Thesis (M.Dev.)) --University of Limpopo, 2011 / Local Economic Development has been a focal point for the African National Congressled
government since the mid-nineties. It has been one of the ways to redress the
injustices of the apartheid regime and to make it possible for the historically
disadvantaged individuals to be incorporated into the formal economy and to engage in
poverty alleviation programmes which focus on them. The government has already spent
millions of rands in funding Local Economic Development projects whose primary goal is
poverty alleviation.
The purpose of this study was to determine the sustainability of Local Economy
Development projects in Thulamela Municipality with the main aim being to determine
those factors that enhance the sustainability of a project vis-a-vis those factors that
hinder the sustainability of a project. The study took place in Thulamela Municipality of
Vhembe District in Limpopo Province, South Africa. A qualitative study was conducted
with thirteen (14) participants that included 6 LED projects managers (Brick-Laying
Project A has 2 Managers), 6 Community Development Practitioners, a local LED
Manager and an LED Officer from the Department of Agriculture. Data was collected with
the use of semi-structured interviews and questionnaires.
The findings of the study largely confirm what other researchers have already
discovered, such as: the role played by the educational level of the beneficiaries of these
projects on the success of their projects. The managers of the two best performing
projects have post-matric qualifications while the managers of the least performing
projects have only grade 12. The two top performing projects also keep proper
accounting records and both use the services of an independent auditor to conduct their
audits, while the least performing projects (Brick-Laying Project A, Poultry Project C and
Poultry Project B) use ad-hoc accounting records and do not carry out financial audits.
The majority of the members of these projects, as in most rural areas, are women.
However, interestingly, the best performing projects have male managers. One
noteworthy finding is that all but one project (Cooperative Project E) had a large number
of members leaving the project since their establishment, with Cooperative Project D and
Brick-laying Project A being the worst affected. The researcher sees this as an indication
that most beneficiaries do not have the patience to persevere. They see LED projects as ‘get-rich quick’ schemes where they expect to earn a lot of money. When they realize
that they will not be earning as much as they had hoped for most beneficiaries become
de-motivated and leave. The researcher therefore suggests that further in-depth
research be conducted on the factors that lead to LED projects losing members as
opposed to employing more people. A research study could also be conducted to
determine the role of keeping proper accounting records in the sustainability of LED
projects. Furthermore, the fact that the least performing projects were those that are
headed by women, further research needs to be conducted to determine whether gender
plays a role in the success of projects.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:ul/oai:ulspace.ul.ac.za:10386/631 |
| Date | January 2011 |
| Creators | Nghonyama, Matimba George |
| Contributors | Mtapuri, O. |
| Publisher | University of Limpopo (Turfloop Campus) |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | 100 leaves |
| Relation |
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