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CONSTRAINTS IN ATTAINMENT OF SUSTAINABLE

HUMAN SETTLEMENTS AT KWAMAPHUMULO

LOCAL MUNICIPALITY

PHINDOKUHLE SIKHOSANA

2020

CONSTRAINTS IN ATTAINMENT OF SUSTAINABLE

HUMAN SETTLEMENTS AT KWAMAPHUMULO LOCAL

MUNICIPALITY

BY

PHINDOKUHLE SIKHOSANA

Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the completion of the degree

of Master of Science in Construction Management in the Faculty of

Engineering, Built Environment and Information Technology to be awarded at

the Nelson Mandela University

April 2020

SUPERVISOR: PROFESSOR SIJEKULA MBANGA

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DEDICATION

In the loving memory of Professor Kobus Van Wyk. May his soul rest in peace.

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DECLARATION

I, Phindokuhle Sikhosana 214155013, hereby declare that the dissertation titled:

Constraints In Attainment Of Sustainable Human Settlements at Kwamaphumulo

Local Municipality, for the degree of Master of Science in Construction Management

is my own work and that it has not previously been submitted for assessment or

completion of any postgraduate qualification to another University or for another

qualification..

_____________________

P. SIKHOSANA

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Whilst I take full responsibility for whatever has been presented and discussed in this

dissertation, I am mindfully aware that it could not have been completed in its

entirety in the absence of the undivided cooperation and assistance from a number

of people who provided moral support, encouragement, expertise, experience,

views, opinions and valuable time.

To the Almighty, my Creator, and the One who Was, Is and Is to come. You

deserve all the Glory, honour and adoration. You gave me strength of mind,

motivation and perseverance. You carried me all the way against all odds.

Special thanks to my supervisor Professor Sijekula Mbanga from the Nelson

Mandela University. You guided me patiently during my year of study. Your

support and patience gave me the energy that motivated me to complete my work.

May God bless you.

I would like to thank the late Professor Kobus Van Wyk, who put great effort in

pioneering a new Bachelor of Human Settlements Development in South Africa,

making the university a forerunner in Human Settlement studies. May his soul rest in

peace and rise in glory.

Many thanks to all participants, the community of KwaMaphumulo Municipality as

your views, opinions and experiences have indeed made this dissertation a reality.

Lastly, I would like to thank Mr Ayo Adeleye Adeniran, a PhD Candidate in

Construction Management at the Nelson Mandela University, who motivated, stirred

and encouraged me, and shared some invaluable ideas with me, in the course of my

research project.

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ABSTRACT

This study sought to investigate the constraints in the attainment of sustainable

human settlement in KwaMaphumulo Local Municipality at iLembe District in

KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The aim of this study was to investigate the constraints

that limit the achievement of the ideal of sustainable human settlement development

in the KwaMaphumulo Local Municipality. Furthermore, the study sought to

determine the impact of these constraints on sustainable development and to proffer

measures that can be taken to combat stagnant or underdevelopment in the area. A

mixed-method approach is followed in this study, which considers a triangulation of

quantitative and qualitative data collection, analysis and interpretation techniques.

It is important to note that in the past years since South Africa became a democratic

country, there have been countless efforts with regard to overcoming the problems

created during the apartheid era. These problems stemmed from a distorted spatial,

social, economic and political background that was advocated by both segregationist

public policies and the planning systems of the Apartheid Regime. In recent years,

South African cities have also been faced with environmental issues, which are

imperative to the future development of the country. With all these issues in mind, we

see that the many efforts that are put in place by government always fall short of

solving the problems.

This research report looked at the constraints that affect the KwaMaphumulo Local

Municipality in attaining sustainable human settlements and whether the efforts of

redistribution and equality have been enough to overcome the problems. The key

findings of the study were that constraints in attaining sustainable human settlements

in the KwaMaphumulo Local Municipality negatively impacts on the development in

the area. The level of services being provided is poor. There is an apparent

disconnect between traditional leaders and the municipality councillor as

development management and vision are concerned. Furthermore, the development

programmes and projects do not seem to address the critical needs of the

community. Housing development is narrow minded with a focus on the top structure

and a failure to include basic services and infrastructure. Houses built that are

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financed by subsidies are of poor quality. The latter situation results in more able‐

bodied, skilled and capable people emigrating to developed areas.

Key words: Sustainable human settlements, constraints, pull factors, push factors,

integration, rural, urban, capacity, skills development, public participation, housing

quality

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LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS

CDS Centre for Development Support

DA Democratic Alliance

EHP Emergency Housing Programme

ENRD European Network for Rural Development

GEAR Growth, Employment and Redistribution policy

HDA Housing Development Agency

IDP Integrated Development Plan

NDoH National Department of Housing

NDoHS Department of Human Settlements

NHSS National Housing Subsidy Scheme

OECD Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development

RDF Rural Development Framework

RDP Reconstruction and Development Programme

SLA Sustainable Livelihoods Approach

SPLUMA Spatial Planning and Land Use Management Act

UISP Upgrading of Informal Settlements Programme

UN United Nations

UNDP United Nation Development Programme

WHO World Health Organisation

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LIST OF TABLES

Table 3.2.3: Features of Qualitative and Quantitative Research …………………79

Table 3.2.4.1: Types of Design by Four Criteria ……………………………………..83

Table 3.5: Four Basic Types of Qualitative Research Data Collection Procedures ………………………………………………………………………………………………88

Table 3.5.1: Layout of the Questionnaire ……………………………………………..94

Table 3.7: Interview Guide ………………………………………………………………99

Table 3.8: Questionnaire Guide ………………………………………………………..99

Table 3.9: Minimum Sample Size Recommended for most Common Quantitative and Qualitative Research Designs …………………………………..…101

Table 3.10: Summarises the Data Sources and Data Analysis Procedure for Each Question …………………………………………………………..107

Table 4.1: Gender of Respondents, (n = 248) ………………………………………..112

Table 4.2: Level of Education Completed …………………………………………….113

Table 4.3: Employment Status, (n = 240) ……………………………………………..114

Table 4.4: Sources of Income, (n = 244) ………………………………………………115

Table 4.5: Number of Household Dependents, (n = 242) …………………………. 116

Table 4.6: Level of Services …………………………………………………………….117

Table 4.7: Factors that Influence the Provision of Public Services ………………..131

Table 4.8: The Contribution of the Following Programmes / Projects to Sustainable Development. ……………………………... 135

Table 4.8B: The contribution of the following programmes/projects to sustainable development..………………………………… 140

Table 4.9: The Quality of Low-Cost Housing …………………………………………152

Table 4.10: Neighbourhood Characteristics …………………………………………..155

Table 4.11: The Extent to which the Location of your House Benefits you Relative to its Proximity to the Following Amenities ……………………………………………….156

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Table 4.12: The Extent You Agree or Disagree with the Following…..…….……...167

Table 4.13: Causes of disintegration between municipality/traditional leaders……………………………………………………………………………………. 171

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LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1.2: Map Illustrating KwaMaphumulo Highlighted in Pink…………………… 22

Figure 2.2.1: Dimensions of Social Sustainability……………………………………...33

Figure 2.7: Model of Housing Management for Developing Countries ……………..51

Figure 2.7.1: Model of the Rural Area Change Management According

to the “Bottom-up” Principle ……………………………………………………………...54

Figure 2.7.2 Territorial Rural Development Model ……………………………………55

Figure 2.14 Conceptual Framework …………………………………………………….68

Figure 3.2.1: The Research Onion ……………………………………………………...72

Figure 3.2.2. Systems Theory ……………………………………………………….…..76

Figure 3.3: Inductive and Deductive Research ……………………………………….84

Figure 4.1: Gender of Respondents, (n = 248) ……………………………………….112

Figure 4.2: Level of Education Completed…………………………………………... 113

Figure 4.3: Employment Status, (n = 240) …………………………………………….114

Figure 4.4: Sources of Income, (n = 244) …………………………………………… 115

Figure 4.5: Number of Household Dependents, (n = 242) ………………………… 116

Figure 4.6: Recipient of a Government-Subsidised House …………………………151

Figure 4.7: Issues with Houses ………………………………………………………...152

Figure 4.8: Extent response above affects underdevelopment

in the area (n = 240) ……………………………………………………………………..173

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DEFINITION OF KEY TERMS AND CONCEPTS

Rural: According to the Department of Land Affairs (1997:7), rural areas are defined

as the sparsely populated areas in which people farm or depend on natural

resources, including villages and small towns that are dispersed. It includes large

settlements in the former homelands created by the apartheid removals, which

depended for economic survival largely on migratory labour and remittances.

Socio-economic development: Midgley’s (2014) view of social development is

seen as a process of planned social change designed to promote the wellbeing of

the population as a whole, in conjunction with the dynamic process of economic

development (Midgley, 1995:250), through which a community creates, retains and

reinvests wealth and improves the quality of life (Sumner, 2011:1).

Sustainable human settlements: South Africa’s Breaking New Ground (NDoH,

2004) sustainable settlement policy defines sustainable human settlements as well-

managed entities in which economic growth and social development are in balance

with the carrying capacity of the natural systems on which they depend for their

existence which result in sustainable development, wealth creation, poverty

alleviation and equity that is a sense of localness and distinctiveness, of place and of

community.

A human settlement is therefore more than just a place to house people. The

definitions above indicate that a human settlement consists of a variety of functions

and must serve the needs of the people who inhabit it. Essentially a human

settlement comprises of physical elements, social services and infrastructure

(Nkambule, 2012).

Human settlements management: Van Wyk (2012:224 ) stated that “human

settlements management is the art, science and profession of coordinating role

players, protecting the interests of households and communities and managing

human settlement processes; using appropriate policies, strategies, systems and

resources; with due cognizance of all the contextual circumstances (natural, social,

cultural, economic, political and technological), to contribute to household and

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community development and to optimise human settlements sector performance;

towards a new and improved sustainable human living environment.

Migration: Kok (1999:19) states that defining migration is a controversial activity.

However, Lehohla (2006:7) defines migration as the crossing of the boundary of a

pre-defined spatial unit, by persons involved in a change of residence.

Housing delivery: The term delivery should not only refer to the indicating of the

process of housing production but it refers to the entire process of housing

production, exchange and consumption (Ball & Harloe,1992:8). According to Ball and

Harloe (1992:9), housing provision involves a physical process of creating and

transferring a dwelling to its occupiers, its subsequent use and physical reproduction

and at the same time, a social process dominated by the economic interests

involved. In order to understand such housing provision, we should not ignore the

institutional and other structures within which it takes place; nor should we forget the

social agencies engaged in such structures (Ball & Harloe, 1992:9).

Sustainability: Transforming the ways of living to maximize the chances that

environmental and social conditions will indefinitely support human security,

wellbeing and health (McMichael, Butler & Folke, 2003).

Livelihoods: A livelihood comprises the capabilities, assets (including both material

and social resources) and activities required for a means of living. A livelihood is

sustainable when it can cope with and recover from stress and shock and maintain

or enhance its capabilities and its assets, both now and in the future, while not

undermining the natural resource base (Chambers & Conway, 1992).

Integration: can be defined as a relationship among parts through which they form a

whole, so that the whole has its own distinct attributes, boundaries, and thus it is

recognizable as a separate structured entity (Holzner, 1967:51).

Quality of life: The World Bank Organization (defines quality of life as an individual's

perception of their position in life in the context of the culture and the value systems

under which they live and in relation to their goals, expectations, standards and

concerns. It is a broad ranging concept affected in a complex way by the person's

physical health, psychological state, personal beliefs, social relationships and their

relationship to salient features of their environment.

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Housing quality: Housing quality has many elements and can be defined in many

ways. A targeted definition of housing quality concerns simply the quality of the

internal and external structure of a dwelling and aspects of the internal environment.

A wider definition may include features of the neighbourhood and concepts such as

environmental sustainability. Housing quality is also referred to as housing condition

or housing habitability.

Under-development: According to Rodney (1973:2) underdevelopment is not the

absence of development, because every person has developed in one way or

another and to a greater or lesser extent. Underdevelopment makes sense only as a

means of comparing levels of development. It is closely tied to the fact that human

social development has been uneven and from a strictly economic view-point, some

human groups have advanced further by producing more and becoming wealthier.

Living environments: Van Wyk (2014:31) states that a living environment is

regarded as the holistic concept of any place where human beings live, work, relax

and worship, including social, economic, technological, infrastructure and the political

dimensions of their lives as well as the symbiotic influences between people and the

natural environment.

Inequality: Inequality is the state of not being equal, especially in status, rights, and

opportunities. It can primarily be concerned with the inequality of opportunities, such

as unequal access to employment or education or with the inequality of outcomes in

various material dimensions of human wellbeing, such as the level of income,

educational attainment, health status and so on (UNDP, 2013).

Poverty: Poverty can be defined as a condition characterized by severe deprivation

of basic human needs, including food, safe drinking water, sanitation facilities,

health, shelter, education and information. It depends not only on income but also on

access to services (UN, 1995:57).

Local economic development: Local economic development is a process where

local actors shape and share the future of their territory. We could define it as a

participatory process that encourages and facilitates partnership between local

stakeholders, enabling the joint design and implementation of strategies, mainly

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based on the competitive use of the local resources, with the final aim of creating

decent jobs and sustainable economic activities (Canzanelli, 2001:9).

Public Services: A public service can be defined as an act of providing or and

supporting a service by a government or its agencies to people. It could be that an

agency provides a public service for the government or on behalf of the government.

However, public services could also be associated with a social consensus (usually

expressed through democratic elections) that certain services should be available to

all, regardless of income, physical ability or mental acuity (Dube & Danescu, 2011:4).

These services could range from electricity, water, public transportation, healthcare,

roads, emergency services, courts, education, public buildings, social services,

waste management, telecommunications and environmental protection.

Economic sustainability: Basiago (1999:149) states that economic sustainability is

a system of production that presents consumption levels without compromising

future needs, through sustaining the economic system. Therefore, it could be said

that economic sustainability is inseparably linked to both environmental and social

sustainability, which is seen in the limits to growth. A practical example of economic

sustainability would be to fashion a method of rural design that meets rural

communities service needs while enhancing the naturalness of the urban

environment.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

DEDICATION ............................................................................................................. 2

DECLARATION ......................................................................................................... 3

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .......................................................................................... 4

ABSTRACT ............................................................................................................... 5

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS ........................................................ 7

LIST OF TABLES ...................................................................................................... 8

LIST OF FIGURES................................................................................................... 10

DEFINITION OF KEY TERMS AND CONCEPTS.................................................... 11

CHAPTER ONE: BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY AND ITS SETTINGS ............. 20

1.1 Introduction ................................................................................................. 20

1.2 Background To The Study .......................................................................... 21

1.3 Research Problem Statement ..................................................................... 23

1.4 Research Sub Problems ............................................................................. 25

1.6 Research Questions .................................................................................... 25

1.7 Aim Of The Study ........................................................................................ 26

1.8 Objectives Of The Study ............................................................................. 26

1.9 Assumptions Of The Study.......................................................................... 27

1.10 Delimitations Of The Study.......................................................................... 28

1.11 Ethical Considerations Of The Study .......................................................... 29

1.12 Outline Of The Chapters ............................................................................. 29

1.13 Time Schedule And Budget Table ............................................................... 30

CHAPTER TWO: THE LITERATURE REVIEW ..................................................... 31

2.1 Introduction ................................................................................................. 31

2.2 Sustainability Principles .............................................................................. 31

2.2.1 Social Sphere ....................................................................................... 33

2.2.2 Economic Sphere ................................................................................. 34

2.2.3 The Environmental Sphere ................................................................... 35

2.3 Defining Features Of Human Settlements In Developing Countries ............ 36

2.4 The Challenges Of Sustainable Rural Human Settlement Development .... 38

2.4.1 Access To Land, Land Tenure And Rights ........................................... 39

2.4.2 Poor Service Delivery ........................................................................... 40

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2.4.3 The High Unemployment Rate ............................................................. 40

2.5 Sustainable Human Settlement And Livelihoods In Rural Areas ................. 41

2.5.1 Traditional Leaders Versus Local Government ..................................... 43

2.5.2 Challenges Regarding The Participation Of Traditional Leaders In

Municipal Councils

………………………………………………………………………………...44

2.5.3 Community Participation And Rural Housing ........................................ 46

2.6 Sustainable Livelihoods Approach .............................................................. 47

2.7 A Human Settlements Management Model ................................................. 51

2.7.1 A Model For Rural Area Change Management ..................................... 53

2.8 Quality Of Life: Community Satisfaction And Housing ................................ 57

2.9 International Conventions And Programmes That Are Addressing Rural

Development ......................................................................................................... 59

2.10 Project Management In Rural Communities ................................................ 60

2.10.1 Creating An Enabling Environment For Communities To Participate In

Development...................................................................................................... 61

2.10.2 Importance Of Monitoring, Evaluating And Learning ............................ 63

2.11 The Consequence(S) That Migration Has On The Place Of Origin ............. 64

2.12 The Consequences(S) That Migration Has On The Place Of Destination ... 64

2.13 Infrastructure And Rural Development ........................................................ 65

2.14 Conceptual Framework Of The Study ......................................................... 67

2.15 Conclusion .................................................................................................. 69

CHAPTER THREE: RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY ........................ 70

3.1 Introduction ................................................................................................. 70

3.2 Research Design And Methodology ............................................................ 70

3.2.1 Research Paradigm .............................................................................. 70

3.2.2 Theory Of The Study ................................................................................ 75

3.2.3 Research Design .................................................................................. 79

3.2.4 Research Sub Design ........................................................................... 81

3.3 Study Approach ........................................................................................... 84

3.4 Methodological Triangulation ...................................................................... 86

3.5 Data Collection Methods ............................................................................. 87

3.5.1 Qualitative Data ........................................................................................ 87

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3.6 The Sampling Method ................................................................................. 96

3.7 Target Population ........................................................................................ 98

3.8 Sample Size .............................................................................................. 100

3.9 Pilot Study ................................................................................................. 103

3.9.1 Validity And Reliability ........................................................................ 104

3.10 Data Presentation And Analysis Methods ................................................. 105

3.10.1 Quantitative Data Analysis .................................................................. 105

3.10.2 Qualitative Data Analysis .................................................................... 106

3.11 Ethical Considerations .............................................................................. 108

3.11.1 Permission To Conduct The Study ..................................................... 108

3.11.2 Plagiarism ........................................................................................... 109

3.11.3 Confidentiality And Anonymity ............................................................ 109

3.11.4 Privacy ................................................................................................ 110

3.11.5 Right To Withdraw .............................................................................. 110

3.12 Conclusion ................................................................................................ 110

CHAPTER FOUR: PRESENTATION, ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION OF THE

FINDINGS .............................................................................................................. 112

4.1 Introduction ............................................................................................... 112

4.2 Quantitative Analysis ................................................................................. 112

4.2.1 Part A: Biographical Data ................................................................... 112

4.2.2 Part B: Factors Accounting For The Dearth Of Public Services In The

Kwamaphumulo Local Municipality .................................................................. 118

4.3 Qualitative Analysis ................................................................................... 120

4.3.1 Part B: Provision Of Public Services ................................................... 121

4.4 Quantitative Analysis..................................................................................... 135

4.4.1 Part C: Contribution To Sustainable Development In The Kwamaphumulo

Local Municipality ............................................................................................ 135


4.5.1 Part C: Contribution To Sustainable Development In The



4.6.1 Part D: Housing Quality In Kwamaphumulo Local Municipality .......... 152


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4.7.1 Housing Quality In The Kwamaphumulo Local Municipality ............... 160


4.8.1 Part E: Traditional Leaders’ Collaboration With The Municipality In

Developmental Programmes And Projects ...................................................... 167


4.10 Conclusion ................................................................................................ 182

CHAPTER FIVE: CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS ......................... 183

5.1 Introduction ............................................................................................... 183

5.2 Overview Of The Study ............................................................................. 183

5.3 Summary Of Key Empirical Findings ......................................................... 185

5.3.1 Research Question 1: What Are The Reasons For The Minimal

Provision Of Public Services In The Kwamaphumulo Local Municipality? ....... 185

5.3.2 Research Question 2: Do Developmental Projects Or Programmes In

The Kwamaphumulo Local Municipality Contribute To Sustainable

Development?.................................................................................................. 186

5.3.3 Research Question 3: What Is The Quality Of Low Cost Housing In The

Kwamaphumulo Local Municipality? ................................................................ 187

5.3.4 Research Question 4: Do Traditional Leaders Work Well With The

Municipality To Ensure Developmental Programmes Or Projects? ................. 187

5.4 Conclusions............................................................................................... 188

5.4.1 Objective 1: Establish Factors For The Dearth Of Public Services In The


5.4.2 Objective 2: Evaluate The Contribution Of Developmental Programmes Or

Projects To Sustainable Development ............................................................. 188

5.4.3 Objective 3: Approve And Assess The Quality Of Low Cost Housing In

The Kwamaphumulo Local Municipality ........................................................... 189

5.4.4 Objective 4: Ascertain The Level Of Participation Of Traditional Leaders

In The Municipal Developmental Programmes Or Projects ............................. 189

5.4.5 Objective 5: Provide Recommendations On How The Constraints Of

Sustainable Human Settlement Development Can Be Mitigated In Rural Areas

Of The Kwamaphumulo Local Municipality ...................................................... 190

5.4.6 General Conclusions .......................................................................... 191

5.5 Recommendations .................................................................................... 194

5.5.1 Recommendation For Policy ............................................................... 197

5.5.2 Recommendation For Practice ........................................................... 197

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5.6 Areas For Further Research...................................................................... 198

5.7 Limitations Of The Study ........................................................................... 198

LIST OF REFERENCES ........................................................................................ 199

APPENDICES ........................................................................................................ 211

Appendix 1: Survey Questionnaire ......................................................................... 211

Appendix 2: Interview Schedule ............................................................................. 225

Appendix 3: Letter From University Requesting Permission To Conduct Study ..... 230

Appendix 4: Letter From The Kwamaphumulo Local Municipality Granting Approval

To Conduct The Study ........................................................................................... 231

Appendix 5: Signed Letter From A Language Editor Confirming Proof-Reading Of

Final Dissertation ................................................................................................... 232

Appendix 6: University Ethical Clearance Approval Letter ..................................... 233

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CHAPTER ONE: BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY AND ITS SETTINGS

1.1 INTRODUCTION

Sustainable Human settlements can be seen as an integrated approach which seeks

to improve the quality of how communities interact with their surrounding

environment. It embraces the ability of dealing with spatial characteristics,

geographical location, settlement dimensions, environmental conditions, economic

viability, institutional ability and structure, human development, social relationships,

and values and aspirations (CSIR, 2002:4) which is lacking in rural communities.

The constraints that are faced by South Africa’s rural communities are not only

unique to it, as many African countries are trapped in a similar endless cycle of

poverty. This study therefore seeks to investigate the constraints faced in

KwaMaphumulo to add insight on how rural development could be achieved.

Although some human settlement projects have had significant achievements, there

are still some challenges that remain unsolved due to apartheid planning, consigning

the majority of South Africans to areas that are far away from economic

opportunities, where services cannot be sustained and where it is difficult to access

the benefits of society’s fruits and to participate in South Africa’s economy.

Despite being a middle-income developing country, South Africa remains the most

unequal society in the world. This is future justified by Scott (2019:1) who explains

that the settlement patterns demonstrate the inefficiencies and inequalities faced by

the communities of South Africa; as areas that need attention in order to implement

transformation are not receiving the bold measures required to reshape their quality

of life and change their course of development.

This inevitably leads to rural emigration as it is only natural for humans to leave their

poorly developed communities to better themselves while their families are left

behind. According to Mitlin (2008) rural emigration has a negative impact on the

sustainability and development of rural regions, in the sense that it deprives the most

economically active populations from developing themselves and community, so the

quality of life can be improved and it also leaves rural areas with the prerogative of

having to fend for themselves, while the focus of development is consistently shifted

21

towards urban areas which then impedes or derails the sustainability of human

settlements in the rural regions.”

1.2 BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY

It is important to understand the history of South Africa and the impact that Apartheid

has had on rural communities, in order to understand the root of the constraints rural

areas are currently facing with regarding developing sustainable human settlements.

The reality of resistance to apartheid in urban areas is often covered in many

televisions show; however the impact of apartheid on rural areas and rural resistance

to it remains much less unknown. The portions of South Africa that were reversed for

designated African groups in terms of the 1913 Land Act, are still, after 1994,

governed distinctly and differently from the rest of South Africa.

For example, in KwaZulu-Natal, the people of Durban, regardless of what racial

group they belong to, are governed by rights, democracy and development, while the

people of KwaMaphumulo, the majority being black, are governed by custom,

tradition and welfare.”

Although black South Africans are no longer burdened by the constant threat of

racially defined involuntary removals or having to produce identification documents

and fear arrest or expulsion from the cities; they are no longer explicitly referred to as

hewers of wood and carriers of water yet there are still cases of extreme poverty in

rural areas.

The people of KwaMaphumulo are now regarded as South African citizens with the

right to vote yet there is still no place for them in the economy and they still must

depend on rivers for water and paraffin or firewood and gas stoves for energy.

This is further stated in the Maphumulo Integrated Development Plan (2018/2019)

that in different parts of the country, rural communities at large are still subjected to

unrelenting inequality, limited access to infrastructure, environmental degradation,

poverty and fragmented spatial patterns.

The poverty experienced in Bantustans today, is probably worse than it was at the

dawn of liberal democracy, despite the massive expansion of the welfare system

after 1994. Referring back to the dark days of the 1980s during Apartheid, Crais

22

(2002:24) has observed that in the Bantustans today, the “state of emergency in fact

continues”.”

The KwaMaphumulo Local Municipality, along with four other local municipalities

form part of the iLembe district in the province of KwaZulu-Natal. It is a Category

B municipality that makes up a third of its geographical area. Maphumulo, meaning

place of rest, is predominantly rural and consists of tribal land that is administered by

the Ingonyama Trust on behalf of local communities. The Maphumulo Town is the

centre of formal activity and provides support services and facilities to its hinterland.

The total area of Maphumulo is 834km2

The rural hinterland consists of scattered rural settlements and subsistence farming

only.The linkage to the N2 is vital as it provides for migrant labour transport, and

access to commercial and employment markets in the Durban Metro and to the

Tongaat/ Maidstone, the Dolphin Coast, KwaDukuza, Darnall and the Isithebe areas

(KwaMaphumulo IDP 2018/2019).

According to the 2018/2019 KwaMaphumulo Integrated Development Plan the

municipality has experienced a 2.21% negative growth rate. In 2001 it had a

population of 120 643 which decreased to 96724 in 2011 and has now decreased

further to 89 969 in 2016.

The local municipality, according to their IDP (2018/19) is experiencing the

following problems. It’s a rural area that has scattered settlements. The levels of

economic opportunities in the area is low.

The municipality is experiencing a backlog in terms of the provision of basic services

and infrastructure, resulting in many homes not  having any electricity supply and the

community having to walk quite a distance with buckets, just to obtain water, and the

majority of homes still use the bucket system. 70% of the population does not have

formal housing.

There is an absence of local training and skills development institutions, resulting in

the community having inadequate skills to participate in the local economy,

complemented by a high unemployment rate and a high dependency ratio.

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There are issues within the municipality such as not being able to find experienced

personnel, so you find that there are vacancies in critical jobs, consequently creating

as well as adding to the many problems the municipality is facing.

The creation of economic development opportunities in “non urbanised” areas needs

to be promoted; given that the majority of the population of Maphumulo resides in

rural areas, so they do not have access to economic opportunities as compared to

households in the urban areas and therefore contributing to high levels of out

migration and a loss of human capital.

All of the above play a role in the sustainability of human settlements in the area.” A

detailed map of the municipality is shown below, highlighting major roads, relevant

areas of interest such as airports and ports, as well as areas of significant population

density.”

Figure 1.2. Map Illustrating KwaMaphumulo Highlighted in Pink

(Source: Google Maps, 2019)

1.3 RESEARCH PROBLEM STATEMENT

Past discriminatory laws and practices still affect South African rural areas today

which had led to the marginalisation of rural communities, away from mainstream

socio-economic activities. The permanent features of underdevelopment, poverty

24

and inequality pose serious sustainable human settlement development and socio-

economic issues for rural communities.

Therefore, the attainment of sustainable human settlement is faced with numerous

constraints which result in the underdevelopment and emigration of Maphumulo

residents. Despite government initiatives such as the Rural Development Plans that

target rural communities such as KwaMaphumulo, the quality of life has not changed

for the better. This is seen in the levels of poverty, quality of low cost housing,

inadequate infrastructure, integration, exclusion from economic activities and

ultimately in the impact of that on the rural community. This could be a result of the

difficulties of accessing government funding for community development projects. It

as it is a complex process, particularly to rural dwellers as a detailed business plan is

required. Brown (1999:148) made a similar observation in Transkei (Eastern Cape

Province) and concluded that the “most backward and needy areas are less likely to

make a successful application for funding.”

Another observation is that most rural communities do not have the expertise or

know how to assess the credibility of organisations and, therefore, they are

vulnerable to exploitation. Hence, some projects have failed as a result of

mismanagement of funds, nepotism and “substantial corruption (Brown, 1999:148).

(Arrossi, Bombarolo, Hardoy, Mitlin, Coscio & Satterthwaite, 1994:77) also explains

that the challenges in establishing and sustaining rural development projects are

problems relating to inefficiency and ineffectiveness shown in their failure to manage

funds and to achieve their technical, social and financial.

Rural development is also hindered by social cohesion as (Makofane & Nuntsu,

2001) further explains, social cohesion in rural communities is threatened by power

struggles between traditional and political leaders, and this impedes development.

Traditional leaders are criticised for their resistance to change, which is exacerbating

rural poverty. Traditional cultural belief systems, especially witchcraft, pose a serious

threat to women’s development according to Makofane (1998).

