A critical analysis of housing provision, livelihood activities and social reproduction in urban communities in South Africa: the case of Ezamokuhle, Mpumalanga
- Authors: Nkambule, Sipho Jonathan
- Date: 2017
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/7788 , vital:21298
- Description: The post-apartheid South African state has formulated, introduced and implemented nationwide policies and programmes pertaining to urban housing in order to address and tackle the challenges of social reproduction in and for poor urban black communities. This however has been undermined for a number of reasons, such as state incapacities and the state’s neo-liberal overreliance on the market to remedy past injustices. At the same time households, as critical sites of social reproduction in poor urban black communities and under conditions of extreme vulnerability, engage in a range of productive and non-productive activities often in a desperate bid to construct and maintain a semblance of livelihood sustainability. The thesis seeks to critically understand the relationship between state housing programmes and the diverse livelihood activities of poor urban black households in South Africa in the context of an ongoing systemic crisis of social reproduction which exists in these urban communities. This is pursued with specific reference to eZamokuhle Township in Amersfoort, Mpumalanga Province. The thesis is framed conceptually in terms of the notion of social reproduction. In doing so, it brings together two sets of literature which are often disconnected. On the one hand, there is South African literature which critically analyses the post-apartheid state’s housing programmes including the many challenges which exist in this regard. On the other hand, there is literature which considers the urban livelihoods of poor black communities in contemporary South Africa and often from within some kind of livelihoods perspective. The thesis is innovative in bringing these two sets of literature together in terms of the overarching notion of social reproduction and providing, therefore, a more holistic and integrated understanding of the multi-dimensional character of social reproduction. The depth of the crisis of social reproduction in eZamokuhle is explicated and examined in this way but in a manner which articulates the lived experiences and agency of eZamokhule households despite vulnerability constraints and challenges.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
- Authors: Nkambule, Sipho Jonathan
- Date: 2017
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/7788 , vital:21298
- Description: The post-apartheid South African state has formulated, introduced and implemented nationwide policies and programmes pertaining to urban housing in order to address and tackle the challenges of social reproduction in and for poor urban black communities. This however has been undermined for a number of reasons, such as state incapacities and the state’s neo-liberal overreliance on the market to remedy past injustices. At the same time households, as critical sites of social reproduction in poor urban black communities and under conditions of extreme vulnerability, engage in a range of productive and non-productive activities often in a desperate bid to construct and maintain a semblance of livelihood sustainability. The thesis seeks to critically understand the relationship between state housing programmes and the diverse livelihood activities of poor urban black households in South Africa in the context of an ongoing systemic crisis of social reproduction which exists in these urban communities. This is pursued with specific reference to eZamokuhle Township in Amersfoort, Mpumalanga Province. The thesis is framed conceptually in terms of the notion of social reproduction. In doing so, it brings together two sets of literature which are often disconnected. On the one hand, there is South African literature which critically analyses the post-apartheid state’s housing programmes including the many challenges which exist in this regard. On the other hand, there is literature which considers the urban livelihoods of poor black communities in contemporary South Africa and often from within some kind of livelihoods perspective. The thesis is innovative in bringing these two sets of literature together in terms of the overarching notion of social reproduction and providing, therefore, a more holistic and integrated understanding of the multi-dimensional character of social reproduction. The depth of the crisis of social reproduction in eZamokuhle is explicated and examined in this way but in a manner which articulates the lived experiences and agency of eZamokhule households despite vulnerability constraints and challenges.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
A critical analysis of the role of aid agencies in the Kenyan land policy process (1999-2012)
- Authors: Mrewa, Bernard
- Date: 2017
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/7634 , vital:21280
- Description: Land is central to development policies globally, including with reference to Africa, but the land reform strategies and modalities often pursued by international development agencies are controversial in terms of their potential and actual impact on questions of land rights, possession and access as well as poverty reduction and economic development. In the current era of global neoliberal restructuring, as indeed in the past, international aid agencies (or donors) have identified the formation and reform of national land policies in Africa and elsewhere as crucial in terms of facilitating systematic and successful land reform measures. A practical example of this is the case of Kenya. In this context, this thesis seeks to critically analyse the role of development (or aid) agencies in the land policy-making process in Kenya from 1999 to 2012. In this regard, the thesis does not focus on the product of the policy process (i.e. the land policy) let alone the implementation or impact of the policy. Rather, it treats the policy process itself as worthy of investigation and analysis, and thus delves into the policy processes leading to the product (the Kenyan land policy). The involvement of aid agencies in land policy in Kenya is part of a broader pattern of development cooperation with the Kenyan state over an extended period of time. Despite this long-term integration of Kenya in the international development system and the direct and pronounced involvement of global donors in the land policy-making process in Kenya, land policy outcomes in Kenya cannot be reduced simply to the influence and power of these donors. While the thesis analyses in detail the various forms of donor input into the land policy process, it also highlights that other (Kenyan-based) actors were centrally involved in the land policy formation process in the country, including state bureaucrats and national politicians but also a diverse range of interests embedded in civil society. Development agency involvement in the land policy process can be only understood in relation to these other actors. In Kenya, donors in fact interacted with these other actors in complex and fluctuating ways as they sought to maximise their influence in the national land policy process, and the thesis examines these dynamic and sometimes turbulent social and political interactions. These interactions were further complicated in Kenya because of the highly-ethnicised character of national politics and the fact that the constitution-review process was taking place at the same time as the land policy process. Together, this meant that the land policy process at nation-state level in Kenya became both a focus and site of struggle between state and non-state actors (including donors).
