A dissertation submitted in partial fulfilment of the Degree of Master of Library and Information Science (MLIS) in the Department of Library and Information Science at the University of Zululand, South Africa, 2010. / Social Informatics is the field of study concentrating on the social aspects of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) utilisation with researchers in the field concentrating on aspects such as human interaction with ICTs, the effect of certain hardware and software on utilisation and the impact that the use of ICTs have on the daily lives of people in society. One of the areas where the use of ICTs can have a huge influence is on governmental service delivery, where these tools can be used to speed up processes, beef up security, provide access to, and disseminate information, and be used in virtually all government departments to provide a more effective and efficient service to all its people. The aim of the study was to examine the use, impact and interaction of ICTs for service delivery among Civil Servants in the uMhlatuze area. The study was carried out using both qualitative and quantitative methods through survey research. The objectives of the study were: to determine the nature of the services rendered in the three targeted Departments (Education, Health and Social Development), to establish the types of ICTs currently in use by Civil Servants in uMhlatuze area, to explore how the Civil Servants interact with ICTs in the municipality, to explore the impact of the Civil Servants` interaction with ICTs, to determine the training needs of the Civil Servants, in so far as effective ICT utilisation is concerned, to determine users level of satisfaction with the standard of service delivery, to outline the challenges faced in the service provision. Data was collected via questionnaires that were submitted to the three departments by the researcher. Interviews were also conducted with both civil servants and their clients. The aim of the interviews was to get their personal opinions on problems facing service provision. The number of responses from the distributed questionnaires varied: Education (21), Health (9) and Social Development (5). Managers from the three departments were interviewed with an aim of understanding types of services they offer to clients, clients satisfaction with service offered to them, the use of computers in providing services, the level of computer literacy among staff (Civil Servants), difficulties experienced when providing services to clients, and the effect of the availability of computers in providing service delivery. The study revealed that not all ICT tools are generally available and/or used by civil servants in the uMhlatuze Municipality It was also found that most new technologies were neither used, nor available, or could not be accessed by civil servants in the departments, e.g. the Internet, laptop computers, databases, video cameras, video recorders, sound/tape recorders, overhead projectors, and information systems. The government also does not appear to make much use of radio and television, which are mediums that are often used in this country for communication. The researcher recommended that the government should ensure that each civil servant has a computer linked to the Internet on his or her table. All available ICT tools should also be provided to the different departments because they deal with different social needs everyday that may require different solutions. A lack of skills to operate a number of ICTs, especially the computers was identified as a serious impediment to effective service delivery. Therefore it was recommended that the Departments of Education, Health and Social Development send their staff for training on the efficient utilization of ICT tools, specifically computer related training. It was further recommended that computer literacy courses and refresher courses be offered on a continual basis in order to elevate the level of computer literacy among the civil servants, especially for programmes such as Word processing, Excel and PowerPoint which are used almost daily in the public service.

A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Arts in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Course-work Degree of Masters of Recreation and Tourism in the Department for Recreation and Tourism at the University of Zululand, South Africa, 2014. / The study was based on community based tourism and was conducted to find out whether the local residents are involved and participate in community based tourism within the study area of uMhlathuze Municipality. Community based tourism provides job opportunities to those who participate and should, ideally, involve every resident of the study area. Men and women are to be given the equal participation opportunities. The study had the following specific objectives: (a) To establish the extent to which the local community understands the importance of tourism in the study area. (b) To find out the level of participation and involvement of the local community in community based tourism (c) To identify the types of community tourism facilities available in the study area. (d) To establish the strategies that can be used to promote involvement and participation in community based tourism within the study area. The findings of the study revealed that some community members do not even know the local tourism authorities who should be promoting community based tourism within the study area. Misconceptions about tourism became evident as some respondents viewed tourism as an activity for the rich and for the white people. The study is concluded by recommending the promotion of community based tourism within the study area applying the managerial strategies to promote participation and involvement by local communities.

