This thesis examines the concept of water cooperatives as an alternative model to create access, supply and manage water services in poor urban and peri urban areas. Two case studies from the Municipality of Moreno, Buenos Aires are presented in this thesis in order to account for the feasibility of the model. The primary data for this research is derived from participant observation, key informant interviews, household questionnaire-based interviews and archival research. The significance of researching water cooperatives is that they have traditionally been dismissed in regard to their potential of being a practical alternative to large water concessions and public run water services in the Global South. Research on alternatives such as water cooperatives is key, particularly in the face of growing de-privatization in the water sector in the province of Buenos Aires. The Buenos Aires Metropolitan Area is an important case study for research on water governance because it was intended to be the World Banks model for which other countries would strive to emulate when reforming and improving water services by means of private concessions. The first part of the thesis examines the political and social history of water cooperatives in Argentina and the effects of privatization on the cooperative model. The second part outlines the theoretical advantages and disadvantages of the governance model and positions these theories against the realities of an existing water cooperative and a poor peri-urban community that has a strong affinity for implementing the model in their community. The two case studies presented in this thesis help to elucidate why the water governance model is able to serve poor peri-urban communities that otherwise remain unserviced by the traditional public or private water governance models. This is significant if we are earnest about providing water and sanitation services to all. / Arts, Faculty of / Geography, Department of / Graduate

The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) that range from halving extreme poverty rates to halting the spread of HIV/AIDS and providing universal primary education, have been the most effective anti‐poverty push in history. The lives of thousands of people have been improved and targets have already been met on reducing poverty, increasing access to safe water, improving the lives of slum dwellers, and achieving gender parity in primary education. Despite huge gains, progress towards the eight MDGs has been uneven, not only among regions and countries, but also between population groups within countries, with accelerated action needed in many areas (MDG, 2013). On the other hand poverty alleviation, when we look at poverty alleviation, Mbaku (2007) defines it as the creation of a social, economic, and political environment that enhances and promotes entrepreneurial activities particularly among the poorest and most deprived persons while at the same time eliminating the inequalities that have diminished their life chances.

The South African law and legal system can and should be a mechanism through which the lives of all resident there are enhanced through the safeguarding and advancement of the fundamental rights guaranteed in its Bill of Rights. This thesis focuses on ‘legal aid’ service delivery (broadly speaking) for the indigent in a particular locality by and through registered law clinics, other legal services providers and via other means in civil rather than criminal matters. In this regard there continue to be very substantial differences between the proper access to civil justice requirements of constitutional South Africa and the actual situation which has existed since the dawn of South Africa’s democratic era which continues unabated. Justice and equality are promised to all in South Africa, yet due to gaps in the ‘net’ of free legal services provided to the indigent, the ability to pay for legal services in civil cases often remains the deciding factor. This study examines the constitutional obligations which, it is argued, apply to the provision of free civil legal services to impoverished people in South Africa. This research considers the law as a vector for necessary positive transformation in the daily lives of those resident in South Africa, which is considered within the country’s woefully unequal socio-economic situation. It builds upon existing research and court authority which show the function of access to justice as an important promoter of the type of society envisaged by the South African Constitution - one where the enjoyment of justice and equality are within the reach of all. However, at present, if one can afford the expensive services of lawyers in civil matters, then access to justice is far more readily attainable. But the opposite is true where someone is denied meaningful access to justice through a lack of legal representation because they cannot afford prohibitively high lawyers’ costs (and disbursements) and no adequate alternatives are provided for by the state or through other means. In these circumstances a vulnerable, unrepresented litigant in a civil case faces a greatly increased likelihood of being denied proper access to a daunting and intricate legal system. There are two main reasons for concentrating on free legal services to the ‘needy’ in civil rather than criminal matters. In the first place, all available statistics show that a huge proportion of legal aid services in South Africa has been and continues to be dispensed in criminal rather than civil cases. Secondly, there has been minimal research or case authority in South Africa on legal aid and other free legal services for impoverished people in civil matters. This thesis examines the state of free civil legal service provision and the need for such assistance within the eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality, one of South Africa’s largest metropoles. This analysis includes an empirical study of the requests for free civil legal services in a particular year by qualifying potential clients in eThekwini and the degree to which free legal service providers are meeting or failing to meet those needs. The study considers the legal service provision in such matters by legal non-governmental organisations, state-supported legal service providers and the work of legal professionals in private practice acting pro bono. The thesis then proposes a model for eThekwini for coordinating (and concurrently improving) civil legal aid services, pro bono legal work and other forms of free legal assistance - like community service by senior law students and law graduates - in response to the particular needs and circumstances facing the indigent there. When referring to the concept of ‘legal aid services’, this research concentrates on legal advice, assistance and representation to indigent clients. However, the promotion of legal rights awareness to such clients is often necessary to open their eyes to the possibility of legal avenues, where appropriate, to improve their situations. Therefore this study also considers - albeit to a lesser degree - this more indirect form of legal assistance through the dissemination of legal knowledge in an accessible form to clients who would qualify for legal aid assistance. The work concludes by briefly postulating the likely appropriateness (and/or limitations) of the aforementioned ‘free civil legal service model for the indigent’ beyond eThekwini.

