1,721,028 research outputs found
Development of a community through a solar energy plant in a rural town
No full textThis study explored the contributions of a solar energy plant towards a rural town’s community development. The study focused on community development and renewable energy. It reviewed the definitions of community development and how community development has evolved over the years. It provides a synopsis of renewable energy, both globally and in South Africa, as renewable energy has become a worldwide focus in fighting climate change and reducing greenhouse emissions. The literature revealed that South Africa has linked renewable energy to community development through the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme. The programme specifies among other requirements that Independent Power Producers should spend a percentage of their revenue on enterprise development and socioeconomic development. This case study deliberated on how a solar energy plant contributed towards community development within the first five years of its existence with the use of a technical support approach. Findings in this study specified the gap in the definition of community development that complicates execution of community development. There was a lack of clarity in the private sector’s community development implementation policy. Thus, in applying corporate social responsibility, businesses tended to adopt a variety of inconsistent approaches. This lack of policy has also led to the ineffectiveness of socio-economic development. Additionally, political influence has had a negative impact on the progress of community development, exemplified in its introduction of bias with the aim of redressing inequality. In conclusion, I recommend further research on the socio-economic impact of renewable energy projects and the degree to which communities are informed about associated benefits
Socio-economic factors contributing to pregnancy prevention methods among adolescent girls in Mangaung
No full textBackground: In South Africa, adolescent girls continue to become pregnant at an unacceptably high rate. While the fertility rate is high, the rate of contraception use remains low, consequently resulting in perpetuating the cycle of poverty. The objective of the study is to assess the socioeconomic factors associated with the different forms of contraceptive use and perceptions among adolescent girls. Methods: The study uses a secondary dataset with a sample of 300 respondents. Descriptive statistics, chi-square test, and logistic regression are used to examine the association between socioeconomic variables and the acceptability of pregnancy prevention methods. Result: Only two study variables had a significant correlation with pregnancy prevention methods; share of persons employed and the number of assets. Share of persons employed had a statistically significant (p=0.013 and p=0.027) weak, negative correlation (r=-1.43 and r=-1.28) with the use of a needle and withdrawal. The share of persons employed and the number of assets also showed a statically significant (p=0.027 and p=0.009) weak, negative correlation (r=-.128 and r=-.151) with withdrawal. The results further show a limited number of significant relationships. In the case of contraceptive injection, the requirements were not met for the Pearson chi-square, but the gamma and Kendall’s tau-b both indicated a statistically significant (p=0.024 each) weak, negative correlation (gamma=0.181 and tau-b=-0.134), indicating that higher education for the mother reduced the acceptability of contraceptive injection. In the case of condoms, the Pearson chi-square suggests a statistically significant difference, at p<0.05 (chi square=9.903, p=0.042). The gamma and Kendall’s tau-b showed a statistically significant (though only at p<0.1; p=0.062 each) weak, correlation (gamma=0.109 and tau-b=0.239), indicating that higher education reduced the acceptability of condoms. Conclusion: The findings from the study revealed that there is a minimal association of socioeconomic factors with the use and choice of contraception. Initiatives that seek to improve the use of contraceptives among adolescents in South Africa must consider attitude, cultural, and religious factors
The unintended consequences and spatial implications of mining downscaling in South Africa - a case of mining in Merafong City local municipality
No full textDissertation (MDS (Development Studies))--University of the Free State, 2019Abstract not availableBVi Consulting Engineers (Pty) Lt
South African housing policy and housing policy research: theoretical discourse in the post-apartheid era