Nonetheless, the government remains committed to improving the quality of life of

South Africans through the initiation of poverty-alleviation projects, especially in rural

communities, the comprehensive rural development programme which was

25

approved by Cabinent in 2009 aims to deal with rural poverty effectively through the

optimal use and management of natural resources through an integrated agrarian

transformation and the strategic investment in economic and social infrastructure

that will benefit rural communities. This study seeks to evaluate government

interventions using the sustainability framework in order to determine their

effectiveness in the lives of rural communities.

The researcher’s problem statement is “The poor quality of life in rural

KwaMaphumulo arises out of the constraints in implementing sustainable human

settlements.””

1.4 RESEARCH SUB PROBLEMS

Several sub-problems emanate from the main problem statement. The following four

sub-problems are identified as part of the research problem:

The provision of public services is minimal in KwaMaphumulo villages.

Development programmes and projects that are implemented by the

municipality do not embrace sustainable development.

The quality of low-cost houses built by the municipality is poor.

Traditional leaders do not meaningfully participate in development

programmes or projects that are initiated by the municipality.

1.6 RESEARCH QUESTIONS

In order to achieve the objectives of the study, the following research questions were

posed:

What are the reasons for the minimal provision of public services in the

KwaMaphumulo municipality?

Do developmental projects/programmes in the KwaMaphumulo Municipality

contribute to sustainable development?

What is the quality level of low cost housing in the KwaMaphumulo

Municipality?

Do Traditional leaders work well with the municipality to ensure successful

developmental programmes/projects?

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1.7 AIM OF THE STUDY

According to Hussey and Hussey (1997) the aim of research is to make known

something previously unknown to human beings. It is to advance human knowledge,

or to make it more certain. Moreover, researchers do a research project: To

investigate some existing situation or problem or to provide solutions to a problem or

to construct or create a new procedure or system, or to explain a new phenomenon,

to generate new knowledge or a combination of two or more of any of the above (

Abdulai and Owusu-Ansah , 2014)

Therefore, the aim of the study is to investigate the constraints of sustainable human

settlement development in the KwaMaphumulo local Municipality, its impact and the

measures that can be taken to combat stagnant/underdevelopment in the area.

1.8 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

The objectives of the study describe concisely what the research is trying to achieve.

They summarize the accomplishments a researcher wishes to achieve through the

study and provide direction to the study (Naoum, 2006). A research objective must

be achievable; in other words, it must be framed, keeping in mind the resources

available and the available time and infrastructure required for research. Before

forming a research objective, the researcher had to read information about all the

developments in KwaMaphumulo and to find gaps in the knowledge that need to be

addressed.

Therefore, the following objectives have been therefore for this study:

To establish factors for the dearth of public services in KwaMaphumulo Local

Municipality.

To evaluate the contribution of developmental programmes/projects to

sustainable development.

To assess the quality of low cost housing in KwaMaphumulo Municipality.

To ascertain the level of participation of traditional leaders in municipal

developmental programmes/projects.

To provide recommendations on how the constraints of sustainable human

settlement development can be mitigated to develop sustainable human

27

settlements in the rural areas surrounding the KwaMaphumulo Local

Municipality.

1.9 ASSUMPTIONS OF THE STUDY

Simon (2011) states that assumptions made concerning your study are somewhat

out of your control, but if they were to disappear, your study would become

irrelevant. Assumptions are so basic that without them, the research problem itself

would not exist (Leedy & Ormrod, 2010: 59).

The following assumptions are therefore made regarding this study, with some

reference made to the Constitution of South Africa:

People migrate from the rural areas to places that provide better opportunity.

Rural emigration negatively affects the sustainability of Human Settlement

Development in the KwaMaphumulo local Municipality.

Emigration of skilled people adversely affects the sustainability of human

settlement development in rural areas.

The lack of services causes unsustainable living conditions for the community

of KwaMaphumulo.

The lack of sustainability practices contributes to the low level of

development.

The deficiency in housing quality leads to unsustainable living conditions.

The lack of integration between traditional rulers and the municipality leads to

underdevelopment.

The KwaMaphumulo Municipality ensures provision of services to

communities in a sustainable manner, which, in turn;

Promotes sustainable development

Encourages the involvement of communities and community organisations in

matters of local government

Promotes a safe and healthy environment

It is assumed that the respondents will answer truthfully as the researcher will

preserve anonymity and confidentiality and that the participants are volunteers

who may withdraw from the study at any time, and with no ramifications.

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1.10 DELIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY

Delimitations of the study help to identify what the study is about and what it is not.

Simon (2011) further explained that delimitations are potential weaknesses in your

study and are within your control.

Creswell (2012) went on to explain that delimitations are choices made by the

researcher, which should be mentioned. They describe the boundaries that you have

set for the study. The researcher has confined the study based on the following:

This study confined itself to the KwaMaphumulo Municipality and not the whole of

the iLembe district. One of the many features of the Municipality is sugar-cane

cultivation which is the predominant economic activity and land user in the

KwaMaphumulo municipality. Subsistence agricultural activities in the form of small

cropping areas are attached to traditional family units and dominate land usage. This

study focused on ward 10 in KwaMaphumulo and not the entire municipality, as the

deeper rural community environments in ward 10 seem to be neglected in terms of

socio-economic development. Most of the area is rural, which is associated with low

levels of services and high levels of poverty. Therefore, development opportunities

and infrastructure provision need to be tailored in accordance with prioritised needs,

as according to Molobela (2011), The poorer you are, the easier it is for politicians to

ignore your basic needs.

Ward 10 comprises a population of 9815 and 2152 households. 69.46% of these

households receive electricity, 3.94% have flush toilets, 13.71% have water piped

into dwellings and 17.53% have some form of water source. Ward 10 compromises

both the town and the deep rural setting because of how spread out it is. Therefore,

this study is necessitated by the belief that studying the constraints extensively may

yield useful results which will contribute to the evolution of more sustainable human

settlement development in the rural areas of South Africa. This study is only about

sustainable human settlement development and constraints in the KwaMaphumulo

local Municipality, not elsewhere. The researcher used purposive sampling for the

qualitative component and convenience sampling for the quantitative component

therefore; the results generated from the study cannot be generally applied to a

larger population, only suggested.

29

1.11 ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS OF THE STUDY

In this research study, human subjects will participate in the research process.

Therefore, due consideration must be taken on how to deal and relate with them in

this research study, as explained below:

Confidentiality: The data collected from individuals or groups will remain

confidential.

Anonymity: No names or persons will be disclosed.

Plagiarism: All sources and quotes used will be acknowledged.

Informed consent to participate: All participants will complete a consent

form to confirm that they willingly agreed to participate.

Falsification or Fabrication: No false data will be used or provided

1.12 OUTLINE OF THE CHAPTERS

Chapter One: Background to the study and its settings.

In this section, the context of the study is unveiled; the research problem is outlined

and demarcated into sub-problems, hypotheses and research questions.

Furthermore, the purpose of the study and its subsidiary objectives are presented

and the study delimitations, key assumptions and ethical considerations are

outlined.

Chapter Two: The Literature Review

In this section, secondary data based on a review of government policies, strategies

and legislation, journal articles, media statements, speeches of persons with

authority and book chapters that inform and influence the study are collected and

critically evaluated.

Chapter Three: Research design and methodology

This chapter describes the selected study approach, the data collection methods, the

sample frame, the sample size, the sampling technique utilised, data organisation,

and presentation and the analysis methods followed. An indication of how the

findings and results of the study will be disseminated to the subjects of the study,

and the research community of practice concludes this section.

30

Chapter Four: Presentation, interpretation and analysis of research findings and

results.

At this stage, the findings and results of the fieldwork are presented, interpreted and

analysed in relation to the initial research questions.

Chapter Five: Conclusions and recommendations

In this section, flowing from the key findings and results in the preceding section

concluding remarks on key study revelations are made, and recommended actions

are provided.

1.13 TIME SCHEDULE AND BUDGET TABLE

MAIN RESEARCH ACTIVITY TIME FRAME TO COMPLETE COST IMPLICATIONS

Develop and submit Final Research Proposal

May 2019 R1000.00

Design Interview Schedule July 2019 R1000.00

Pilot testing of Interview questions September 2019 R500.00

Conduct field study December 2019 R 13300.00

Write dissertation (5 chapters) December 2019 R 500.00

Submit Dissertation for final assessment and moderation

January 2020 R1500.00

Proof-reading and Language Editing of Dissertation

January 2020 R 4000.00

Burning and cutting of Dissertation CD

January 2020 R 500.00

Submit 3 securely bound Dissertation and 3 CD copies

January 2020 R 3500.00

Graduation Ceremony on completion of studies

April 2020

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CHAPTER TWO: THE LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1 INTRODUCTION

This chapter presents an outcome of a critical review of literature pertaining to

sustainable human settlements in rural areas, in order to understand the intricacies

and complexities of the livelihoods in the KwaMaphumulo community. International

and national attempts and approaches towards building and delivering quality human

settlements and communities are investigated against the acceptable sustainability

criteria, as defined in selected management models. Furthermore, the researcher

examines the quality of life in rural areas, with specific reference to housing, basic

services and community satisfaction to explore the constraints faced in rural

communities.”

2.2 SUSTAINABILITY PRINCIPLES

South Africa’s sustainability framework is guided by the Constitution which,

according to Currie and de Waal (2006) should be read together with the Bill of

Rights in its context of ‘constitutional supremacy, justiciability and entrenchment’

Mubangizi (2005) explains that the Bill of Rights is the basis of democracy in South

Africa as it affirms that the government must respect, protect, promote and fulfil the

rights of all South Africans. Consequently, Section 26 (1) of the Constitution states

that, “everyone has the right to have access to adequate housing” and Section (2) of

the same Article enjoins the State to “take reasonable legislative and other

measures, within its available resources to achieve the progressive realisation of this

right.”

Thus, as a sustainable development agenda, South Africa has adopted the National

Framework for Sustainable Development (NFSD) (Department of Environmental

Affairs, 2008). The purpose is to express the national vision for sustainable

development and indicate strategic interventions to re-orientate South Africa’s

development path in a more sustainable manner. The framework also outlines

32

principles and trends regarding sustainability in the country, as well as a set of

implementation measures.

South Africa has adopted a systems approach to sustainability which is one where

according to Jackson (2009) “the economic system, the socio-political system and

the ecosystem are embedded within each other, and then integrated through the

governance system that holds all the other systems together in a legitimate

regulatory framework”

The protection of the environment for future generations, meeting basic needs and

the creation of justice and wellbeing are some of the difficult decisions the

government is faced with (Republic of South Africa. 2008a) In order to guide such

decisions, there has been a realisation that a framework is needed to plan future

initiatives.

International policies such as the Sustainable Development Goals and the UN

Habitat Agenda indicated that identifying sustainable development principles could

be beneficial in addressing problems concerning integrated human settlement

delivery in rural areas.”

The United Nations conference on the environment and development defined

sustainable development goals as those that “meet present needs without

compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs” (Brundtland,

1987:15). Brundtand (1987:18) further stated that this well-established definition sets

an ideal premise for sustainable development but excludes key fundamentals

concerning the modelling and measuring of sustainable developments. The following

definitions of sustainable development were more specific:”

“Sustainability integrates natural systems with human patterns and celebrates

continuity, uniqueness and place making (Earl, 1993).”

Sustainability identifies a concept and attitude in development that looks at a

site’s natural land, water, and energy resources as integral aspects of the

development (Vieira, 1993).”

33

Gray and Milne (2002) stated that sustainability is the efficient and equitable

distribution of resources intra-generationally and inter-generationally over time, with

the operation of economic activity within the confines of a finite ecosystem.

This definition is stronger than the Brundtland report‘s definition, as it recognises that

the economy is a subsection of the environment and it undertakes an enduring

understanding, though the long term is again articulated in terms of human lifetimes.

It relates only to resource constraints and no other, wider environmental issues, for

example, the contribution of an entity‘s activities to climate change.”

The social, economic and environmental spheres form a crucial role in forming the

term sustainability, therefore for a human settlement to be integrated; all these

spheres must be present and must be promoted within an integrated rural human

settlement such as KwaMaphumulo.”

2.2.1 Social sphere

Social sustainability involves the “meeting of basic needs of all communities” (Nelson

Mandela Bay Municipality, 2007:18). Social sustainability comprises concepts that

will continue to change and evolve over time, as well as being developed differently

from place to place.

Dempsey, Bramley, Power & Brown (2009:293-294) stated that for a community to

be sustainable the following five dimensions of sustainability need to be addressed.”

34

Figure 2.2.1: Dimensions of Social Sustainability

Source: Own Construction from Dempsey et al., (2009:294)

Figure 2.2.1 above illustrates that the sustainability of a community relates to the

joint aspects of social life (Dempsey et al., 2009:294). This shows the importance of

community attitudes and lifestyles which play a leading role in the development of

sustainable rural human settlements, as well as in the identification of sustainability

principles. Social sustainability Social interaction, participation, Community stability,

Safety and security, pride and a strong sense of place are all contributing factors for

the development of a healthy social environment.”

2.2.2 Economic sphere

Current growth patterns are deeply inefficient, which results in unsustainable

economic development approaches (World Bank, 2012a:1). In order to address

these unsustainable approaches, rapid economic growth is needed to meet the

needs of the world‘s poor, but this too will contribute to an unsustainable human

settlement delivery approach (World Bank, 2012a:5).

Social sustainability

Participation

Pride/strong sense of place

Community Stability Safety & Security

Social interaction

35

To ensure economic sustainability towards integrated human settlement delivery,

housing delivery must be a way to enforce economic and social development. The

World Bank (2012a:1) states that over the past two decades it has been shown that

economic and social goals of sustainability are highly compatible and are

complementary to each other.

As mentioned, a sustainable human settlement must comprise a well-managed entity

in which economic growth and social development are in balance, resulting in

sustainable development, wealth creation, poverty alleviation and equity” (UN

Habitat Agenda, 2004:1).

Economic sustainability and the understanding of economies in a spatial sense are

of the utmost importance since this is a direct link to economic empowerment and

redistribution of resources.

The need for economic sustainability arises out of the need for the constant

functioning of the economic system (Irurah & Boshoff, 2003). The equitable

distribution of economic resources and their benefits should be targeted at all

citizens and should take externalities into account.”

2.2.3 The environmental sphere

Goodland and Daly (1996:1003) stated, “although environmental sustainability is

needed and originated because of social concerns, environmental sustainability itself

seeks to improve human welfare and social sustainability, by protecting the sources

of raw materials used for human needs and by ensuring that the sinks for human

waste are not exceeded”.

Furthermore, Goodland and Daly (1996:1003) also argued that in order to establish

environmental sustainability, humanity must learn to live within the boundaries of the

environment, both as a provider of resources and as a dumping place for waste.”

The three spheres of sustainable development must function in harmony with each

other and must contribute to an integrated approach, in order to promote sustainable

development within rural human settlements. In order to address sustainable

development within rural communities, an integrated human settlement framework

needs to be created where sustainability can be measured on a continuous basis to

36

ensure that social and economic needs are addressed and contribute to an

integrated approach, while in harmony with the overall environment.

Lu's research (1999) revealed that an individual's evaluation of his or her housing

influenced his or her perception of the “whole desirability of the neighbourhood”. In

addition, research done by Parkes, Kearns, and Atkinson (2002) found a positive

relationship between the subjective measure of housing satisfaction and

neighbourhood satisfaction. Individuals who were less satisfied with their housing

were three times more likely to be dissatisfied with their neighbourhoods. In the

same study, individuals' subjective appraisals of community features also influenced

their satisfaction with the neighbourhood.”

As sustainability plays such an important role in the development of human

settlements in rural areas, the sustainability principles are discussed as part of this

research, to identify, measure and promote economic sustainability in

KwaMaphumulo. However, it is highly unlikely that all the sustainability principles

implicit in the above statements can always be upheld, as they have conflicting

requirements. Housing practitioners and stakeholders are increasingly aware of the

need to build sustainable settlements and are gradually making the initial steps

towards integrating the concept of sustainability into housing delivery and settlement

management.

Most of the time, decision-makers will have to negotiate trade-offs and otherwise try

to balance the different requirements in other ways, to find a solution that is the

optimum one for the greater good. These decisions need to be flexible and should be

regularly reviewed against agreed-upon indicators, to keep the three systems in

dynamic balance and ensure that one sphere is not developed at the expense of the

others.”

2.3 DEFINING FEATURES OF HUMAN SETTLEMENTS IN DEVELOPING

COUNTRIES

In rural communities, like KwaMaphumulo, it has become the custom for residents to

attend school at a young age, leave school at a tender age with only a poor Grade

10 certificate, go into eternal unemployment thereafter, and die with nothing to their

name. At present, there are only a few rural households that make a living from

37

producing crops and livestock, resulting in inexorable chronic poverty, characterised

by high levels of dependency on welfare, a scarcity of employment opportunities and

low levels of economic activity (including agriculture).”

Rural residents in 2019 are poor, sick, uneducated, insecure about food and water

availability, unemployed and fight continuous battles against these issues, in

undignified and unhygienic circumstances. The city dweller, by comparison, is better

educated, earns far more income, is more employable and more frequently

employed and has improved access to basic services. Thus professionals need to

explain account for and take action to alleviate this dramatically shocking contrast.

According to former Human Settlement Minister Tokyo Sexwale, one of the major

challenges in delivering houses in the rural areas is the provision of bulk

infrastructure. Poor implementation of the inputs, particularly government policies,

and administrative and political and economic variables, which results in the failures

of expected outputs; which invariably leads to shortfalls in distribution and delivery of

housing.

Zanganeh, Varesi and Zangiabadi (2013:180) argued that, in developing countries,

the housing problem has in recent times become a more compelling

socioeconomic and political issue, resulting from increasing population size,

emigration, migration, urbanization, rapid growth, lack of sufficient financial

resources, land availability and supply, capacity, and most importantly; lack of

proper legislative framework in terms of policy and planning concerning land

distribution and demands.”

The consequences of this backlog are obvious and manifest in overcrowding,

informal settlements, increasing land invasions in urban areas, and generally poor

services in rural areas.

Large inequalities exist in housing circumstances between rural and urban areas,

between different urban areas, as well as between different provinces. This is

exacerbated by the fact that many South Africans are not financially able to provide

for their own housing needs, as low-income families form a large proportion of South

Africa's population (White Paper on Housing, 1994).”

38

South Africa still faces post-1994 challenges regarding housing delivery, housing

demands and integrated sustainable development (Sutherland, Hordijk & Scott,

2016). According to Former President Jacob Zuma, the provision of housing within

sustainable, integrated settlements, is a critical pillar of the country’s growth and

development strategy (Times LIVE, 2010:1).”

In 2013, it was reported in the Witness newspaper that the KwaZulu-Natal Human

Settlements Department had spent R398 million since 2004, to fix low-cost broken

houses. More than 24 housing projects worth about R217 million involving eight-

construction companies were implicated. The costs to rebuild the houses had

doubled or tripled because the houses went from 18 square metres to 40 square

metres and building material prices had risen. It was reported that, in some projects,

Section 21 companies established within the communities were the developers

responsible for construction of houses and were no longer in existence. In some

projects it was found that the contractors had been liquidated (The Witness,

2013:1).”

The rectification programme which was birthed by the National Housing code seeks

to address these problems of poor construction of government subsidised housing,

which is why it affects all levels of the state. It features as a major item in many

municipal Integrated Development Plans (IDP). In the Nelson Mandela Metro (in the

Eastern Cape), for example, it is mentioned at least 72 times in the 2011-2016 IDP

(http://www.nelsonmandelabay.gov.za/datarepository/documents/NnEbf_Adopted%2

0I DP%2013th%20Edition.pdf)”

2.4 THE CHALLENGES OF SUSTAINABLE RURAL HUMAN SETTLEMENT

DEVELOPMENT

Developing human settlements in a sustainable manner has many financial

constraints. The OECD (2013) suggested that Africa’s economic problems have also

exacerbated the stress on its natural resource base. Environmental problems such

as pollution, loss of water resources, loss of habitat and biodiversity, soil erosion,

deforestation, solid waste, atmospheric pollution and coastal erosion are caused by

high population growth, lack of policies, ineffective regulations, lack of management

and organization and a lack of awareness (Hardoy, Mitlin and Satterhwaite, 2013:

87).”

39

According to the Centre for Development Support (CDS, 2010), the South African

Government faces several challenges, such as affordability, well-located and

integrated land for low cost housing, underwhelming national policy implementation,

growing demand for housing subsidies and an apparent lack of implementation

capacity.”

Legislation and building challenges, according to Hakkinen and Belloni (2011: 240),

include barriers to sustainable building, non-integrated design, lack of knowledge

and awareness of sustainable building technologies, insufficient marketing

processes, inappropriate procurement and problems with value chain processes.”

It is important to note that although the purpose of rural development is to ensure the

enhancement of food security through agricultural production, exploiting the diverse

economic potential of each area and ultimately improving the quality of life for rural

communities, the Rural Development Strategic Planning Report 2011-2014

(2014:38) identified and acknowledged critical areas that significantly impede the

progress of developing rural areas like KwaMaphumulo, which will be discussed

below.”

2.4.1 Access to land, land tenure and rights

Although land reform programmes have increased access to land, it has not

generated the anticipated outcomes because there is a lack of capacity building

among new owners and farmers, so they are unable to farm productively and

contribute to economic development in rural areas. In order to find a solution to this

issue and address this gap, the Rural Development Department has developed and

is instigating a Comprehensive Rural Development Strategy which seeks to respond

effectively and efficiently to food insecurity and poverty, through capitalizing on using

and managing natural resources and building social cohesion in rural communities.

That will, in turn, contribute to the development of sustainable human settlements in

rural areas.”

According to the Presidency’s review report on income poverty in South Africa (

2012:169) the land restitution programme seems to be a slow process, as many

people are still left without land, regardless of whether the land is available or not.

40

Also, communities are not being provided with necessary resources such as water,

seeds, tools and fertiliser for them to use the land productively.”

Another issue that remains a sticking point is the question of access to land, as

although it could potentially change the quality of life of rural areas, lack of access

continues to deprive rural residents from economic opportunities. However, the Rural

Development and Land Reform Annual Report 2017-2018 (Republic of South Africa,

2018:39) acknowledged that land remains a critical resource in the construction of an

inclusive economy. It went on to state that through residents having access to more

land, the country has the potenltial to create sustainable human settlements,

eradicate poverty and create decent employment in rural areas.”

2.4.2 Poor service delivery

One of the crucial agents in strengthening social capital and reducing poverty and

unemployment is the provision of basic services. Infrastructure such as roads which

serve as connection points from rural to urban areas, facilitates the mobility of goods

and people within the area; which then leads to a greater contribution of economic

growth in rural areas (Presidency’s review report of income poverty in South Africa,

2012:169)”

2.4.3 The high unemployment rate

Durban, Pretoria, Johannesburg and Cape Town are the biggest cities that rural

individuals find themselves migrating to get work. The families left behind tend to

occupy professional positions such as educators or nurses, or doing domestic work

such as being gardeners, or cleaning houses or they are unemployed and if

employment is available at all it is confined to seasonal employment, as formal

employment opportunities in rural areas are limited.

Unemployment, in rural areas, is particularly severe, retrenchments are escalating

and job losses in the mining sector according to: Towards a fifteen-year review of

Income Poverty Alleviation in South Africa (2008:32) this therefore leads to

numerous rural households being largely dependent on social grants such as old

age or child support grants, disability grants and pensions. This further perpetuates

poverty as it places dire strain on the already limited scope of social security

resources and job opportunities in rural areas.”

41

Furthermore, the Rural Development Framework explains that the severe challenges

and limitations to rural development arise from when Apartheid spatial planning

created a rural landscape that lacked economic opportunities for the disadvantaged

majority. Land development and ownership patterns reflected the economic and

political conditions left behind by the Apartheid era and landlessness and

inappropriate farming methods on commercial farms resulted in severe soil erosion

and land degradation.”

It is important to understand the challenges faced in rural areas to critically

understand the socio-economic and human aspects of development for rural

communities so new polices can be developed that will serve to combat these

issues.”

2.5 SUSTAINABLE HUMAN SETTLEMENT AND LIVELIHOODS IN RURAL

AREAS

The right to adequate housing was reaffirmed in 1996 by the adoption of the Habitat

Agenda at the second United Nations Conference on human settlements (United

Nations, 2002: iii). Section 26 (1) of the South African Constitution, 1996, that stated

that everyone has the right to access adequate housing.

Sub-section 26 (2) requires that: The state must take reasonable legislative and

other measures within its available resources, to achieve the progressive realisation

of this right. Sub-section 26 (3) requires that: No one shall be evicted from their

home, or have their home demolished, without any order of court made, after

considering all the relevant circumstances. No legislation shall permit arbitrary

evictions.”

Creating sustainable human settlement development requires money, capacity, land,

infrastructure and visionaries for sustainable designs, systems and materials; which

puts an additional burden on taxpayers. The housing problems, especially in rural

areas, are still defined by concerns relating to the quality, effectiveness,

sustainability and efficiency of the housing programmes.

The majority of the existing housing programmes tend to produce dwellings that

reflect poor design, not suited to the local climate, are relatively expensive to

maintain, that are locationally peripheralized and spatially marginalised, not

42

conducive to social, economic, aesthetic or environmental sustainability, with non-

existent essential community facilities and services. This results in government

creating various shortcuts and interventions and celebrating its victories in numbers,

without realising or considering the wider housing environment, within which it is

having an impact on both places of origin and destination.

This is further supported by Crankshaw and Parnel (1996:232) who asked: ‘is it

enough for the new government simply to improve the housing conditions of these

disadvantaged groups when their poverty is caused by their lack of access to urban

jobs?’ Surely the RDP should aim to transform these apartheid patterns of settlement

instead of casting them, quite literally in stone.”

It is necessary to develop mechanisms and pathways through which the social,

political, historical and economic conditions can interface with the physical makeup

of the environment. Landman (2005:127) states that a house is more than a shelter

or a physical form that protects its inhabitants: it also represents an entry point into

engagement with the immediate community, wider society and the broader city. She

further describes a house as an extension of a person’s body, a so-called second

envelope (Landman, 2005:135).”

South Africa needs an effective post-apartheid approach to creating sustainable

human settlement development in rural areas, to decrease the rate of rural-urban

migration as urban areas are becoming overcrowded and are unable to provide for

themselves, as it then overstrains their capacity. It is important to encourage plans or

models that are ‘by the people for the people’ that will reduce the rural emigration to

urban areas. These plans will need to be concerned with the historical, political,

social and economic processes that previously generated the faulty rural built

environment, such plans need to create physical environments that are made by the

people for the people, including buildings, transportation systems and open spaces.

The natural environment in rural areas needs to be used to its fullest capacity, such

as creating parks and recreational spaces, vegetation areas, as the natural

environment is essential to life and therefore is a fundamental determinant of

sustainable planning for rural areas.”

43

2.5.1 Traditional leaders versus local government

Traditional leadership is an institution that has developed over many hundreds of

years in both Africa and the rest of the world. It is rooted in the soil of Africa as well

as in the hearts and minds of all ordinary Africans who still take pride in their history,

culture, origin and identity. Land is also the basis of wealth all over the world, since

all development originates from it. Such aspects are taken into cognisance through

the provision of a housing typology that suits a rural setting.”

South Africa is confronted with the task of building one nation by assimilating modern

and traditional elements into rural settlements. The best example is the use of urban

type designs for rural dwellers. The challenge for accommodating traditional leaders

into a democratic society goes hand in hand with reconstruction of local government;

as traditional leadership is a recognised form of governance in Southern Africa.

Many African countries like Botswana, and Namibia, have managed to retain and

maintain the institution of traditional leadership hand in hand with the government

system.”

It is important for traditional leaders in rural local government not to be disregarded

as their authority originated in pre-colonial times; therefore, they often retain

legitimacy in the eyes of their people. Failure to recognize their importance results in

lost opportunities for local government. It is important for South Africa to incorporate

traditional leaders into State structures. The currently poor working relationship

create problems within a rural setting. The complications that arise between two

authority structures affects almost all of the provinces (Ntombela, 2000).”

Bouillon (2000) stated that the government of Botswana had adopted a system of

development planning, which has coped relatively well, compared with other African

countries. Development planning involves the preparation of land use plans for both

urban and rural areas. The developers are very effective in the sense that they

involve community and give them an opportunity to choose preferable housing

design options from a range of options determined through the evaluation of physical

and economic factors to create a liveable environment.”

However, it is important to note that the “effectiveness of traditional leaders has been

restricted, not only by their limited powers, but also by the low education and literacy

44

levels of their members” (Keulder, 1998:301). From the quote, stumbling blocks on

communication can be identified in the sense that one official language (which is

now English) is set as the medium of communication. Issues of illiteracy among

traditional people are an obstacle. The critical factor in such situations could contrast

with urban areas, the fact that education has not been regarded as the main priority

(Ntombela, 2000). Perhaps this is one of the reasons why developers have the

power to impose housing projects onto rural dwellers.”

There is a desperate need for the development of sustainable human settlements;

which will not happen if complications occurring between local government and

traditional authorities are not work in partnership so as to address their differences

and combine their diverse knowledge and for their mutual benefit.”

2.5.2 Challenges regarding the participation of traditional leaders in municipal councils

“The Local Government: Municipal Structures Act, 1998, provides for the

participation of recognised traditional leaders in municipal councils. In so

participating, the Code of Conduct for Councillors binds them. However, they do not

have voting rights and do not become councillors. Although it is important for

traditional leaders to participate in municipalities, this process creates its own

dynamics and municipalities often require assistance in this regard.”

Since its fusion into the democratic local government system, the role and place of

the institution of traditional leadership in municipalities has been fraught with tension,

confusion and contradictory practices.

Section 81 of The Structures Act provides for a maximum of 20 percent

representation of traditional leaders at municipal council meetings, when there are

traditional leaders in the municipality. Section 5 of the Framework Act further

provides for partnerships to be entered into between municipalities and traditional

councils.”