A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Arts in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Master in Community Work in the Department of Social Work at the University of Zululand, South Africa, 2014 / Juvenile Delinquency is not an inherent condition, but it is learned through association, imitation, pressure, needs, wants, influence and desires. There is a growing tendency in South Africa of juvenile involvement in crime. Somehow, it is believed that the juveniles are motivated by the Bill of Rights, Section 28 of the South African Constitution, which prohibits co operative punishment. In the year 2008 statistics of Empangeni Magistrates court, 15 % of juveniles appeared in court for different offences. In the year 2009 juvenile cases showed a 21 % increase and in 2011 they increased by 32 %. It is believed that if nothing is done, the economy of the country will never improve. In this study 25 Juvenile offenders were interviewed. 2 case studies of juvenile offenders who had been arrested and charged were done and 3 parents of juvenile offenders who had been arrested then successfully put on non custodial rehabilitation were interviewed. The results proved that causes are systemic. This explains that the whole community is part of the causes. Therefore, the involvement of the community is essential in the prevention of juvenile crimes. The revolutionary awareness campaigns around Umhlathuze are essential. The offender rehabilitation organizations should be given slots at schools, community meetings and conferences. Juveniles with antisocial behavior should be treated for the prevention of crime as a career. The Department of Social Development should be given staff to enable to plan, implement and evaluate policies and programs. The recreational constructive facilities should be offered in an environment that is safe. Adequate support should be given to parents as well. The South African Police need community support in this area.

A Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of Arts in Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Master's in Recreation and Tourism at the Department of Recreation and Tourism, University of Zululand, 2009. / Recreation and Tourism as a profession is new in South Africa. In the past not much concern was given to the provision and utilisation of recreation and Tourism facilities for the previously disadvantaged communities. Recreation has not been taken as a significant component of life for Blacks because of the apartheid system that existed. In the recent history of South Africa, recreation facilities were mainly made available to the White population areas, with Black areas and being neglected. As such there has been alienation between communities, tourists and hosts, as well as tourism service providers and tourism authorities. These stakeholders have not successfully tackled tourism problem, and more specifically that of tourism crime, safety and security. The focus of this study was to investigate the tourism crime, safety and security in uMhlathuze District Municipality, with special reference to policy formulation and its practise. The main objectives of this study are the following; • To find out whether the local community understands the importance of tourism crime, safety and security in the study area. • To establish the extent to which tourists feel safe and secure in and around the uMhlathuze District area. • To reveal whether there are adequate policies that address situations of tourism safety and security in the study area. • To investigate the levels to which tourism policies are practiced or implemented in the study area. • To indicate the perceived management of tourism crime, safety and security in the near future for the study area. Data was collected by means of interviews and questionnaires that were administered to 124 participants in uMhlathuze District to establish the state of tourism crime, safety and security, affecting domestic and international tourism. Data analysis was accomplished through using the Statistical Package for the Social Science (SPSS) computer technique. The method used for analysing information appeared to be effective because clear outcomes of the finding were achieved. The most important findings were that, there are criminal activities that are occurring in the study area and some of these activities are not reported and the policies and practices are not known by the members of the community and some of the tourism officials and authorities. The latter suggests that the local people should be taught about the importance of tourism and the tourist in the study area. It was further discovered that some of the crimes that takes place are done by the local people because they do not understand the importance of the tourists in the study area. The importance of safety and security is not known to them and they are not told about it. The local people needs to be told about the importance of tourism activities that are taking place in the study area and they should be encouraged to participate in the activities that can make them to see how important is the tourism and its resources. Safety and security should be applied in order to protect the study area. It was also discovered that the Umhlathuze tourism association should be a major role in making the policy and practices to be known by everyone in the study area who can promote the safety and security of the tourists in the study area. This is the big challenge that the local government is facing. Since local municipality is the government that is closest to the people and represents the interests of the residents, it is responsible for fulfilling the developmental role (DLG; 1998). Therefore, it is clear that local people should be taught about the importance of tourism activities and to make the tourism policies and practices to be known by every stakeholder that is involved in promoting the safety and security in the study area. Further that the local government needs to play a leading role to ensure that they provides the training to the local community about the safety and security of the tourist in the study area even the destination itself.

