MA, Development Studies Research report University of the Witwatersrand Final submission 2 November 2016 / This study explores the land restitution experience of the Amangcolosi Community Trust, to understand what factors have allowed them to build a thriving land reform project in a terrain riddled with dysfunctional community property institutions and under-utilised land. The case of the neighbouring Gayede Trust, with a shared history, is used as a secondary case for comparison. The research considers what factors contribute to effective communal property management, as well as the role of government, the traditional authority, and commercial partners in contributing to or hindering success. It also explores what factors have allowed for alleged co-option of resources by elites, and the role of corruption and mismanagement by government in jeopardising the community’s success. Finally, it discusses the importance of accountability from both the top-down and bottom-up if land reform is to avoid ongoing repetitions of the tragedy of the commons. / GR2017

The research report is hereby submitted in the fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Development Planning to the School of Architecture and Planning, Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment, at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2017 / The main aim of the study is to investigate the significance of the Spatial Planning and Land Use Management Act (16 OF 2013) (SPLUMA) and its possible implications on land allocation in areas under traditional authority. In order to achieve this, the Act was reviewed as a data collection mechanism. This was done in order to gain an in-depth understanding of the act and its objectives before attempting to formulate the implications of this Act on land allocation in areas under traditional authority .This study explored how this new planning legislation (i.e. SPLUMA) will affect the roles and functions of traditional leaders in rural development and overall service provision, focusing mainly on land allocation. The research study discovered that SPLUMA was a significant Spatial and Land Use Management legislation in South Africa which is central in addressing issues of land rights and rural development. The findings were that there has been tension between traditional leaders and elected local government officials as they found contesting for power and authority in rural areas. This was because of the ambiguity and vagueness of the Constitution and the Traditional Leadership and Governance Act on issues of power and functions of the two institutions especially on matters of land allocation and administration. Another finding was regarding the socio-economic implication which showed that SPLUMA was a planning law which has potential to redress the socio-economic imbalances left by the colonial and apartheid regimes, but it requires the collaboration of traditional leaders as custodians of tribal land and customary law. Conclusions and key recommendations were that local government officials and traditional leaders need to cooperate on issues of land allocation and administration. However, clarification of roles and functions in SPLUMA regulations should be done to avoid tension and frustrations. Furthermore, there is also a need for national land allocation guidelines which traditional leaders should consider when allocating land. Lastly, capacitation of traditional leaders on spatial planning, land management and rural governance was indispensable in promoting land rights and rural development in areas under their jurisdiction. / MT2017

The Policy Unit of the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA) has developed a number of strategic themes embracing many cross-cutting issues. The main thrust of the Unit’s work, however, focuses on the core mandate of the Bank - infrastructure. In order to provide for a coherent whole, rural infrastructure must fit into a broader policy framework. Globally, the goals set for the first two decades of the next millennium are to address poverty and achieve food security. The DBSA can contribute to South Africa’s position on these global themes by addressing the issue of rural infrastructure delivery, taking cognisance of the South African government’s Growth, Employment and Redistribution (GEAR) programme. This discussion document will specifically address the local economic development activities of farm production and rural livelihoods in order to achieve food security, address poverty and foster economic growth in the marginalised, infrastructure-deprived rural areas of the country. It is assumed that additional entrepreneurial economic opportunities will arise at village and town level as producers become nett surplus producers, eg in small grain milling, cottage industry, village markets, processing (value adding), etc. In contrast to urban development, where economic activity is assumed by investing in infrastructure, the DBSA will actively have to support the transformation of economic activity in the rural scenario. One of the past successes of the DBSA has been the introduction of the Farmer Support Programme (FSP). The FSP’s provision of services and support, based on the needs of existing smallholders, is embedded in participatory planning and action. Without local initiatives, rural infrastructure cannot be delivered effectively to bolster economic growth, create jobs and redistribute income. Most of the country’s poor live in rural areas, and without rural development there can be no GEAR. Life in these areas needs to be made liveable by encouraging entrepreneurial development, which includes facilitating agriculture, creating jobs and increasing rural income through appropriate government actions for improving the welfare of rural households. One of the ways in which national, provincial and local government could have a broad-based impact is by providing rural economic infrastructure and, to this end, local government, including regional and district councils, has been mandated to develop integrated development plans. These plans have to include economic development plans, and entrepreneurial development has been singled out as important in this regard. From this it follows that district councils and municipalities have a prime responsibility for developing entrepreneurs, including farmers in their rural constituency.

Thesis (M. Dev.) -- University of Limpopo, 2002 / Refer to document

Thesis (M. Dev.) -- University of Limpopo, 2003 / Refer to document

Thesis (M.Admin. (Development)) --University of Limpopo, 2010 / Feminist studies show that gender inequality is an impediment for livelihoods diversification among rural households. Whereas women are understood to be the designers, planners and managers of livelihoods for household survival, their roles in diversification of the means of earning a living are generally undermined through a myriad of social and cultural laws, values, norms and beliefs. Despite the publicity, attempts and efforts in redressing gender inequality in a demographic South Africa, the dissertation argues that gender inequality in rural areas has remained persistent, posing an obstacle to the capacity of households to diversify their livelihoods. The study uses survey results from Sebayeng Village in order to demonstrate that the community’s perceptions of women’s roles perpetuate the status quo wherein women’s capacity to diversify livelihoods are undermined. The survey involved 200 households that were sampled through the simple random design. The respondents consisted of 56.5% females and 43.5% males. The survey results demonstrate that gender inequality remains deep in Sebayeng Village and that such inequality negatively affects the ability of households to diversify their livelihoods. Therefore, this study tends to confirm the general principle that gender inequality renders women as unexplored resources in rural development. To that extent, the study concludes that one of the tests for the success in gender transformation in South Africa is in releasing the energies of women in the sphere of livelihoods diversification.