Poverty alleviation projects are interventions designed to assist the socio-economic conditions of poor communities. This is a case study on a skills development project that has been implemented with the aim of alleviating poverty through equipping people with productive skills. The study was conducted in Lephalale, Limpopo province. It was conducted during July and August 2011. The study focuses on skills development as a poverty alleviation strategy because developing skills is essential for building human capacity. The study evaluates the effectiveness of skills development within a community that is characterised by lack of education and skills. Many rural communities fail to apprehend education and skills as a result of their location and poverty. They are isolated from cities and towns and this has an impact on their surrounding conditions including the level of skills and education. The study found that the skills development project in Lephalale played a vital role of developing skills through training community members with the skills necessary to obtain jobs and be able to create self-employment. Creating self-employment is one way to address the challenges of unemployment and the lack of income. There research found that there are various job opportunities being created in the area, however the local community cannot participate due to lack of skills required in the labour market. The study revealed the majority of the people who joined the skills development project did not complete grade 12 and have never worked.

The focus of this research was to establish how black primary school principals in some Port Elizabeth schools manage the problems of poverty, vandalism and non-payment of school fees. The aim of this research was to improve these burning issues at my own school, but also to assist other schools which are encountering similar problems with regard to these three issues. Qualitative research methods were used. Data was collected by studying relevant literature and conducting semi-structured interviews and participant observation. Composite case studies of the schools were compiled. Content analysis was used to analyse the data and recommendations for improvement were made. The results of the research indicate that since 1994, when democracy and equal human rights were declared, primary schools have actually been experiencing escalating problems in terms of poverty, vandalism and school fee payment. As the school system is closely intertwined with the socio-economic and political dimensions of society, these challenges can only be effectively addressed if all stakeholders in education collectively take up ownership of these problems and commit themselves to finding unique and effective solutions in the Port Elizabeth urban and rural areas.

From human to human(e) is an exploration of ways of coming to understand what it means to be(come) human and to belong (Vanier, 2003) while living and working as an educator in a disadvantaged community. In this sense, the purpose of this dissertation is the exploration of understanding what it might mean to be a ‘Foundation Phase’ (Primary/Elementary School) educator in a context of constructed poverty and disadvantage (Swanson 2004), thereby contributing to the field of education in this area, whilst embracing a practice of freedom and fostering apertures of hope and transcendence. This reflexive, rhizomatic narrative journeying (ibid) attempts to reach out to humanity via an interdisciplinary and arts-based approach that attempts to address concerns of inequity and pedagogical in-access and evokes the spiritual, emotive and philosophical in drawing attention to the ethical irresponsibility and socio-spiritual repercussions of ignoring social disadvantage in education. It includes inherences and impressions of humaneness in education. It seeks both introspection and insight into what ‘the human condition’ might mean to a just and robust education of children. In this sense, it is a personal inquiry as reflexive narrative journeying (ibid) based on twenty seven years of teaching in a primary school in a vulnerable and economically-impoverished community in the province of KwaZulu Natal in South Africa. As a writing-as-inquiry journeying, I engage with ‘critical rhizomatic narrative’ methodology (Swanson, 2004) as it resonates with the explorations of lived experiences that pertain to emotions, feelings, values and spirituality and because it enables a process of seeking what it might mean to be(come) human(e). This study is a philosophical rhizomatic narrative rendering which is an approach to(wards) understandings of personal growth and spirituality through understanding the various emergent journeys of life and the meanings that we can elicit from them to become more human and thus more humane.

This study focuses on investigating the impact of poverty reduction programmes in improving the quality of lives of the people in the King Sabata Dalindyebo Local Municipality, in relation to interventions that have been implemented by the South African government to address poverty. The purpose of the study is to understand the situation in King Sabata Dalindyebo Municipality and come up with recommendations that will assist government to enhance delivery of poverty reduction programmes in order to improve the quality of life of the rural poor in King Sabata Dalindyebo Local Municipality. The research methodology for this study is descriptive, sourced from available literature. Due to the restricted extent of the research, no empirical survey is conducted. A number of normative criteria that deal with the research problem are identified from the available literature from which findings are drawn and recommendations made. The findings of the study show that; whilst significant progress has been made to address poverty through policy and legal frameworks and through implementation of poverty reduction strategies and programmes, there is a general consensus in literature that poverty is still widespread in South Africa and that activities put in place to reduce and eradicate it are not sufficiently translating into required outputs necessary for desired outcomes which ultimately impact on poverty. The study has identified the gaps that exist in service delivery as well as the challenges faced by government in effectively impacting on poverty through its poverty reduction programmes. Based on the findings the study has made recommendations that will assist government to enhance service delivery so that poverty reduction programmes are conducted in an effective and efficient, integrated and coordinated manner which will cause government to achieve its desired outcomes.