No full textThesis (Ph.D.(Centre for Development Support))--University of the Free State, 2017The aim of this thesis is to provide an integrated epistemological analysis of the theoretical discourse on housing policy and research implementation relevant to the South African context. Chapter 1 comprises the rationale for the thesis by emphasising that there is as yet no comprehensive study that encapsulates the theoretical foundations of housing policy research in South Africa. It is further highlighted that three decades of contemporary theoretical developments on housing in Western Europe have largely gone unnoticed in the South African scholarly environment. By drawing on the traditions of post-structuralism, social constructionism and critical discourse analysis, methodological ways of addressing inadequate theory development on housing in post-apartheid South Africa are further explored. Chapter 2 is devoted to an overview of housing theory and housing discourses in developing countries. The theoretical concepts and approaches discussed in Chapter 2 are related to the Marxist and the neo-Marxist schools of thought, neo-liberalism, development theories and to the notion of political economy. Chapter 3 is an assessment of housing theory and discourse in Western Europe and contains an extensive overview of the development of theory in the European context. Specific focus falls on welfare state theoretical developments, while the value of comparative and historical methodologies in interpreting welfare state theories is expounded. In Chapter 4, the historical development of housing policies both in Western Europe and in developing countries is outlined. Conceptual themes in this chapter centre on the dualities between formal and informal housing discourses, the application of welfare state intervention in providing housing for the poor and for the low-wage working class, and mention is made of the contested, multidimensional ideologies that feature in ownership discourses. Chapter 5 deals with the relevance of the different theoretical frameworks in re-interpreting the historical narrative and the ideological underpinnings of housing policy development in South Africa. The presence of welfare state theories within the current South African housing policy is illuminated, thereby paving the way for expansion on these theories in future scholarly discourses on housing in the post-apartheid era. In Chapter 6, social constructivism is employed to indicate how theoretical concepts on housing policy may be applied in implementation projects at grass-roots level. The case studies endeavour to provide a platform conducive to the evolvement of housing policies that will be more socially and culturally responsive than were those prior to the completion of this thesis. The outputs and contribution of this thesis aim to encourage dialogues about the value of theory, research and implementation. The thesis has generated both academic and creative outputs. The academic outputs include two accredited publications and the creative outputs comprise buildings either completed or in the process of completion. The thesis highlights the relevance of evolving indigenous cultural practices in spawning housing policy discourses for the future. By specifically embracing principles of informality, both self-help building technologies and skills transfer have significant contributions to make as regards addressing housing shortages in the country in geographical locations like the Free State Province and other rural areas.Die doel van hierdie proefskrif is die daarstel van 'n ge"integreerde epistemologiese ontleding van die teoretiese diskoers oor behuisingsbeleid en die ter sake navorsingsimplementering in die SuidAfrikaanse konteks. Hoofstuk 1 omvat die grondrede vir die tesis deur te beklemtoom dat daar tot op hede geen omvattende studie uitgevoer is wat die teoretiese grondslag van behuisingsbeleidnavorsing in Suid-Afrika weergee nie. Daar word verder beklemtoon dat drie dekades van kontemporere teoretiese ontwikkelings rakende behuising in Wes-Europa bykans ongemerk in die Suid-Afrikaanse vakwetenskaplike omgewing verbygegaan het. Metodologiese wyses om die ontoereikende teorieontwikkeling ten opsigte van behuising in post-apartheid Suid-Afrika aan te pak, word ook ondersoek deur gebruik te maak van die tradisies van post-strukturalisme, sosiale konstruksionisme en kritiese diskoersanalise. Hoofstuk 2 behels 'n oorsig van behuisingsteorie en behuisingsdiskoerse in ontwikkelende lande. Die teoretiese konsepte en benaderings wat in Hoofstuk 2 bespreek word, hou verband met Marxistiese en neo-Marxistiese denkrigtings, neo-liberalisme, ontwikkelingsteoriee en met die begrip politieke ekonomie. Hoofstuk 3 is 'n beoordeling van behuisingsteorie en -diskoers in Wes-Europa en behels 'n omvattende oorsig van die ontwikkeling van teorie in die Europese konteks. Die soeklig val spesifiek op welsynstaat teoretiese ontwikkelings, terwyl die waarde van vergelykende en historiese metodologiee ten einde welsynstaatteoriee te interpreteer, verduidelik word. In Hoofstuk 4 word die historiese ontwikkeling van behuisingsbeleide in sowel Wes-Europa as in ontwikkelende lande geskets. Die konseptuele temas in hierdie hoofstuk is toegespits op die dualiteit tussen formele en informele behuisingsdiskoerse, die toepassing van welsynstaatintervensies in die voorsiening van behuising aan armes en aan die lae-loon werkersklas. Daar is verwysings na die omstrede, multidimensionele ideologiee wat in eienaarskapdiskoerse voorkom. Hoofstuk 5 handel oor die