A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Arts in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts Community Work in the Department of Social Work at the University of Zululand, South Africa, 2015. / This study aimed at examining the extent to which the public participates in service delivery, looking specifically at the level and nature of participation in service delivery processes, and perceptions communities have with regards to the type of services rendered. The study was necessitated by continuous protests over service delivery at local government level noticed since 2006, and reports of very slow provision of services that did not meet the expectations of residents. Communities perceived the municipal officials to be self-serving and neglectful of their needs, while some municipalities were reported to be under investigation, and some were even put under provincial administration. Therefore the significance of this research cannot be overemphasised. The researcher acknowledges that there are numerous problems hindering service delivery at local government level, and this research study could not unpack all of them, but the delimitations of the study are stated in the dissertation. Contextualisation of the study was based on the existing legislative, theoretical and conceptual perspectives that apply in the domains of public participation and service delivery. Perspectives were drawn from various sources to test the level and effectiveness of public participation processes used by uMhlathuze Municipality in its service delivery. The nature of the study necessitated the use qualitative methods of data collection such as in-depth interviews and observation in order to: assess the level of community participation in decision-making regarding service delivery; examine community perceptions of the causal factors of good or poor service delivery; identify forms of service delivery that were provided and the beneficiaries of the services delivered. The findings of the study indicate that the participation of community members has been limited to being consulted and informed, but does not include involvement in decision-making about level of service provision nor creation of the beneficiary lists. Public is not involved in the creation of implementation plans, or monitoring and evaluation procedures. The findings of the study also reveal that the community perceived the political environment as a limiting factor in that it tended to have a big influence on the delivery of some the services. Although services such as water, electricity, sanitation (in a form of VIP toilets) and houses are provided to rural communities there are concerns regarding access and distribution of some of the resources, which are allegedly influenced by political alignment. It is concluded that public participation at municipal level really only takes the form of informing and consultation of communities. The public is not involved in crafting the actual implementation plan, and monitoring and evaluation procedures. It is also concluded that service delivery is characterised by lack of clarity on the criteria used for creating the beneficiary list. However, although the community is not satisfied with the lack of clarity on such an important aspect of the delivery of services, the level of infrastructural development, nor with the delivery of services itself, their being continuously informed and consulted by the municipality reassure them of the municipality‟s commitment to service provision. Recommendations are made for uMhlathuze Municipality, including a theoretical framework of effective public participation in service delivery. There are also recommendations for further research.

A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Arts in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Masters of Education in the Department of Educational Psychology and Special Needs Education at the University of Zululand, 2014 / The main aim of the present study was to investigate whether or not teachers possess the skills which are needed to deal with learners in inclusive classrooms. The study also aimed to evaluate data regarding teachers’ qualification, inservice training programmes as well as their experience in the inclusive schools. The objectives of the study were: • To investigate whether or not teachers had the necessary skills to assist learners with special needs in education. • To find out if there were any teacher in-service training programmes on inclusive education. • To determine whether or not there was a relationship between teachers’ skills for handling children in inclusive classroom and the following teachers’ characteristics: - Gender - Qualification and - Experience One hundred and seven (107) questionnaires were completed by teachers in special schools and full service schools in KZN. To collect data a questionnaire which consisted of closed-ended questions was administered to teachers. A ChiSquare one-sample tests and K-independent samples as well as computer statistical programme called Statistical Packages of Social Science was used to analyze data. vii The findings of the study indicated that teachers had basic knowledge of how to handle learners with different learning needs and they felt comfortable with the skills they possessed. With regard to the availability of in-service training programmes, the results revealed that teachers benefit a lot from both Psychological Guidance and Special Education Services (PGSES) and Outcomes Based Education (OBE) workshops provided by the Department of Education. The findings also suggested that there was a relationship between teachers’ skills for handling learners with special needs in education and their qualifications, gender and experience.

This research focused on the success and failure factors that impact on small, formal businesses operating within the City of uMhlatuze which incorporates Richards Bay, Empangeni and surrounding former townships. The research on success factors in business supports government’s noble aim of wanting to eliminate poverty and thus creating employment. Small business plays a large role in job creation. This research is significant as its recommendations are of value to people venturing out into the commercial and industrial sectors. The research methodology employed was quantitative in essence though a qualitative component was included in order to ensure depth to the responses. The questionnaire elicited views on eighteen success and failure factors drawn from the literature review. A face to face questionnaire utilising a five point Likert scale was used. Each question was comprised of two parts, the first being theoretical, requiring the respondent to indicate whether or not the factor was important to success. In the second part respondents indicated their level of knowledge of that factor when they commenced trading. The open ended questions ensured that respondents were afforded an opportunity to mention additional issues relevant to the topic. A sample of 46 formal, established businesses that had traded for several years was used. Though this is a small scale study its findings are of value and the recommendations, if heeded will assist business owners to avoid failure and increase their chances of success. Findings were consistent with the literature sources. Key findings being that sound planning, strict financial management, self-discipline and good client and supplier relationships are vital if one is to succeed. / Thesis (M.Com.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Westville, 2011.

