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Economic empowerment of housing beneficiaries

Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2002. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: A premise of this thesis is that too much emphasis is still placed on dealing with the
crisis of housing provision, rather than planning for housing development in South
Africa. Little consideration is given to the economic improvement of the housing
beneficiaries. The following research question was posed: What can and should be
done in order for housing beneficiaries to become economically empowered?
Government has the obligation to enhance and maintain the personal social welfare of
its inhabitants. Housing is part of a package of social welfare services that includes
physical health as well as the incorporeal element within a human being. Housing is
also a process of how people came to be housed, starting at the moment when they
first apply for a house.
Economic empowerment should be linked to the four dimensions of development, i.e.
equity, capacity-building, participation, self-reliance. Equity leads to economic
empowerment by providing equal access to economic opportunities. capacity-building
has aspects of developing skills, providing access to, and establishing supportive
structures for economic empowerment. Participation is concerned with achieving
power to influence decisions. Finally, self-reliance is linked to economic empowerment
because it refers to the ability of people to produce most of its basic needs as well as
producing surpluses with which to trade for those commodities and services which it
does not produce efficiently itself (Burkey, 1993:51).
Economic empowerment of housing beneficiaries implies a micro, individual level focus
of economic development. According to Gildenhuys (1993:26) economic welfare refers
to the development of the economic and material welfare and prosperity of the
individual. Apart from a micro focus, a multi-objective focus is required for
sustainability. According to Dalal-Clayton and Bass (2000:12), sustainable
development entails balancing economic, social and environmental objectives. Finally,
there are two dimensions to economic empowerment, namely, empowerment of the
housing beneficiaries, as well as empowerment of development facilitators.
Evidence of shortcomings of development projects relating to economic empowerment
was provided in this thesis by means of applying the findings of an empirical research
project in Wesbank to economic empowerment. The research explored the
management processes that were implemented that eventually resulted in outcomes
not being desirable. It was explained that the initial "scattering" of opportunities to
emerging contractors was not part of a concerted approach for the primary
beneficiaries to become economically empowered. This housing development project
did not only fail to ensure economic empowerment, but also denied the housing
beneficiaries what little economic activity they were involved in prior to the move. The
Wesbank evidence was also linked to the views and findings of various authoritative
sources that confirmed that government development projects in general, have an
unfortunate track record when it comes to economic empowerment of so-called
beneficiaries.
Two case studies from the United States were used to illustrate that integrated
development provides the context for the economic empowerment of housing
beneficiaries.
Four economic development foci then provided the framework within which solutions
were formulated: residential dispersal and mobility, enhancing the capacity of housing
beneficiaries, investing in economic empowerment of women, and changing the
mindset of the developers. This framework embodies the how of economic
empowerment of housing beneficiaries. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: 'n Aanname van hierdie tesis is dat te veel klem steeds geplaas word op die hantering
van krisisse t.o.v behuisingsvoorsiening, eerder as beplanning vir
behuisingsontwikkeling, met min inagneming vir ekonomiese bemagtiging van
behuisingsbegunstigdes. Die volgende navorsingsvraag word gestel: Wat kan en moet
gedoen word ten einde ekonomiese bemagtiging vir behuisingsbegunstigdes te
bewerkstellig?
Regerings het 'n plig om die persoonlike sosiale welsyn van landsinwoners te bevorder
en te handhaaf. Behuising is deel van 'n pakket van sosiale welsynsdienste wat fisiese
gesondheid sowel as die psigiese element van mens wees insluit. Behuising is ook 'n
proses wat begin die oomblik wanneer 'n persoon die eerste keer aansoek doen vir 'n
huis.
Ekonomiese bemagtiging moet gekoppel word aan die vier dimensies van ontwikkeling,
naamlik gelykheid, kapasiteitsbou, deelname, en onafhanklikheid. Gelykheid lei tot
ekonomiese bemagtiging deurdat dit gelyke toegang tot ekonomiese geleenthede
bevorder. Kapasiteitsbou sluit in ontwikkeling van vaardighede, verskaffing van
toegang, en die oprig van ondersteunende strukture vir ekonomiese bemagtiging.
Deelname bevorder die toename in mag om besluite te beïnvloed. Onafhanklikheid
word gekoppel aan ekonomiese bemagtiging omdat dit verwys na die vermoë van
mense om self in die meeste van hul basiese behoeftes te voorsien.
Ekonomiese bemagtiging van behuisingsbegunstigdes impliseer 'n mikro, individuele
vlak fokus op ekonomiese ontwikkeling. Volgens Gildenhuys (1993:26) verwys
ekonomiese welvaart na die ontwikkeling van die ekonomiese en materiële welvaart en
vooruitstrewendheid van die individu. Behalwe 'n mikro fokus, is 'n multi-doelwit fokus
ook noodsaaklik vir volhoubaarheid. Volhoubare ontwikkeling behels die balansering
van ekonomiese, sosiale en omgewings doelwitte. Daar is twee dimensies van
ekonomiese bemagtiging, naamlik bemagtiging van die behuisingsbegunstigdes, sowel
as bemagtiging van ontwikkelingsfasiliteerders.
Bewyse van tekortkominge in ontwikkelingsprojekte aangaande ekonomiese
bemagtiging word voorsien d.m.v die toepassing van bevindinge van 'n empiriese
navorsingsprojek in Wesbank op ekonomiese bemagtiging. Die navorsing het die
bestuursprosesse ondersoek wat gevolg was in die projek en uiteindelik ook veroorsaak
het dat die uitkomste onwenslik was. Die aanvanklike verspreiding van geleenthede
teenoor opkomende kontrakteurs was nie deel van 'n gefokusde plan vir die primêre
begunstigdes om ekonomies bemagtig te word nie. Die behuisingsprojek het nie net
daarin gefaal om ekonomiese bemagtiging te bewerkstellig nie, maar het ook die
bietjie ekonomiese aktiwiteit waarin begunstigdes betrokke was voor die skuif na
Wesbank, weggeneem. Die bewyse in Wesbank word ook gekoppel aan die sieninge
en bevindinge van verskeie gesaghebbende bronne wat bevestig dat
regeringsontwikkelingsprojekte oor die algemeen 'n swak rekord het wat betref
ekonomiese bemagtiging van sogenaamde begunstigdes.
Twee gevallestudies van die VSA is na verwys om te illustreer dat geïntegreerde
ontwikkeling die konteks verskaf vir ekonomiese bemagtiging van behuisings
begunstigdes.
Vier ekonomiese bemagtiging fokus areas verskaf 'n raamwerk waarin oplossings
geformuleer is: verspreiding en mobiliteit, verbetering van kapasiteit van
begunstigdes, ekonomiese bemagtiging van vroue, en verandering van die
denkpatroon van ontwikkelingsfasiliteerders. Hierdie raamwerk stel voor die hoe van
ekonomiese bemagtiging van behuisingsbegunstigdes.

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:sun/oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/52813
Date12 1900
CreatorsAdams, Junay
ContributorsBurger, A. P. J., Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Faculty of Economic & Management Sciences. School of Public Leadership.
PublisherStellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
Source SetsSouth African National ETD Portal
Languageen_ZA
Detected LanguageEnglish
TypeThesis
Format88 p. : ill.
RightsStellenbosch University

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