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
- Authors: Mrewa, Bernard
- Date: 2017
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/7634 , vital:21280
- Description: Land is central to development policies globally, including with reference to Africa, but the land reform strategies and modalities often pursued by international development agencies are controversial in terms of their potential and actual impact on questions of land rights, possession and access as well as poverty reduction and economic development. In the current era of global neoliberal restructuring, as indeed in the past, international aid agencies (or donors) have identified the formation and reform of national land policies in Africa and elsewhere as crucial in terms of facilitating systematic and successful land reform measures. A practical example of this is the case of Kenya. In this context, this thesis seeks to critically analyse the role of development (or aid) agencies in the land policy-making process in Kenya from 1999 to 2012. In this regard, the thesis does not focus on the product of the policy process (i.e. the land policy) let alone the implementation or impact of the policy. Rather, it treats the policy process itself as worthy of investigation and analysis, and thus delves into the policy processes leading to the product (the Kenyan land policy). The involvement of aid agencies in land policy in Kenya is part of a broader pattern of development cooperation with the Kenyan state over an extended period of time. Despite this long-term integration of Kenya in the international development system and the direct and pronounced involvement of global donors in the land policy-making process in Kenya, land policy outcomes in Kenya cannot be reduced simply to the influence and power of these donors. While the thesis analyses in detail the various forms of donor input into the land policy process, it also highlights that other (Kenyan-based) actors were centrally involved in the land policy formation process in the country, including state bureaucrats and national politicians but also a diverse range of interests embedded in civil society. Development agency involvement in the land policy process can be only understood in relation to these other actors. In Kenya, donors in fact interacted with these other actors in complex and fluctuating ways as they sought to maximise their influence in the national land policy process, and the thesis examines these dynamic and sometimes turbulent social and political interactions. These interactions were further complicated in Kenya because of the highly-ethnicised character of national politics and the fact that the constitution-review process was taking place at the same time as the land policy process. Together, this meant that the land policy process at nation-state level in Kenya became both a focus and site of struggle between state and non-state actors (including donors).
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
A critical analysis of the role of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) in the democratisation process in Zimbabwe from 2000 to 2016
- Authors: Mwonzora, Gift
- Date: 2017
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/8093 , vital:21353
- Description: The thesis provides a critical analysis of the role of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) in contributing to processes of democratisation in Zimbabwe from 2000 to 2016. The MDC was formed in 1999 and it became the most important opposition party to the ruling Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF) party in Zimbabwe since independence in 1980. During this period, though, the MDC also entered into a coalition government with ZANU-PF under the Government of National Unity (GNU) from 2009 to 2013. In characterising the Zimbabwean state as a semi-authoritarian regime with a defiant ruling party, the thesis identifies and examines the significant challenges faced by the MDC in seeking democratisation, including within the realms of electoral, constitutional and legislative change. At the same time, the MDC suffered from significant internal problems including major splits, with the original MDC becoming MDC-Tsvangirai (MDC-T) in 2005. In focusing on the MDC and democratisation over the entire course of the party’s existence, the thesis is able to identify any important differences between the pre-GNU period, the GNU period and the post-GNU period. As well, it is able to consider the changing relationships between the MDC and the pro-democracy forces from which it first emerged, namely urban civil society and trade unions. The thesis concludes that the effectiveness of the MDC in bringing about democratisation has been highly uneven across the realms of electoral, constitutional and legislative change, and that any changes are necessarily tentative and subject to reversals given the ongoing semi-authoritarian regime in which the ruling ZANU-PF party has in effect fused with the state. Though there has been some evidence of democratic transition in Zimbabwe under the influence of the MDC (and MDC-T), more far-reaching democratic consolidation remains elusive. The fieldwork for the thesis is in large part based on a qualitative research methodology, involving key informant interviews, observations, primary documentation, and participation in political rallies and public lectures.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
- Authors: Mwonzora, Gift
- Date: 2017
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/8093 , vital:21353
