Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2000. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Traditional top-down decision-making models have become unpopular since public
institutions have been demanding more democracy at local level. New approaches and
techniques have focused on how the majority of people can be involved in a bottom-up
approach to development and decision making. Techniques, such as Participatory Rural
Appraisals (PRAs), have identified people's concerns regarding the use of natural
resources centred on land issues. Land is essentially a subject of public concern. Land as
a spatial phenomenon controlled politically and used by all for survival and other purposes
needs to be assessed in an integrated and time-spatial way for better planning and
decision making.
Geographical Information Systems (GISs) have often been used by statutory "experts" in
evaluating, analysing and mapping of land and land-related features. GISs have a lot of
potential in being applied as decision-making tools. If this is the case, how can public
perceptions and politics be presented and mapped in a GIS to improve and democratise
decision making even further? The study has investigated new methods of representing
people's perspectives at grassroots level in a non-traditional way.
A sub-region of the Lowveld, situated in the Mpumalanga province, has been selected
because of the various kinds of land owners in the region. The Kruger National Park lies to
the east of the study area, from where some black communities claim to have been
removed. To the west of that is one of the districts of the former homeland KaNgwane,
namely Nsikazi, and west of that two areas of intensive large-scale commercial fruit and
vegetable production in the Nelspruit-White River and Kiepersol-Hazyview areas. Towards
the escarpment north-west of these lie large commercial exotic forest plantations, owned
mainly by Safcol and MandL Given the high demand and need for land from the overpopulated
Nsikazi district, the process of land reform is a matter of great concern.
White male commercial farmers in both regions where commercial farming is active were
interviewed about their knowledge and perceptions of land reform. Various themes were
presented to the farmers to comment on, namely the history of forced removals, land use,
land potential, hydrology and where land reform should take place. Interviews were taped
in Afrikaans, transcribed and translated to English. "Mental maps" were drawn on tracing paper overlaid on topographical maps of the Land Surveyor General, Mowbray. These
were digitised and managed in Arclnfo, and displayed and analysed in ArcView, from
where output maps were produced.
The results of this technique proved to be very useful and can certainly broaden the use of
GISs in decision making and public participation. However, GISs alone cannot be seen as
the solution to better development and better decision-making. Public participation is of the
utmost value in facilitating and initiating these processes. Land use planning needs to be
the responsibility and concern of all land users and owners at a local level, where GISs
can be applied as a tool to provide easier and more effective analysis and results for the
implementation of initiatives. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Tradisionele bo-na-onder besluitnemingsmodelle het in die laaste paar dekades baie
ongewild geraak met die totstandkoming van instellings wat die publiek se mening hoog ag
en demokrasie op grondvlak probeer bevorder. Nuwe benaderings en tegnieke poog nou
om die publiek se mening in 'n onder-na-bo benadering tot ontwikkeling en besluitneming
te integreer. Grondhervorming is basies die erns van die publiek, meer so as die staat.
Grond is 'n ruimtelike verskynsel wat polities beheer word maar deur die meerderheid
gebruik word vir oorlewing asook ander doeleindes. Dit behoort op 'n tyd-ruimtelike basis
op 'n geïntegreerde wyse vir beter beplanning en besluitneming ondersoek te word.
Geografiese Inligtingstelsels (GISs) word hoofsaaklik deur statutêre "kenners" gebruik in
die evaluering, analise en kartering van grond en verbandhoudende verskynsels. Dit
beskik verder oor die potensiaal om in besluitnemingsprosesse gebruik te word. Die vraag
ontstaan egter hoe die publiek se menings en politieke strukture met 'n GIS
verteenwoordig en gekarteer kan word ter verbetering van besluitneming op 'n meer
demokratiese wyse. Die studie het nuwe metodes ondersoek waarvolgens mense op
grondvlak se persepsies op nie-tradisionele maniere verteenwoordig en ondersoek kan
word.
'n Sub-streek van die Laeveld wat geleë is in die Mpumalanga provinsie, is geselekteer
vanweë die verskeidenheid grondeienaars wat daar voorkom. Die Kruger Nasionale Park
is geleë in die oostelike deel van die studiegebied vanwaar sekere swart gemeenskappe
gedurende die Apartheidsregime verskuif is. Direk wes hiervan lê die voormalige tuisland
KaNgwane se Nsikazi distrik en wes daarvan twee areas, naamlik Nelspruit-Witrivier en
Kiepersol-Hazyview, waar die kommersiële boerdery van vrugte en groente op groot skaal
beoefen word. In die noordwestelike gedeeltes van die studiegebied kom grootskaalse
uitheemse bosbouplantasies voor wat aan Safcol en Mondi behoort. Met die stygende
aanvraag na grond vir residensiële- en landbougebruik in die streek, veral vanuit die
Nsikazi distrik, is grondhervorming en die toepassing daarvan, 'n probleem, indien nie 'n
bedreiging, vir die meeste grondeienaars.
Onderhoude is met blanke manlike kommersiële boere, in albei die kommersiële streke
gevoer om hul menings en kennis van grondhervorming te ondersoek. Verskeie temas is as besprekingspunte gestel, naamlik die geskiedenis van gedwonge verskuiwings,
grondgebruik, grondpotensiaal, water hulpbronne en waar hul meen grondhervorming sou
moes plaasvind. Onderhoude was in Afrikaans opgeneem, getranskribeer en in Engels
vertaal. "Kognitiewe kaarte" was op deursigtige papier geteken wat oor 'n reeks
topografiese kaarte van die gebied gelê is. Die resultate is versyfer en in Arelnfo
gemanipuleer en daarna in ArcView ontleed en vir verslaglewering gekarteer.
Die resultate van die tegniek beloof om vir beide besluitnemers en die publiek as
deelnemers in die proses baie bruikbaar te wees. Dit verbreed ook die gebruik en
toepassing van GISs en die sisteem se vermoëns. GISs kan egter nie alleenlik aangewend
word om ontwikkeling en besluitneming vir die publiek beter of meer aanvaarbaar te maak
nie. Alle mense se deelname is van die uiterste belang en waarde in die inisiëring,
fasilitering en implementering van strategieë en projekte. Grondgebruiksbeplanning moet
die verantwoordelikheid van almal word wat grond op plaaslike vlak gebruik of besit, nie
net van die wat deur 'n probleem of program, soos grondhervorming, geraak word nie. 'n
GIS kan aangewend word om die prosesse van ontwikkeling en besluitneming te
vergemaklik deur analises vinniger en op 'n meer effektiewe manier te ondersoek vir beter
en meer demokratiese besluitneming.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:sun/oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/52043 |
| Date | 03 1900 |
| Creators | Van Deventer, Heidi |
| Contributors | Zietsman, H. L., Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Geography and Environmental Studies. |
| Publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | en_ZA |
| Detected Language | Unknown |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | 93 p. |
| Rights | Stellenbosch University |
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