However, According to Van der Waldt, Venter, Van der Walt, Phutiagae, Khalo, Van

Niekerk and Nealer (2007,16), the traditional leaders believed that the new local

councils would usurp their powers and functions. They were particularly incensed by

the fact that the boundaries of the new council cut across the old tribal authority and

45

they feared that their authority would be challenged. Atkinson and Reitzes

(1998,108) further explained that traditional leaders may recognise the authority of

the council but are antagonistic towards ward councillors and do not recognise them.

Traditional leaders regard the provision of services or infrastructure without their

involvement, as undermining their power base.”

They often feel that councillors only consult them when they experience problems

and require the traditional leaders to intervene. The allocation of land by traditional

leaders, within certain areas, without the involvement of ward councillors, also gives

rise to conflict (Atkinson & Reitzes, 1998,109)”

Bekke, Toonen and Perry (1996,125) stated that poor relationships between

traditional leaders and municipal councils are due to the degree of representation,

with respect to societal opinions and the degree of interest representation. Botes,

Brynard, Fourie and Roux (1996,113), on the other hand, posit that tribal authorities

are indeed an essential part of the political, social and traditional activities in clearly

defined communities.”

The problem lies between institutions claiming different kinds of legitimacy with

overlapping functions and competing for recognition within the same communities. If

the problem of legitimacy cannot be solved, the separation of the roles must be

clearly spelt out (Atkinson & Reitzes, 1998,109). The Independent Project Trust (IPT)

(2000,1) argued that the legitimacy of traditional leaders has been challenged by

civic organisations, political parties and others, who argued that any system of

inherited rule by traditional leaders is illegitimate, undemocratic, feudal and

unnecessary. According to Kanyane (2007, 318), traditional leaders claim

stewardship powers over municipalities as custodians of African traditions in some

areas. This paradox of power relations is a potential cause for concern because

sometimes, the developmental focus of local government is obstructed as municipal

and tribal councils do not always agree; whilst service delivery is desperately needed

by the communities they serve. The author further stated that traditional leaders are

solely concerned about the way in which municipal councils conduct themselves in

their approach to community development. Traditional leaders believe that municipal

councils encroach on their traditional affairs by implementing developmental plans in

46

their areas, without their consultation. The two often view each other with distrust

(Kanyane, 2007:319).”

2.5.3 Community participation and rural housing

The principle of community participation is simply expressed in the saying "do not

give a hungry person a fish but teach him how to catch fish to lastingly prevent his

hunger (Biddle and Biddle, 1965). Rural communities need to make improvements

themselves. The individual and the community thereby, cultivate the attitude of "do it

yourself' and then, does not look to the government for assistance and 'handouts' in

all matters.”

Rural communities need to make improvements themselves. The attitude of own

initiative and self-reliance in the personal and community life promotes a belief in

dignity. People need to gain enough faith in themselves to make continuous efforts in

the interests of both themselves and their communities. This development

encourages people to be initiators, which then give them full control when deciding

on the housing typology they want because they understand their local needs better

than the developers do.”

Community participation facilitates development by providing directly for human

needs, while generating employment. Most projects tend to focus on the economic

angle rather than on the quality of the environment while preserving culture. Such

issues state clearly that the built form must respond to the complexities and

diversities of rural communities.”

Planners, architects and other professionals contribute in bringing a desirable

development to the communities in which they live and work. These further demands

that they involve the communities they work with. Through general observation,

some development programmes are done for the people rather than with the people.

Britain's housing affairs policy report states the importance of keeping the spirit of

togetherness going between the developers and the beneficiaries, by arguing that

"Our rural heritage is increasingly important for the nation, not simply as a source of

food but also as a place of recreation, conservation and environmental protection"

(CSM, 1999: 48).”

47

Human development is a crucial process whereby an individual develops self-

respect and becomes self-confident, self-reliant, cooperative and tolerant of others,

through becoming aware of his or her shortcomings, as well as his or her potential

for positive change. Rural housing projects need to take cognisance of development

factors before the housing scheme is put in place. Consultation with various groups,

members of the community and other role players should be conducted on an

ongoing basis as well as preplanning, to enable the developer to understand the

entire community. Community participation is used as a catchword without people

understanding what it means in context and what type of participation is ideal.

Community participation in project design and decision-making are too often limited

to a few meetings where projects are explained, and the people are asked to give

their comments. Participation, if it is to really release the people's own creative

energies for development, must be much more than mere mobilization of individuals”

2.6 SUSTAINABLE LIVELIHOODS APPROACH

According to Chamber and Conway (1992) the sustainable livelihoods approach

developed from early works on integrated community approaches and was a

response to the United Kingdom’s Governments 1997 White Paper on International

Development. Chambers and Conway (1992) further defined a sustainable livelihood

as environmentally sustainable when it maintains or enhances the local and global

assets on which livelihoods depend and has net beneficial effects on other

livelihoods. A livelihood is socially sustainable when it can cope with, recover from

stress and shocks, and provide for future generations. According to the UK

Department for International Development (DFID, 2007) the sustainable livelihoods

framework consists of five dimensions that are interrelated which include:”

I. Livelihood assets

Livelihood assets measure diverse aspects of wellbeing. In the livelihoods approach.

There are five assets: physical capital (roads, houses, infrastructure), financial or

economic capital (income, savings), human capital (education, health), natural

capital (water, forest, air) and social capital (social networks, family relations).”

II. Vulnerability context

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This level influences the level of wellbeing, which is measured examining the

livelihoods assets. The vulnerability context frames the external environment in

which people exist. People’s livelihoods and the wider availability of assets are

affected by critical trends, shocks and seasonality; over which they have limited or

no control. Depending on their assets, people can cope better or worse to these

shocks.”

III. Transforming structures and processes

These refer to institutions, organisations, policies, and legislation that shape

livelihoods by determining access to assets, for example, municipal services, grants

and the Constitution of South Africa. These structures and processes can also

influence the vulnerability context; for example by cushioning external shocks.”

IV. Livelihood strategies

This refers to the many ways of combining and using assets that are open to people,

in pursuit of beneficial livelihood outcomes that meet their own livelihood objectives.

These livelihood strategies can be positively or negatively influenced by the

transforming structures and pressures mentioned earlier.”

V. Livelihood outcomes

In this dimension, livelihood strategies are the means for these ultimate objectives.

Examples could be an increased sense of wellbeing or a more sustainable use of the

natural resource base.”

Solesbury (2003) further explained that, in order to enhance capability in facing

change and unpredictability, the aim of the sustainable livelihoods approach is to

increase social sustainability and improve equity, by providing safety nets. Income

and consumption are two of the major indicators used to focus on the measurement

of development as historically, development was seen as an economic process, as it

was assumed that an increase in income and produced capital were assumed to

equal a higher level of development, according to Dengerink (2016:16) Scholars

started to think about broader definitions of development at the beginning of the

1960s, recognizing that income related indicators were inadequate for measuring

changes in the wellbeing of communities.”

49

Sumner and Tribe (2008) explained that the works of Seers (1969, 1972), Kuznets

(1971, 1979) and Bauer (1966) influenced the thinking about development indicators,

by indicating a move away from its purely economic focus. The work of Amartya Sen

(1981, 1984, 1993, 1999) a development economist was strongly influenced by the

idea that development should be treated as something which also depended on

people’s capabilities and freedoms to develop themselves and should not be

conceived as wealth alone. That being said, rural communities do not only depend

on commodities for a better quality of life. For many, having health, self-respect,

proper education and the freedom to participate in society is just as important.”

However, the work from McGregor (2006) and Chambers (2009) has criticized these

top-down indicators as being still insufficient for measuring development, as poor

people often have different ways of conceptualizing changes in their wellbeing. They

argued that indicators for assessing development should rather be developed from

the perceptions of those people who are being measured. In order to capture local

perceptions of development in measuring well-being, more subjective and context-

specific indicators have recently been developed that focus on such concepts as

dignity and vulnerability (Sumner & Tribe 2008). Many of these concepts can be

traced back to the sustainable livelihoods approach that gained prominence in the

1990’s, that tried to achieve a more holistic understanding of livelihoods. In this

approach, poor people are active agents who make rational decisions and choices

about their lives.”

The spatial inequalities of apartheid need to be addressed by creating new

opportunities for disadvantaged communities, especially women, by providing

enterprise development and job creation and the South African Government needs

to be deeply attached to its struggling rural sector and to the rights of the rural poor.

The sustainable livelihoods approach positions communities, especially rural

communities, at the centre of the interrelated assets and resources that affect how

they create a livelihood for their households and themselves to address their socio-

economic vulnerability.”

As a social development initiative for improving the lives of the vulnerable and

needy, the government of South Africa introduced the Reconstruction and

Development Programme (RDP) in 1994, which is now known as the Breaking

50

Ground Initiative. This programme was introduced with the express purpose of

providing for those who had been denied housing in the past, with access to good

quality, adequate housing (Republic of South Africa, 1994), in accordance with the

provisions of the Constitution of South Africa (1996). The right to housing is clearly

enshrined in Section 26 (1) of the Constitution of 1996. The section stipulates that

access to housing is a basic human right and that the government is obligated to

ensure a progressive realisation of that human right (Republic of South Africa, 1996).

The post-apartheid Reconstruction and Development Housing Programme (or RDP)

(1994) was intended to remediate the housing backlog and improve the quality of

life, which was becoming increasingly evident from the rapid growth of high-density

informal settlements and 'squatter camps' in and around urban centres (McGaffin,

Cirolia & Massyn, 2015:61)”

That led to the development of BNG (Breaking New Ground ; A comprehensive plan

for housing delivery), which intended to shift away from a focus on attempting to

supply housing with quantitative targets to a focus on demand-driven quality housing

products that addressed the multi-dimensional needs of sustainable human

settlements. It aimed to increase the rate of delivery of well-located housing of

acceptable quality with increased emphasis on the process of housing delivery

(Tissington, 2011: 6). Another programme, which targeted needy and vulnerable

people who were without housing, was the Upgrade of Informal Settlements

Programme (UISP) (National Housing Code, 2009). It was introduced in 2009 as a

renewal programme for the shacks and squatter settlements, to ensure that the

houses were of good quality and that they accommodated those who resided in them

adequately. It appears that this programme did not cover South Africa as a whole,

although it was developed to do so. The Emergency Housing Programme (EHP) is

another significant measure which has been undertaken by the government of South

Africa to enable it to fulfil its constitutional mandate to ensure access to adequate

shelter for its citizens.”

Although numerous pieces of legislation and programmes have been introduced to

reinforce and support the original programme, such as the Growth, Employment and

Redistribution policy (GEAR) (Mafukidze & Hoosen, 2009) and the National Housing

Code of 2009 (National Housing Code, 2009).

51

It is important for South Africa to constantly review its spatial policy as the current

spatial policy seems to be designed by and for people in urban areas and therefore it

is not addressing the issues of rural communities, as migration needs to start being

seen as a process that governments learn to manage and not as a problem that

government can never solve (Todes, 2008) strategies that include poverty and job

creation, economic growth, such as micro cooperatives and enterprises for

empowerment and sustainable livelihoods are vital for any socio-economic

development policy that is intended to change the lives of a rural community for the

better.”

2.7 A HUMAN SETTLEMENTS MANAGEMENT MODEL

Human settlements define people’s existence. They are places where people live,

learn and work. Human settlements imply the entirety of the human community,

whether city, town or village, with all the social, material, organizational, spiritual, and

cultural elements that sustain it (SA, 2004:1). Furthermore, Olotuah and Bobadoye

(2009:59), defined sustainable human settlements as “the gradual, continual and

replicable process of meeting the housing needs of the populace; the vast majority of

who are poor and are incapable of providing adequately for themselves”.

The UN (2011:1) surmised, with specific reference to developing countries, that

settlement management is necessary to provide sustainable development in cities

and rural areas.”

According to Van Wyk (2005), housing management can be defined as ’”the art,

science and profession of co-ordinating role players, protecting the interests of

households and communities and managing housing processes; using appropriate

policies, strategies, systems and resources; with due cognisance of all the contextual

circumstances (natural, social, cultural, economic, political and technological); to

contribute to household and community development and to optimise housing sector

performance; towards new and improved sustainable human living environments.’’

While Clapham, Kintrea ,Malcolm, Parkey, and Scotts (1995) definition of housing

management tended to focus more on traditional landlord functions, comprising the

services primarily provided for tenants and funded from rental income. These

functions include rent collection and arrears management, repairs and maintenance,

52

voids and allocations, tenancy and environmental management and tenant

participation.

A significant shift from housing to human settlements can be seen in these two

definitions.”

Figure 2.7: Model of Housing Management for Developing Countries

Source: Van Wyk (2005)

Van Wyk’s (2005) definition of housing management translates into this model. The

main components of the Housing Management model are goals, enablers and

outcomes or benefits, with a feedback loop to all the smaller components. The

feedback loop provides information for the purposes of learning from experience,

innovation to find suitable solutions to challenges, monitoring of progress and

evaluation of performance (Van Wyk (2005) The direction in which the model flows is

from left to right, except for the feedback loop, which flows from right to left.

There is a strong relationship between each of the different components because the

housing need is far greater than the supply, which leads to housing shortages that

are converted into housing goals. In order to achieve these goals, excellent housing

management services, which could be rendered by either public or private sector

employees or by housing management consultants, through good coordination of the

53

role players; which will in turn, create good partnerships, involvement, cooperation,

input and support for implementation purposes.

These role players participate in the development of strategies and policies thereby

contributing to housing resources. The efficient management of systems and

processes is crucial in order to direct policies and strategies that will guide

implementation.

These, in turn, will lead to outcomes/benefits that will lead to new and improved

sustainable living environments, which are believed to reflect the impact that sound

housing management could make.

The feedback from the impact, as well as from every other preceding components

mentioned will ensures revision and improvement in the housing management

system and service in a cyclical manner. Similarly, the rural area change

management model, seeks to address the issue of human settlements and speaks

directly to rural development.”

2.7.1 A model for rural area change management

Rural area change management is significant as it defines the objectives or

problems of the changes in the rural areas which it is necessary to assess. these

could include available resources, traditions, personal interests, relationships

between the actors of rural development, intercourse, social or organizational

purposefulness, attitudes, laws, individual or group needs, current or past practices,

management policies and standards, values, desires, prices, rural development

participants’ roles, events, demographic problems, etc.

According to Pakeltiene (2015) rural area change management is understood as

strategic when it embraces three stages that are closely related to each other. These

stages are system strategy analysis, the creation of the strategy itself and its

implementation as strategic change management; which is understood not as non-

recurring episodic activities, but as constantly occurring and innovative.”

Rural area management comprises the processes enacted in the elements of a rural

locality. In such a case, when the changes are planned, the integrated strategy of the

area development becomes the management instrument. In order to successfully

54

adapt to environmental changes, they should be initiated within the locality itself. All

the characters of rural development participating at the local level, are involved in the

process of the adoption of the strategic solutions and overall, in the management of

these changes. This goes back to Lewin’s (1951) change management theory;

where the author recommended the use of the “force-field” method to deal with

environmental forces which have an impact on the decision making or the identifying

of the situation. Thus, the identification of the factors encouraging the changes in

rural areas stimulates creativity, helps to define the vision (the goal or proposed

change), as well as the forces necessary to facilitate such changes and the

weaknesses that need to be reduced; provided that the change is successfully

implemented.”

This model explains that the initiators of change and installers must consider each

stage of the innovation in detail, to see the whole process of change and its

constituent parts, as well as the sources of risk and their possible causes. The usage

of the rural area change management model not only facilitates the change

structuring and ensures the coherence of their implementation, but it may also serve

as a tool for risk factors prevention as well as being an environmental management

tool, ensuring the successful implementation of change objectives and helping to

avoid opposing forces that may prevent the change in rural areas, in accordance

with the "bottom-up” principle. However, it is important to note that with the demise of

apartheid, Scheepers (2014:105) suggested that a new planning approach is

required that aims to improve the quality of life of those who have previously been

disadvantaged as currently, several factors are contributing to the provision of

adequate housing, and ultimately the creation of sustainable human settlements.”

55

Figure 2.7.1: Model of the Rural Area Change Management According to the “Bottom-up” Principle

Source: Pakeltiene (2015)

2.7.2 Territorial rural development model

Development does not take place in a void. An analytical view of development is

unattainable without an understanding of the units it works to develop. Martz (1995)

referred to this unit as neighbourhoods and described it as an entity that has long

been present in the planning field. Allmendinger and Tewdwr-Jones (2006) identified

this unit as being composed of space and identity. Chigbu (2013) simply viewed it as

the territory. In a broader sense, territory encompasses a “bounded social space

occupied and used by different social groups” (Johnston et al., 2000:824). Storey

(2001) described it in terms of regional development. Lawson (2004) views it from a

geographical sense. From a purely political perspective, territory is about spatial

relations of power (Stouten, 2005). However, what mostly captures the use of the

term in the context of this research is Allmendinger and Tewdwr-Jones’ (2006)

definition of the term. Allmendinger and Tewdwr-Jones’ (2006: p.10) define it as “a

given area of land under the jurisdiction of a state, or an organised division of a

country that has a particular set of powers and jurisdiction.” This definition identifies

a territory as a development domain. Therefore, it serves the purpose of this

research.”

56

Figure 2.7.2 Territorial Rural Development Model

Adopted from source: (Chigbu , 2013:131)

The territorial rural development approach model presents the main actions and

ideas necessary for achieving development, at a territorial level in rural areas. It

comprises three major parts: planning, legal measures and processes for improving

rural areas. The planning activities are measures taken to ensure what and how

people act for achieving development within the territory.

The policy/legal measures fortify rural institutions so that rules and regulations focus

on how people behave in the course of their involvement in rural development. The

rural development processes consist of activities taken in order to implement

improvements in rural areas. These three aspects work together towards attaining

sustainable results (poverty reduction).”

57

In conclusion, Chakrabarty (1998:506) noted that an integrated management

approach is essential in the activities of all organizations to achieve efficiency and

effectiveness and therefore Dodds (in Lawrence, 2000:48) suggested that creative

solutions are required to achieve a range of objectives towards sustaining human

communities, one being developing a Human Settlement Management model and a

rural area change management model.

Human Settlement Management and Development was officially professionalised

into a Degree in the year 2014, through the work of the late Professor Van Wyk, who

saw this vital need, as it aimed to solve one of many countries’ strongest problems.”

2.8 QUALITY OF LIFE: COMMUNITY SATISFACTION AND HOUSING

Measuring quality of life is important in order to understand communities’ overall

satisfaction with their existence. The quality of life in rural population’s plays a key

role in rural development policies. it is important to note that the availability of basic

services, especially those used frequently, are essential elements for maintaining

adequate levels of quality of life in rural areas. Therefore, it is important for

government to ensure that rural areas, such as KwaMaphumulo have a quality of life

that is comparable to its urban counterparts such as Durban. That being said,

measuring quality of life is not such an easy task as it has hundreds of dimensions.”

Over the years, rural communities in South Africa have faced significant changes in

their economic structure, population and landscapes. It is likely that these changes in

the community have influenced individuals' and families' quality of life. The two

dimensions of quality of life the researcher will elaborate on are housing and

community satisfaction, Jamieson (2004:78) stated that housing is the base from

which people participate and interact in their wider communities.

Cove (2004) further explained that there is evidence that how households and

families are housed is a crucial component of quality of their lives and a major

influence on the health and wellbeing of families, households and communities. This

can be seen in Morris and Winter’s definition of housing as they define it as a multi-

level construct which fulfils the need for safety and rest for individuals, provides a

place to rear children for families and serves to reflect the cultural values and norms

within society. It also reflects the stress of its societal role and its personal or

58

individual meaning to the householder, as his/her domain and measure of quality of

life.”

Housing conditions within rural communities have usually been objectively measured

and used in research in a community context. Quality of life and community vitality

when objectively measured is helpful for community leaders and policy makers to

recognize strengths and/or weaknesses and to advocate for political action.

However, some scholars have pointed out the limitations of objective indicators,

based on aggregated, community-level statistics.

Scholars such as Campbell, Converse & Rodgers (1976) and Caiman (1984:124)

have lamented that "quality of life can only be described and measured in individual

terms, and it depends on one’s present life-style, past experiences, hopes for the

future, dreams and ambitions." They argued that quality of life is a subjective and

multifaceted concept and, therefore, is difficult to measure in its entirety. For many

researchers the term "satisfaction" has been adopted as an umbrella concept for

subjective well-being or quality of life. Campbell et al., (1976), Brief and Roberson

(1989) and Sirgy and Cornwell (2002:80) have all argued that the term "satisfaction"

involves one's evaluation of salient life domains.

A subjective evaluation of housing satisfaction is essential to understanding the

individual, families and community’s quality of life. Objective measures alone (i.e.,

affordability, crowding, expenditures) are inadequate, as factors such as individual

characteristics like age, education, income, and residence are related to satisfaction

with the community. Older people, for example, are more likely to be satisfied with

their community than younger people. Similarly, they are more likely to be satisfied

with local government services according to Richmond, Filson, Paine, Pfeiffer and

Taylor, (2000:159) and more attached to their community, according to Benson

(2001)”

Community resources / social capital, according to Cordes (2005) was shown to be a

strong predictor of perceived community satisfaction in rural areas. Community

economics also influences community satisfaction as the employment opportunities

relate positively to community satisfaction and quality of life. In rural communities,

the availability of nearby shops and facilities increases community satisfaction

59

(Filkins, Allen & Cordes, 2000:72) and that, in turn, is a pull factor for migration

(Barcus, 2004:643).”

Local government services, including safety and police protection, street conditions

and garbage collection, have been studied and related to community satisfaction.

Safety (Parkes et al., 2002). Favourable street conditions, (Parkes et al., 2002)

increases community satisfaction). For example, Parkes et al., (2002) revealed that

less crime, feeling secure, fewer problematic neighbours, and lower noise levels are

related to greater satisfaction with the community. In their study, housing satisfaction

and social capital (i.e., friendliness, community spirit, and social and leisure

activities) were significantly related to an individual's community satisfaction levels

(Parkes et al., 2002), plus the availability of parks or libraries (Vrbka & Combs,

1993:41) and public schools (Filkins et al., 2000:74).”

The researcher has chosen to assess quality of life as it offers the researcher

information pertaining to factors that influence the social, economic and

environmental aspects of KwaMaphumulo.”

2.9 INTERNATIONAL CONVENTIONS AND PROGRAMMES THAT ARE ADDRESSING RURAL DEVELOPMENT

The United Nations World Summit on Social Development which launched the 1995

Copenhagen declaration of which South Africa is a signatory. In terms of this

declaration, by 1996, signatories undertook to develop a country with specific

measurement of poverty levels. The United Nations Millennium development goals,

wherein South Africa had an obligation to halve poverty and unemployment by 2015

and previously committed to reaching these goals by 2014, did not happen.”

Other international covenants and treatises that commit signatory states to the

advancement of the socio-economic rights of their inhabitants including and signed

by South Africa included the African Charter on Human and People Rights, the

Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination against Women, the

International Covenant on Economic, Cultural and Social Rights, the International

Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, the Convention

on the Rights of the Child, The African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the

Child and the Commission on Sustainable Development.”

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The Johannesburg Plan of implementation that emerged from the World Summit on

Sustainable Development in 2002 called for an improvement in transportation and

access to markets, the building of rural infrastructure, credit to support sustainable

agriculture and rural development, market information and diversifying the rural

economy.

According to the United Nations (2003:5) in a developing country, such as South

Africa, agriculture plays a crucial role in addressing the needs of a growing global

population and is inextricably linked to poverty eradication.”

Although South Africa is bound by all of the above-mentioned international

agreements, they do not bind her to direct resources for rural areas and non-

compliance does not mean enforcement of punitive measures and communities are

rarely active in the participation of driving the development and finalisation of these

conventions and treatises.

In addition, despite signing for the development of sectoral rural focused

programmes and international conventions, rural areas remain underdeveloped. This

could be caused by many issues such as an unclear definition of rural development.

Indications of deprivation or lack of access to services are used to define what is

needed in rural areas. There is minimal incentive for seamless planning and

budgeting across the various departments which rural development programmes

largely ignore

2.10 PROJECT MANAGEMENT IN RURAL COMMUNITIES

With regard to sustainable development in rural areas, the creation of job

opportunities, the upliftment of people and land development are vitally important, as

they comprise a strategically valuable economic arena that is sometimes overlooked

by government and conventional market forces. Despite rapid urbanisation, rural

settlements still host the poorest individuals; therefore, it is important to develop

critical conventions on an ongoing basis with private and public sector suggestions

O’Brien (1971)”

Rural poverty cannot only be confronted at spatial level as this tends to miss the

needs of households. According to Gwanya (2010:21) low literacy and poverty levels

contribute to a lack of self-confidence, which is key to attending and participating in

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community meetings and articulating needs. This is evident in KwaMaphumulo as

there are low levels of education there. Many individuals are unable to write or read

therefore making it difficult for them to understand the language used by

developmental stakeholders in public meetings; which results in them agreeing to an

intervention that they did not understand or need.”

It is important to note that that definitions of rural development and transformation

need to be flexible, as the needs, characteristics, rural spaces, opportunities and

required interventions are heterogeneous. Arias (1993) argued that It is vital for

developers to understand the relationship between individuals, their social worlds

and social structure. The way a house is built includes not only physical but also the

social, cultural, economic, and political dimensions that give meaning to the person

who occupies it (Arias, 1993).”

According to Martino (1994), In order to improve a presented problem within a rural

area, project management personnel will begin by examining any activity that is

required. this is followed by developing a set of goals, a time frame and specified

resources, so that the end goal can be achieved.”

According to the Cape Agency for Sustainable Integrated Development in Rural

Areas (2019:1) projects require the following:”

“A clear understanding of the stakeholders and their needs;”

“Clear understanding of key processes to be undertaken;”

“Effective organising, planning and management of resources;”

Overseeing the management of each step; and

Support and monitoring for the learning outcomes required by the community.

2.10.1 Creating an enabling environment for communities to participate in development

Within rural areas, interventions should be specific and driven by unique needs.

Project management in rural areas needs to be a dedicated process of analysis,

communication, training, education and tactically planned implementation. In short,

projects need to be cautiously guided to make sure they are carried out ‘by the

people’ and not ‘for the people’ as; to quote Mr Josep Roig, the Secretary General of

United Cities and Local Governments: “The only sustainable city/ (settlement) is the

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one created by all of us”. Woodgate (1967) stated that to improve job creation,

quality of life and economic growth, social sensitivity needs to be defined throughout

all negotiations and decision-making processes. Respect for fundamental rights and

cultural and traditional identity becomes prime when the main consideration in any

development strategy is the people.

It is important to ensure that every project is planned in conjunction with grassroots

people, who are able to inform participants on both local resources and development

needs; as a project should be designed to bring about a host of improvements to

rural life (Drucker, 1974). There also needs to be a focus on the regional role players

to ensure that they can take collective action for the betterment of their communities.

At the same time, market forces still play a significant role in innovation, as there is

an ongoing rivalry for investment, agricultural ventures, labour, business

development, tourism etc. Therefore those with a canny eye for business who know

the value of rural encouragement are most likely to see opportunities as they arise.

In addition, it is important to ensure that regional development managers who are

selected for assignments can actively steer the development process through strong

collective vision (Baumgartner, 1963)

Efficient project management is important in rural areas, to ensure that people are

kept focused and motivated and that the initiative is on track to fulfil the end goal.

According to (Rust, 2006:16) although public participation is one of the most

fundamental processes in any rural project, it is important to note that formal

institutions for public participation are not effective in rural areas because of the cost

of travelling, the distance and vastness of the areas from the central point; as rural

areas have a dispersed settlement pattern, as you would find that the average

population per ward is 9000, which can sometimes comprise 4 villages; therefore this

raises a need for institutions at village level that feed to the formal structures

South Africa has created a new skill, which has become an important post-apartheid

profession – social facilitation. According to Brown (2014) Social facilitators are

tasked with the initial phases of community participation. Once areas have been

targeted, it is essential for facilitators to explain the programme to communities, get

“buy-in” from communities and local leaders, and ensure that local structures are put

in place to manage delivery in the area. The facilitators remain in place during the

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construction phase, to ease relations between local people and “outsiders”

contractors, technical consultants, and the like (Kerzner, 2009). Successive

evaluations have shown that good social facilitation is a key component of

sustainable participative development.

It has been a tough road, it is also important to acknowledge that no other country in

Africa promises its poor the levels of social provision that the present South African

government has committed itself to (Rust, 2006:16). This includes providing free

housing to the poor, based on full ownership; commonly known as an RDP house.

2.10.2 Importance of monitoring, evaluating and learning

Gauging impact on poverty and developmental achievements needs appropriate

monitoring and evaluation, as it is fundamental in ensuring the success of projects in

rural areas. There should be a strong emphasis on a learning approach for every

project, to ensure not only the successful completion of a project but to also ensure

that the community is left revitalised and supported, with a sense of responsibility

and better decision making abilities (Clough, 1972:29).

Interactions that lead to the improvement of interventions on a continual basis should

also benefit primary stakeholders, project staff and investment partners such as

government and the private sector; thereby ensuring that the results are worth the

involvement and the interest of all involved; but never losing sight of the ultimate

objective which is that the rural poor should receive the maximum benefit from the

development.

Even though rural projects are efficient instruments to motivate development, in

addition; they must also create relationships with the local community that are

beneficial, as enterprises should assist rural communities to socially organise, learn

and understand the importance of collective co-operation (Baumgartner, 1963:45)

The outcome of a project should also result in a community that is able to take the

initiative, care for itself, and apply the skills developed from each project.

Rural communities will only learn if they are involved in the process of formulation,

implementation and management of the project; as the basis of any rural

development project should be to involve people and encourage them to work

together in a community. People need to experience real change in order to feel a

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sense of mutual learning and knowledge which, in turn, increases self-esteem,

empowerment and confidence (Rust, 2006:23).