Rapid growth of cities is a global phenomenon exerting much pressure on land resources and causing associated environmental and social problems. Sustainability of land resources has become a central issue since the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1992. A better understanding of the processes and patterns of land cover change will aid urban planners and decision makers in guiding more environmentally conscious development. The objective of this study was firstly, to determine the location and extent of land use and land cover changes in the uMhlathuze municipality, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa between 1992 and 2002, and secondly, to predict the likely expansion of urban areas for the year 2012. The uMhlathuze municipality has experienced rapid urban growth since 1976 when the South African Ports and Railways Administration built a deep water harbour at Richards Bay, a town within the municipality. Three Landsat satellite images were obtained for the years, 1992, 1997 and 2002. These images were classified into six classes representing the dominant land covers in the area. A post classification change detection technique was used to determine the extent and location of the changes taking place during the study period. Following this, a GIS-based land cover change suitability model, GEOMOD2, was used to determine the likely distribution of urban land cover in the year 2012. The model was validated using the 2002 image. Sugarcane was found to expand by 129% between 1992 and 1997. Urban land covers increased by an average of 24%, while forestry and woodlands decreased by 29% between 1992 and 1997. Variation in rainfall on the study years and diversity in sugarcane growth states had an impact on the classification accuracy. Overall accuracy in the study was 74% and the techniques gave a good indication of the location and extent of changes taking place in the study site, and show much promise in becoming a useful tool for regional planners and policy makers. / Thesis (M.Env.Dev.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2005.

A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Arts in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Masters Degree in Recreation and Tourism in the Department of Recreation and Tourism at the University of Zululand, South Africa, 2015 / The fundamental aim of the study is to establish the involvement and participation of tourism stakeholders in (Small, Medium and Micro Enterprises) with regard to tourism policy planning and execution. In other words, the study wants to discover the role played by policy and practice in the planning of small, medium and micro enterprises in the uMhlathuze Local Municipality. Many of the tourism policies and strategies in South Africa have been formulated with the intention of supporting communities by affording them job opportunities and employment in order to alleviate poverty. The findings indicate that the tourism stakeholders from the uMhlathuze Local Municipality were not fully conversant with the policy, planning and execution. Among other things, the study is also carried out to explore the level at which tourism policy mandates are implemented and the extent to which these elicit positive community responses. In addition, the study seeks to establish the degree to which local communities perceive any benefits from the increased tourism activities within the uMhlathuze Local Municipality. The findings indicate that tourism stakeholders from uMhlathuze Local Municipality were not fully conversant with the policies and strategies that were meant to enhance their participation in tourism activities. Furthemore, not all communities supported the promotion of sustainable tourism development in their area. There has been an ongoing debate among other tourism scholars. The research study involves identifying key strategies that would contribute in developing tourism policies that will address and contribute towards community beneficiation in the uMhlathuze Local Municipality. Finally, local authorities have advocated for a better interpretation and execution of the existing policies. The research study, therefore, has raised the following objectives: (a) To find out whether the local stakeholders understand the importance of the formulation of policy and planning in relation to small, micro and medium enterprises in the study area (b) To reveal whether there are adequate tourism policies addressing matters relating to small, micro and medium enterprise practices in the study area (c) To ascertain the extent to which the local communities participate in SMMEs tourism related activities. (d) To establish whether local communities perceive policies and planning as resulting in job creation and poverty alleviation. (e) To assess the degree to which the SMMEs are contributing to community beneficiation. The study has also identified related hypotheses towards finding answers to the research question. The method of collecting, data analysing and interpreting data involved computer manipulating of data utilizing the statistical package for the social sciences (SPSS).

A dissertation submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Masters in Development Studies in the Department of Anthropology and Development Studies, Faculty of Arts at the University of Zululand, 2017. / The aim of this study was to examine partnerships between the local municipality, host communities and the selected multinational companies in community development activities. Numerous studies have been conducted in pursuit of the role of multinational corporations (MNCs) in developing countries. Whilst it has been understood that MNCs are essential for the development of less economically developed countries (LEDCs), other studies have discovered that LEDCs face the challenge of limited benefits from MNCs which does not necessarily address the root causes of underdevelopment. As a result, exploring factors that inform corporate social responsibility (CSR) of the selected MNCs in the City of uMhlathuze was the point of departure in this study. In this regard, the study sort to find out if there were any partnerships between MNCs and the local Municipality during the execution of CSR activities, and whether were there laws or documentations that guide and support partnerships amongst the MNCs, host communities and the local municipality. The study followed a qualitative research approach and thereby used qualitative data collection tools to help achieve its objectives. It was found that the type of partnerships that exist between MNCs and the municipality are erratic and not formal. This is entirely caused by the absence of governmental binding laws and documentations between MNCs and municipalities in the city of uMhlathuze, South Africa, and LEDCs in general. Given that the local municipality is the custodian of the communities, particularly in the area of community development, the study concluded that community development partnerships between MNCs and the local municipality are essential. The completion of this study has helped realise that partnership are essential and that they can help achieve community development goals and address the root causes of poor livelihoods for the City of uMhlathuze and communities in the developing countries, if they could be properly managed.