literature study included interviews with key informants involved directly with the programme in the local municipality. A descriptive research approach within a qualitative paradigm was adopted for the study. Data was collected mainly from secondary sources. The findings of the study indicate that the Expanded Public Works Programme is the main source of employment within the local municipality, benefiting not only the beneficiaries involved in the programme, but also the community as a whole. The beneficiaries in the local area are able to sustain their needs through participating in the programme, and the community becomes safer and cleaner, with income being brought into families by participants in the programme. However, the local municipality is not achieving its set targets, and there is evidence of a lack of skills development and misuse of the beneficiaries by the local municipality officials, which is causing the programme to be ineffective.

A website with a good e-commerce design will positively influence a customer’s attitude, strengthen the trust of the customers towards the organisation, increase the satisfaction of the customer, draw consumers, and bring forth purchases/repeat purchases from them. The purpose of this study was to determine viable e-commerce opportunities for the Ficksburg Cherry Festival website. The study endeavoured to ascertain how the Ficksburg Cherry Festival could improve its website by identifying e-commerce opportunities for the Ficksburg Cherry Festival website. In this study a non-random self-administered survey approach was used where attendees were intercepted at the venue of the Ficksburg Cherry Festival and the exhibitors in their stalls. The existing Ficksburg Cherry Festival website was analysed for e-commerce features that are present and opportunities for further implementation of e-commerce features were identified with help from the attendees and exhibitors. The findings of this study presented a demographic profile and attendance characteristics of both the attendees and exhibitors, which the management team of the Ficksburg Cherry Festival can use to better market the festival using traditional and online communication for both attendees and exhibitors. The recommendations will assist the management of the festival to improve the website and to progress from a straightforward information-only website to a fully-developed e-commerce site, with positive effects for all the stakeholders. Similar South African festivals could find the research findings and recommendations of value for their own website development as well. / Business Management / M. Com. (Business Management)

A website with a good e-commerce design will positively influence a customer’s attitude, strengthen the trust of the customers towards the organisation, increase the satisfaction of the customer, draw consumers, and bring forth purchases/repeat purchases from them. The purpose of this study was to determine viable e-commerce opportunities for the Ficksburg Cherry Festival website. The study endeavoured to ascertain how the Ficksburg Cherry Festival could improve its website by identifying e-commerce opportunities for the Ficksburg Cherry Festival website. In this study a non-random self-administered survey approach was used where attendees were intercepted at the venue of the Ficksburg Cherry Festival and the exhibitors in their stalls. The existing Ficksburg Cherry Festival website was analysed for e-commerce features that are present and opportunities for further implementation of e-commerce features were identified with help from the attendees and exhibitors. The findings of this study presented a demographic profile and attendance characteristics of both the attendees and exhibitors, which the management team of the Ficksburg Cherry Festival can use to better market the festival using traditional and online communication for both attendees and exhibitors. The recommendations will assist the management of the festival to improve the website and to progress from a straightforward information-only website to a fully-developed e-commerce site, with positive effects for all the stakeholders. Similar South African festivals could find the research findings and recommendations of value for their own website development as well. / Business Management / M. Com. (Business Management)

The current study aimed to evaluation of a Rural Development project in this case the (Kabelo Trust), by evaluating the factors that contributes to its sustainability even though 70% of the members did not undergo high school education. Qualitative research methods was employed in gathering accurate information from the project members about the strategies that they are employing in sustaining the project while many government funded project does not last for even a year. The involvement of the stakeholders like Setsoto Local Municipality, the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform, the role they played in the project was also explored. It was therefore suggested by the researcher that the main stakeholder which is the Department of Agriculture should assist the project in establishing market for products in other countries.

The Department of Social Development introduced the Community Shepherds life skills Project at two schools in the Ficksburg community, in the Thabo Mofutsanyane district of the Free State in 2007 due to the high rate of crime that occurred in the schools. The project targeted children with a history of criminal behaviour and learners who exhibited other forms of anti-social behaviour, and provided them with life skills that could help them face life challenges. No systematic evaluation of the project has been made since its inception and, therefore, the aim of the study was to investigate the perceived impact of the Community Shepherds Project in reducing crime in schools in the Ficksburg community in the Free State province. To achieve the aim the following objectives were identified: To establish the perceived impact of the Community Shepherds Project’s life skills programme on the behaviour and conduct of learners who are participating in the project; to identify factors impacting on the successful implementation of the Community Shepherds project; and to suggest ways of strengthening the Community Shepherds Project. The study population consisted of learners who were members of the Community Shepherds Project in Ficksburg, who had participated in the project since its inception, and their parents. Teachers from the schools participating in the project and the police in Ficksburg constituted the key informants. The sample included 15 learners who were participating in the project who had been arrested for committing different offences and who displayed anti-social behaviour at home and in school, their 12 parents and 4 key informants from the police and the schools. A qualitative research design was used to collect data from the participants in order to obtain in-depth information concerning the perceived impact of the life skills programme on the behaviour and conduct of learners who participated in the programme. Different semi-structured interview schedules were administered to the learners, their parents and the key informants. The findings reveal that the perceptions of the respondents was that the life skills programme had an impact on the behaviour of learners because the life skills that they had gained from the programme helped them to stop committing the offences that they used to commit. The life skills also helped them to stop displaying the anti-social behaviour that they used to exhibit. 2 The findings revealed that the factors that contributed to the success of the project included the approaches that the facilitators used to run the project, like motivating the learners in everything that they did, and the cooperation between the facilitators, the school and the parents. The findings also reveal that the good team work that occurred between the learners, support from the parents, as well as support from the Department of Social Development, all contributed to the success of the project. The suggested ways of strengthening the Community Shepherds Project were that the project should be implemented in all schools in the community, including the primary and multiracial schools. It was also suggested that the project should include all youths in the community. The final suggestion was that the project should include all stakeholders in the community. The life skill projects should target unemployed youths in the communities so that they can gain skills that can help them become self-employed. The study also recommends that the life skills project should be implemented in all schools in South Africa to provide learners with life skills that can help them to face life challenges. Learners who have been involved in criminal activities should not be the only ones who are taught life skills – all learners should have the same opportunity.