2.11 THE CONSEQUENCE(S) THAT MIGRATION HAS ON THE PLACE OF

ORIGIN

Migration consequences are likely to be large. Rural communities are facing both in-

and out-migration, which directly affects cost projections for infrastructure and

service delivery. The Rural Development Framework focuses on promoting rural

livelihoods; in part to discourage labour migration and urbanization. However,

Atkinson and Marais and Atkinson (2006:26) stated that the persistence of illegal

migration shows that there are difficulties that host, and origin countries are facing in

controlling migration flows (Organisation of Economic and Cooperation

Development, 2001:17).

The most significant aspect of the migration issue is whether it is a successful

strategy or not which brings economic benefits to the sending family. Moreover, do

these economic benefits outweigh the social and other costs to the families left

behind. It should not be assumed that rural life carries on with ‘business as usual,’ as

the decision-making role and authority of the head of the household might continue

to reside with that person when they migrate out. This can affect and delay urgent

decisions on seeking emergency health care, the education of children, and even

children getting married (Collinson, 2010:1).

It is therefore urgent to eradicate rural poverty and to improve the quality of living

conditions, as well as to create employment and educational opportunities in rural

settlements, regional centres and secondary cities. Full advantage must be taken of

the complementary contributions and linkages of rural and urban areas by balancing

their different economic, social and environmental requirements (The Habitat

Agenda Goals and Principles, Commitments and the Global Plan of Action, 2003:4).

2.12 THE CONSEQUENCES(S) THAT MIGRATION HAS ON THE PLACE OF

DESTINATION

Rural – urban migration does have an impact on sustainable human settlements,

especially on the pace of out migration as it has increased, particularly in developing

countries. This has also added pressure on urban infrastructure and urban service

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delivery already under serious stress due to the problem that urban areas are so

overcrowded that they are failing to absorb people properly.

Many problems such as enough housing, sanitation, health facilities, and shortage of

schools, insufficient water supply, and electricity, lack of well-built roads, poverty,

hunger, crime, family breakdown, and juvenile delinquency are facing migrants from

rural areas to urban areas. Rural-urban migration is an ongoing cycle that affects

housing delivery in urban areas and as a result, it continues to make the objective of

ensuring that there is adequate housing for South Africans unattainable. According

to the Centre for Development and Enterprise (2011:10) modern day migration is

greatly facilitated by three revolutions, namely: communications (communications

enable people to learn quickly about the job opportunities available in urban areas

and cities), transportation (allows people the freedom of mobility that comes at a

cheaper price) and rights (the freedom of rights allows migrants to resist leaving the

place of destination). Not everyone who lives close to a city is looking for a job.

There are other reasons why the cities are now overcrowded with migrants, most of

whom are unemployed. Rural - urban migration appears to be one of the factors

contributing to overcrowding and the ongoing increase in the number of people who

need houses. Although low-cost houses are being built through the government’s

housing programme, house construction continues to fall short of demand which

leads to the creation of informal settlements and backyard dwellers. Marais and

Atkinson (2006:24) argued that urbanization should not be a threat as it provided

opportunities to restructure cities and towns as vehicles capable of moving many of

the country’s people out of poverty, squalor and environmental degradation.

2.13 INFRASTRUCTURE AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT

South Africa’s Economy has always had a legacy of having separate development

agendas; which is the main cause of many of the inequalities faced by the citizens of

this country. However it is important to not forget that the primary rights of women,

the youth, the disabled and the aged must be acknowledged as these rights are

safeguarded in the constitution of South Africa. Rural public policy is ineffective as it

is developed from poorly modified urban policy that does not fit rural settings and as

based on the flawed assumption that there are public institutions that serve the

unique needs of rural areas, yet it is quite evident that that is not the case. In South

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Africa, the rural areas are in need of an initiative to develop the livelihoods of the

rural communities by providing modern services through the development of non-

farming activities as well as the revival of agriculture, as the goal should be to create

opportunities that reverse the process of underdevelopment without creating new

forms of dependency.

The individualities of rural areas need to be understood, as the poorest of South

Africa are concentrated in these areas and although there are resources available

that could be utilised, the migrant labour system rate in these areas has resulted in a

sector of society in which decisions are difficult to arrive at and where human

resources are often absent. According to Hemson, Meyer and Maphunye’s (2004)

rural development position paper, only four percent (4%) of the incomes of the

poorest people comes from agricultural activities which paints a perfect picture of

how the rural poor do not see agriculture as the answer to their plight while the cities

absorb the best educated and most energetic layers of the rural population, leaving

the rural areas to the women, the children and the elderly.

This shows the importance of having special provision made to ensure that a social

dynamic comes into play to reverse this psychological cycle of believing that the city

will fix all problems as many of these emigrants become informal settlement

dwellers. Service provision in rural areas is a crucial challenge and without an

increase in rural livelihoods and incomes, the most significant services are

threatened by the people’s inability to pay for services and thus stay connected.

Development has reached its sustainable limits. Line departments are passing on

responsibilities to local government who are not always pleased to take those on

because there aren’t sufficient financial and human resources available to manage

them or there could be an absence of strategy, meaning that funding and

commitment could be available, but the right blend of national, provincial and local

resourcefulness is not available. This is quite evident in Maphumulo as there are

vacant posts in critical positions which causes delays. In several sectors, particularly

sanitation, there have been substantial delays, which, in turn, leaves rural

communities vulnerable to the scourge of cholera and other water-borne diseases.

As mentioned, The Integrated Development Plan is the basis for service delivery as

it brings together the targets established by line departments with the growing

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capacity of local government to operate and maintain. Therefore, more pressure is

now put on local governments to ensure service delivery thus special provision

should be made for the development of rural local government capacity. The

provision of resources for social services and the creation of new partnerships for the

delivery of services is vital. The delivery of housing in the rural areas should not be

carried out from a sense of duty or as an end in itself. However, it should be seen as

ensuring the wellbeing of future generations (Patel, 2015:87) by ensuring that the

houses are durable and able to withstand strains and stresses and break-ins.

Socio-economic development, according to Midgley (1995:250) is a process of

planned social change designed to promote the wellbeing of the population as a

whole; in conjunction with a dynamic process of economic development through

which a community creates, retains and reinvests wealth and improves the quality of

life. According to Minister Lindiwe Sisulu’s speech at the UNISA Human Settlement

Seminar, it is important for South Africa to concentrate on being an enabler to those

who can and being a provider for those who cannot.

There should be involvement from all stakeholders, professionals and communities

to play their part in executing their responsibilities, together with all the rest of us in

delivering a right as we all have a responsibility to do so. The Minister further states

that we are accordingly shifting our focus to strengthen our strategies by providing

land for people to build, with our assistance, coupled with our temporary shelter

programme, approved by Cabinet in 2007. The Department of Human Settlements is

working together with the Departments of Rural Development and Land Affairs and

Public Works, in order to establish a collaboration that will release land and

municipalities will be required to prioritise the provision of infrastructure. Partnerships

and the role of the development professions, universities / academia and research

institutions are all vitally important, as we are all partners in this great venture to turn

our common destiny around and make our cities, towns and other settlements

vibrant, productive, sustainable, and great places to live in.

2.14 CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK OF THE STUDY

A Conceptual Framework can be described as the abstract, logical structure of

planning that guides the development of the study. According to Heinrich (1984:151),

all frameworks are based on the identification of key concepts and the relationships

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among those concepts. It can also be defined as an intellectual representation of

some aspect of reality that is derived from observations made from phenomena.

Robson (2011) further explained the conceptual framework of a study as the system

of concepts, assumptions, expectations, beliefs, and theories that supports and

informs your research. It is therefore a key part of your design. Miles and Huberman

(1994:18) defined a conceptual framework as a visual or written product, one that

“explains, either graphically or in narrative form, the main things to be studied, the

key factors, concepts, or variables and the presumed relationships among them.

During the Apartheid era, the majority of black South Africans were confined to large

settlements in the former homelands which led to the marginalisation of South

Africa’s rural areas over a period of decades, which resulted in an acute lack of

economic opportunities, limited infrastructure a serious breakdown of social capital

and the non-existence of socio-economic development. This was caused by the

restrictive and discriminatory laws of the time, which were prominent features of the

Apartheid regime. Chapter 12 of the constitution states that the institution status and

roles of traditional leadership, according to customary law, are recognised and to this

end, numerous pieces of legislation have been passed and various programmes

implemented, to ensure that traditional leadership makes an important contribution

to the development of society. However, in many rural areas, this may not be the

case as there seem to be policy issues with regard to the functioning and structuring

of traditional institutions in local governance, according to Rejoice (2008:5) who says

that the fact that the municipality and traditional authorities have similar statutory

powers and functions within the same area of jurisdiction, shows the importance for

all parties to be involved; to maintain proper lines of communication with the elected

and traditional representatives. According to Triegaardt (2006:2) poverty is

apparent to the human eye in the form of shacks, unemployment, poor infrastructure

and lack of access to basic services. Poverty and inequality in South Africa have a

gender and spatial dimension to it (Oberhauser, 2001:25) These features of poverty

are evident in KwaMaphumulo. Therefore, this study seeks to investigate the

constraints for attainment of sustainable human settlements in rural areas and how

this impacts their wellbeing so that the researcher can provide informed

recommendations and solutions that will hopefully be implemented and executed to

change the livelihoods of the Maphumulo community.

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Figure 2.14 Conceptual Framework

Adapted from:( Source: Author, 2019)

2.15 CONCLUSION

When looking back over the past two decades since the dawning of our democracy,

the South African nation has much to be proud of in the area of human settlement

development. The programmes policies and legislation that are constantly evolving

Independent variables

• Lack of implementing economic sustainability principles in development programmes/projects

• Inadequate Services

• Poor quality of low-cost housing • Lack of participation

Antecedent variables

• Sustainability

• integration

• Building local economy

• Human Resources Development

• Meeting Basic needs

• Access to land

• Competent Contractors

• Quality Control & infrastructure • Democratization, assessment & accountability

Perceived Successful Outcomes

• Creation of job & investment opportunities in Maphumulo through development programmes and projects

• Proximity of quality services

• Quality housing provided timely

• Sustained participation from all relevant stakeholders to allow for easy flow of development programmes

SUSTAINABLE HUMAN

SETTLEMENTS

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and forming are proof of how much the country has shifted its focus on housing

towards human settlements. Although many researchers speak of human

settlements, there is very little reference and the focus is on rural communities and

the fact that they are less and less developed as urbanisation grows.

CHAPTER THREE: RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY

3.1 INTRODUCTION

In this chapter, the researcher discusses the research design adopted in the study.

He briefly discusses some of the research designs that have been implemented and

motivates the choice of the selected research design. The research design was

based on the necessity to develop an all-inclusive and coherent means of data

collection, selecting the right design from various procedures and processes, in order

to generate sound research results. In addition, the chapter highlights the selected

research approach as well as the techniques utilized in the gathering and analysis of

the data. Lastly, she offers a comprehensive narrative on the manner whereby data

was collected and analysed in various phases of the study in an ethical manner.”

3.2 RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY

The purpose of this section is to illustrate the research design and methodology that

was used to gather, analyse and interpret the data. The research design and

methodology provided the basis for this dissertation, by focusing on the planning,

structuring and execution of the study in a manner that is scientifically sound

(Jacobsen & Landau, 2003:5).

3.2.1 Research paradigm

A paradigm is a “worldview” or a set of assumptions about how things work.

Rossman & Rallis (2003) delineated a paradigm as the “shared understandings of

reality”. Quantitative and qualitative research methods involve very different

assumptions about how research should be conducted and about the role of the

researcher. The choice of research paradigm is influenced by the context of the

researcher (for example the country or university in which the researcher is based)

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as well as factors related to the characteristics of the research problem, the

researcher and the research environment (Trauth, 2009:317). “

As a result of this dissertation, the research problem and the context of the

researcher and her environment, a choice was made to conduct research using the

belief that the use of paradigms is based on not describing one paradigm as better

than another. Instead, some scholars have confidence in asserting that qualitative

and quantitative approaches are able to come together to build on their

‘‘complementary strengths’’ and weaknesses. Understanding the research paradigm

that is used assists in enabling an understanding of the researcher’s underlying

assumptions. It also contributes towards ascertaining the validity of the research and

assesses whether appropriate research methods have been used, according to

Myers and Walsham (1998:223).

Therefore, this research has focused on a critical realism paradigm, as the

researcher will also be including debates about the objective nature of the reality

faced in rural areas (such as poverty, unemployment, illiteracy, dispersed settlement

patterns etc.) and will critique the environment through engaging and looking

beyond what exists, through using both numerically coded and narrative data .

Ontology discusses the claims and assumptions that are made about the nature of

reality, claims about what exists, what it looks like, what units it is made up of, and

how these units interact with each other (Guba & Lincoln, 1994). Ontology could

further be described as a philosophical study of the nature of being, becoming,

existence or reality; as well as the basic categories of being and their relations. One

can further define ontology as the study of what really exists. According to Olsen

(2008:4) ontologists study assumptions about existence. To ensure a strong

research design, researchers must choose a research paradigm that is congruent

with their beliefs about the nature of reality (Mills, Bonner & Francis, 2006:2).”

Critical realism utilizes the compatibility thesis of worldviews, supporting the point

that quantitative and qualitative research can work together to address one another’s

limitations. However, embodying more of a constructivist epistemology than

pragmatism does, critical realism believes in a world that is constructed through our

individual standpoints and perceptions (Creswell & Plano Clark, 2011). Critical

realists accept as true, that theories can only be impartial representations of reality.

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The objective of a critical realist researcher is to quantify and validate fundamental

structures (Bisman, 2010).

Correspondingly, critical realists also believe that objectivity can only be

approximated (Maxwell & Mittapalli, 2010). The effects of critical realism’s ontology

are epitomized throughout the practical use of this perspective. For instance, due to

this belief, critical realists use theory to support and guide the research process,

while emphasising that such theories are impartial or otherwise incomplete views of

reality. Conversely, it is important to note that this opinion is not intended to devalue

the impact of theory on research but rather to identify that theories cannot offer an

all-inclusive or complete view of a phenomenon.

The emphasis of critical realism is on the process and a generative view (Clark,

MacIntyre & Cruickshank, 2007) of approaching the inferences during the course of

the integration stage. By highlighting the process, critical realism proposes an

acknowledgement of connections amid dynamics that stimulate the investigation of

context-based causality. It accomplishes this by attempting to ‘understand how

phenomena are generated, in either physical or social realms by examining

underlying factors that are potentially at play’ (Clark et al., 2007:524). Therefore, the

researcher is attentive to ‘‘particular situations and events, rather than addressing

only general patterns’’ (Maxwell & Mittapalli, 2010:156).

Critical realism also places emphasis on the psychological fragment of reality, or in

what way emotion and mental perceptions are imperative to the research process

(Modell, 2009), which is crucial in this research study as the researcher will be

engaging with the community members of KwaMaphumulo. The critical realists’

position places importance on perceptions which includes, captivating fresh

perspectives, understanding and considering different views, and representing

diverse voices. Modell (2009:219) reasons that these diverse perspectives can be

‘the starting theme for additional theorizing’.

Critical realism can suggest in mixed methods a viewpoint that accentuates diversity

and the relationships between people, ideas, and events. This permits process-

based causal inferences, which are not as likely to occur with other perspectives.

Finally, critical realism also offers mixed methods researchers an angle that puts

emphasis on perspective, captivating and empowering the voices of others, while still

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acknowledging that these can only be fractional depictions of reality (Maxwell &

Mittapalli, 2010).

In conclusion, critical realism bridges the divide between quantitative and qualitative

approaches and is grounded precisely in the belief that theories on reality are

fractional; hence they are highlighting the significance of varied viewpoints. This

ontology therefore sanctions researchers to rightfully deliberate regarding deviations

in their findings, linked to existing literature. It furthermore emboldens understanding

that is mentally grounded, such as gathering perception and reflection-based data.

Its prominence on relationships is linked to its capability to understand causal

relationships that are both contextually based and generalizable to others.

The researcher has included the process suggested by Saunders et al., (2009) in the

research onion concept (Figure 3.2.1 occurs in layers). This involves a series of

decisions before arriving at an overall approach to the research design and data

collection technique.

Figure 3.2.1: The Research Onion

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Adopted: (Source: Saunders et al., 2009)

The first outer layer explains the research philosophy that the researcher has

explained in section 3.2.1, the first attribute of any study is to orient a research

question to a particular philosophy. Hudson and Ozanne (1998) describe ontology as

the function of reality. According to Saunders et al., (2012) there are four different

philosophical branches that define the presence of a research entity; the first is

positivism, the second is realism, the third is interpretivism and the fourth is

pragmatism.

According to Babbie (2010) a research approach mainly identifies the foundation of

the research strategy and provides direction to the research methods. This approach

can be considered as an assessment of the various methods used in scientific

inquiry applications and also helps in the identification of interaction between

observation and logic. Research approach can be differentiated into two parts: the

first is inductive and the second is deductive.

The research strategy is how the researcher intends to carry out the work

(Saunders et al., 2007). The strategy can include a number of different approaches,

such as experimental research, action research, case study research, interviews,

surveys, or a systematic literature review.

The focus of the next layer of the research onion is on the research method to be

adopted which is a fundamental and critical decision pointer. There are different

ways through which the research method can be selected (Punch, 2013). The first

method is the mono method wherein a single data collection technique is utilised

followed by a corresponding qualitative or quantitative analysis procedure (Bryson, et

al. 2014). The second method is the mixed method , it requires the use of two or more

methods of research, and usually refer to the use of both a qualitative and a quantitative

methodology. In the multi-method, a wider selection of methods is used (Bryman, 2012).

The third is the multimethod, wherein multiple methods are used for arriving at the

analysis. However, the research is divided into separate segments, with each producing

a specific dataset; each is then analysed using techniques derived from quantitative or

qualitative methodologies (Feilzer, 2010)

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The main difference between the mixed and the multi-method is that the mixed-method

involves a combined methodology that creates a single dataset (Flick, 2011).

The Time Horizon is the time framework within which the project is intended for

completion (Saunders et al., 2007). Two types of time horizons are specified within

the research onion: the cross sectional and the longitudinal (Bryman, 2012) he cross

sectional time horizon is one already established, whereby the data must be

collected., where the data is collected at a certain point (Flick, 2011). This is used

when the investigation is concerned with the study of a particular phenomenon at a

specific time. A longitudinal time horizon for data collection refers to the collection of

data repeatedly over an extended period, and is used where an important factor for

the research is examining change over time (Goddard & Melville, 2004).

Data collection and analysis is dependent on the methodological approach used

(Bryman, 2012). The process used at this stage of the research contributes

significantly to the studies overall reliability and validity (Saunders et al., 2007).

Regardless of the approach used in the project, the type of data collected can be

separated into two types: primary and secondary.

Primary data is that which is derived from first-hand sources. This can be historical

first-hand sources, or the data derived from the respondents in survey or interview

data (Bryman, 2012) Secondary data is that which is derived from the work or

opinions of other researchers (Newman, 1998).

3.2.2 Theory of the study

Abend (2008:173) states that theories are formulated to explain, predict, and

understand phenomena and, in many cases, to challenge and extend existing

knowledge, within the limits of critical bounding assumptions. Therefore, it is the

structure that should hold or support the theory of a research study. The theoretical

framework introduces and describes the theory that explains why the research

problem under study exists; which is why the researcher has included it in their study

to look at the systems theory because it is important for the researcher to include the

system of implementing programmes in Ward 10 of KwaMaphumulo, in order to

understand what is preventing the system from operating as it should. The change

management theory will also be discussed, as it is important that when development

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occurs, both the driving forces and restraining forces are well managed and that

neither is overlooked, in order to reach the totality of sustainable human settlements.

3.2.2.1 Systems theory

The infinitely complex set of issues that determines sustainable development in

KwaMaphumulo, and the realisation that these issues are interconnected and

interdependent, identifies sustainability as a systemic concept that requires a

systems approach to problem solving and planning. Systems thinking goes beyond

events, to looking for patterns of behaviour, and towards seeking underlying

systemic interrelationships which are responsible for patterns of behaviour and the

events (Du Plessis, 2002:4). A system is seen as an entity that maintains its

existence through the mutual interaction of its parts. This definition of a system

implies something beyond cause and effect. Rather than A simply affecting B, there

is an implication that B also affects A.

There are only two types of interaction. According to Von Bertalanffy (1975:76) the

one is a balancing feedback loop, which causes change in the opposite direction (if

there is more of the one, there is less of the other). Balancing feedback loops refute

change and stabilise systems. Von Bertalanffy (1975:77) further states that the other

type is the reinforcing feedback loop, which causes change in the same direction (if

there is more of the one, there is more of the other). These feedback loops are what

drive change and growth. The structure of complex systems, such as cities, is not a

simple feedback loop where one system state dominates behaviour. The complex

system has a multiplicity of feedback loops with internal rates of flow that are

controlled by non-linear relationships. Looking for linear cause-and-effect

relationships that are closely related in time and space can be misleading and results

in responses that only cause further problems.

Dewey and Bentley (1949:65) explained that first, an attempt to relieve one set of

symptoms may only create a new mode of system behaviour that also has

unpleasant consequences. Secondly, the attempt to produce short-term

improvement often sets the stage for long-term degradation. Associated with the

idea of “system” is a principle called “emergence”. From the mutual interaction of the

parts of a system, characteristics arise which cannot be found as characteristics of

any of the individual parts. In the context of this study the emergent characteristics

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that were looked for were the constraints on the attainment of sustainable human

settlement development in KwaMaphumulo and in order to understand this, one has

to study the system; meaning, the interactions of all the multi-dimensional aspects of

settlements. Von Bertalanffy (1975:82) states that studying the parts in isolation will

not provide an appropriate understanding. Analysis (the breaking up of a system into

its component parts, and then studying the parts) is therefore an imperfect tool with

which to determine the constraints and what is needed to sustain

rural human settlements.

Figure 3.2.2.1: Systems Theory

Source: Adopted from Schwella (1985:48)

3.2.2.2 Change management theory

Kurt Lewin's change management model is a powerful strategic tool used to

understand what is needed for change in both corporate and personal environments.

Kurt Lewin views culture as being in a state of equilibrium. Therefore, before change

can occur, the force field must be in equilibrium between forces favourable to change

and those resisting it. Lewin's force field analysis is used to distinguish which factors

within a situation or organisation drive a person towards or away from a desired

state; and which oppose the driving forces, which is crucial in order to inform

decisions that will make change more acceptable.

Implementing economic sustainability principles in development programmes / projects

Provision of adequate services

Adequate quality of low-cost housing

Public and stakeholder participation

input

• Sustainability • Integration • Building local economy • Human resources

development • Meeting basic needs • Access to land • Competent contractors • Quality control &

infrastructure • Democratization,

assessment & accountability

process

• Creation of job & investment opportunities in Maphumulo through development programmes and projects

• Proximity of quality services

• Quality housing provided timely and consumer satisfaction

• Sustained participation from all relevant stakeholders to allow the easy flow of development programmes

output

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The management of the driving and restraining forces is crucial in order to achieve

the sustainability of human settlements in KwaMaphumulo. The government tends to

focus more on the driving forces such as forming new policies aimed at addressing

poverty, yet little is done to find out why other interventions are not progressing the

way they should to achieve the end goal; not forgetting that to understand what

makes people resist or accept change, it is important to understand the values and

experiences of that person or group.

Kurt Lewin writes: "A culture is not a painted picture; it is a living process, composed

of countless social interactions. It’s like a river whose form and velocity are

determined by the balance of those forces that tend to make the water flow faster,

and the friction that tends to make the water flow more slowly. The cultural pattern of

a people at a given time is maintained by a balance of counteracting forces." (Lewin,

1948:46 ) He further goes on to state that, “To bring about any change, the balance

between the forces which maintain the social self-regulation at a given level has to

be upset” (Lewin, 1948:47) and in order to understand what makes people resist or

accept change it is important to understand the values and experiences of that

person or group.

With reference to KwaMaphumulo and the researcher’s study, these driving forces

(positive forces for change) can be the following:

Creation of job & investment opportunities in Maphumulo through

development programmes and projects.

Provision and proximity of quality services.

Quality low cost housing provided timeously.

Sustained participation from all relevant stakeholders to allow easy flow of

development programmes.

The restraining forces (obstacles to change) experienced in KwaMaphumulo with

reference to this study are:

Lack of implementing economic sustainability principles in development

programmes / projects.

Inadequate services.

Poor quality of low-cost housing.

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Lack of public and stakeholder participation.

Lack of investment in agricultural activities.

Inadequate job opportunities available in KwaMaphumulo.

Political conflicts.

3.2.3 Research design

The research design that was utilised in this study was a mixed methods approach,

using qualitative and quantitative data. The researcher chose this approach due to

the way quantitative data enabled the researcher to assess the current condition of

KwaMaphumulo as it is. This will be in terms of demographics, namely; the social,

political and economic situations experienced by the communities of ward 10, while

qualitative data will allow for the collection of soft data in the form of words,

sentences, phrases and pictures and consequently, using qualitative data as a

research design , the researcher was able to identify people’s feelings, opinions and

attitudes about certain aspects of the research questions.

The researcher found it suitable to use a mixed method study to eliminate the

shortfalls of both qualitative and quantitative data; this was achieved with the use of

methodological triangulation, which can be described as the combination of

qualitative and quantitative data to gain the advantages of both. Mixed research

thus, obeys the criteria of scientific rigor and has the advantage of using the

combined strengths of quantitative and qualitative approaches, while making up for

the weaknesses of both approaches. This is summed up by Guba and Lincoln

(2005:201)

The goal of mixed methods, according to Johnson and Onwuegbuzie (2004:14) is to

minimise the possible weaknesses by drawing from the strengths of both these

approaches. Therefore pictures narratives and terms can be used to add

connotations to numbers and vice versa. This is further supported by Saunders,

Lewis and Thornhill (2003:99) who explained the two major advantages of employing

multi-methods in the same study. Different methods can be used for different

purposes, thereby increasing the researcher’s confidence; as important issues would

be addressed. the second advantage mentioned is the enablement for triangulation

to take place.

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However, it is important to note the disadvantages of using a mixed method

approach. Due to its duplicity content, it may be more time consuming and expensive

than any other method of research and because of the mixture of two relatively

different methods of research, a lot of methodologists and researchers have yet to

fully work out the problems of interpreting conflicting results. However, the

fundamental notion of mixed method research is that it fails to acknowledge the

claims of the inharmoniousness thesis, which comprehends quantitative and

qualitative approaches as philosophical and methodological adversaries and admits

that it is promising and useful to blend these approaches within a single study

(Howe, 1998).

Table 3.2.3: Features of Qualitative and Quantitative Research

Qualitative Research Quantitative Research

The aim is a complete, detailed description.

The aim is to classify features, count them, and construct statistical models to explain what is observed.

The researcher may only know roughly in advance what he or she is looking for.

The researcher knows clearly in advance what he or she is looking for.

Recommended during the earlier phases of research projects.

Recommended during the latter phases of research projects.

The design emerges as the study unfolds.

All aspects of the study are carefully designed before data is collected.

The researcher is the data-gathering instrument.

Researcher uses tools, such as questionnaires or equipment to collect numerical data.

Subjective: individuals’ interpretation of events is important for example, uses participant observation, in-depth interviews etc.

Objective: seeks precise measurement & analysis of target concepts, for example uses surveys, questionnaires etc.

Qualitative data is ‘richer’, time consuming, and less able to be generalized.

Quantitative data is more efficient, able to test hypotheses, but may miss contextual detail.

The researcher tends to become subjectively immersed in the subject matter.

Researcher tends to remain objectively separated from the subject matter.

Adapted from: Miles and Huberman (1994:40)

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3.2.4 Research sub design

The researcher utilised a case study, whereby, according to Leedy and Ormrod

(2015:270) an individual or a group of people or programme is studied for a defined

period of time. A Case Study provides tools for researchers to study a complex

phenomenon within their contexts; therefore, if this approach is applied

appropriately, interventions and theories can be developed, and programs can be

evaluated, as it is seen as a valuable method in research. According to (Cassim,

2017:109) the sample size of a case study is very small. This aids the researcher as

KwaMaphumulo is a rural area. Therefore its geographical characteristics (namely it

being mountainous, steep, and has a dispersed settlement pattern) which made it

difficult to travel. However, the advantage of that is that the research was able to go

into depth with the participants, but the disadvantage was that the researcher was

limited in the extent to which findings could be generalised.

3.2.4.1 Concurrent transformative

In this design, the researcher went through only one data collection phase, during

which quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis were conducted

separately yet concurrently. The findings are integrated during the interpretation

phase of the study. Usually, equal priority is given to both types of research.

According to Halcomb (2009:40) the concurrent transformative sub design is

beneficial when the research wishes to cultivate a more comprehensive

understanding of a theme or phenomenon and to cross-validate or support findings,

as both research instruments seek to answer the same research questions.

A concurrent transformative design is seen as a form of design that offers substance

to support several views in the context of social change or advocacy. The

researcher’s research questions and reasoning for conducting a mixed methods

research impacts the choice related with the time alignment of the study. For

instance, if a researcher conducts a study to fathom a phenomenon as it transpires,

one should utilize a concurrent mixed-methods design Venkatesh, Thong and Xu

(2012:165) explains. In contrast, if a researcher pursues a study to ascertain and test

theoretical concepts in a new context, one ought to utilise a qualitative study, which

will then be followed by a quantitative study (Venkatesh et al., 2012:166).