- Description: The thesis provides a critical analysis of the role of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) in contributing to processes of democratisation in Zimbabwe from 2000 to 2016. The MDC was formed in 1999 and it became the most important opposition party to the ruling Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF) party in Zimbabwe since independence in 1980. During this period, though, the MDC also entered into a coalition government with ZANU-PF under the Government of National Unity (GNU) from 2009 to 2013. In characterising the Zimbabwean state as a semi-authoritarian regime with a defiant ruling party, the thesis identifies and examines the significant challenges faced by the MDC in seeking democratisation, including within the realms of electoral, constitutional and legislative change. At the same time, the MDC suffered from significant internal problems including major splits, with the original MDC becoming MDC-Tsvangirai (MDC-T) in 2005. In focusing on the MDC and democratisation over the entire course of the party’s existence, the thesis is able to identify any important differences between the pre-GNU period, the GNU period and the post-GNU period. As well, it is able to consider the changing relationships between the MDC and the pro-democracy forces from which it first emerged, namely urban civil society and trade unions. The thesis concludes that the effectiveness of the MDC in bringing about democratisation has been highly uneven across the realms of electoral, constitutional and legislative change, and that any changes are necessarily tentative and subject to reversals given the ongoing semi-authoritarian regime in which the ruling ZANU-PF party has in effect fused with the state. Though there has been some evidence of democratic transition in Zimbabwe under the influence of the MDC (and MDC-T), more far-reaching democratic consolidation remains elusive. The fieldwork for the thesis is in large part based on a qualitative research methodology, involving key informant interviews, observations, primary documentation, and participation in political rallies and public lectures.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
A sociological analysis of the lives and livelihoods of child support grant caregivers in Queenstown, South Africa
- Authors: Ntantiso, Ziyanda
- Date: 2017
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSocSc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/7925 , vital:21325
- Description: The post-apartheid state in South Africa has initiated and implemented a large-scale social assistance programme in the form of social grants, including the child support grant. The grant system is meant to provide recipients, who comprise mainly people from poor black households, with the capacity to reduce levels of poverty in their households. The grant with the largest number of recipients is the child support grant, and it is given to the caregiver of a child eligible to receive the grant. Though the value of the monthly grant is minimal, the prevailing literature suggests that it does contribute in some way to enhancing the welfare of the recipients. This thesis focuses on child support grant recipients in the town of Queenstown in the Eastern Cape, and particularly those recipients for whom the grant is the crucial source of income. The main objective of the thesis is to understand and analyse the lives and livelihoods of child support grant recipients (all women) in Queenstown, South Africa. In this regard, the vast majority of caregivers of grant children are women and they often rely exclusively on the grant in taking care of themselves and the children. The thesis does not seek to determine any direct causal relationship between the child grant and poverty reduction, as much of the existing literature seeks to do. It focuses instead on the lives of the grant recipients, including the many challenges they face, as well as how they use the grant to pursue livelihoods in a manner which may at least inhibit the prospects of entering into deeper levels of poverty. The thesis demonstrates that, despite their deprived conditions of material existence, the female caregivers in Queenstown display significant agency in caring for their grant children.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
- Authors: Ntantiso, Ziyanda
- Date: 2017
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSocSc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/7925 , vital:21325
- Description: The post-apartheid state in South Africa has initiated and implemented a large-scale social assistance programme in the form of social grants, including the child support grant. The grant system is meant to provide recipients, who comprise mainly people from poor black households, with the capacity to reduce levels of poverty in their households. The grant with the largest number of recipients is the child support grant, and it is given to the caregiver of a child eligible to receive the grant. Though the value of the monthly grant is minimal, the prevailing literature suggests that it does contribute in some way to enhancing the welfare of the recipients. This thesis focuses on child support grant recipients in the town of Queenstown in the Eastern Cape, and particularly those recipients for whom the grant is the crucial source of income. The main objective of the thesis is to understand and analyse the lives and livelihoods of child support grant recipients (all women) in Queenstown, South Africa. In this regard, the vast majority of caregivers of grant children are women and they often rely exclusively on the grant in taking care of themselves and the children. The thesis does not seek to determine any direct causal relationship between the child grant and poverty reduction, as much of the existing literature seeks to do. It focuses instead on the lives of the grant recipients, including the many challenges they face, as well as how they use the grant to pursue livelihoods in a manner which may at least inhibit the prospects of entering into deeper levels of poverty. The thesis demonstrates that, despite their deprived conditions of material existence, the female caregivers in Queenstown display significant agency in caring for their grant children.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
Critical analysis of landscape and belonging in Mola, Nyaminyami District, Zimbabwe