The period 1994 to 1999 saw the implementation of fundamental social and political change in South Africa. Social science literature suggests that such fundamental change increases the probability of civil conflict and strife, as some sectors of the population expect significant improvements in their position following the removal of economic and political barriers that previously inhibited their upward mobility. Other sectors are concerned about a possible decrease in their living standards of the erosion of their privileged position. Still others experience increased uncertainty, which in itself is associated with significant social change. It is significant to state that poverty in South Africa is intertwined with a host of social and economic issues. The burden of poverty is exacerbated by limited access to basic services, poor housing, limited employment opportunities and inadequate infrastructure, which are an outcome of the terrible legacies of apartheid. The South African government has set certain targets to reduce poverty by half by 2014, in line with its vision for 2014 and in line with its commitment to the Millennium Development Goals. In an endeavour to realise this commitment, the government has prioritised the improvement of service delivery as one of the indicators of progress. However, although the government has made improvements and attained some of its goals, it still needs to do more. With apartheid no longer in place as the system to blame for every grievance, other rifts may have developed in society and become grounds for mobilisation, Klandermans, B. et al. 2001. Mantsopa Local Municipality is not an exception to these developments and it faces a series of challenges. Despite nineteen years of democracy, poverty is still common in Mantsopa. Unemployment levels are high and many people depend on government old age pensions, seasonal farm work, minor-scale self-employment and part-time jobs for the survival of the entire household. These developments have led to the study of poverty alleviation programmes in selected towns of Thabo Mofutsanyane District Municipality. The researcher investigates these programmes through the analysis of secondary data.

The researcher is perturbed by the escalating levels of poverty and unemployment in Mbhashe Local Municipality (Integrated Development Plan, 2008/9) despite the poverty alleviation programmes that have been established since 1994. The main objective of this study is to identify the underlying factors and challenges faced by women of the Impumelelo Isezandleni Community Garden and Poultry Project in meeting the set objectives of the programme such as improving food security and job creation through sustainable agricultural development. This project falls under the Siyazondla Homestead Food Production Programme (SHFPP), which is one of the programmes developed under the Green Revolution strategy of the Department of Agriculture. SHFPP is proclaimed to be running successfully in improving food security in the Mbhashe Local Municipality (MECDoA: 2008/9). 7 ABSTRACT The researcher is perturbed by the escalating levels of poverty and unemployment in Mbhashe Local Municipality (Integrated Development Plan, 2008/9) despite the poverty alleviation programmes that have been established since 1994. The main objective of this study is to identify the underlying factors and challenges faced by women of the Impumelelo Isezandleni Community Garden and Poultry Project in meeting the set objectives of the programme such as improving food security and job creation through sustainable agricultural development. This project falls under the Siyazondla Homestead Food Production Programme (SHFPP), which is one of the programmes developed under the Green Revolution strategy of the Department of Agriculture. SHFPP is proclaimed to be running successfully in improving food security in the Mbhashe Local Municipality (MECDoA: 2008/9). The dissertation argues that women, the beneficiaries of the project, are faced with a variety of challenges which make it impossible to meet the set objectives. Using a qualitative research methodology where semi-structured interviews gather data from 15 respondents who are beneficiaries in the project, findings indicate that there are a number of challenges and constraints that are experienced by women in the project. These challenges amongst others range from gender equity, culture and tradition; lack of provisions for diverse women population in the project; violation of the people-centered approach; limited women empowerment; insufficient support and lack of capacity from the Department of Agriculture (DoA) officials, the non-existent Land Reform Programme etc. While women seem committed and want the project to grow to sustain them, this is not complemented with enough support by the DoA. The study anticipates that should these women find viable alternatives, they will soon abandon the project. To avoid a total anticipated collapse of the project in future, the study recommends that a serious intervention by the state should occur coupled with the revitalization of the programme and a paradigm shift towards an effective food security programme which emphasizes women and their important role in agriculture.

The problem this research seeks to address is about the ineffectiveness of NGOs’ strategies implemented in the rural areas of Binga District in Zimbabwe. The research has been basically influenced by personal concerns which I believe have influenced the selection of the research problem. My main concern is the deepening of poverty in Binga District. Lack of infrastructure like roads, shortage of schools leading to high illiteracy levels, shortage of clinics and hospitals, lack of clean water, high unemployment levels are the indicators of poverty in Binga. Country wide, the district is regarded as one of the poorest districts. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the poverty alleviation strategies implemented by NGOs in the rural areas of Zimbabwe specifically in Binga. Today there are more than fifteen NGOs that operate in Binga and they specialise in different areas ranging from food distribution, education, agriculture, conservation and advocacy. What matters most is that despite the number of NGOs operating in Binga, poverty is still intensifying and widening. Through the research, it was found that most NGOs’ strategies in Binga focus on relief than developmental aid. Also when addressing poverty, NGOs use the trickle down approach than the bottom up approach. Moreover, the strategies implemented in Binga do not address the needs of the poor. The political instability in Zimbabwe is also believed to be a serious stumbling block to the operation of NGOs in Binga and the rest of the country. Finally, the research recommends NGOs to use the participatory approach as well as the sustainable livelihoods approach in dealing with poverty. Again, NGOs need to monitor and evaluate their projects because most of their projects are not monitored and evaluated properly. Above all the NGOs’ strategies for alleviating poverty need to be reviewed.