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The researcher decided to utilise two approaches in order to answer the same

research questions. In addition, the researcher had to consider the demographics,

settlement pattern and the time frame she had in KwaMaphumulo. Municipal officials

(Directors and managers, technical staff of the relevant departments, Traditional

leaders and traditional council members, contractors, community development

workers, ward councillors and committee members) were personally interviewed as

they provided in depth knowledge, which allowed the researcher to understand the

constraints in attaining sustainable human settlements as they were occurring in

KwaMaphumulo, in answering the research questions. On the other hand,

community households were provided questionnaires to complete which would allow

the researcher to answer the research questions of her study as she gained their

perspective on issues.

In contrast to qualitative or quantitative research questions, mixed-methods research

questions are “questions that embed both a quantitative research question and a

qualitative research question within the same question” (Onwuegbuzie & Leech,

2006:483). Mixed-methods questions govern a researcher’s primary design

approaches, comprising whether he/she ought to assemble and analyse qualitative

data and quantitative data simultaneously, or one after the other, or iteratively in

advance of addressing the questions (Tashakkori & Tedddlie, 2003:168).

Plano Clark and Badiee (2010) pinpointed four dimensions that refer to how scholars

can inscribe research questions in the framework of their mixed-methods studies,

namely:

1) Rhetorical style in terms of the question format.

2) Rhetorical style in terms of the level of integration.

3) The connection of questions to other questions.

4) The relation of questions to the research process.

Since the researcher attempted to investigate more than one research question, the

researcher found it appropriate to utilise the philosophy of the third dimension, which

is the correlation of questions with other questions (Plano Clark & Badiee, 2010). It is

vital to note that the correlation among the questions forms a study’s general design

and informs the relationship between its quantitative and qualitative components

(Plano Clark & Badiee, 2010).

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Plano Clark and Badiee (2010) recommends the two relationship options, which

comprise:

1. Research questions may possibly be autonomous of each other; and

2. One research question may well be contingent on the results of other

questions (Plano Clark & Badiee, 2010).

However, in this study, the research questions were independent of each other but

with both, qualitative and quantitative, designs being used, both answered the same

research questions.

Advantages:

Provides well-validated and substantiated findings.

Compared to sequential designs, data collection takes less time.

Disadvantages:

It requires great effort and expertise to adequately use two separate methods

at the same time.

It can be difficult to compare the results of two analysis using data of different

forms.

It may be unclear how to resolve discrepancies that arise while comparing the

results.

Given that data collection is conducted concurrently, results of one method

(for example an interview) cannot be integrated in the other method (for

example a survey). (Plano Clark & Badiee, 2010).

Table 3.2.4.1: Types of Design by Four Criteria

Design type Implementation Priority Stage of Integration

Theoretical Perspective

Sequential explanatory

Quantitative followed by qualitative

Usually quantitative but can be qualitative or equal

Interpretation phase

May be present

Sequential exploratory

Qualitative followed by quantitative

Usually qualitative but can be quantitative or equal


May be present

Sequential transformative

Either qualitative followed by quantitative or quantitative

Qualitative, quantitative or equal


Definitely present (i.e. conceptual framework, advocacy,

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followed by qualitative

empowerment)

Concurrent triangulation

Concurrent collection of quantitative and qualitative

Preferably equal, but can be quantitative or qualitative

Interpretation or analysis phase

May be present

Concurrent nested


Quantitative or qualitative

Analysis phase May be present

Concurrent transformative


Qualitative, quantitative or equal

Usually analysis phase but can be during the interpretation phase

Definitely present (i.e. conceptual framework, advocacy, empowerment

Source: (Tashakkori & Teddlie, 2007:224)

3.3 STUDY APPROACH

The research approach that was followed for the purposes of this research was the

deductive one. When considering whether to use an inductive or deductive approach

the researcher should firstly examine the purpose of the research and secondly the

methods that are best suited to either test a hypothesis, explore a new or emerging

area within the discipline, or answer specific research questions. According to

Cormack (1991) using this method, one begins with a theory or hypothesis, then

conducts research to test whether that theory or hypothesis is supported by specific

evidence. This form of research begins at a general, abstract level and then works its

way down to a more specific and concrete level. In this research, it was assumed

that if the societal problems and experiences are found to be true for the sample

population, then it was assumed to be true of the KwaMaphumulo community

(Denzin & Lincoln, 2005).

Quantitative practices investigate philosophies deductively by drawing from already

prevailing information or facts, and thence by examining emerging assumed

relationships and anticipated results for the study.

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Figure 3.3: Inductive and Deductive Research

Adapted from source: (McShane, 2003:604 )

Cormack (1991) stated that logical reasoning begins with generalizations and strives

to investigate whether these generalizations relate to precise occurrences.

Onwuegbuzie and Collins (2005:283) gave details regarding this by stating that

“quantitative researchers have a tendency to make statistical generalizations, which

comprise taking a broad view of findings and interpretations from a representative

statistical sample to the populace from which the sample was drawn”.

The researcher chose deductive reasoning as she began her study, by stating facts

or general principles assumed to be true. The dissimilarity between qualitative and

quantitative research concerning scientific rational, philosophy building, the

acquirement of new knowledge and testing is portrayed in the Figure 3.3. above.

As defined by Yin (1994:12) a case study is an empirical inquiry that investigates a

contemporary phenomenon within its real-life context; especially when there is no

clear definition of the boundaries between context and phenomena.

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According to Babbie and Mouton (2001:54) a case study is an intensive investigation

of a single unit. this is similar to Leedy and Ormrod’s (2010:137) definition which

states that “in a case study a particular individual, program, or event is studied in

depth, for a defined period of time”.

Yin (1994:13) argued that: “A case study allows an investigation to retain the holistic

and meaningful characteristics of real-life events such as neighbourhood change,

international relations and maturation of industries, individual life cycles, organisation

and managerial processes”.

Since the researcher did not have control over the events as they unfolded in Ward

10 in KwaMaphumulo, the case study as an approach was deemed useful in such a

situation where the contextual conditions of the events being studied were critical.

It is important for a case study, as a research strategy, to have clearly stated

theoretical assumptions that direct the specific techniques for collecting and

analysing.

The advantages of utilising a case study is that: “it can penetrate situations in ways

that are not always susceptible to numerical analysis” (Cohen et al., 2000:181).

Therefore, it can be said that the case study observes effects in real contexts.

3.4 METHODOLOGICAL TRIANGULATION

With the use of in depth semi-structured interviews and questionnaires, the

researcher employed a methodological triangulation approach. According to Vos

(2004:341) the purpose of methodological triangulation is to ensure that the

strengths of one method can offset the weaknesses of the other additional methods,

as the researcher will be using multiple sources to verify the reliability and validity of

the data collected and presented which will not be the case if only one measure is

used. Merriam (1998:137) continues along this line by stating that several sources of

information are more trustworthy than a single source of information.

Jick (1983:145) mentions three advantages of using methodological triangulation;

namely that it hinges around the validity of the results, as the degree of subjectivity

will be minimised, as more than one source of measurement will be used, it also

introduces new insights that challenge the analyst and therefore ultimately results in

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a rich description of a phenomenon which would not be possible if only one measure

was used.

3.5 DATA COLLECTION METHODS

Before data collection could proceed, permission had to be granted by the municipal

manager and by the traditional council of KwaMaphumulo whereby they agreed to

participate in the study.

The researcher gave a brief description of the research project, the reasons for

conducting the research and the timeframe allocated to each participant. Three

hundred and twenty-seven (327) questionnaires were then distributed to households

and sixteen (16) interviews were conducted with the relevant stakeholders.

The researcher had four weeks to arrange a convenient time to distribute the

questionnaires while also conducting interviews, working around the various skilled

stakeholders schedules. Written permission (by means of consent forms) was also

obtained from the interviewees to participate in the study.

The front page of the questionnaire contained instructions on how to complete the

questionnaire, as well as clear instructions for each question. The researcher was

available for any questions or uncertainties and to ensure that the respondents

understood and answered all the questions.

The researcher did visit the area throughout the year to familiarise herself with the

area and to introduce herself to the community, so that they would be comfortable

and willing to participate, thereby ensuring a higher response rate.

3.5.1 Qualitative data

According to Iman, Kruger and Mitchel (2001:188), qualitative research is seen as an

approach rather than a design or set of techniques. Hancock (1998:2) further stated

that qualitative research is concerned with developing explanations of social

phenomena which is aimed at helping to understand the world in which we live and

why things are the way they are.

It is concerned with unpacking the social aspects of our world and seeking to answer

certain questions.

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This supported the research which is investigating why KwaMaphumulo is in such a

dire state after twenty-five (25) years of democracy.

In the words of Meadows (2003:464): “the aim of qualitative research is to help in the

understanding of social phenomena in a natural rather than experimental setting,

with an emphasis on the meaning, experiences, attitudes and views of the

participants, rather than providing quantified answers to the research question”.

Therefore, it could be said that this approach is aimed at determining “why” instead

of “how many”.

Meadows (2003) further states that: “qualitative research can make a valuable and

unique contribution by generating a conceptual framework for research that is

grounded on information about how people actually feel and think”.

Although qualitative data has its advantages, it also has disadvantages such as

being subjective; therefore analysing it could be difficult and time consuming and

also because of its subjectivity it might not be appropriate to apply statistical

analysis; and lastly, it is resource intensive to collect it.

Table 3.5: Four Basic Types of Qualitative Research Data Collection Procedures

Data Collection Types

Options within

Types

Advantages of

Type

Limitation of

Type

Observations Complete

Participant

Observer as a participant

Participant as an observer

Complete observer

Researcher has first-hand experience

Researcher can record information as it occurs

Unusual aspects can be noticed

Useful in exploring topics that may be uncomfortable

Researcher may be intrusive

Private information may be observed that cannot be reported

Researcher may not have good attending and observing skills

Certain participants may present special problems in gaining rapport

Interviews Face-to-face, one-on-one in person interview

Telephone interview

Focus group

Email internet interview

Useful when participants cannot be directly observed

Participants can provide historical information

Allows researcher control over the line questioning

Provides indirect information filtered through the view of interviewees

Provides in a designated place rather than natural setting

Researchers presence may bias responses

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Not all people are equally articulate and perceptive

Documents Public documents

Private documents

Enables a researcher to obtain the language and the words of participants

Can be accessed at a time convenient to the researcher

Repeats data to which participants have given attention

As written evidence, it saves a researcher the time and expense of transcribing

May be protected information unavailable to the public or private access

Requires researcher to search out the information in hard to find places

Requires transcribing or optically scanning for computer entry

Materials may be incomplete

Documents may not be authentic or accurate

Audio-visual materials

Photographs

Videotapes

Art objects

Computer messages

Sounds

Films

May be an unobtrusive method of collecting data

Provides an opportunity for the participants to directly share their reality

Its creative in that it visually captures attention

May be difficult to interpret

May not be accessible publicly or privately

The presence of an observer may be disruptive and affect responses

Source: Adapted from Creswell (2013)

3.5.1.1 Semi-structured interviews

As stated in the beginning of this section, data collected through interviews is usually

in the form of words rather than numbers; therefore observations, documents and

interviews are the basis of these words. With that being said, the conduction of the

research involved the use of semi-structured questionnaires, which were used

as an interview guide for the researcher. Certain questions were prepared, for the

researcher to guide the interview towards the attainment of the research

objectives, but additional questions were also posed during the interviews.

They were based on a set of predetermined open ended questions, allowing for

other questions to emerge as the interview unfolded (DiCicco-Bloom & Crabtree,

2006:315). This assisted the researcher as the open ended nature of the questions

allowed the interviewer to define the topic under investigation, add to original

statements of a participant or follow up on an inquiry introduced by the respondent,

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allowing the interviewer to delve deeply into the views, perceptions and experiences

of participants.

A semi-structured interview employs an organized schedule by means of flexible,

thoughtful and reflexive methods that discover the peculiar experiences,

understandings and interpretations that respondents attach to certain events;

explains Miles and Hubermann (1994), while simultaneously safeguarding against

any stress and impending harm. This arrangement of interviewing also averts

information from being disregarded, as might possibly transpire when a structured

interview schedule or a completely unstructured interview is utilised.

In order to prepare, the researcher drafted a list of topics that the interviewer

intended to discuss. These questions were then sent to individual relevant bodies to

elicit information based on what they have experienced and what they knew about

KwaMaphumulo. The average interval for each interview was twenty to fifty minutes

(20 to 50) minutes. This permitted the investigator to have periods amidst the readily

semi-prepared enquiries to query additional questions that were needed, to shed

light on themes and opinions and to which allowed the interviewer to ask for more

information that the researcher deemed as essential

The chance to inquire deeper assisted the researcher to gain appreciated

information. Additionally, the interviews with the sixteen (16) respondents were

voice-recorded and as far as possible, using content analysis. For that reason, it was

not obligatory for the researcher to write down extensive summaries for the duration

of the interviews. This also assisted with stimulating the growth of rapport and

development of a good relationship between the researcher and the participants. A

faithful bond was established with the respondents, by enlightening them of the

researcher’s discretion regarding divulging delicate material and giving them the

chance to extract themselves from the interview if they felt the need.

The researcher’s choice for using interviews to generate data was made on the

assumption that the experiences, understanding and perspectives of civil servants,

civil society and development stakeholders would play an integral part in the

research study, as interviews would provide an opportunity to the role players to

express purposeful and meaningful perceptions, experiences and understanding in

the rural community (Kvale, 2006:480).

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The choice of semi-structured interviews was also based on the supposition that it

allowed for an opportunity for the researcher to discard questions that were vague

and fruitless, in eliciting the necessary information; which allowed the researcher to

replace them with new questions or add any missing ones (Dicicco-Bloom &

Crabtree, 2006:316). Therefore, if new aspects and issues emerged that were not

initially reflected in the interview guide, it allowed for a follow up with additional

prompts.

The advantages of using semi structured interviews, according to Chilimo ( 2008:23),

are that interviews have a more comprehensive response as respondents become

more involved and hence more motivated, it allows more to be said about the topic.

any misunderstanding experienced by the respondent or questions concerning the

study can be answered by the researcher when conducting an interview and lastly,

an interview is much more suitable for people with limited literacy, such as rural

individuals as their educational levels are low.

However, in spite of the advantages discussed above, it is important to note that

there were also several challenges. For instance Minter (2003:16) stated that

because of the flexibility that comes with semi-structured interviews, that can result

in inconsistence across interviews. Interviews are also time consuming in terms of

training, conducting and analysing because of the large amount of data that can be

generated over time. Furthermore, in order to develop confidence to conduct the

interview the researcher needed to be prepared to ensure his/her understanding of

the subject matter. Moreover, interviewer error or bias is another disadvantage; for

example, the appearance of the interviewer, the tone of voice or gender may lead to

bias or error.

The WBI Evaluation Group (2007:1) stated that the results of multiple interviews may

be difficult to analyse or may contradict each other. Nevertheless, the advantages of

interviews outweigh the disadvantages and therefore, semi structured interviews

were used in this study. In addition, interviews are the most widely used method to

collect qualitative data.

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3.5.1.1.1 Snowballing

While collecting the qualitative data, the researcher found herself making use of

snowballing. While the researcher was conducting personal semi-structured

interviews, the participants identified and requested other participants who had the

precise necessities and understanding to contribute to the study, as they felt they did

not have enough information.

According to Welman and Kruger (1999) the initially identified participants then

extend the information and pinpoint other participants (for instance, fellow

colleagues) from the unchanged population, to be included in the sample. The

identified participants of the population may identify an additional set of appropriate

respondents so that the sample matures in size, resembling a rolling snowball.

According to Patton (1990:184), the benefits of a snowballing sample are:

It assists in identifying relevant participants;

It adds to the quantity of participants in the process;

It enhances the resources of existent networks; and

It defines participants unidentified by the researcher.

3.5.1.2 Quantitative data

Quantitative data, according to Creswell (1994:7), can be defined as research that

collects numerical information that is then analysed using statistical procedures. In

addition, Creswell (2013) stated that by examining the relationship between

variables, quantitative research is an approach for testing objective theories. Wyse

(2011:Online) asserted that it seeks to generalize results from a larger sample

population. In order to uncover patterns and formulate facts, measurable data is

used in quantitative research. Data collection methods falling within this research

approach are more structured than the methods used in the collection of qualitative

data.

According to Wyse (2011:Online) quantitative data collection methods include a

variety of surveys, namely, paper surveys, mobile and kiosk surveys, online surveys,

structured telephone interviews, face-to-face structured interviews, website

interceptors, online polls, longitudinal studies and systematic observations.

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3.5.1.2.1 Non-experimental study

These are research studies in which there is no manipulation of the independent

variable by the experimenter, either for ethical reasons or because their nature is

abstract. Non-experimental research covers a wide variety of studies that include

descriptive, casual-comparative, correlational, ex post facto and survey research.

The researcher has chosen to use questionnaires in her study. This assisted the

researcher to describe the views of a large group of people at a given time in

KwaMaphumulo. There was no attempt to establish a cause and effect relationship.

3.5.1.2.1.1 Questionnaires

Oppenheim (1992:108) explained that questionnaires are used to gather and record

data on a specific issue of interest. Questionnaires mainly include a list of questions

with clear instructions or directions and space for the respondents to answer. The

researcher ensures that the questions posed have a clear connection to the

objectives of the study. It should also be clear from the start how the researcher

intends using the findings. It is important to note that questionnaires take two

primary forms, meaning they can either be closed or open-ended questions. Open

ended questions can be defined as questions that allow respondents to answer in

their own words, while close ended questions are those questions that comprise true

and false, multiple choice, agree or disagree, yes or no and so on (Leedy & Ormrod,

2010:89). Fellows and Liu added to this by stating that questions should be easy for

respondents to answer and unambiguous. The rationale for choosing close ended

questions is because there is a notion that they have the prospect of offering a

greater equivalence of responses, which are simpler to analyse, compared to open

ended questions (Babbie, 2007:246) for the reason that open ended questionnaires

involve far more collaboration from the respondents, as they are obligated to

respond to the open-ended questions in their own words whereas unstructured

surveys are likely to have the lowest response rates of all survey methods (Welman

& Kruger, 1999).

The benefits of utilising closed ended questionnaires include the following, according

to Behr (1988):

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Close ended questionnaire is more useful as they can be scattered to an

enormous number of participants so as to acquire their ideas and views on

the topic being studied.

It is a reasonably inexpensive technique that saves time and cost. Distributing

close-ended questionnaires to people is normally much faster and more cost-

effective, compared to observing participants. This therefore results in both

time and money being saved.

Close-ended questionnaires are generally more convenient for participants to

complete. It is simpler for the participants to respond as they are provided

with selections and the response of questions can be kept objective.

A questionnaire encourages anonymity and therefore could lead to more

honest answers.

Structured questionnaires with standardised measures reduce to ‘bare bones’

the coding of data and smooths the accretion and analysis of data.

Structured questionnaires afford a certain level of objectivity of measurement,

as they allows for a quantifiable framework for the quantitative processing of

the responses of the respondents.

Open-ended questionnaires call for far more aid from the participants’ side, as they

are obligated to respond to the open-ended questions using their own words and

therefore they lead to having the lowest participation rate of all survey methods

(Welman & Kruger, 1999). However, it is also important to note the shortcomings of a

structured questionnaire; namely that there is a likelihood that the researcher might

omit certain issues that participants would otherwise have mentioned, that are

important. Therefore the researcher included all possible categories as well as an

“other” or “please specify” column, which allowed the participants to express their

views on what they felt was not included. This assisted with mitigating the impact of

possible shortcomings. Before the researcher went into the field to collect the data,

the researcher planned to distribute the questionnaires, using random sampling.

However, due to the topography and infrastructure challenges that would have been

expensive and time consuming. Therefore the participants were conveniently drawn

from the KwaMaphumulo Local Municipality.

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The researcher ensured that the questions for this study were the same for all

respondents. The questions were formulated using a Likert scale design with a few

demographic questions added. The purpose of distributing the questionnaires to

Ward 10, among other things, was to ensure that both the town like setting and the

deep rural community environments were considered so that the researcher could

establish the constraints on the attainment of sustainable human settlement in the

KwaMaphumulo Local Municipality, from both the town and deep rural village

perspectives. Questionnaires are normally used to attain the following categories of

material from participants: demographic details (age, marital status, job

classification, and so on), views, beliefs, opinions, attitude, stereotypes and values.

In this study, the answers were used to gather information on the level of public

services, asking whether developmental programmes or other projects contributed to

sustainable development, about the quality of housing in KwaMaphumulo and

whether traditional leaders collaborated with the municipality in ensuring

developmental programmes or projects. Questions were asked to investigate the

constraints on the attainment of sustainable human settlements in KwaMaphumulo.

Table 3.5.1: Layout of the Questionnaire

Part Topic No. of Questions

A Biographical data 5

B Factors for the dearth of public services in KwaMaphumulo Local Municipality

2

C Developmental programmes and projects contribution to sustainable development in the KwaMaphumulo Local

Municipality

1

D Housing quality in KwaMaphumulo Local Municipality 8

E Traditional leaders’ collaboration with the KwaMaphumulo Local Municipality in developmental programmes and projects

2

Total No. of questions 18

The bodily appearance of a survey plays a huge part in the way participants decide

whether to complete it or not. Aaker, Kumar and Day (1995:69) regards the

transparency of reproduction and the appearance of crowding as vital factors. In this

study, the questionnaire was well structured, and enough white space was

incorporated amongst the different questions, as well as between the different

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sections. The provision of clear guidelines on how to complete the questionnaire was

also incorporated into the survey.

Time restrictions also have a direct influence on the respondents’ enthusiasm to

finish the survey. The more difficult or time consuming the questions are, the more

likely the participants will opt not to complete the questionnaire. Consequently, the

researcher developed a questionnaire comprising nineteen (18) questions that were

conveyed in a simple way, that made it easy for the community households or

members to react to. Roughly fifteen (15) minutes was allocated to complete the

questionnaire.

The first part of the survey questionnaire included a covering or introductory letter

that clarified the research. Williams, Coleman and Briggs (1995:232) explained that

an introductory letter is a vital part of any questionnaire, as it is seen as a method

that is used to familiarize the participants with the survey and ultimately to rally their

contribution to it.

It also mentioned the ethical considerations, namely privacy, voluntary participation,

and confidentiality of the answers. The participants were also informed of the

anonymity of the study so they would be encouraged to be authentic when

responding to the questionnaire.

3.6 THE SAMPLING METHOD

According to Singleton (1988:136) in order to respond to the study’s research

questions, sampling includes the selection of respondents or participants for a study,

so data collection can take place (De Vaus, 1996:52). It also involves deciding on a

unit of analysis; a perfect sample that will reasonably represent the target population.

There are two approaches to sampling: probability and non-probability sampling.

Probability sampling is based on the premise that each member of the population

has a definite opportunity to be selected. With non-probability sampling, there is no

guarantee that each member of the population has a definite opportunity to be

selected (Diamantopoulos & Schlegelmich, 2000:11-13) however, according to

Cooper and Schindler (2003:200) and Shao (1999:38) non-probability sampling is

more cost-effective, faster and more effective.

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The researcher had intended to utilise a probability method in selecting her

questionnaire sample. Initially households were to be chosen randomly; however,

there were limitations on applying the method on the ground, which resulted in the

researcher opting for convenience and purposive sampling, as it would have taken

extensive extra time and funding as accessing the households considering the

extraordinary topography made it difficult to achieve random sampling.

There were no bridges and roads to cross over difficult areas, plus widely dispersed

settlement patterns and in addition, KwaMaphumulo is very mountainous and the

level of infrastructure hindered the researcher’s ability to conduct random sampling

The researcher therefore utilised a non-probability sampling method in both her

designs. Also, the characteristics of this method have an appeal, due to financial and

time restraints.

According to McDaniel and Gates (2001:336), non-probability samples can produce

samples from a population that is reasonably representative.

The ward 10 was selected with the intention to explore the community livelihoods of

the rural settlements in both deep rural areas as well as areas that is also regarded

as the “town”.

Sampling is a method of choosing participants to conduct a study on. In qualitative

research, people were nominated to partake in this study because of their direct

understanding and knowledge of the phenomenon of interest being investigated,

while in the quantitative research component, they were selected based on

households or communities residing in the two wards (Streubert & Carpenter,

1999:22).

Convenience sampling differs from purposive sampling in that expert judgment is not

used to select a representative sample of elements. Rather, the primary selection

criterion relates to the ease of obtaining a sample. Ease of obtaining a sample

relates to the cost of locating elements of the population, the geographic distribution

of the sample, and obtaining the questionnaire data from the selected elements.

In convenience sampling, the representativeness of the sample is generally less of a

concern than with purposive sampling.

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Lincoln and Guba (1985:25) defined this type of sampling as “purposeful sampling”.

The unit of analysis was therefore selected purposively in the qualitative data

collection phase.

Purposive sampling is seen as a non-probability sampling technique which is

selected when “elements selected for the sample are chosen by the judgment of the

researcher, therefore some members have little or no chance of being sampled’’.

(Leedy & Ormond, 2015:182). This representative sampling method results in saving

time and money.

However, the drawback of the technique is its subjectivity, since the view of your

selection criteria may change over the duration of your research. Therefore,

snowballing was also utilised to obtain the necessary information needed.

Photographs were taken of the relevant issues, as a supporting technique to give

more meaning to words in the analysis phase.

Measurement errors, which are usually associated with non-probability sampling,

were prevented in the following ways: questionnaire design errors were prevented by

following the guidelines for constructing a questionnaire and by using focus groups

as a pilot study, to test the questionnaire; cross-checking, computer checks and pre-

coding were used to avoid coding and data capturing errors; respondents’ errors

were addressed by making sure that it was not an overly lengthy questionnaire; and

ego and humility questions were minimised.

Interviewer errors were limited by making use of a structured questionnaire. Non-

response errors can also affect the results and therefore the researcher had to wait

patiently and ensure that all questions were answered. After selecting a sampling

method, the target population was determined.

3.7 TARGET POPULATION

According to Bless and Higson-Smith (2000:89) a target population is a complete set

of events, individuals or things on which the attention of the research falls and

whereby the investigator sees the importance of determining certain characteristics.

A target population comprises a total number of fundamentals or elements from or

about whom survey and interview material is collected.

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These essentials are usually discrete persons (Dooley, 1990:140). In order to

choose a sample, the researcher needs to select a specific population, in this case

study it was KwaMaphumulo.

The researcher also needed to recognize population parameters to have a

benchmark population (Nagtegaal, 1992:16).

Ward 10 was identified for the study as it comprised both deep rural settlements and

the “town’’. The participation in this ward was voluntary. Initial contact was made with

the community leaders and municipality first, as the researcher had to discuss and

explain the purpose of this study so that participants could be at ease and create

rapport as that allowed the researcher to be introduced to the community by

someone who is trusted and well known.

According to Seidan (1998:37) building research relationships begins the moment

potential participants hear about the study, therefore the researcher finds it

necessary to hold meetings so that the community can be informed that their

participation is voluntary, can assure them of the confidentiality of their responses

and whether they consent to participate.

Once they have agreed, they are required to sign forms showing informed consent,

which is a crucial step before the commencement of a study (Strydom & Delport,

2005:38).

The study did not include everyone. The researcher interviewed municipal officials,

contractors, traditional leaders, social workers, ward councillors, ward committee

members and distributed questionnaire’s to households

This provided diverse perspectives on the issues surrounding the research

questions. This added value to the study as the municipal officials and traditional

leaders supplied vital information regarding the issues they faced as a local

municipality and as members of the households, they provided sound judgement on

the issues that were experienced by the community at large.

Table 3.7: Interview Guide

Sub-Problems Interview Sample Number of Interviewees

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The provision of public services is minimal in the KwaMaphumulo villages.

Municipal officials

Traditional leaders

Ward councillor

Municipal councillor

1

1

2

1

Development programmes and projects that are implemented by the municipality do not embrace sustainable development.

Municipal officials (project manager, town planner, programme developer)

Ward councillors

2

1

1

The quality of low-cost houses is poor.

Contractors on sight

Municipal officials and councillor

Community development workers

Traditional leaders

2

1

1

Traditional leaders do not meaningfully participate in development programmes that are initiated by the municipality.

Traditional leaders

Municipal manager

1

1

1

16 Interviewees

Table 3.8: Questionnaire Guide

Number Questionnaire Sample Sample Scale

1. households 327

TOTAL 327

3.8 SAMPLE SIZE

Sampling is the method of choosing individuals with whom the researcher decides to

conduct research on. In this study, respondents were carefully chosen to participate,

based on their immediate working and residential involvement, knowledge,

experience and understanding of the phenomena of interest in ward 10 (Streubert &

Carpenter, 1999:22). Lincoln and Guba (1985:25) thereby describe this type of

sampling as “purposeful sampling”.

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The guidelines established by Onwuegbuzie and Collins (2007) were applied, to

determine whether the study’s sample size was sufficiently large. These guidelines

are depicted in the table below.

The sample size was determined by both statistical and practical considerations

(Jarboe, 1999:38). Tustin, Ligthelm, Martins and Van Wyk (2005) stated that

statistical calculations of sample sizes can only be done when using probability

sampling methods, as there is no statistical formula for prior calculation of the size of

a non-probability sample.

As this study made use of a non-probability sampling method, the sample size was

determined by using a sample size calculator, which included the factors mentioned

below which the researcher has explained:

Population size: Is the total number of people in the group that you are trying to

study. In this case, the researcher studied two thousand one hundred and fifty-two

(2152) households that were conveniently selected because of the limiting factors

explained later.

Margin of error: Is a percentage that tells you how much you need to interview in

order to expect your survey results to reflect the views of the overall population. The

smaller the margin of error, the closer you are to having the exact answer at a given

confidence level. The researcher decided to use a margin error of five percent (5%).

Sampling confidence level: This can be defined as the percentage that reveals

how confident a researcher can be with the population who will select an answer

within a certain range. For example, a ninety-five percent (95%) confidence level

means that you can be ninety-five percent (95%) certain that the results lie between

x and y numbers; with a response distribution of fifty percent (50%).