relevansie van die verskillende teoretiese raamwerke ten einde die historiese narratief en die ideologiese grondslag van behuisingsbeleidsontwikkeling in Suid-Afrika te herinterpreteer. Lig word gewerp op die aanwesigheid van welsynstaatteoriee in die huidige Suid-Afrikaanse behuisingsbeleid wat die weg baan vir die ontwikkeling van hierdie teoriee in toekomstige vakwetenskaplike diskoerse oor behuising in die post-apartheid era. In Hoofstuk 6 word sosiale konstruktivisme aangewend om aan te dui hoe teoretiese konsepte oor behuisingsbeleid op voetsoolvlak toegepas kan word in die implementering van projekte. Die gevallestudies poog om 'n platform te voorsien wat bevorderlik sal wees vir die ontwikkeling van behuisingsbeleide wat sosiale en kulturele faktore in grotere mate in ag sal neem as wat die geval was voor die voltooiing van hierdie proefskrif. Die resultate en die bydrae van hierdie tesis het ten doel om dialoog rondom die waarde van teorie, navorsing en implementering aan te moedig. Die proefskrif het sowel akademiese as kreatiewe uitsette gelewer. Die akademiese uitsette behels twee geakkrediteerde publikasies terwyl die kreatiewe uitsette geboue behels wat 6f voltooi 6f in aanbou is. Die proefskrif beklemtoon die relevansie van die ontwikkeling van inheemse kulturele praktyke in die voortbring van toekomstige behuisingsbeleiddiskoerse. Deur in besonder die beginsels van informaliteit te aanvaar, kan sowel selfhelpboutegnologie en vaardigheidsoordrag betekenisvol hydra tot die hantering van behuisingstekorte in die land in geografiese gebiede soos die Vrystaat Provinsie en ander landelike gebiede
The contribution of Letseng Diamonds Mine Corporate Social Responsibility in the Mokhotlong district
No full textAbstract not availabl
Communal land release and implications for urban development: a reflection from Omusati region, Namibia
No full textAbstract not availabl
Space and planning in secondary cities
Full text linkMuch of the urban research focuses on the large metropolitan areas in South Africa. This book assesses spatial planning in the second-tier cities of the country. Secondary cities are vital as they perform essential regional, and in some cases, global economic roles and help to distribute the population of a country more evenly across its surface. Apartheid planning left South African cities fragmented segregated and with low densities. Post-apartheid policies aim to reverse these realities by emphasising integration, higher densities and upgrading. Achieving these aims has been challenging and often the historical patterns continue. The evidence shows that two opposing patterns prevail, namely increased densities and continued urban sprawl. This book presents ten case studies of spatial planning and spatial transformation in secondary cities of South Africa. The book frames these case studies against complexity theory and suggests that the post-apartheid response to apartheid planning represents a linear deviation from history. The ten case studies then reveal how difficult it is for local decision-makers to find appropriate responses and how current responses often result in contradictory results. Often these cities are highly vulnerable and they find it difficult to plan in the context of uncertainty. The book also highlights how these cities find it difficult to stand on their own against the influence of interest groups (property developers, mining companies, traditional authorities, other spheres of government). The main reasons include weak municipal finance statements, the dependence on national and provincial government for capital expenditure, limited investment in infrastructure maintenance, the lack of planning capacity, the inability to implement plans and the unintended and sometimes contrary outcomes of post-apartheid planning policies
Sustaining livelihoods in post-mine closure contexts: aphenomenological study of former-mineworkers at Tshikondeni Mine in Limpopo Province, South Africa
