This thesis entitled Self-help housing in South Africa: paradigms, policy and practice was conducted as the first thorough evaluation of self-help housing policy in South Africa. Selfhelp housing policy and practice in both South Africa and globally are evaluated by means of Turnerâs concept of dweller control. The thesis starts off by analysing the origin and development of low-income housing policies in developing countries, with specific reference to self-help housing policy. It is pointed out that the discussion on the influence of Turnerâs theory and the role of the World Bank are central to the analysis of the origin and development of self-help housing policy in developing countries. Turnerâs theory played a crucial role in the acceptance of self-help housing as an alternative housing-delivery mechanism in the 1960s, while the World Bank provided the necessary funding for its implementation through site-and-services schemes by governments in developing countries in the early 1970s. Despite self-help housing commonly being associated with neo-liberal policy trends, the thesis shows that self-help is practised in both capitalist and socialist countries. The international theoretical background on self-help housing is followed by an assessment of the development and application of various low-income housing policies in post-apartheid South Africa, with specific reference to self-help housing. South African policy on self-help is officially called the Peopleâs Housing Process (PHP) and is implemented through self-help groups called housing support centres. It has been found that though Turnerâs ideas and principles on self-help housing are entrenched in PHP policy, in practice this policy, to a large extent, neither conforms to Turnerâs ideas particularly those on dweller control nor to certain principles stipulated in the policy. Thus, a technocratic rather than a people-centred approach (envisaged in policy documents) dominates the PHP programmes in South Africa. The levels of the influence exerted by local people in project design, project implementation and housing design remain low, and the housing outcomes do not differ much from the conventional project subsidy approach. This leads the author to conclude that self-help housing in South Africa is, in effect, dominated by the state. However, despite state control of the housing process, both the available South African literature on self-help housing and the empirical findings seem to be in agreement that the houses in PHP projects are generally much bigger than those provided by means of the conventional contractor-driven mechanism. The comparison between the laissez-faire self-help project and the aided self-help project using a contractor-driven approach confirms that better housing outcomes have resulted from the laissez-faire self-help example (larger houses, more extension activity). Against this background, the thesis proposes that government officials should become facilitators rather than dominant role players in the application of self-help housing, programmes on consumer education should be emphasised and used as means to enhance community participation and empowerment, the emphasis on sweat equity in the self-help mechanism should be reconsidered, the self-help mechanism inherently needs to accept a certain degree of informality, government should ensure accountability and oversight without necessarily controlling state-funded self-help housing projects, and, the emphasis in self-help should be on embracing housing as a process rather than as a one-off activity.

The International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRSs) requires a number of accounting estimates for the preparation of financial statements. The purpose of this study is to establish the effect of estimates in financial statements. The possible increases in required accounting estimates in the IFRSs are examined by comparing the IFRSs of 2003 to 2006. With this comparison it is established that the requirements of the IFRSs for fair value accounting is mainly responsible for the increases in allowed accounting estimates. The IFRSs of 2006 is examined to establish the frequency of use of estimates in financial statements. In order to get a better picture of the frequency of use of accounting estimates in financial statements, a list of allowed accounting estimates for each of the components on the Balance Sheet (also referred to as the âstatement of financial positionâ) has been compiled. It is concluded that the components on the balance sheet are to a significant extent influenced by accounting estimates. The literature on earnings management and creative accounting are examined to determine if there is any risk that accounting estimates could be used to manipulate financial statements. This gives an indication of the reliability of accounting estimates within financial statements. It is concluded that the difference between fair presentation and creative accounting seems to be the intention of management which is difficult to assess. The âcorporate reporting supply chainâ has some responsibilities to prevent and detect creative accounting practices and fraud. These responsibilities can limit the risk that accounting estimates may be used in creative accounting and financial statement fraud. In the wake of some financial disasters, these checks and balances should restore public trust in financial reporting. An empirical study is performed on five companies that form part of the Construction and Materials sector of the JSE to establish the effect of estimates on their financial statements. The study indicated that: ⢠the average percentages of assets, including cash and cash equivalents, of the five companies affected by accounting estimates are 60% for 2004, 60% for 2005 and 59% for 2006. If cash and cash equivalents are excluded from the calculation of assets affected by accounting estimates, the average percentages are 72% for 2004, 77% for 2005 and 76% for 2006; ⢠there is an increase in the number of âestimateâ hits from 2004 to 2006 in the financial statements of the five companies in the empirical group; and ⢠the disclosure provided on key sources of estimation uncertainty is however, limited. A number of recommendations are made to limit the risk that accounting estimates could be used for creative accounting purposes. The negative effect of the use of accounting estimates in financial statements is a loss of reliability. The positive effect of the use of accounting estimates in financial statements is that of relevance.