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The formula above was used to calculate the sample size for the quantitative part of

this study. Therefore, a sample size of three hundred and twenty-seven (327) was

needed for this research to be valid, reliable and generalizable. However only two

hundred and forty-eight (248) questionnaires came back which meant that there was

a seventy-six percent (76%) response rate, which was still viable for this study.

Table 3.9: Minimum Sample Size Recommended for most Common Quantitative and Qualitative Research Designs

Research Design/Method Minimum Sample Size

Correlation 64 participants for one-tailed hypothesis

82 participants for two-tailed hypotheses

Casual-Comparative 51 participants per group for one-tailed hypotheses

64 participants per group for two-tailed hypotheses

Experiment 21 participants per group for one-tailed hypothesis

Case Study 3-5 participants

Phenomenological ≤10 interviews

Grounded Theory 15-20

Ethnography 1 cultural group; 30-50 interviews

Human Ethological 100-200 units of observation

Adapted from source: Onwuegbuzie and Collins (2007:289)

Following the guidelines indicated in Table 3.9 above different sample sizes were

used, each corresponding with the adequate sample size for the specified purpose of

the two mixed method phases.

The results of the research only have meaning when they can be generalised from

the sample to a population. In order to achieve generalisation, the sample must be

representative (Welman, Kruger & Mitchell, 2005). The researcher interviewed

sixteen (16) respondents comprising municipal officials (relevant mangers, directors

and technical staff) traditional leaders, ward councillors and ward committee

members, contractors on site, community development workers and the researcher

distributed three hundred and twenty-seven (327) questionnaires to community

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households. As mentioned above, the respondents were selected purposively and

conveniently, therefore when the researcher applied this method, the researchers

depended on their past experiences and previous research findings to gather units of

analysis, in such a way that the sample obtained represented the relevant population

(Welman et al., 2005:69).

Unfortunately, owing to the nature and context of the inhabitants and environs of the

rural area, the sampling procedures and practical restrictions allowed the researcher

to only obtain two hundred and forty-eight (248) households responding to the

questionnaires. Despite the fact this participation rate was lower than anticipated, it

remained a suitable sample size.

3.9 PILOT STUDY

In order to make knowledgeable adaptations and to familiarise themselves with the

design of the study under investigation, a pilot study was undertaken. According to

De Vos (2002:205), a pilot study is a prerequisite mini study that the researcher

conducts.

This is done to enhance the reliability of the instruments used in the study (Cohen,

Manion & Morrison, 2000:260). Therefore the researcher piloted the research

instruments in Ward 1 of KwaMaphumulo.

The reasons why the researcher chose that community was the proximity to the

researcher’s residential area as well as because they were individuals who would not

be part of the study. In order to detect ambiguities and controversies, a pilot study

(1) Interviews

(n = 16)

(2) Questionnaires

(n = 327)

Case Study

Ward 10 (n = 2152)

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provided the opportunity to test the appropriateness of the questions of both

research instruments.

According to Stats SA (2011) Ward 1 comprises a population of seven thousand six

hundred and thirty-four (7634) and one thousand six hundred and sixty-eight (1668)

households of which the majority consists of black Africans. The researcher mainly

found that women were the heads of households, resulting in most of the

respondents being women. The researcher distributed fifty (50) questionnaires to

households. With their permission interviews were conducted with the ward

councillor and the traditional leader of Ward 1. The pilot study was where the

research identified the issue with random sampling because of topography and

infrastructure related issues so she then changed to convenience sampling as the

data collection method.

The experiences of the individuals during the pilot exercise allowed for a discussion

that provided recommendations that the researcher used to adjust and prepare the

instruments.

3.9.1 Validity and reliability

A good and fair measurement tool must always adhere to the criteria of being

reliable and valid. Reliability measures the accuracy and precision of the tool; thus, it

is an index that registers the extent to which measured data is free from random

error (Cooper & Schindler, 2003:231). Reliability refers to the ability of a scale to

produce a consistent result if repeated measurements are taken. A good and fair

measurement tool must always adhere to the criteria of being reliable and valid.

Reliability measures the accuracy and precision of the tool; thus, an index is a tool

that registers the extent to which measured data is free from random error (Cooper &

Schindler, 2003:231). Therefore, it can be said that reliability refers to the ability of a

scale to produce a consistent result, if repeated measurements are taken. Reliability

is a necessary condition for quality measurement but is not enough if done alone.

Before accepting and using any measure, one must also ensure its validity.

In order to ensure the viability of the different data collection instruments, the

researcher developed the questions in such a way that the responses provided

would only contain information relevant to the research study. A pre-test was

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conducted among fifty (50) residents and two (2) interviewees sampled respondents

in Ward 1 to check the validity of the data collection instruments and to check if the

respondents were comfortable enough and whether they understood all the

questions.

3.10 DATA PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS METHODS

Zikmund and D’Amico (2001:142) define analysis as the statistical and qualitative

considerations of data gathered by research. The data needs to be analysed to

extract needed information to solve the research problem. In this study, the analysis

of the data will be displayed in Chapter Four by making use of SPSS and Content

Analysis.

3.10.1 Quantitative data analysis

For quantitative research, the researcher will be following the steps mentioned below

when analysing and presenting her data using SPSS.

The quantitative data collected was categorised and coded. The responses to open-

ended questions were not included. In this process, the raw data was firstly

transformed into numerals to facilitate the counting and tabulation of data. Secondly,

the organised data was entered into a computer and simple frequencies and

percentages were calculated to make sure that all answers to each question fell

within the coding limit. Thirdly, simple tables and cross tabulations were constructed

to examine the relationships between variables.

According to Jennings, Warr, Greenstreet and Cotter (200:14) the SPSS software

package enables researchers to:

Enter and store data;

Utilise retrieval strategies;

Engage in statistical analysis; and

Generate tables and graphs.

The data that was collected through questionnaires facilitated the understanding of

the constraints that households and communities, face in KwaMaphumulo that

hinder sustainable human settlement development.

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Punch (2003:42) suggests that researchers must strive for a response rate of at least

sixty percent (60%). The response rate of the questionnaire survey study was

seventy-six percent (76%) as two hundred and forty-eight (248) of the three hundred

and twenty-seven (327) questionnaires were completed and returned. There was

control over who completed the questionnaires, as the researcher had to ensure that

a member of a particular household filled in the questionnaire. Because no mailing

was involved, no up-to-date mailing list was needed and the results were obtained

relatively fast, as questionnaires were handed in directly after completion. The

survey was less impersonal than a mail survey, as the researcher was present to

explain the research procedure and to help in case of any problems. This method of

data collection was used as it is relatively fast, cheap, convenient, easy to process

and the response rate is usually high because the researcher goes door to door and

waits for the household occupant to fill the questionnaire in.

3.10.2 Qualitative data analysis

The researcher analysed and presented their qualitative data through utilising a

content analysis approach which, according to Babbie and Mouton (2001:56) makes

it possible for the researcher to examine transcriptions of recorded information.

Babbie and Mouton (2001:56) state that content analysis of data involves making

sense of textual qualitative materials, with the intention of constructing and

supporting a particular line of argument. This is further supported by Hsieh and

Shannon (2005:1288) who explained that content analysis with particular interest in

the contextual or content meaning of the text, focuses on the characteristics of

language as communication.

In the context of this study, text data included verbal data from semi structured

interviews. It is also important to note that content analysis may be conceptual or

relational. Therefore, the researcher utilised conceptual content analysis, also known

as thematic analysis. This included a process of analysis, with the intention of

obtaining a sense of the whole data set, by repeatedly reading all collected data

(Tesch, 1990:20). This was then followed by the researcher reading the text, word

for word in order to identify emerging patterns and themes with regard to the

research questions, in order to generate codes (Miles & Huberman, 1994:72).

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The researcher achieved this through first focusing on the direct words from the text

that appeared to capture key concepts, thoughts and meanings. The text was then

approached by taking notes of the researchers first thoughts, impressions and initial

analysis, which was then followed by the creation of labels for codes that emerged

and was reflective of more than one key thought. Depending on how they were

related and linked, the identified codes were classified into specific categories, in

order to classify the codes into clusters of meaning, emerging categories were then

used. (Morse & Field, 1998:115).

The researcher then grouped the subcategories into fewer thematic categories,

which was dependent on the relationships between sub-categories. This was

followed by the development of definitions for each category, subcategory and code.

The researcher then identified exemplars for each category and code from the data,

in order to prepare for the description and discussion of findings (Hsieh & Shannon,

2005:1279).

Through the entire course of data collection, the guiding principles for conducting an

effective interview by Patton (1990:317) were followed, the researcher listened

assiduously and reacted suitably, so the interviewees felt the presence of the

interviewer and knew that they were being heard. The researcher made an effort to

maintain neutrality towards the content of what the respondents were saying, as it

was ‘their knowledge, experiences, attitudes and feelings’, that was observed while

interviewing, to be aware of and sensitive to how the person was affected by and

responded to different questions, to ask clear questions, using understandable and

appropriate language, to communicate clearly what information was desired, why

that information was important, and to let the interviewee know how the interview

was progressing and to make an effort to build rapport with and hold respect for the

respondent as a person.

Table 3.10: Summarises the Data Sources and Data Analysis Procedure for Each Question

Research Questions Data Source Data Analysis Approach

What are the reasons for the minimal provision of public services in the KwaMaphumulo Local Municipality?

Interviews and Questionnaires

SPSS and Thematic Analysis

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Do developmental projects or programmes in the KwaMaphumulo Local Municipality contribute to sustainable development?



What is the quality of low cost housing in the KwaMaphumulo Local Municipality?



Do Traditional leaders work well with the municipality to ensure developmental programmes and projects?



3.11 ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS

According to Shamoo and Resnik (2015) there are many reasons why it is crucial to

adhere to ethical norms in the research process as these norms promote the aims of

research such as knowledge, truth and avoidance of error. This research included a

great deal of co-ordination and co-operation among various people in different

institutions and disciplines; therefore ethical standards help promote the values that

are significant to such collaborative work, such as fairness, accountability, trust and

mutual respect, which will, in turn, ensure that the researcher can be held

accountable to the public (Shamoo & Resnik, 2015).

The researcher had an honourable responsibility to firmly acknowledge the moralities

of the informants who were expected to be provide knowledge (Streubert &

Carpenter, 1999:44). The researcher found it imperative to create a trusting

relationship among the informants and herself and to respect them as independent

beings, thus enabling them to make their own comprehensive judgments

This study was steered in a proficient manner that made use of ethical principles that

are current, systematic, authentic, enough and reliable. The following principles are

applicable.

3.11.1 Permission to conduct the study

The request for consent to conduct the study was forwarded to the KwaMaphumulo

Local Municipality. This was then followed by written permission that was obtained

from the municipal manager of the area, of KwaMaphumulo. Written permission was

also acquired from the participants for the interviews (Lobiondo-Wood & Haber,

1997:31).

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3.11.2 Plagiarism

The University of Michigan (2017) stated that plagiarism comprises the theories,

stories, thoughts or words that are not the establishment of the writer but are utilised

without the acknowledgement of the original writer. Merriam-Webster Online

Dictionary (2016b: Online) supports this by defining plagiarism as the act of using

somebody else’s thoughts and ideas as their own (Merriam-Webster Online

Dictionary, 2016b: Online).

The original source should be cited for:

Citations by other persons and actual words;

Rewording of another individual’s words;

The use of one’s thoughts, views, and philosophy; and

Actualities and statistics or illustrative material, except if the information is

common knowledge (Helgesson & Eriksson, 2015).

3.11.3 Confidentiality and anonymity

Discretion safeguards the respondents in a study so that their personal identities will

not be connected to the information that they make available and which will not be

freely disclosed (Lobiondo-Wood & Haber, 1997:45).

Confidentiality therefore warrants that any information that the participants disclose

cannot be displayed in public or be accessible to others. Anonymity is the protection

of the informants in a study such that even the researcher cannot link the subject

with the information provided (Lobiondo-Wood & Haber, 1997:45).

The anonymity of an individual or an organization is shielded by making it

unmanageable to tie pieces of data to the exact individual or institution.

Confidentiality and anonymity were assured by guaranteeing that the data collected

was used in such a way that no individual except the researcher could identify the

source (Behi & Nolan, 1995:713).

Consequently, it meant that names of the participants were not used to recognize the

data collected. Polit and Hungler (1999:36) further explained that a promise of

confidentiality given to a participant is a pledge that any data and material the

respondents offer will not be openly testified or made available to parties other than

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those involved in the research. To ensure confidentiality and anonymity, the

participants were only acknowledged numerically.

3.11.4 Privacy

Privacy guarantees the right that all data collected in the development of the study

will be kept in the firmest assurance (Poilt & Hungler, 1999:35). Privacy means that

the respondents may conduct themselves or think without any intervention.

Additionally, private behaviour cannot be used to humiliate or degrade respondents

in future. For that reason, the researcher guaranteed that the respondents revealed

any type of behaviour in response to the questions being asked, without any

interference. The researcher only observed these behaviours. The respondents

were alerted to their contribution to the study when they were asked to sign a

consent form requesting them to give their permission to be interviewed (Polit &

Hungler, 1999:35).

3.11.5 Right to withdraw

The research respondents were given the knowledge that they could withdraw from

partaking in the study if they so wished without being discriminated against. Their

rights were clarified to them before engaging in the research and before the interview

period (Morse & Field, 1995:121). It is important for respondents to be reminded

during the course of the study about the voluntary nature of involvement in the

research and about the opportunity they must withdraw at any time (Holloway &

Wheeler, 1996:43).

Some of the respondents withdrew from the study after they were told of the voice

recorder device. The motive for the withdrawal was that they were anxious that the

information would be released for broadcast over the air (on radio), even though the

researcher had explained the privacy and confidentiality of their inputs. They elected

on withdrawing even after the researcher had clarified that the voice recorder was

only used to aid transcription.

3.12 CONCLUSION

Chapter three spoke about this study’s research design, approach and the strategy

implemented. The chapter further addressed how the primary information was

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collected as well as the standards and permissibility of the data. The research

methodology in the chapter looked at the study population, the sampling technique,

and the sample frame and size. The chapter also informed how the data was

analysed and the ethical issues considered in the study. The next chapter presents

the research findings.

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CHAPTER FOUR: PRESENTATION, ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION OF THE FINDINGS

4.1 INTRODUCTION

This section sets out to analyse the findings of the research. This data was gathered

using a mixed method approach; that is, combining qualitative and quantitative

approaches.

The use of more than one method is traditionally referred to as triangulation. It

begins with a statistical analysis of the administered questionnaires which is then

followed by an analysis and interpretation of the interview data.

However, a presentation of the biographical data of respondents is, firstly, presented

and analysed.

This chapter is necessary, as it will try to assert the research findings with a specific

end goal to come up with strong recommendations and conclusions on what could

be possible solutions regarding the constraints faced in attaining sustainable human

settlements in KwaMaphumulo and hopefully in rural areas at large.

The following are the findings that were obtained from the questionnaires

administered to three hundred and twenty-seven (327) households, of which only

two hundred and forty-eight (248) questionnaires came back which led to a seventy-

six percent (76%) response rate and sixteen (16) interviews that were conducted

with the relevant stakeholders in the KwaMaphumulo Local Municipality.

The findings will be used to attempt to answer the main research question using the

responses from the interviews and questionnaires.

4.2 QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS

4.2.1 Part A: biographical data

This section of the questionnaire covered the respondents’ gender, highest level of

education completed, employment status, source of income and number of

household dependents.

Although not central to the study, the personal data helped to contextualise the

findings and the formulation of appropriate recommendations.

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Table 4.1: Gender of Respondents, (n = 248)

Gender Percent Freq.

Male 29.8% 74

Female 69.4% 172

Other 0.8% 2

Total 100% 248

Figure 4.1: Gender of Respondents, (n = 248)

Table 4.1 above shows that out of the two hundred and forty-eight (248)

respondents, 29.8% (74Nr) are males, 69.4% (172Nr) are female and 0.8% (2Nr)

identified themselves as other. The percentage showed that the number female

respondents was much higher than the male respondents.

29.8%

69.4%

0.8%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

Male Female Other

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Table 4.2: Level of Education Completed

Education Percent Freq.

High School / Matric / TVET 36.1% 86

Diploma / Undergrad 27.7% 66

Honours 5.9% 14

Masters / PhD 0.8% 2

No formal education 29.4% 70

Total 100% 238

Figure 4.2: Level of Education Completed

Table 4.2 above demonstrates that out of the two hundred and thirty-eight (238)

respondents, only 36.1% (86Nr) have High School / Matric and TVET, 27.7% (66Nr)

have a Diploma / Undergrad, 5.9% (14Nr) have an Honours Degree, 0.8% (2Nr)

36.1%

27.7%

5.9%

0.8%

29.4%

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

40%

High School/Matric/TVET

Diploma/Undergrad Honours Masters/PhD No fromal education

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have a Masters / PhD while 29.4% (70Nr) have no formal education. This shows

that most of the respondents have formal education.

Table 4.3: Employment Status, (n = 240)

Employment Status Percent Freq.

Employed 43.3% 104

Unemployed 38.3% 92

Self-employed 10.0% 24

Pensioner 5.8% 14

Student 0.8% 2

Other 1.7% 4

Total 100% 240

Figure 4.3: Employment Status, (n = 240)

Table 4.3 above demonstrates that out of the two hundred and forty (240)

respondents, 43.3% (104Nr) are employed, 38.3% (92Nr) are unemployed, 10.0%

(24Nr) are self-employed while 5.8% (14Nr) are pensioners. One person 0.8% (2Nr)

43.3%

38.3%

10.0%

5.8%

0.8% 1.7%

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

40%

45%

50%

Employed Unemployed Self-employed Pensioner Student Other

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is a student, while 1.7% (4Nr) ticked “Other’’ as their employment status. This shows

that most of the respondents are employed.

Table 4.4: Sources of Income, (n = 244)

Source of Income Percent Freq.

Salary /Wage 51.6% 126

Old Age Pension 12.3% 30

Child Support Grant 18.0% 44

Disability Grant 4.1% 10

Other 13.9% 34

Total 100% 244

Figure 4.4: Sources of Income, (n = 244)

Table 4.4 above illustrates that out of two hundred and forty-four (244) people,

51.6% (126Nr) of the respondents stated that their source of income comes from a

Salary / Wage, 12.3% (30Nr) respondents stated that they receive their income from

an Old Age Pension, 18.0% (44Nr) receive their source of income from child support

51.6%

12.3%

18.0%

4.1%

13.9%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%

Salary/wage

Old Age Pension

Child Support Grant

Disability Grant

Other

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grants while 4.1% (10Nr) receive their source of income from disability grants,13.9%

(34Nr) ticked “Other’’ as a source of income. This shows that most of the

respondents received their source of income from salary or wages.

Table 4.5: Number of Household Dependents, (n = 242)

Household Size Percent Freq.

1 to 3 dependents 40.5% 98

4 to 6 dependents 47.1% 114

>7 dependents 9.9% 24

No dependent 2.5% 6

Total 100% 242

Figure 4.5: Number of Household Dependents, (n = 242)

Table 4.5 above demonstrates that out of the two hundred and forty-two (242)

people who responded, 40.5% (98Nr) stated that they have 1 to 3 dependants in

their households, 47.1% (114Nr) stated that they have 4 to 6 dependants in their

households, 9.9% (24Nr) responded by stating that they have >7 dependents in their

40.5%

47.1%

9.9% 2.5%

1-3 dependents 4-6 dependents >7dependents No dependent

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households while 2.5% (6Nr) stated that they have no dependants in their

household.

4.2.2 Part B: factors accounting for the dearth of public services in the KwaMaphumulo Local Municipality

This section unveils the results of data collected through questionnaires and

interviews, which focused on the reasons for the dearth of public services in the

KwaMaphumulo Local Municipality.

Table 4.6: Level of Services

Level of Agreement, 1-5

Variable Very Poor

Poor Fair Good Very Good

No Answer

N

Transportation 9.7% 14.5% 36.3% 31.5% 8.1% 0% 248

Healthcare 4.8% 108.6% 43.6% 27.4% 5.7% 0% 248

Electricity 16.3% 29.3% 18.7% 20.3% 1.6% 13.8% 246

Water 34.7% 33.1% 14.9% 1.7% 0% 15.7% 242

Sewage System 37.2% 20.7% 11.6% 4.1% 0% 26.5% 242

Sanitation 47.5% 18.9% 14.8% 8.2% 0.8% 9.8% 244

Education 0% 7.8% 49.1% 33.6% 7.8% 1.7% 232

Communication 35.5% 25.0% 21.0% 12.9% 3.2% 1.6% 248

Waste Management

47.5% 14.8% 8.2% 9.8% 0.8% 18.9% 244

In accordance with Table 4.6 above, out of the two hundred and forty-eight (248)

respondents, 9.7% (24Nr) of the respondents alluded to the fact that the

transportation system was very poor, 14.5% (36Nr) said that the transportation

service in the area was poor, 36.3% (90Nr) believe it is fair, 31.5% (78Nr) stated that

the transportation system in Maphumulo is good and the remaining 8.1% (20Nr)

stated that it was very good. This shows that the transport system in the

KwaMaphumulo is satisfactory

With regard to the level of healthcare services; out of the two hundred and forty-eight

(248) respondents, 4.8% (12Nr) of the respondents agreed that healthcare is very

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poor in the area, 18.6% (46Nr) alluded to the level of healthcare services in the area

as poor, while 43.6% (108Nr) agreed that it was fair, 27.4% (68Nr) stated that it was

good while 5.7% (14Nr) of the respondents stated that it was very good. This

therefore asserts that there is more to be done in the provision of healthcare services

in the area, as most of the respondents were not fully satisfied with the service.

While giving their opinion on electricity; out of the two hundred and forty-six (246)

respondents, 16.3% (40Nr) of the respondents opined that electricity in the area is

very poor, while 29.3% (72Nr) believed that it is poor, 18.7% (46Nr) agreed that it is

fair, 20.3% (50Nr) stated that the level of electricity in KwaMaphumulo is good and

1.6% (4Nr) of the respondents stated that it was very good. The 13.8% (34Nr)

remaining did not answer. This posits that electricity in KwaMaphumulo needs to be

improved upon, as most of the community is not satisfied with it.

The feedback from the two hundred and forty-two (242) respondents showed that the

level of water services indicated 34.7 % (84Nr) respondents who believe that it is

very poor, while 33.1% (80Nr) are saying that it is poor, 14.9% (36Nr) trust that it is

fair while 1.7% (4Nr) agree that the level of water services in good, 0% (0Nr)

believed that it was very good, while the remaining 15.7% (38Nr) did not respond to

the question. This suggests that water services in KwaMaphumulo needs to be

enhanced.

The two hundred and forty-two (242) respondents reaction concerning the level of

sewerage systems in KwaMaphumulo revealed that there needs to be abundant

attention paid to boosting this service as 37.2% (90Nr) of the responses are saying it

is very poor, whereas 20.7% (50Nr) ascertained that it is poor while 11.6% (28Nr)

agreed that it is fair, 4.1 % (10Nr) said it was good and 0% (0Nr) and the outstanding

26.5% (64Nr) did not respond to the question.

The two hundred and forty-four (244) sanitation services responses from the

community households of KwaMaphumulo are saying that 47.5% (116Nr) believe

they are very poor, 18.9% (46Nr) responded poor, while 14.8% ( 36Nr) stated it is

fair and 8.2% (20Nr) agreed that the level of sanitation services in KwaMaphumulo

is good while 0.8% (20Nr) alluded that it is very good and the remaining 9.8% (24Nr)

did not respond to this question. This illustrates that progress can be initiated to

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better the level of this service in KwaMaphumulo, as most of the respondents are not

satisfied with it.

Table 4.6 above shows that 0% (0Nr) of the two hundred and thirty-two (232)

respondents stated that the level of education is very poor, whereas 7.8% (18Nr)

answered that the level of education is poor and 49.1% (114Nr) agreed that it is fair

while 33.6% (78Nr) said that it is good while 7.8% (18Nr) proposed that the level of

education in KwaMaphumulo is very good while the remaining 1.7% (4Nr) did not

give an answer. This information therefore hypothesizes that there is still much

needed development as most of the respondents are not completely satisfied.

The figures provided by the two hundred and forty-eight (248) respondents in terms

of communication networks, show that 35.5% (88Nr) are certain that it is very poor,

25.0% (62Nr) responded by saying it is poor yet 21.0% (52Nr) stated that

communication networks in KwaMaphumulo are fair, 12.9% (32Nr) responded by

saying it is good while only 3.2% (8Nr) gave an opinion of it being very good; thus

the remaining 1.6% (4Nr) did not respond.

Given the above-mentioned information, the researcher can conclude that majority of

the respondents are not happy with the provision of communication networks in the

area.

Lastly, regarding the level of waste management services in KwaMaphumulo 47.5%

(116Nr) believe that they are very poor, 14.8% (36Nr) responded poor, while 8.2%

(20Nr) stated that it is fair and 9.8% (24Nr) agreed that the level of sanitation

services in KwaMaphumulo is good while 0.8% (20Nr) indicated that it is very good

and the remaining 18.9% (46Nr) did not respond to the question.

This illustrates that progress can be initiated to improve the level of this service in

KwaMaphumulo, as most of the respondents are not satisfied with it.

4.3 QUALITATIVE ANALYSIS

The collection of qualitative data involved various steps, which included the

preparation of structured one-on-one interviews. Sixteen (16) people were purposive

selected, ranging from senior town planners, to civil technicians, the community

facility manager, the corporate service manager, the senior technician and

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engineering, the housing manager, the director of community services, traditional

leaders, ward committee members, the ward councillors, and the head of the

department for planning. For the purpose of analysis for this interview, the

respondents were IP (Interview personnel).

4.3.1 Part B: provision of public services

This section sought to examine whether the necessary stakeholders have an

understanding of their roles and responsibilities when it came to service delivery. It

also sought to understand whether the stakeholders are aware of what the

community’s needs are in terms of services, as a lack of depth and knowledge in this

regard could be the cause of the dearth of public services in the area. It also sought

to get their input on the recommendations and suggestions on what could boost

service delivery in the area. These questions were put to civil technicians, the

director of corporate services, the ward committee member, the h0ead of the

department for planning and the traditional leader.

Based on these quantitative responses, there seems to be correlation between the

experiences of the community members in terms of the quality of the level of

services being provided and the responses from the relevant stakeholders who

justify and provide thorough information as to the cause of this. There responses

have been captured below.

What is your role in service delivery?

The majority of the respondents are aware of and comprehend their roles in service

delivery. They understand that their main objectives and goals are to uplift and

ensure continuous development in KwaMaphumulo. The researcher has reported

some of the responses gathered from the interviewees, so that the reader can

understand their roles and their responsibilities.

IP 1 responded by stating, “My role is to provide clear and accountable

communication channels between the community and the municipality. It is to ensure

that I provide them with a platform where communities can voice their needs, ensure

that I provide them with feedback and follow up timeously”.

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IP 2 mentioned, “My role is too assist the municipality to identify long term objectives

in terms of service delivery and also how to cascade those objectives into strategies

and practical projects, as well as supervising the implementation of the projects

which include facilitating the delivery of houses, as the KwaMaphumulo Local

Municipality is not the implementer of housing projects. we are in partnership with

the provincial department of human settlements”.

IP 3 alluded that, “We maintain roads, mostly gravel rehabilitation, by starting them

from scratch, provide electricity, housing and water services. We do not provide all

these services exclusively in KwaMaphumulo; we come in as an aid to the ILembe

Municipality (District Municipality)”.

IP 4 mentioned, “My role in service delivery is to support all the departments that are

providing frontline services in the municipality”.

Lastly, IP 5 stated, “As a traditional leader, my role is to speed up service delivery in

the community through working together with our communities in identifying the

issues that need urgent attention and identifying what their main needs are. For

example, since communities have a water crisis, we need to direct and report this

issue to the municipality and ask them to assist us with the issue”.

What services are provided by the KwaMaphumulo Local Municipality?

The municipality faces a huge challenge concerning the provision of services. There

seems to be a shifting of blame onto whoever is in charge. The majority of the

respondents stated that the district and the province are supposed to be providing

these services but there is also a lack of accountability and proactive solutions. The

municipality seems to be aware of the issues; however, no strategies have been

mentioned to mitigate the concerns they are faced with, such as lack of funding.

For instance, IP 1 answered that the municipality does not provide any services as

they are a local municipality. “They only coordinate between the different

departments such as Eskom for electricity, the department of human settlements the

province for houses and district municipalities for water as they are custodians for

the provision of water services”.

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However, IP2 stated, “We are responsible to provide basic services that are informed

by Schedule 4 of the Constitution, such as collecting waste, doing planning (town

planning and municipal planning), disaster management, housing delivery, approving

building plans as it is our constitutional mandate in terms of national regulations and

building standards to act and make sure that structures are safe which is not always

practical as we are a deeply rural municipality. We are also responsible for local

economic development which means trying to make sure that local people are

benefiting from the local economy and they are told about the local opportunities

that they can take advantage of. We are also responsible for land administration in

terms of spatial planning, schemes, and compliance with SPLUMA. We are not

directly responsible for water as that is a district function, but we do facilitate it. We

are responsible for local roads and the potholes that you see all over, the

construction of community halls and all the facilitates that go with housing, the social

facilities such as open spaces and recreational facilities and so on.”

IP3 just mentioned that, “We do roads, water projects, electrical projects and general

maintenance in KwaMaphumulo as well as buildings for example Halls. Basically we

provide infrastructure development.”

IP4 added to this also by stating, “The municipality does provide services such as

construction of municipal roads, disaster management, social development services,

waste management, housing, local tourism, transportation. However, for many of

these services, we work in partnership with the district municipality because we are

restricted by funds”.

Lastly, IP 5 added that, “Though the municipality does not provide services directly,

therefore the question I should be asking is what services the municipality is

supposed to be providing as the municipality is providing nothing.”

