D.Comm. / The purpose of this study is to investigate the ways in which future development policy for post-apartheid South Africa must be structured. The motivation for the study stems from, firstly the way in which development issues were handled in the past, secondly the unique problematic nature of South Africa's development, and thirdly the shortcomings in the present proposals for development policy. If one examines the latest tendencies in the international literature on development policy, a shift in emphasis in the international approach to development since the late 1980s is discernible. Whereas the earlier emphasis in development policy was on the generating of economic growth which would have to trickle down to all levels of society, there has more recently been an increasing awareness of the important role which people must fulfil in the development process. According to the latest international literature on the subject, development must be a sustainable and humancentred process in which the protection of the environment, human security, and economic growth must be taken into account. As regards South Africa's development experience, this study came to the conclusion that the ways in which development issues were historically addressed were not successful. All policy initiatives were directed at the development of First World structures, the promotion of economic growth and the uplifting of minorities, while a ceiling was placed on opportunities for the development of the majority of the country's people. An economic growth pattern for development was thus advocated in which people and their development fulfilled a subordinate role. Although since the 1980s attempts have been made to stimulate development, these did not have political legitimacy in the eyes of the broader population and did not take place in a co-ordinated manner. The consequences of these policy initiatives are reflected in South Africa's current development problems. For the broader population, access to health, education and other essential services is either lacking or is of a poor quality. Human security is seriously threatened. Dualism occurs as regards the standard of human development and it is especially the black population, women and rural communities which have the greatest need for investment in human development. South Africa has limited environmental resources and in some areas has to deal with a degenerated environment. As regards economic growth, the economic growth pattern over the last two decades has seen the weakening of distribution of income, a reduction in per capita income and an increase in unemployment. The consequence of this is that approximately half of the population lives in poverty. Although since the early 1990s various policy documents have appeared with the aim of making policy proposals about the ways in which growth and development must be stimulated, none of these documents - including the Reconstruction and Development Programme - offers a satisfactory policy framework in which future development policy must be structured. As regards South Africa's unique development problems, the following proposals for a framework for future development policy are made: Development is the long-term goal which we endeavour to achieve. If a country really wants to benefit from the development process, it is necessary that development be a sustainable process. Sustainable development implies that development policy and decision-making in this regard must not only benefit the present generation, but future generations as well. A prerequisite for sustainable development, however, is that it must be humancentred. Development can therefore not be successful unless people and their choices are central to the development process. The humancentredness of development must therefore constitute the axis around which all development activities in South Africa must evolve. In order to ensure that sustainable development will be humancentred, it must, in accordance with the vision of the United Nations, be "pro-people, pro-jobs and pro-nature." Sustainable development is therefore a multidimensional and allinclusive concept with different dimensions. The discussion of a policy framework for South Africa examines the different dimensions which must be addressed in the development process in order to ensure that development in the long term will be people-centred and sustainable. The dimensions to be discussed include the social, economic, ecological, and also the political dimensions. Turning first to the social dimension, the ways in which people can be developed and their needs can be satisfied are discussed. Human development is thus regarded as the social dimension in the striving for sustainable development. Secondly the protection of the environment is discussed as the ecological dimension in the development process. Thirdly the striving for sustainable job-creating economic growth is regarded as the economic dimension in the development process. Lastly the political dimension of the development process is discussed, as it affects the successful formulation and facilitation of development policy. In addressing the different dimensions of the development process, the humancentreciness of the process must always be kept in mind. Humancentred development will clearly form the most important link in the striving for sustainable development in South Africa.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:uj/uj:3463 |
| Date | 04 September 2012 |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
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