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Eight of the 21 Ramsar-designated wetlands in South Africa are located in similar geohydrological settings as Groenvlei, a 359 ha lacustrine wetland found east of Sedgefield in the southern Cape. Groenvlei is unique as it is isolated from the sea and neither fed nor drained by rivers. Consequently, the lake is fed only by rainfall and groundwater inflow. Losses comprise evaporation and groundwater outflow. These characteristics result in a relatively uncomplicated hydrological system that allows for the geohydrological component to be quantified and understood. Using climatic and lake data monitored by the Department of Water Affairs and geohydrological data collected over a period of a decade, research was conducted to quantify the groundwater contribution to the system and develop an improved understanding of the hydrology of Groenvlei. A daily water balance based on rainfall, adjusted S pan evaporation data and lake levels was used to compute that the nett groundwater contribution to Groenvlei amounted to about 0.3 mm/d. It was shown that S pan evaporation data adjusted by coefficients prescribed by Midgley et al. (1994) should be used to quantify lake evaporation, and that the reed collar transpired 10% to 30% more during summer than evaporated from open water. No water is transpired by the reed collar in winter as the vegetation is dormant. Integrating the water balance results with steady-state Darcian flow calculations and a chemical mass balance indicated direct rainfall (71.6%) and groundwater inflow along the western and northern boundaries of the lake (28.4%) constituted inflow into the system. This is balanced by evaporation from open water (61.7%), transpiration from the reed collar in summer (21.4%) and groundwater outflow along the southern boundary (16.9%). This latter component invalidates claims that Groenvlei is endorheic in character. Recharge to the Eden Primary aquifer was estimated to be in the order of 20% MAP. It was calculated only 5.7% of rainfall in the lake catchment discharges into the lake. The balance of rain entering the subsurface is lost through terrestrial evaporation or discharges into the sea via the deeper part of the aquifer. It was interpreted that the deceptively thick vadose zone plays a buffering role in the hydrology of the area and that evapotranspiration losses are appreciable. The importance of the reed collar was further exemplified by the retention of salts in the vegetative fringe. Salts are assimilated by the vegetation and retained in the hyporheic zone until re-entrained into the main water body through wind and wave action. This results in only part of the salt load leaving the lake along the southern boundary and affecting groundwater quality between the lake and the sea. Further research is required to confirm this. The results of the research allowed for tools to be developed to assess the impact of groundwater abstraction from the lakeâs catchment on lake levels and water quality. These tools could also be used to demonstrate Groenvlei has long since lost its connection to the marine or estuarine environments, with a new equilibrium being reached within 120 years of disconnect. The young lake is dynamic in character and rapidly responds to hydrological change. In its short history, Groenvlei has adapted and responded to changes in both sea level and climate, collectively resulting in the present-day system. In addition to highlighting the importance of sound conceptualisation, data quality and a convergence of evidence, the outcomes of this study challenged the findings of Roetsâ (2008) PhD research and found no scientific evidence to support his contention that Groenvlei is sustained by underlying Table Mountain Group aquifers. It was also found that the permeability south of Groenvlei is not low and the extent of the lake catchment is 25 km2. Past research of Groenvlei has resulted in a number of misconceptions and it was argued a need exists to link hydrologists and ecologists to better understand wetlands, with each contributing specific skills and knowledge. An important contribution of the research documented in this thesis is that the approach used can be applied to similar wetlands where the role of groundwater might be less obvious because of river flows and tidal exchange. The importance of sound conceptualization and direct rainfall onto wetlands, quantification of evaporative losses using S pan data and coefficients prescribed by Midgley et al. (1994), and the relationship between open water losses and transpiration losses are three aspects that could improve the understanding and quantification of lake â groundwater interaction elsewhere. A limitation to understanding the geohydrology of Groenvlei is the lack of information pertaining to aquifer thickness. It is therefore recommended four boreholes be drilled to either bedrock or at least 100 m in depth (whichever is reached first) to quantify the thickness of the aquifer. Other limitations that require attention include: ï· Uneven spatial distribution of the geohydrological data; ï· Lack of information of losses from open water and the reed collar; and ï· Absence of monitored groundwater data needed to address temporal relationships between groundwater and the lake.