The quality of the services is extremely poor to the point where they do not exist as

they have to go to a river to get water and travel to outer areas to get services, as

the ones offered in the municipality either do not work or are of extremely poor

quality or non-existent.

How would you rate the level of the services?

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All the respondents had similar opinions when it came to rate the level of services in

KwaMaphumulo. The majority of the respondents agreed that the level of services

being provided in KwaMaphumulo was poor, which corresponded with the

questionnaire answers obtained from the community.

IP 1 revealed that, “KwaMaphumulo is a small municipality that is very widespread,

therefore it is dependent on grants from the government as we are unable to

produce our own income. It is very difficult to provide services to everyone equally

because of the terrain and the settlement placement in the area. We are not saying it

is not possible, but we need to consider that we are a grade 1 municipality’’.

IP 2 further explained, by saying, “although there are services being provided, they

will never be enough, as we are under-resourced and we always have human

capacity challenges as we do not have enough budget. As a rural local municipality

we don’t have our own revenue so we rely on grants. The community is not happy

with the services being provided. They will tell you, as they are the recipients of

these services. We, as the municipality are trying, but we are not there yet. There

are still communities that have not been provided with government housing because

of the unavailability of a sufficient budget from the provincial department of human

settlements.”

IP 3 also responded by explaining, “the level of services provided as a municipality

is still poor mostly because we are still way behind in terms of development. About

ninety percent (90%) of KwaMaphumulo still have gravel roads. We as a

municipality, are getting there but we still need to do more work to improve on the

services. We must make do with the funds and the community requires resources

that we receive meaning that we cannot provide for everyone and do all the services.

We rely on ILembe and KwaDukuza for other services because we do not have the

capacity to fulfil all the necessary services and needs. I think a capital injection is

probably the main reasons as well as a lack of other resources for example

machinery, water tanks etc.”

While IP 4 explained that, “some of the services are reasonably okay but it depends

on what services you are talking about, for example electricity, we are not direct

providers of it, we are an agent of Eskom. In terms of infrastructure we are doing

poorly, mainly because of the terrain here; therefore it will be expensive, as houses

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are dispersed so for example, supplying pipes for water and cables for electricity will

probably only cater for only one house, compared to doing the same in cities as in

the city a kilometre would provide for many people”.

Lastly, IP 5 said that, “the level of services in KwaMaphumulo is poor mainly

because of the uneven slopes and steep gradients in the area, which makes it hard

to provide the necessary services equally in each area. Due to the municipality not

having enough funds to provide every service to all wards equally, it tries its best to

deliver services to the most needy wards first, as service delivery is influenced by

which political party is in charge in a particular ward”.

They further stated that, “The current leadership is negligent and there is a lot of

fraud, we are led by people who do not care about the residents and only care about

feeding themselves and KwaMaphumulo, being a rural area, does not need that

leadership”.

In your understanding, what are basic needs?

The researcher posed this question to gather information as to whether the relevant

stakeholders were aware of what basic needs are, as this could play a huge role in

the basic services they are providing the communities of KwaMaphumulo.

According to IP 1, “the basic needs are water, electricity and roads, just to name a

few; as they are crucial for one to survive and are basic in the sense that without

them, one cannot live a comfortable life. We are currently also facing a challenge of

facing backward development, especially concerning the Town of KwaMaphumulo.

That is a joke as there is only a Spar which caters for everyone here, but hopefully,

there will soon be a real town to help with job creation; especially for the youth in the

area, as many have studied but are unable to work as there are no work

opportunities here”.

IP 2 further explains that, “Basic needs are enshrined in the constitution. There are

things that come first such as shelter, food, security, education, those are the top

four”.

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IP 3 also explained that, “basic needs can be identified, such as water. We are

looking at providing electricity to all of the community members of KwaMaphumulo

and making tar roads. Basically, the services that we provide are basic needs’’.

IP 4 also alluded to the fact that, “basic needs in KwaMaphumulo include housing,

provision of electricity, the provision of sanitation, the provision of proper roads and

the removal of waste. However, the people here just go and burn their rubbish or

bury it, which is wrong, but they are left with no choice. As we are a rural area we

cannot go around collecting rubbish”.

Lastly IP 5 clarifies that, “the basic needs in KwaMaphumulo are hardly catered for;

we are in need of many basic facilities, such as skills centres, tar roads, and an

equal water supply for everyone. We also need youth development and employment

programmes that will run for a long time; as you will see the youth being involved in a

project or programme for only nine (9) months then after it is done, you will find them

drinking alcohol to pass the time, as they do not have anything to keep them busy

anymore. We need entrepreneurship but none of what I have mentioned will ever be

accomplished if the political leadership does not instil it and ensure that they spread

information to everyone. We need good education for rural people as we have smart

people who are wasting their lives away by doing drugs”.

To what extent are the community’s basic needs catered for?

Most of the respondents believe that the communities’ basic needs are not catered

for efficiently in KwaMaphumulo.

This is firstly revealed by IP 2 who stated, “although not all basic needs are covered I

would wish for them to be provided; for example, even though not everyone receives

electricity we have made a bit of an improvement. An issue that we are having a

challenge to fix is water supply in KwaMaphumulo even though ILembe district has

tried to have contingency plans but there have been many strikes.”

“Government housing is also an issue in KwaMaphumulo even though some people

have received houses, the majority have not. Roads are also an issue as the

machines we have are too small and we only have two trucks and limited equipment

to fix the roads”.

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IP 2 further explained, “it will depend what measure one is using and we provide,

service, based on the analysis we have made on what people want from the

municipality but we also use the mandate of local government as a basis for what we

are supposed to be delivering. Although we do provide basic needs, there is a

backlog and we are nowhere from being done. We have a long way to go but we try

to align ourselves with the main mandate of local government.”

“I think for community halls in KwaMaphumulo for instance, we have more than forty-

six (46) in the eleven (11) wards. The issues now is maintenance. Open spaces and

recreational facilities in rural areas such as KwaMaphumulo do not really prioritise

them even though we are supposed to. Water is a district function, but it is a basic

need and water is a problem as there is a drought so the municipality is facing an

issue concerning water as many, if not all, have a water problem.”

IP 3 said, “We are trying to cater for the needs even though we have not exactly

catered to the extent that we need to but I would say that the extent in which we are

catering for the community’s basic needs is at thirty to forty-five percent (30 to 45%)”.

IP 4 explained briefly, “We are faced with an issue of money therefore although we

do cater for some basic needs, they do not reach everyone so I would say we are

sitting at forty percent (40%) in terms of the extent we cater for our communities

basic needs”.

Lastly IP 5 explained by saying, “The communities basic needs are not met. As I

had mentioned earlier, the political leadership are negligent, and they only want to

feed themselves”.

How is the community involved in ensuring service delivery?

Community participation is extremely important in ensuring service delivery, as

without the voices of the people; issues will not be addressed sufficiently as their

direct needs will remain unknown to the implementers of development, as

communities need to start being the drivers of change. Most of the respondents

believed that the communities in KwaMaphumulo are involved.

This is mentioned by IP 1 who explains, “The community is very involved, especially

with us, as we work with ward committees who are much closer to the communities,

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as the communities first line of reporting is the ward committee members who then

come and tell us what their communities are saying they need; especially if they

have issues that can be resolved by us without having to go to higher authorities but

if we fail in that, we take the issue to the necessary higher structures and provide

them with feedback on the way forward.”

IP 2 also agreed and stated that, “The community involvement is very structured

because you have the whole of Chapter 4 of the municipal systems act that speaks

to public participation, but to put that into practice in our IDP process, we clearly

articulate how we intend to engage with the public. In KM we have ward committee

meetings where each ward would have all service delivery departments represented,

including the municipality, led by the councillor of that ward and the ward committee

members. They deliberate on the needs of that ward and the reports that they

produce informs on the process of IDP in the municipality. We also have Operation

Sukuma Sakhe meetings happening. The feedbacks come back to the municipality,

and we integrate it into the IDP. There are also councillor meetings where the

councillor would call community meetings and issues are reported to the

municipality.”

“Then in the IDP itself now, you have structured meetings like your IDP Road shows,

and we have two in a cycle. When we start doing status core analysis, gathering all

the information from the community we call IDP izimbizo cluster in our wards but not

all (maybe 2 or 3) and we attend those izimbizo and we listen, and we give them

feedback on what we are doing. Then that report informs the base of the status core

analysis part of planning the IDP. Then we go to strategic planning addressing the

issues in terms of strategizing and proposing programmes and allocating financial

resources (budget) and then we repeat the cycle, this time reporting how much we

have for housing and for this and that depending and responding to what the

community had raised when we were there the first time.”

“We also have the IDP representative forum where all community groups are

represented. We also have separate traditional leadership meetings, business

community meetings and youth meetings, but it depends on the availability of the

budget, but overall we have a lot of sessions where we interact with the community.”

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IP 3 further explained that, “Public participation is enormous because a lot of people

know what they want and need and most of the people have not received it, so they

are always active when the municipality speaks about projects. In addition, when

there is talk of projects in a place like this, people are optimistic that there will be

employment opportunities for them. Therefore, the Project Steering Committee (a

committee that speaks on behalf of the municipality) and the authorities interact well

with the community; with those who are present at the meetings, as I do not think

that the information is spread well enough and does not reach everyone”.

IP 4 stated that, “The community is involved on different levels. Firstly, they have

their representative who is a ward councillor, and the assumption is that the ward

councillor consults with the community. Whether that happens, I am not sure. The

ward councillors should be having public meetings with the community to check on

their needs but also to check on whatever we promised, as the municipality and how

far we are in terms of delivering those needs. There are also people called ward

committee members, who are representatives from the community, who meet with

the ward councillor on a monthly basis to assist the ward councillor in terms of

service provision. We also have public meetings with the mayor who goes to the

community, speaks to them and asks them about the IDP budget and their needs;

and gets feedback on how far we are with the projects they identified as their needs”.

However, IP 5 had a different judgement and stated that, “I am concerned about our

communities, information is a challenge we have. The community is not involved,

they just agree to whatever they are being told by leadership and even if what they

were promised is never implemented they do not follow up as to why. If leadership

decides to have a meeting in two (2) years, that’s when the community will have

something to say”.

What suggestions would you recommend to boost service delivery in KwaMaphumulo?

The researcher went on further in aiming to seek measures that the relevant

stakeholders believe would help boost service delivery in KwaMaphumulo, as part of

her research questions.

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As all are aware, KwaMaphumulo is in a dire state and there need to be strategies to

overcome its unsustainability.

IP 1 responded by stating, “I would suggest that we have investors as that will help

with job creation which will in turn, lead to the community being able to pay rates as

currently they receive water for free and currently we are unable to sell electricity as

a municipality because people will not be able to afford it; therefore the municipality

needs to start building their own income and stop depending on grants and higher

departments for funding. Investors could build a town or a mall, which will help us to

solve many issues, as most of the people here do not work”.

IP 2 believes that, “The issue of limited resources is the norm and has been there in

rural areas and everyone knows that there should be prioritization and consistency. if

we prioritise and are consistent, we avoid a piecemeal approach in addressing the

backlogs. We program it and there is consistency. We are also lacking research in

rural municipalities, as we rely on information that is very high level; as sometimes

people will talk about shortage of community halls but there are standards as you’ll

find out. In terms of standards we cannot produce two to three (2 to 3) households

with their own hall but settlements in KwaMaphumulo are very dispersed and

everyone wants their own community hall. Nevertheless, if we prioritize well, we are

consistent in what we are doing and address the issue of high staff turnover and

inability, I think that would boost service delivery”.

IP 3 added, “Firstly it would be to minimize on projects that have already been

implemented but not to their fullest capacity for example people conducting a project

and not doing it properly because it is the farms and they think nobody cares, so the

project ends up being mediocre. More projects must be done in order to get more

money. External funding sources must see that as a municipality we can sustain and

finish projects and be a hundred percent (100%) effective.”

“As a municipality, we must do things properly so that we can get more funding.

When it comes to appointing positions in projects, we must make sure that the

people appointed have the best intentions for the projects, because as a small

municipality, we have a lot to do and we will not get far if there are individuals doing

wrong things”.

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IP 4 alluded to the fact that, “What we need is money. Probably, if the central

government can allocate more funds … as we must remember that KwaMaphumulo

is a rural municipality, it is not the same as KwaDukuza and Durban and the

difference is that KwaDukuza can also generate their own funds from the rates that

people pay.”

“However, over and above that, KwaDukuza also gets money from the central

government, while here in KwaMaphumulo, we only get grants, for example an

equity grant, therefore money will make a big difference in terms of boosting service

delivery.”

Lastly, IP 5 believes that, “To boost service delivery, the municipality needs better

leadership that will be consistent and will prioritise the needs of the community. We

also need developers and investors who will provide job opportunities for the

community.”

“There also needs to be a clear communication line between traditional leaders and

the municipality. We are always left out of the early stages of development and we

are only told when they need the land”.

Table 4.7 below presents the results of data collection in which a question was

raised about the extent to which the factors mentioned below influence the provision

of public services in KwaMaphumulo.

Table 4.7: Factors that Influence the Provision of Public Services

Variables Strongly Disagree

Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly Agree

N

Lack of cohesion between the municipality and traditional leaders.

2.5% 8.3% 24.8% 36.4% 28.1% 242

Finances of the municipality. 3.3% 5.8% 22.5% 28.3% 40% 240

Gender of municipal officials. 6.6% 38.5% 40.2% 9.0% 5.7% 244

Educational level of municipal officials.

9.8% 23.0% 24.6% 30.3% 12.3% 244

Natural and artificial physical features of KwaMaphumulo.

3.3% 9.8% 26.2% 27.9% 32.8% 244

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Politics in the municipality. 3.3% 2.5% 17.5% 25.0% 51.7% 240

Corruption in the municipality. 4.2% 6.7% 15.8% 16.7% 56.7% 240

Important decisions are taken by state officials rather than by elected representatives.

0.8% 18.9% 39.3% 22.1% 18.9% 244

Lack of skills of municipal officials.

3.3% 26.5% 20.7% 35.5% 14.1% 242

Non-payment for services by the municipality.

6.6% 19.0% 31.4% 37.2% 5.8% 242

Dearth of appropriate personnel and the lack of capacity in municipal officials.

3.3% 14.1% 27.3% 40.5% 14.9% 242

Migration of skilled community members and municipal officials.

0.8% 12.3% 32.8% 24.6% 29.5% 244

As depicted in Table 4.7 above; out of the two hundred and forty-two (242)

respondents, 2.5% (6Nr) agreed that the lack of cohesion between municipality and

traditional leaders has an influence in the provision of public services, while 8.3%

(20Nr) of the respondents disagreed with the above mentioned statement, 24.8%

(60Nr) responded as fair while 36.4% (88Nr) agreed with the statement and lastly

28.1% (68Nr) strongly agreed that the lack of cohesion between municipality and

traditional leaders influences the provision of public services in KwaMaphumulo.

Therefore, most of the respondents believe that the lack of cohesion between

municipality and traditional leaders influences the provision of public services in

KwaMaphumulo.

While giving their opinion on whether the finances of the municipality have an

influence on the provision of public services in the area; out of the two hundred and

forty (240) respondents, 3.3% (8Nr) strongly disagreed with the above mentioned

statement, while 5.8% (14Nr) disagreed, 22.5% (54%) felt neutral about the question

at hand, 28.3% (68Nr) agreed that the finances of the municipality had an influence

on the provision of public service in KwaMaphumulo and 40% (96Nr) strongly

agreed with this statement.

Based on the responses above, finances of the municipality do have an influence on

the provision of public services in the area.

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The respondent’s reaction concerning whether the gender of the municipal officials

has an influence in the provision of public services revealed that out of the two

hundred and forty-four (244) respondents 6.6% (16Nr) of the respondents strongly

disagreed with the above mentioned statement while 38.5% (94Nr) said that they

disagreed, 40.2% (98Nr) felt neutral about the question while 9.0% (22Nr) indicated

that they agreed that the gender of the municipal officials does influence the

provision of public services in KwaMaphumulo and lastly only 5.7% (14Nr) strongly

agreed with the statement.

It can therefore be concluded that the gender of the municipal officials does not have

an influence on the provision of public services in the area.

Feedback from the respondents in terms of whether the educational level of

municipal officials had an influence on the provision of public services in

KwaMaphumulo showed that out of the two hundred and forty-four (244) participants,

9.8% (24Nr) strongly disagreed with the statement, 23.0% (56Nr) disagreed, 24.6%

(60Nr) felt neutral about the above mentioned statement yet 30.3% (74Nr)

ascertained the they agreed and the remaining 12.3% (30Nr) strongly agreed with

the statement.

The results therefore indicate that the educational level of municipal officials has

somewhat of an influence on the provision of public services in KwaMaphumulo

In accordance with Table 4.7 above out of the two hundred and forty-four (244)

respondents, 3.3% (8Nr) of the respondents strongly disagreed that natural and

artificial physical features of KwaMaphumulo had an influence in the provision of

public services, 9.8% (24Nr) stated that they disagreed with the statement, 26.2%

(64Nr) stated neutral as their response, 27.9% (68Nr) stated that they agreed with

the statement and the remaining 32.8% (80Nr) strongly agreed with the statement.

This shows that natural and artificial physical features of KwaMaphumulo do have an

influence on the provision of public services.

With regard to whether politics in the municipality has an influence on the provision

of public services in KwaMaphumulo out of the two hundred and forty (240)

responses, 3.3% (8Nr) strongly disagreed, 2.5% (6Nr) disagreed,17.5% (42Nr)

134

stated their answer as neutral, 25.0% (60Nr) said they agreed while the remaining

51.7% (124Nr) strongly agreed with the statement.

Therefore, it is revealed that politics in the municipality does have an influence on

the provision of public services in KwaMaphumulo.

The responses linked to whether corruption in the municipality plays a role in the

provision of public services in KwaMaphumulo showed that out of the two hundred

and forty (240) people, 4,2% (10Nr) strongly disagreed, 6.7% (16Nr) of the

respondents disagreed, 15.8% (38Nr) felt neutral with the statement while 16.7%

(40Nr) agreed and lastly 56.7% (136Nr) strongly agreed.

The results showed that corruption in the municipality plays a role in the provision of

public services in KwaMaphumulo.

The respondents’ reaction regarding whether important decisions are taken by state

officials rather than elected representatives has an influence in the provision of

public services reported that out of the two hundred and forty-four (244) responses

0.8% (20Nr) strongly disagreed with the statement, 18.9% (46Nr) of the respondents

disagreed while 39.3% (96Nr) selected neutral as their answer to the statement. Of

the respondents 22.1% (54Nr) stated that they agreed with the statement and the

remaining 18.9% (46Nr) strongly agreed. The results showed that the respondents

felt that important decisions are taken by state officials rather than elected

representatives, which does have an influence on the provision of public services.

In Table 4.7. above 3.3% (8Nr) of the two hundred and forty-two (242) respondents

stated that they strongly disagreed that the lack of skills of municipal officials has an

influence on the provision of public services in KwaMaphumulo, 26.5% (64Nr)

indicated that they disagreed, 20.7% (50Nr) of the respondents response was

neutral, while 35.5% (86Nr) agreed with the statement therefore leaving the

remaining 14.1% (34Nr) strongly agreeing. Thus, the lack of skills of municipal

officials does have something of an influence on the provision of public services in

KwaMaphumulo.

While giving their response concerning whether non-payment for services by the

municipality has an influence on the provision of public services out of the two

hundred and forty-two (242) people 6.6% (16Nr) responded by saying that they

135

strongly disagreed with the statement, 19.0% (46Nr) of the respondents disagreed

while 31.4% (76Nr) felt neutral with the statement, 37.2% (90Nr) agreed that there is

an influence and lastly 5.8% (14Nr) strongly agreed. This hypothesizes that the non-

payment for services by the municipality in KwaMaphumulo does influence the

provision of public services.

With regard to whether the dearth of appropriate personnel/lack of capacity in

municipal officials has an influence in the provisions public services in the area out of

the two hundred and forty-two (242) respondents, 3.3% (8Nr) of the respondents

strongly disagreed with this statement while 14.1% (34Nr) also disagreed, 27.3%

(66Nr) stated that they felt neutral about the statement while 40.5% (98Nr) of the

respondents suggested that they agreed and lastly the remaining 14.9% (36Nr)

strongly agreed with this statement. This illustrates that the dearth of appropriate

personnel/lack of capacity in municipal officials does have an influence on the

provision of public services in KwaMaphumulo, as most of the respondents agreed

with the statement.

Lastly, the figures provided by the two hundred and forty-four (244) respondents in

terms of whether migration of skilled community members / municipal officials have

an influence on the provision of public services in KwaMaphumulo state that 0.8%

(2Nr) of the respondents strongly disagreed, 12.3% (30Nr) of the respondents

disagreed with the statement, 32.8% (80Nr) felt neutral in their response, 24.6%

(60Nr) agree and 29.5% (60Nr) strongly agree with the statement. Given the above-

mentioned information, the researcher can conclude that the migration of skilled

community members / municipal officials does have an influence on the provision of

public services in KwaMaphumulo.


4.4.1 Part C: Contribution to sustainable development in the KwaMaphumulo Local Municipality

This section presents the results of data collection in which a question was raised

regarding the contribution that the programmes / projects have on sustainable

development in KwaMaphumulo.

136

Table 4.8: The Contribution of the Following Programmes / Projects to Sustainable Development?

Variables Very Low

Low Average High Very High

Not Available

N

Early childhood development programme.

23.1% 24.0% 24.8% 20.7% 4.1% 3.3% 242

Teaching adults to read and write campaign.

31.4% 24.8% 9.9% 7.4% 0.8% 25.6% 242

School Nutrition Programme.

2.5% 5.8% 27.5% 44.2% 19.2% 0.8% 240

Partnership against HIV/AIDS.

8.2% 16.4% 36.1% 32.0% 3.3% 4.1% 244

HIV counselling and screening.

5.9% 12.7% 39.0% 33.1% 5.1% 4.2% 236

National Health Insurance.

9.0% 18.9% 32.8% 25.4% 3.3% 10.7% 244

Implementation of anti-crime initiatives.

25.6% 28.1% 7.4% 15.7% 5.0% 18.2% 242

Programmes / projects against gender-based violence.

26.7% 33.3% 17.5% 5.8% 0.8% 15.8% 240

Programmes / projects aimed at enhancing growth, employment creation and equity.

24.2% 43.3% 18.3% 5.0% 0.8% 8.3% 244

Women Economic Empowerment Financial Assistance.

27.9% 36.9% 12.3% 1.6% 0.8% 20.5% 244

Finance for small businesses.

35.3% 32.0% 13.9% 2.5% 0.8% 15.6% 242

RSA Retail Savings Bonds.

24.8% 26.5% 5.8% 5.0% 38.0% 238

Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP).

5.0% 12.6% 43.7% 25.2% 11.8% 1.7% 242

Youth Economic Participation.

19.8% 29.8% 25.6% 13.2% 2.5% 9.1% 238

Community work programmes / projects.

14.2% 30.8% 33.3% 14.2% 2.5% 4.2% 240

Table 4.8 above illustrates that out of the two hundred and forty-two (242) people,

23.1% (56Nr) respondents stated that the early childhood development programme’s

contribution to sustainable development in KwaMaphumulo is very low, 24.0% (58Nr)

stated that the contribution is low while 24.3% (59Nr) said that it is average. 20.7%

(50Nr) respondents believed it was high while 4.2% (10Nr) said that it is very high

and the remaining 3.3% (8Nr) believes that childhood development programmes are

not even available in KwaMaphumulo. The results showed that early childhood

development programmes can be enhanced so as to contribute to sustainable


137

Table 4.8 above shows that out of the two hundred and forty-two (242) respondents,

31.4% (76Nr) respondents stated that the contribution of the teaching adults to read

and write campaign is very low, 24.8% (60Nr) have confidence in the contribution

being low, 9.9% (24Nr) trust that it is average whereas 7.4% (18Nr) said that it is

high, 0.8% (199Nr) believe that it is very high and lastly, 25.6% (62Nr) believe that

this programme/project is not available in KwaMaphumulo. This shows that this

programme needs to be improved in order to benefit the community of

KwaMaphumulo sustainably.

The two hundred and forty (240) respondents concerning whether school nutrition

programmes contribute to sustainable development in the area show that 2.5% (6Nr)

believe it is very low, 5.8% (14Nr) trust the contribution is low, 27.5% (66Nr) accept

that it is average whereas 44.2% (106Nr) stated that it is high, 19.2% (46Nr) stated

that the contribution of school nutrition programmes in KwaMaphumulo is very high

and the remaining 0.8% (2Nr) believe that the programme is not available. The

responses revealed that school nutritional programmes in KwaMaphumulo

satisfactorily contribute to sustainable development.

The two hundred and forty-four (244) respondents’ reaction about whether

partnerships against HIV/AIDS contribute to sustainable development in

KwaMaphumulo revealed that 8.2% (20Nr) of the respondents believed that the

contribution is very low, 16.4% (40Nr) believed it is low, 36.1% (88Nr) said it is

average while 32.0% (78Nr) stated that the contribution is high while 3.3% (8Nr)

disclosed that it is very high and the remaining 4.1% (10Nr) believe that there are no

partnerships against HIV/AIDS in KwaMaphumulo. The responses show that

partnerships against HIV/AIDS need to be improved.

The two hundred and thirty-six (236) responses linked to whether HIV counselling

and screening programmes and projects contributed to sustainable development in

KwaMaphumulo unveiled that 5.9% (14Nr) said the contribution was very low, 12.7%

(30Nr) alluded to the fact that it is low, 39.0% (92Nr) stated that the contribution of

this programme and project is average, 33.1% (78Nr) believed it was high while

5.1% (12Nr) said that it was very high and the remaining 4.2% (10Nr) believed it was

not available in KwaMaphumulo. the results showed that this programme needs to

be improved for it to sufficiently contribute to sustainable development.

138

Table 4.8 above proves that out of the two hundred and forty-four (244) people, 9.0%

(22Nr) respondents stated that the national health insurance programme contribution

to sustainable development in KwaMaphumulo is very low, 18.9% (46Nr) stated the

contribution was low while 32.8% (80Nr) said it was average. Of the respondents

25.4% (62Nr) believed it was high whereas 3.3% (8Nr) said it is very high and the

remaining 10.7% (26Nr) believe that the national health insurance programme in

KwaMaphumulo was not available in KwaMaphumulo. The results showed that there

still needed to be improvement made to this programme.

The implementation of anti-crime initiatives contribution to sustainable development

in KwaMaphumulo revealed that out of the two hundred and forty-two (242)

respondents 25.6% (62Nr) believed it is very low, 28.1% (68Nr) believed it is low,

7.4% (18Nr) said it was average while 15.7% (38Nr) stated that the contribution was

high while 5.0% (12Nr) disclosed that the contribution of this programme/project is

very high and the remaining 4.1% (10Nr) believed that there are no anti-crime

initiatives being implemented in KwaMaphumulo. This shows that anti-crime

initiatives need to be amended.

Programmes and projects against gender-based violence divulge that out of the two

hundred and forty (240) people 26.7% (64Nr) of the respondents believed it was very

low, 33.3% (80Nr) stated that the contribution was low, 17.5% (42Nr) accepted that

it was average whereas 5.8% (14Nr) alluded to the fact that it was high, 0.8% (2Nr)

believed that the contribution of programmes and projects against gender-based

violence in KwaMaphumulo was very high and the remaining 15.8% (38Nr) believed

that the programme was not available in the area. The responses showed that

Programmes and projects against gender-based violence still need to be enriched.

When the two hundred and forty-four (244) respondents were questioned on whether

programmes and projects aimed at enhancing growth, employment creation and

equity contribute to sustainable development in the area, 24.2% (59Nr) believed that

the contribution was very low, 43.3% (106Nr) stated that the contribution was low

while 18.3% (45Nr) said that it was average. Of the respondents 5.0% (12Nr)

believed it was high whereas 0.8% (2Nr) said that it was very high and the remaining

8.3% (20Nr) believed that the programmes and projects aimed at enhancing growth,

employment creation and equity in KwaMaphumulo were not available. The

139

responses showed that programmes/projects aimed at enhancing growth,

employment creation and equity did not contribute to sustainable development

From Table 4.8 above out of the two hundred and forty-four (244) respondents,

27.9% (68Nr) of the respondents stated that the contribution of women economic

empowerment financial assistance with programmes and projects in KwaMaphumulo

was very low, 36.9% (90Nr) believed that the contribution was low, 12.3% (30Nr)

said that it was average whereas 1.6% (4Nr) said it was high, 0.8% (2Nr) believed

that it was very high and lastly, 20.5% (50Nr) believed that this programme/project

was not available in KwaMaphumulo.

The contribution of women’s economic empowerment financial assistance

programmes/projects was not seen as significantly contributing to sustainable

development.

The results obtained from the respondents concerning whether finance for small

businesses programmes/projects contributed to sustainable development in the area

illustrated that out of the two hundred and forty-two 242 people, 35.3% (85Nr) of the

respondents stated that the contribution was very low, 32.0% (77Nr) stated that the

contribution was low while 13.9% (34Nr) said it is average. 2.5% (6Nr) respondents

believed it was high whereas 0.8% (2Nr) said it was very high and the remaining

15.6% (38Nr) believed it is not available in KwaMaphumulo. The results showed that

the programmes and the projects aimed at finance for small businesses do not

contribute to sustainable development in KwaMaphumulo and therefore they need to

be improved.

Concerning RSA Retail Savings Bonds contribution to sustainable development in

KwaMaphumulo it was shown that out of the two hundred and thirty-eight (238)

respondents 24.4 % (58Nr) respondents believed it was very low, 26.5% (63Nr) said

the contribution was low, 5.8% (14Nr) accepted that it was average while 0.5% (1Nr)

stated that it was high, 0% (0Nr) believed that the contribution of RSA Retail Savings

Bonds in KwaMaphumulo was very high and the remaining 38.0% (90Nr) believed

that the programme was not available.