- Authors: Tombindo, Felix
- Date: 2017
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSocSc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/7533 , vital:21270
- Description: Land and inanimate resources constitute the most dominant theme in the history of Zimbabwe. Questions around land, the environment and natural resources in Zimbabwe have recently focused on the contentious Fast Track Land Reform Programme of the year 2000. Yet Zimbabwe’s land questions are not limited to this contentious land reform programme. Among Zimbabwe’s contentious land questions are those of the Tonga people, displaced in the 1950s to pave way for the construction of the Kariba dam. These people have faced further displacement through conservation-induced restrictions on land and environmental resource use, particularly in the Zambezi Valley and specifically in areas where they were relocated after the dam-induced displacement. This thesis examines the ways in which the Tonga people of Mola in NyamiNyami District have framed their present environment to place imprints in Mola from their Zambezi landscape and to convert Mola into a landscape of home and belonging. It looks at how the Tonga in Mola use these narratives of home and belonging to claim and contest access to environmental resources in the face of an unfettered regime of displacement and restricted environmental resource use. These narratives of home are located within the context of memories of the history of Kariba dam-induced displacement and present-day environmental conservation regime practices. The thesis frames the case study of the Tonga in Mola analytically through the use of mainly a social constructionist theory of landscape and, less so, with reference to the Bourdieusian concept of habitus. It uses qualitative research methods in doing so. The thesis reveals that, for the Tonga of Mola, the environment is a complex mix of physical space (natural environment) and non-physical entities that include ancestors. Because of this, the Mola Tongan environment is multifaceted and this entails landscape as lived reality and a sacred space. The ancestors, referred to locally as banalyo gundu (meaning ‘owners of the land’), constitute a key way in which the Tonga claim belonging to Mola, Lake Kariba and the Zambezi Valley escarpment. The thesis also identifies and highlights the phenomenon of a dual belonging (attachment to two places), namely Mola and the place from which they were displaced. This exists despite the many years since their displacement for the construction of Kariba. Based on their understandings of landscape, the Tonga of Mola construct notions of belonging and entitlement to Mola and Lake Kariba that exclude and include others at the local and national levels. Overall, belonging in Mola is presented and practised as a discursive, socially constructed phenomenon that exists at local and national levels.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
- Authors: Tombindo, Felix
- Date: 2017
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSocSc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/7533 , vital:21270
- Description: Land and inanimate resources constitute the most dominant theme in the history of Zimbabwe. Questions around land, the environment and natural resources in Zimbabwe have recently focused on the contentious Fast Track Land Reform Programme of the year 2000. Yet Zimbabwe’s land questions are not limited to this contentious land reform programme. Among Zimbabwe’s contentious land questions are those of the Tonga people, displaced in the 1950s to pave way for the construction of the Kariba dam. These people have faced further displacement through conservation-induced restrictions on land and environmental resource use, particularly in the Zambezi Valley and specifically in areas where they were relocated after the dam-induced displacement. This thesis examines the ways in which the Tonga people of Mola in NyamiNyami District have framed their present environment to place imprints in Mola from their Zambezi landscape and to convert Mola into a landscape of home and belonging. It looks at how the Tonga in Mola use these narratives of home and belonging to claim and contest access to environmental resources in the face of an unfettered regime of displacement and restricted environmental resource use. These narratives of home are located within the context of memories of the history of Kariba dam-induced displacement and present-day environmental conservation regime practices. The thesis frames the case study of the Tonga in Mola analytically through the use of mainly a social constructionist theory of landscape and, less so, with reference to the Bourdieusian concept of habitus. It uses qualitative research methods in doing so. The thesis reveals that, for the Tonga of Mola, the environment is a complex mix of physical space (natural environment) and non-physical entities that include ancestors. Because of this, the Mola Tongan environment is multifaceted and this entails landscape as lived reality and a sacred space. The ancestors, referred to locally as banalyo gundu (meaning ‘owners of the land’), constitute a key way in which the Tonga claim belonging to Mola, Lake Kariba and the Zambezi Valley escarpment. The thesis also identifies and highlights the phenomenon of a dual belonging (attachment to two places), namely Mola and the place from which they were displaced. This exists despite the many years since their displacement for the construction of Kariba. Based on their understandings of landscape, the Tonga of Mola construct notions of belonging and entitlement to Mola and Lake Kariba that exclude and include others at the local and national levels. Overall, belonging in Mola is presented and practised as a discursive, socially constructed phenomenon that exists at local and national levels.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
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