This dissertation is an exploratory study aimed at increasing the theoretical and empirical understanding of knowledge transfer from a university to its region. The study builds on the increased emphasis on the role of universities as âenginesâ for development. By using the Faculty of Agriculture at the University of the Free State, South Africa as a case study, this study aimed to provide a nuanced understand of the factors affecting knowledge transfer between academics and stakeholders in a less favoured region. By means of the learning region concept and supported by other empirical studies, key indicators were identified from the literature and were developed for investigation. A qualitative approach was followed to collect data from academics in the Faculty of Agriculture and from relevant stakeholders by means of semi-structured interviews and a detailed review of some key policy documents. Institutional data, farmer databases and an academic survey provided quantitative data with a view to facilitating the triangulation of data and the minimising of bias. Findings from the study revealed that the process of knowledge transfer from the UFS was affected by a combination of demand and supply factors. Some of the factors affecting supply included the nature and the history of the UFS and the Faculty of Agriculture, adequate incentive structures, the level of policy alignment and the embeddedness of knowledge outputs from the faculty. Demand factors included the absorptive capacity of the region, the presence of coordinated demand systems and the nature of the networks that existed between stakeholders. This thesis argues that because of institutional lock-ins in the region â that have led to path dependency in the practice of agriculture â knowledge from the faculty has failed to realise its potential in respect of contributing to regional development. While there is evidence of networks between farmers and academics, the network forms are âdistortedâ and as yet strongly embedded along historical social and racial lines. There is also limited evidence of a properly institutionalised notion of engagement with emerging farmers and thus knowledge transfer continues to be path dependent. The findings have implications for the UFS, for the faculty and for the region. While the UFS has defined itself as having both a national and an international agenda, the university will consciously have to define its regional role and then have to establish structures for active engagement â not only broadly but also specifically with the agricultural sector. At the faculty level, engagement needs to be reconceptualised, with engagement moving from a philanthropic ethos to one that is part of the core function of teaching and learning. At the regional level, there is a need for the establishment of new forums in which the UFS and the different stakeholders may engage. More importantly, these initiatives will have to be built on trust, social capital and networks for collective benefits to result.

It is stated in this research report that even though rural development policies and programmes in many developing countries focus on improving agricultural productivity to ensure food security, little attention has hitherto been paid to improving the rural non-farm sector as an alternative or complementary rural development strategy. Lesotho has been no exception in this regard. For instance, the research findings indicate that although rural development in Lesotho has improved agriculture, productivity in agriculture has in recent decades been in decline because of physical and economic factors. The rural non-farm sector has not been prioritised in rural development in Lesotho. This is the first study in Lesotho to look into the role played by the non-farm sector in rural development as regards the different sectors, namely manufacturing, trade/commerce and service. The thesis firstly scrutinises the changing paradigms of rural development in developing countries. After the Second World War, rural development in developing countries started to improve agricultural production through the adoption of Green Revolution technologies. Evidence from the research reveals that developing countries are characterised by poverty, unemployment, food insecurity and low standards of living and that modernisation in agriculture has aimed to increase food production. The research findings further indicate that though rural non-farm enterprises depend on agriculture for the supply of raw materials, the Green Revolution packages did not explicitly state that agricultural surplus would be used as raw materials in rural non-farm enterprises. What they did emphasise was the idea of ensuring food security. This was accomplished through using different policies and programmes. Most prominent was the Integrated Rural Development, which applied the integrated approach to rural development. At that point the idea of establishing/improving a rural non-farm sector came into being, but the focus was on agro-industries and not on small-scale enterprises. It can thus be said that scant attention was devoted to the rural non-farm sector in developing countries in past decades. The research findings have revealed the rural non-farm sector to have been an alternative or complementary strategy with a view to ensuring momentum in and recognition for agriculture in developing countries in the late 1980s and early 1990s during the adoption of Structural Adjustment Programmes and macroeconomic reforms. The research findings further indicate that Structural Adjustment Programmes advocated retrenchment in the public sector and that this caused unemployment and poverty. The research findings moreover show that the reduction of government subsidies, especially in agriculture â as a specific condition of Structural Adjustment Programmes â caused agriculture to decline, which in turn resulted in food insecurity in many countries. Therefore, as a response to escalating poverty, increasing unemployment and food insecurity, many people participated in non-farm activities so as to make a living. During the period of rural-urban linkages, the establishment of non-farm enterprises gained momentum in developing countries in the 1990s. Evidence shows that rural-urban linkages established good communication networks between urban and rural areas, which served to facilitate trade between rural and urban areas. Research on Lesotho indicates that many people lost jobs in the public sector when Structural Adjustment Programmes were adopted in 1991, and which resulted in unemployment, poverty and food insecurity. Unemployment in Lesotho was further aggravated by retrenchment of Basotho males on the South African goldmines from the early 1990s onwards. In this regard, those families dependent on migrant labourer remittances as a source of livelihood faced food insecurity. However, in order to make a living, many former mineworkers used the retrenchment packages as start-up capital towards the establishment of non-farm enterprises. As a result, the non-farm sector created employment opportunities for the former Basotho mine workers. The research findings moreover indicate that, subsequent to the decline in agricultural production and the loss of jobs in the South African goldmines, rural non-farm incomes have, for many people, become the main livelihood sources for many people. Although rural non-farm enterprises contribute to rural development by creating incomes, employment and ensuring food security, there are various factors that affect the performance of non-farm enterprises: demographic factors and factors related to location, business linkages, competition and government support. For instance, the research findings reveal that education levels have a bearing on the performance of the non-farm enterprises, so much so that the performance of non-farm enterprises owned by entrepreneurs with tertiary education is better than that of enterprises owned by people with low levels of education. Even though enterprises owned by people with tertiary education tend to perform better, the contribution of non-farm enterprises in terms of employment creation, income earnings and ensuring food security is however not significant. Thus, rural development policy should, to a larger extent, focus on the rural non-farm sector, and the different stakeholders should do their part towards improving the sector.