No full textDissertation (MDS (Development Studies))--University of the Free State, 2024The phenomenon of mine closure is increasingly gaining credence as a research focus due to the economic, social, and environmental challenges communities experience in the postclosure environment. Resource depletion and social and political threats account for the closure of several mines globally. In South Africa, closure is attributed to most mines being too old and no new minerals are being discovered. The Tshikondeni coal mine in Limpopo faced closure due to mineral depletion. A gap that has been observed is that not much has been done regarding the impact of mine closure on the livelihoods of coal miners. This phenomenological study, therefore, examined how the former mineworkers at the Tshikondeni mine sustained their livelihoods after the closure of the mine in 2014. The main problem explored was how the former mineworkers acceded to the mine closure’s social and economic realities. A sustainable livelihoods framework was utilised to understand the lived experiences of mineworkers after the mine closure. Data was collected using in-depth interviews, and snowball sampling was adopted to identify the former mineworkers at Tshikondeni who experienced the mine closure. A thematic approach was adopted for data analysis to extrapolate critical themes and meanings from coded data from the recorded interviews with the former mineworkers
Second homes and local economic impacts in the South African post-productivist countryside
No full textEnglish: Issues concerning post-productivism have not seen any direct systematic research attention in South Africa. Nevertheless, it has recently been proposed that post-productivism, although difficult to discern in its early stages, has gathered sufficient momentum to warrant scholarly attention in the local context. This study develops this contention by focusing on the role of second homes tourism as a contributor to developing a South African post-productivist countryside using four study areas, namely, Rhodes, Greyton, Dullstroom and Clarens. It is argued that the initial development of productivist countrysides was linked to the apartheid regime’s concerns over white land ownership, black labour distribution and food security. It is then suggested that although the productivist countryside was under strain towards the final years of apartheid, the dismantling of apartheid agricultural policy and financial support for white farmers led them to seek out other economic opportunities. Movement towards consumptive leisure practices such as tourism and leisure functions has led to a diversification of farming practices resulting in a countryside in which agricultural production has decreased in importance. It is then argued that the stage was set for second homes to emerge as a new phenomenon in the countryside which further enhances the trend towards post-productivism. The project then provides an analysis of the various economic impacts of second homes in four study sites mentioned.Afrikaans: Kwessies rakende postproduktivisme het nog nie enige regstreekse sistematiese aandag in Suid-Afrika geniet nie. Desnieteenstaande is onlangs voorgestel dat postproduktivisme, hoewel moeilik om in sy vroeë fases te onderskei, genoeg momentum het om vakkundige aandag in die plaaslike konteks te regverdig. Die studie ontwikkel hierdie bewering deur op die rol van tweedehuistoerisme te fokus as ’n bydraer tot die ontwikkeling van ’n Suid-Afrikaanse postproduktivistiese platteland deur middel van vier studiegebiede, naamlik Rhodes, Greyton, Dullstroom en Clarens. Daar word geredeneer dat die aanvanklike ontwikkeling van ’n produktivistiese platteland met die apartheidsregering se kommer oor wit grondeienaarskap, swart arbeidsverspreiding en voedselsekerheid verband gehou het. Daar word dan voorgestel dat hoewel die produktivistiese platteland in die laaste paar jaar van apartheid onder druk was, het die aftakeling van apartheid se landboubeleid en finansiële steun vir wit boere hulle genoop om ander ekonomiese geleenthede te soek. ’n Verskuiwing na verbruiksontspanningspraktyke soos toerisme en ontspanningsgeleenthede het tot ’n diversifikasie van landboupraktyke gelei, wat ’n platteland waar landbouproduksie se belangrikheid afgeneem het, tot gevolg gehad. Daar word dan geredeneer dat die weg berei is vir tweede huise om as ’n nuwe verskynsel in die platteland na vore te tree, wat verder die tendens tot postproduktivisme verhoog het. Die projek verskaf dan ’n ontleding van die verskillende ekonomiese invloede van tweede huise in die vier studiegebiede wat genoem is
Spatialities of urban change: Selected themes from Bloemfontein at the beginning of the 21st century
No full textCITATION: Marais, L. & Visser, G. (eds). 2008. Spatialities of urban change: Selected themes from Bloemfontein at the beginning of the 21st century. Stellenbosch: AFRICAN SUN MeDIA.The original publication is available from AFRICAN SUNMeDIA - www.sun-e-shop.co.zaIt is against a post-colonial backdrop that the collection of essays assembled in this book aims to make a contribution to understanding the realities of urban centres which feature less frequently in the academic press. The research reported in this collection echoes and highlights many of the themes found in both urban theory derived from the realities of many 'world cities', and the challenges remarked upon in development theory seen in much of the work focused on South Africa's main metropolitan regions.Publishers' versio
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