Thesis (M.Dev.) --University of Limpopo, 2013 / The study was conducted to examine the impact of the implementation of the comprehensive rural development programme, President Zuma referred to it as the integrated rural develooment in is presidential inaugural speech in 2009. The researcher went to Muyexe village to conduct the research as well as to observe what took place. The researcher interviewed community members as well as community leadership who indicated how the community has been transformed to what it was, which they described a squalor living condition to what it is today, a community that meets the most basic needs required for sustainable livelihood. The people of Muyexe owe their changed fortunes to the government’s Comprehensive Rural Development Programme developed and coordinated by the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform. Sector departments and other development agencies were mobilised to work together towards a common goal to improve the lives of rural people. The intervention brought numerous changes to the community of Muyexe village. The lives of the community has been improved, through the intervention the community now have access to health care, early child hood development centre, community multi community centre, and so forth. The community spoke fondly of the reduction in crime and the killings of their cattle by wild animals; the reduction is caused by the establishment of the police station and the fencing around of the village. Despite what had been achieved by the intervention, Government should regard what happened as an initial intervention to focus on meeting people’s basic needs, especially food security. The next step should be the entrepreneurial stage and large scale infrastructure development.

Thesis (MPA) --University of Limpopo, 2007 / HIV and AIDS pandemic poses a threat to both poor and rich communities alike. Communities face a developmental challenge as HIV and AIDS kills the lives of people who should improve their socio-economic position. It destroys both the Constitutional rights to life and human dignity. This is seen when people get sick and lose their potential to contribute to the development of their communities. The Fetakgomo communities, in the Limpopo Province, face the same challenge of fighting the pandemic for their social and economic development without sufficient resources. This study focuses on the socio-economic impact of HIV and AIDS on community development in Fetakgomo Municipality, Limpopo Province. Fetakgomo communities are situated about ± 90 km, South of Burgersfort. These communities are mostly poor and rural. The researcher used non-probability purposive sampling for this study. Three communities were selected and their leaders were chosen to participate in the study. Through qualitative research, the qualitative data were obtained through person to-person interviews and focus group interviews. The results of the study indicate that the social lives of community members are disrupted through death from the pandemic. In the two communities – Ga-Nchabeleng and Mohlaletse – there are orphans who are created by the pandemic. There is also a problem of lack of social cohesion created by prejudice around the disease, which raises a challenge in fighting the pandemic in the three villages. The issue of confidentiality compounds the situation in fighting the pandemic among members of the three communities as people are not open to talk freely about the impact of the pandemic on their lives. Economically, the pandemic is impacting on a few families that lose their incomes and are unable to buy electric services. The final results indicate that the impact of the pandemic is arguably very low. The communities are shown not to be doing enough to fight the impact of the pandemic. Even if the three communities are economically poor, the pandemic does not have serious impact on their material possessions. There is no real economic impact as members of the three communities are poor and at the same time a few families are affected in terms of losing their incomes. The impact of the pandemic is only experienced on the social lives where it breeds prejudice and secrecy among the people.

D. Tech. Public Management / The aim of this study is to assess the potential for knowledge management and strategic management in improving the low level of community development in Uitvalgrond. It also looks at strategies that can be used to improve the lives of the community members of Uitvalgrond.

Betterment Planning is the major form of rural development planning which has been implemented in the Reserve areas of South Africa. The first Bettemnent schemes were begun after 1939. Whilst Betterment Planning has undergone certain modifications in theory and implementation over the past 42 years, it is still being implemented by the 'homeland' governments. This paper is of necessity only a preliminary study or working paper, the aim of which is to explore the theoretical and concrete issues which a comprehensive evaluation of Betterment Planning would need to confront in detail. I have chosen to analyse Betterment Planning for a number of reasons. First, whilst preparing a report on settlement patterns in KwaZu1u/Natal for the Buthelezi Commission early in 1981, I found that there was very little published material on Betterment Planning. Further, in the course of this research, I was surprised to find that practising planners and academics in Natal seemed to know little about it. Second, reports on development planning for the homelands ignore Betterment Planning entirely. For example, the "Towards a Plan for KwaZulu" (1978) makes no mention what soever of the Betterment Planning in KwaZulu, let alone undertakes an analysis of the successes/failures of its implementation. Yet it stresses that: "the reform and development of the agricultural sector should be accorded the highest priority. Failure to make progress in this area will jeopardise all the objectives of the Plan." (Thorrington-Smith et al 1978 : 22). To undertake rural development planning without an analysis and understanding as to why it is necessary, can only result in the proposed plans being at best superficial and, at worst, ones which exacerbate the problem they set out to solve. All too often development planning is nothing more than problem-solving oriented: the problem is identified and described, and the planners put forward a solution to solve it. However, for a solution to have even a chance of being successfully implemented, the causes and history of the problem must be fully analysed and understood. It is just as crucial to analyse and evaluate previous attempted solutions to the problem. For, in failing, they may have become additional constraints, i.e. in themselves the previous solutions may have become part of the problem. Third, most of the homelands are politically 'semi-independent' or 'independent'. They have their own agriculture and planning departments which have realized that rural development is a priority in any homeland development. Consequently in recent years, these homelands have been looking for new rural development strategies. In the light of my second point above, it is therefore important that Betterment Planning is analysed and evaluated. Fourth, the writings of neo-Marxist and Marxist theoreticians on South Africa have almost completely failed to address the role and function of Betterment Planning in the transformation of the South African social formation. Most of their attention has been focussed on the white agricultural areas. / Thesis (M.T.R.P.)-University of Natal, 1982.