140

RSA Retail Savings Bonds do not significantly contribute to sustainable development

in KwaMaphumulo and therefore measures need to be taken to enhance their

contribution.

The survey results as to whether the Expanded Public Works Programme

(EPWP) contributed to sustainable development revealed that of the two hundred

and forty-two (242) respondents, 5.0% (12Nr) respondents believed it was very low,

12.6% (30Nr) believed the contribution was low, 43.7% (106Nr) stated that that it

was average while 25.2% (61Nr) alluded to the fact that it was high, 11.8% (29Nr)

stated that the contribution of the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) in

KwaMaphumulo was very high and the remaining 1.7% (4Nr) believed that the

programme was not available. The Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) still

has room for improvement.

The two hundred and thirty-eight (238) respondents disclosed that, 19.8% (47Nr)

trusted that the Youth Economic Participation contribution to sustainable

development was very low, 29.8% (71Nr) stated that the contribution was low while

25.6% (61Nr) said it was average. Of the respondents 13.2% (31Nr) believed that it

was high while 2.5% (6Nr) said it was very high and the remaining 9.1% (22Nr)

believed that Youth Economic Participation programme in KwaMaphumulo was not

available. The Youth Economic Participation programmes and projects can still be

improved for them to contribute to sustainable development in KwaMaphumulo.

Responses on whether Community work programmes and projects contribute to

sustainable development in KwaMaphumulo showed that out of the two hundred and

forty (240) respondents, 14.2% (34Nr) believed that it was very low, 30.8% (74Nr)

stated that the contribution was low while 33.3% (80Nr) said it was average. Of the

respondents 14.2% (34Nr) believed it was high, while 2.5% (6Nr) said it was very

high and the remaining 4.2% (10Nr) believed that the programme was not available

in KwaMaphumulo. The above results show that community work programmes and

projects contribution to sustainable development in KwaMaphumulo needs to be

enhanced.

Table 4.8B: The contribution of the following programmes/ projects to sustainable development?

141

Variables Very Low

Low Average High Very High

Not Available

N

Local Economic Development programmes / projects

24.2% 40.8% 21.7% 8.3% 1.7% 3.3% 240

Youth build programmes / projects

28.1% 30.6% 25.6% 9.9% 1.7% 4.1% 242

Energy efficiency programmes / projects

33.3% 24.8% 9.4% 1.7% 0.9% 29.9% 234

Municipal infrastructure grant programme

33.1% 27.3% 21.5% 12.4% 3.3% 2.5% 242

Taxi Recapitalisation Programme

14.9% 21.5% 36.4% 10.7% 5.0% 11.6% 242

Rural Youth Service Corps Programme

19.7% 40.2% 23.8% 5.7% 0.8% 9.8% 244

Recapitalisation and Development Programme

37.0% 29.4% 11.8% 7.6% 1.7% 12.6% 238

Animal and Veld Management Programme

38.8% 33.9% 11.6% 2.5% 13.2% 242

Disaster management programmes

37.5% 32.5% 10.0% 5.0% 2.5% 12.5% 240

Home-based community care programme

24.8% 25.6% 28.9% 9.1% 1.7% 9.9% 240

Neighbourhood development grant programme

26.5% 28.1% 16.5% 7.4% 3.3% 18.2% 242

Land care programmes / projects

34.7% 29.8% 14.1% 4.1% 0.8% 16.5% 242

Bucket Eradication Programmes / projects

20.8% 16.7% 10.8% 2.5% 49.2% 242

Fire management programmes / projects

22.5% 18.3% 13.3% 1.7% 0.8% 43.3% 240

Table 4.8B above illustrates that out of the two hundred and forty (240) people,

24.2% (58Nr) respondents stated that local economic development programmes and

projects contribution to sustainable development in KwaMaphumulo is very low, and

40.8% (98Nr) stated that the contribution was low while 21.7% (52Nr) said it was

average. 8.3% (20Nr) respondents believe it was high whereas 1.7% (4Nr) said it

was very high and the remaining 3.3% (8Nr) believed that local economic

development programmes and projects were not available in KwaMaphumulo. These

142

responses revealed that major improvement needs to be implemented for this

programme to contribute significantly to sustainable development .

The two hundred and forty-two (242) respondents disclosed that, 28.1% (68Nr)

trusted that the youth built projects and programmes contribution to sustainable

development was very low, 30.6% (74Nr) stated that the contribution was low while

25.6% (62Nr) said it was average. Of the respondents 9.9% (24Nr) believed it was

high whereas 1.7% (4Nr) said it was very high and the remaining 4.1% (10Nr)

believed that youth built projects and programmes in KwaMaphumulo were not

available. Therefore, based on the responses above, youth build projects and

programmes need to be improved.

The field survey results concerning whether energy efficiency programmes and

projects contributed to sustainable development revealed that out of the two hundred

and thirty-four (234) respondents 33.3% (78Nr) respondents believed it was very

low, 24.8% (58Nr) stated that the contribution was low, 9.4% (22Nr) accepted that it

was average while 1.7% (4Nr) said that it was high, 0.9% (2Nr) are certain that the

contribution of energy efficiency programmes and projects in KwaMaphumulo was

very high and the remaining 29.9% (70Nr) believed that the programme and project

was not available. It is therefore evident that energy efficiency programmes and

projects contribution to sustainable development is below a satisfactory level and

needs to be improved.

Table 4.8B above proves that out of the two hundred and forty-two (242) people,

33.1% (80Nr) respondents stated that the municipal infrastructure grant

programme’s contribution to sustainable development in KwaMaphumulo was very

low, 27.3 (66Nr) stated that the contribution was low while 21.5% (52Nr) said that it

was average. Of the respondents 12.4% (30Nr) believed that it was high while 3.3%

(8Nr) said that it was very high and the remaining 2.5% (6Nr) believed that the

municipal infrastructure grant programme in KwaMaphumulo was not available.

Therefore, the municipal infrastructure grant programmes contribution to sustainable

development in KwaMaphumulo needs to be addressed as the community is not fully

satisfied with it.

143

When questioned whether programmes/projects aimed at taxi recapitalisation

contributed to sustainable development in the area, of the two hundred and forty-two

(242) respondents, 14.9% (36Nr) believed that the contribution was very low. Of the

respondents 21.5% (52Nr) stated the contribution is low while 36.4% (88Nr) said it is

average. 10.7% (26Nr) respondents believed it was high while 5.0% (12Nr) said it

was very high and lastly, 11.6% (28Nr) believed that programmes and projects

aimed at taxi recapitalisation in KwaMaphumulo were not available. The

programmes and projects aimed at taxi recapitalisation do not adequately contribute

to sustainable development in KwaMaphumulo, therefore measures need to be put

in place to improve them.

Responses concerning whether rural youth service corps programmes contributed to

sustainable development in the area showed that of the two hundred and forty-four

(244) respondents, 19.7% (48Nr) believed the contribution was very low, 40.2%

(98Nr) believed that the contribution was low, 28.8% (70Nr) accepted that it was

average while 5.7% (14Nr) said that it was high, 0.8% (20Nr) were certain that the

contribution of rural youth service corps programmes in KwaMaphumulo was very

high and the remaining 9.8% (24Nr) believed that the programme was not available.

This indicates that the rural youth service corps programmes do not contribute

significantly to sustainable development in the area. Therefore, measures need to be

put in place to ensure the sustainability of the programmes and the projects.

The programmes and the projects concerning recapitalisation and development

divulged that out of the two hundred and thirty-eight (238) respondents, 37.0%

(88Nr) respondents believed that their contribution to sustainable development in the

area was very low, 29.4% (70Nr) believed that the contribution was low, 11.8%

(28Nr) accepted that it was average while 7.6% (18Nr) stated that it was high, 1.7%

(4Nr) believed that the contribution of these programmes and projects in

KwaMaphumulo was very high and the remaining 12.6% (30Nr) believed that this

programme was not available in the area. Programmes and projects concerning

recapitalisation and development need to be improved to ensure that they contribute

to sustainable development in KwaMaphumulo as the respondents are not satisfied

with them.

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Animal and veld management programmes’ contribution to sustainable development

in KwaMaphumulo revealed that out of the two hundred and forty-two (242)

household respondents, 38.8% (94Nr) respondents believed it was very low, 33.9%

(82Nr) stated that the contribution was low, 11.6% (28Nr) accepted that it was

average while 2.5% (6Nr) stated that it was high 0% (0Nr) were certain that the

contribution of animal and veld management programmes in KwaMaphumulo was

very high and the remaining 13.2% (32Nr) believed that the programme was not

available. Therefore, based on the responses above it can be concluded that animal

and veld management programmes contribution to sustainable development in

KwaMaphumulo is low and that measures need to be put in place to boost it.

The results concerned with whether disaster management programmes contributed

to sustainable development in the area showed that out of two hundred and forty

(240) people, 37.5% (90Nr) of the respondents stated that the contribution was very

low, 32.5% (78Nr) stated that the contribution was low while 10.0% (24Nr) said that it

was average. 5.0% (12Nr) respondents believe it was high whereas 2.5% (6Nr) said

that it was very high and the remaining 12.5% (30Nr) believed it was not available in

KwaMaphumulo.

Hence, disaster management programmes contribution to sustainable development

in the area is low and measures need to be initiated to ensure sustainable

development in KwaMaphumulo

The responses linked to whether home-based community care programmes and

projects contributed to sustainable development in KwaMaphumulo showed that of

the two hundred forty (240) participants, 24.8% (60Nr) said that the contribution was

very low, 25.6% ( 61Nr) said that it was low, 28.9% (69Nr) stated that it was average,

9.1% (22Nr) believed it was high while 1.7% (4Nr) said it is very high and the

remaining 9.9% (24Nr) believed that it was not available in KwaMaphumulo. Thus, it

can be concluded that home-based community care programmes and projects do

not contribute significantly to sustainable development in KwaMaphumulo as most of

the respondents are not satisfied.

The respondents’ reaction as to whether neighbourhood development grant

programmes contributed to sustainable development in KwaMaphumulo revealed

that out of the two hundred and forty-two (242) respondents, 26.5% (64Nr) of the

145

respondents believed the contribution was very low, 28.1% (68Nr) believed it was

low, 16.5% (40Nr) said it was average while 7.4% (18Nr) stated that the contribution

was high while 3.3% (8Nr) stated that it was very high and the remaining 18.2%

(44Nr) believed that there are were no neighbourhood development grant

programmes in the area. The figures above show that neighbourhood development

grant programmes do not efficiently contribute to sustainable development in

KwaMaphumulo and that attention is needed to address this.

From Table 48B above, out of the two hundred and forty-two (242) respondents

34.7% (84Nr) respondents stated that the contribution of land care programmes and

projects to sustainable development in the area was very low, 29.8% (72Nr) stated

that it was low, 14.1% (34Nr) trust it is average whereas 4.1% (10Nr) said it was

high, 0.8% (19Nr) believed that it was very high and lastly, 16.5% (40Nr) believed

that this programme and project was not available in KwaMaphumulo.

This shows that land care programmes and projects do not contribute to sustainable

development in the area.

The results obtained from respondents concerning whether the bucket eradication

programme and project contributes to sustainable development in the area

illustrated that of the two hundred and forty-two (242) people, 20.8% (50Nr)

respondents stated that the contribution was very low, 16.7% (40Nr) stated that the

contribution was low while 10.8% (26Nr) said it was average. 2.5% (6Nr)

respondents believed it was high while 0% (0Nr) said it was very high and the

remaining 49.2% (119Nr) believed that it was not available in KwaMaphumulo.

Thus, the bucket eradication programme/project does not contribute significantly to

sustainable development in KwaMaphumulo.

Lastly, the figures provided by the respondents in terms of whether fire management

programmes and projects contribute to sustainable development in KwaMaphumulo

revealed that from the two hundred and forty (240) participants, 22.5% (54Nr) said

that the contribution was very low, 18.3% (44Nr) said that is it low, 13.3% (32Nr)

stated that the contribution of this programme and project was average, 1.7% (4Nr)

believed that it was high while 0.8% (2Nr) said it is very high and lastly, the

remaining 43.3% (104Nr) believed that the fire management programmes/projects

146

were not available in KwaMaphumulo. The results therefore disclosed that fire

management programmes and projects do not contribute to sustainable



4.5.1 Part C: Contribution to sustainable development in the KwaMaphumulo Local Municipality

This section seeks to investigate whether the important role players understand the

meaning of what sustainable development is and which will in turn answer whether

the programmes or projects initiated speak to sustainable development. The role

players interviewed consisted the director of community services, the community

facility manager, the community development worker and the ward councillor.

The stakeholders’ responses do justify the responses obtained from the community,

as few programmes and projects are offered and most of them still need to be

improved as stated below by the interviewees.

By your understanding, what is sustainable development?

The researcher investigated whether the relevant stakeholders understood what

sustainable human settlements were and assessed their depth of their

understanding as this could be seen as a constraint in the way of attaining

sustainable human settlements if the people who play a crucial role in implementing

do not understand what sustainable development is. The majority of the interviewees

seemed to have understood this question, however their depth of understanding

seemed to have no substance as IP 6 responded by saying, “An institution such as

the municipality has to provide services to the communities so that their quality of life

is enhanced”.

However, IP 7 further explained that, “Sustainable development is where you

promote initiatives to develop an area without harming the available resources. For

instance, if you undertake a development that speaks of buildings, you need to make

it a point that the environment is not harmed. Briefly, that is what sustainable

development is all about, it means developing an area so it can progress but

nevertheless ensuring that the natural resources are not damaged or harmed for

future purposes”.

147

IP 8 also mentioned, “it is the development of the community through ensuring their

needs are met without jeopardising the environment for future purposes.”

Lastly, IP9 stated that, “it means development in the community environment by

teaching individuals skills or educating them so that in future they can sustain

themselves; for example, to be able to fixing roads, install electricity, and build RDP

houses”.

What developmental projects or programmes are offered in KwaMaphumulo?

The researcher posed this question to the relevant stakeholders in order to gain and

understand the developmental programmes being offered in KwaMaphumulo.

Although there are developmental projects being implemented, it seems as though

they do not speak to the needs of the community nor are, they at an efficient level.

This was supported by IP 6 who stated, “There is a skills developmental project

where the municipality have hired unemployed youth and has trained them to

acquire skills that will allow them to be employable. The municipality has also

registered cooperatives to assist the people in the area who are unemployed to

register their businesses with the CIPC, after the funding proposal has been

developed by the municipality. However, not everyone was assisted but those that

were managed to start their own small businesses. The municipality also established

early childhood development programmes and the teaching staff were trained by the

municipality to be able to run and teach those programmes. We also have a

programme called EPWP where unemployed people are given the opportunity to

work for the municipality by cleaning community infrastructure such as community

halls and hospitals and are paid a stipend every month, We also have work

experience opportunities in the municipality”.

IP 7 also stated, “There are road infrastructure projects that are aimed at improving

the mobility within the area as there are areas where you cannot even get an

ambulance through because of how the terrain here in KwaMaphumulo. We also

have a high rate of unemployment, so road infrastructure is one of our initiatives of

trying to create job opportunities because if people are mobile, they can create their

own job opportunities such as opening shops. We are also in the process of building

community service centres where people will be able to access government services

148

next to their homes as, some people travel very long distances to get to services

such as home affairs, hospitals, SASSA and the department of social development,

just to name a few. Another programme is operation Sukuma Sakhe (OSS) that aims

at fighting poverty, OSS is a very extensive project so it would take the whole day for

me to explain it, but basically, it addresses the social ills that are affecting local

people. We have youth development programmes, skills development programmes;

we provide information on business start-ups. We also run a programme for elders

that encourages elders to live a healthy lifestyle”.

IP 8 added, “We have programmes that speak to youth development, programmes

that speak to social ills, foster care children and parents’ programmes and we also

have the IDP that needs the whole KwaMaphumulo community to be involved, so

that their needs are known and addressed accordingly”.

Lastly, IP 9 mentioned that, “there are programmes that speak to installing electricity

to the communities, water, fixing roads, housing and building halls that are of good

quality so people can even use them for their weddings. Special attention also needs

to be shifted to developing the town of KwaMaphumulo, as this will create many

opportunities in KwaMaphumulo and save the people time and money as currently,

people must travel outside KwaMaphumulo for work opportunities and services.

Projects or programmes also need to be initiated that speak to the development of

recreational facilities so that the youth can showcase their talents instead of

practising crime or doing drugs or falling into teenage pregnancy”.

Do these projects or programmes speak to the most critical needs of the community?

IP 6 mentioned, “Yes they definitely do. To give you a very good example, before

these projects and programmes existed, qualified people left the area to find better

job opportunities but now, even though people are still leaving the area because

Maphumulo has limited resources, people are able to start their own businesses

here or be employed in the area”.

P 7 stated that, “The projects do speak to the most critical needs of the community

because before we implement a project we consult with the community through

integrated development planning. This document must prioritise local people. That is

149

where the community is given an opportunity to speak to us by telling us their needs

and we then document that in the IDP, establish a budget for those needs and then

implement it. Therefore, the way in which they are identified speaks directly to their

needs as it the residents themselves who have identified them. We also initiate

studies here. We have a housing sector plan, a disaster management plan and the

IDP, just to name a few. All these plans speak to the various sections within the

municipality and when we develop these plans we also take into consideration

recommendations and outcomes of those studies or documents and link them with

community needs and then we come up with prioritization of projects that we plan to

implement on a yearly basis”.

IP 8 said, “These projects do speak to the most critical needs of the community as

before programmes are implemented, there has to be a loudhailer that we find the

municipality or the specific department that will be introducing that programme so

that everyone is aware that a certain programme or project will be taking place, so

they can avail themselves of it.”

IP9 said, “Yes, programmes and projects that are initiated in KwaMaphumulo do

speak to the most critical needs of the community”.

Have these programmes or projects boosted the sustainability of the area and how?

Based on the responses obtained from the interviewees, it seems as though those

that the municipality has managed to implement did boost sustainability, to some

extent.

This is supported by IP 6 who stated that, “Definitely, let me focus on the SMMEs.

There are a number of people who acquired skills through a partnership that was

made between the department of human settlement and the municipality, where

unemployed people with skills but who have no formal qualifications did their training

with CETA and get certificates that allowed them to start their own cooperatives;

meaning that if a tender is above six (6) million, that thirty percent (30%) must be

subcontracted to the local people”.

IP 7 further explained by stating, “These projects have boosted the sustainability of

the area, but to a limited extent. Whatever project we are doing, for instance,

150

infrastructure; we try to improve the location factors because, if we improve that we

improve the competitiveness of KwaMaphumulo. You will notice if you move from

here to KwaDukuza and then down to Durban there is a lot of development in terms

of factories - why? Because the KwaDukuza area is much better than ours, in terms

of infrastructure such as water availability, electricity and road infrastructure, just to

name a few. By developing our roads, we are also trying to improve our

competitiveness as Maphumulo, to show investors that we are worthy. If we manage

to get investors, there will also be job opportunities for the communities of

KwaMaphumulo. In all our projects, we also conduct an environment impact

assessment, to ensure that the environment is not harmed”.

IP 8 also agreed with that and stated, “These programmes have boosted the

sustainability of KwaMaphumulo as we ensure that everyone is aware of what is

being initiated in the community. The department of social development deals with

many of the social needs or problems our community faces, such as providing food

parcels to the neediest and providing counselling to those who need it”.

However, IP 9 had a different outlook which they explained by stating, “The problem

with the programmes and projects that we already have is that not everyone benefits

from them. For example, because we are a rural community, most of the people still

live in mud houses; therefore, when it rains, many of their houses fall apart and

because they use grass for their roofs, it is easy for their homes to catch fire. The

majority of the people here are unemployed. They have nothing to do and depend on

grants such as disability, pensioners and child support grants, therefore it is hard for

the community to afford anything better.”

What developmental projects or programmes would you recommend that improves the sustainability of the area?

The researcher posed this question in order to gain concrete information on what

projects or programmes would improve the area.

IP 6 answered thus, “’KwaMaphumulo is a rural municipality, the rate of

unemployment is very high, I think the main challenge is infrastructure. We need to

focus on developing our infrastructure, starting with what we call the town of

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Maphumulo, so that developers and investors can take an interest and the

community will be introduced to many opportunities”.

IP 7 stated that, “if you look at KwaMaphumulo currently, we need to have

sustainable development in the context of humans and the environment. The main

project that is required in the area is creating job opportunities in the development of

KwaMaphumulo as the town. Once that is done, there will be investors who will

come here and establish a lot of business, thereby creating jobs. Currently there are

a lot of people residing here but they travel to Stanger for job opportunities, so they

spend a lot of money and time travelling, some even move out of the area and live in

KwaDukuza as they want to be closer to work and job opportunities. People end up

spending their money in Stanger or KwaDukuza as there is nowhere to spend it

here; therefore, businesses also need to be established here. I would also

recommend that a mall should be built here as it will decrease the unemployment

rate and fight the poverty that is striking the local community”.

IP 8 suggested that, “there need to be more youth programmes as the youth here is

very much into drugs and they end up dropping out of school. The youth here also

does not attend meetings and therefore are unaware of what opportunities they can

take advantage of. There is also the issue of the lack of employment in

KwaMaphumulo, which results in many people taking drugs or raping or committing

unspeakable crimes. I would also recommend programmes that speak to the elders

of the community and address how they can better their health. Any programme that

will aid in job creation for our people is beneficial. There also needs to be more

agricultural programmes that could train people on how to make a sustainable living

from selling their crops. People here need a lot of encouraging to change their mind

set as many they do not want to work for but expect to be given things”.

Lastly, IP9 advocated that, “As we are sitting now, there is a lot of climate change,

therefore in summer there heavy rains and strong winds and lightning that end up

damaging the area and people are hit by that; so there should be a programme that

teaches people about the importance of building houses in a safe zone as you find

people building on very high mountains or very steep slopes; not understanding the

dangerous effect it can have on their safety. The traditional council also needs be

educated and trained so that they do not allow people to build in dangerous area.

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Most of the youth here is not educated, as they drop out of school due to teenage

pregnancy, drugs and crime; therefore, a programme that speaks to youth

development is needed, so they can sustain themselves. Programmes and projects

that will create job opportunities need to be prioritized so that the unemployment rate

in KwaMaphumulo can decrease. Services also need to be implemented and

integrated better, so people do not have to waste their money travelling outside of

KwaMaphumulo, to be assisted with a service”.


4.6.1 Part D: Housing quality in KwaMaphumulo Local Municipality

This section presents outcomes of the investigation where the focus was on the

housing quality in the KwaMaphumulo Local Municipality.

Figure 4.6: Recipient of a Government-Subsidised House

When households were questioned as to whether they are recipients of government

subsidised housing; out of the two hundred and thirty-eight (238) respondents,

Figure 4.6 demonstrated that 30% (71Nr) of the respondents live in government

subsidised houses; 68.3% (163Nr) of the households are non-recipients while the

remaining 1.7% (Nr4) of the households are unspecified. The results showed that

most of the respondents are non-recipients of government subsidised houses.

30%

68.3%

1.7%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

recipient of a government subsidisedhouse

non-recipient of a governmentsubsidised house

Unspecified

153

Figure 4.7: Issues with Houses

Figure 4.7 above illustrates that out of the two hundred and forty-six (246)

respondents 47.8% (118Nr) of the households do have issues with their house while

46.9% (115Nr) stated they do not and the remaining 5.3% (13Nr) of the respondents

remain unspecified. The results therefore reveal that most of the respondents have

issues with their houses.

Table 4.9: The Quality of Low-Cost Housing

Variable Very Inefficient

%

Inefficient

%

Neutral

%

Efficient

%

Very Efficient

%

N

Bath / Shower 75.7 14.8 3.5 3.5 2.6 230

Toilet / Sewage Supply

65. 15.0 10.6 7.1 1.8 226

Electricity in house

46.6 15.5 16.4 18.1 3.5 232

Ventilation 10.5 9.7 42.1 26.3 11.4 228

Wall 9.8 13.4 16.1 49.1 11.6 224

Roof 8.8 9.7 22.8 47.4 11.4 228

Windows 8.8 7.9 19.3 51.8 12.3 228

Door 8.0 6.2 21.2 54.0 10.6 226

Rubbish 75.4 12.3 7.9 3.5 0.9 228

47.8%

46.9%

5.3%

Yes No Unspecified

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removal once a week

Water supply in house

72.7 8.2 11.8 5.5 1.8 220

In accordance with Table 4.9 above, of the two hundred and thirty (230)

respondents, 75.7% (174Nr) of the respondents attested to the quality of low-cost

housing with regard to baths and showers, saying that they are very inefficient,

14.8% (34Nr) said that the quality of the baths and showers was inefficient, 3.5%

(8Nr) believed it was neutral, 3.5% (8Nr) stated that it was efficient and the

remaining 2.6% (6Nr) stated that it was very efficient. This showed that the quality of

the baths and the showers is inefficient as most of the respondents believe so.

As depicted by Table 4.9 above, out of the two hundred and twenty-six (226)

respondents, 65.0% (147Nr) agreed that the quality of low-cost housing with regard

to the toilet and the sewage supply was very inefficient, while 15.0% (34Nr) of the

respondents stated that it was inefficient, 10.6% (24Nr) responded by remaining

neutral 7.1% (16Nr) said that it was efficient and lastly the remaining 1.8% (4Nr)

stated that the quality of the toilet/water supply in low-cost housing is efficient. This

indicated that the community was not satisfied with the quality of the toilet/water

supply in low-cost housing as the majority indicated.

The figures provided by the respondents in terms of the quality of low-cost housing

with regards to the electricity in the house show that out of the two hundred and

thirty-two (232) respondents 46.6%, (108Nr) believe it is very inefficient, 15.5%

(36Nr) responded by saying that it was inefficient and 16.4% (38Nr) remained neutral

with their response, 18.1% (42Nr) stated that the quality of electricity in the houses

was efficient while only 3.5% (8Nr) gave their opinion of it as very efficient. Thus, the

researcher can conclude that the majority of the respondents were not happy with

the quality of electricity in their low-cost houses.

The respondent’s response concerning the quality of low-cost housing with regard to

the efficiency of ventilation was that, out of the two hundred and twenty-eight (228)

respondents, 10.5% (24Nr) responded by saying that it was very inefficient, 9.7%

(22Nr) of the respondents said it was inefficient while 42.1% (96Nr) felt that it was

neutral, 26.3% (60Nr) agreed that it was efficient and lastly 11.4% (26Nr) agreed that

the ventilation was very efficient. This shows that the ventilation was satisfactory .

155

Feedback from the respondents, in terms of the quality of low-cost housing with

regard to how efficient the walls were showed that out of the two hundred and

twenty-four (224) respondents, 9.8% (22Nr) respondents believed that it is very

inefficient, while 13.4% (30Nr) said that it was inefficient, 16.1% (36Nr) stated that it

was neutral. Of the respondents 49.1% (110Nr) agreed that the quality of their walls

was efficient while the remaining 11.6% (26Nr) believed it was very efficient. This

suggested that the quality of the walls was satisfactory

The quality of low-cost housing with regard to the roofs disclosed that out of the 228

respondents 8.8% (20Nr) of the respondents stated that it was very inefficient while

9.7% (22Nr) believed that it was inefficient. 22.8% (52Nr) said the roof of their

houses was neutral while 47.4% (108Nr) of the people believed that it was efficient

and lastly 11.4% (26Nr) stated that the quality of their roof was very efficient.

Therefore, this suggests that the quality of the roof was generally satisfactory.

When questioned, 8.8% (20Nr) of the two hundred and twenty-eight (228)

respondents said that the quality of the windows in their low cost housing was very

inefficient, 7.9% (18Nr) believed that the quality was inefficient, 19.3% (44Nr) stated

that it was neutral whereas 51.8% (118Nr) said the quality was efficient and the

remaining 12.3% (28Nr) consider the quality to be very inefficient.

This suggests that the quality of the windows in low-cost housing is efficient.

While giving their reaction concerning the quality of the doors in their low-cost

housing, out of the two hundred and twenty-six (226) respondents, 8.0% (18Nr) of

the respondents suggested that the quality of the doors in their low-cost housing was

very inefficient, 6.2% (14Nr) said that the quality of the doors was inefficient, 21.2%

(48Nr) believe that it is neutral, 54.0% (122Nr) stated that it is efficient and the

remaining 10.6% (24Nr) stated it is very efficient. This suggests that the quality of the

doors in low-cost housing is efficient.

The quality of low-cost housing based on how efficient rubbish removal once a week

revealed that of the two hundred and twenty-eight (228) respondents, 75.4% (172Nr)

of the people stated that it was very inefficient, 12.3% (28Nr) referred to the quality

as inefficient, 7.9% (18Nr) felt that the quality was neutral 3.5% (8Nr) of the

156

respondents trust that it is efficient and lastly, 0.9% (2Nr) believe that the quality of

rubbish removal once a week is efficient.

This shows that rubbish removal once a week is inefficient. as most of the

respondents stated that.

Lastly, the figures provided by the respondents on the quality of low-cost housing,

based on how efficient the water supply in the house is revealed that out of the two

hundred and twenty (220) participants 72.7% (160Nr) of the respondents said that it

is very inefficient, 8.2% (18Nr) of the respondents specified that the quality was

inefficient while 11.8% (26Nr) said that it is neutral. 5.5% (12Nr) of the respondents

stated that it is efficient and lastly, the remaining 1.8% (4Nr) of the households stated

that the quality of water supply was very efficient. The responses overall showed that

the water supply is inefficient.

Table 4.10: Neighbourhood Characteristics

Variable Not Serious

Somewhat Serious

Quite Serious

Very Serious

N

Noise level 62.1% 26.7% 6.9% 4.3% 232

Pollution 42.2% 31.9% 21.6% 4.3% 232

Crime (theft, murder, rape etc.)

7.7% 23.9% 26.5% 41.9% 234

Violence 13.7% 22.2% 35.9% 28.2% 234

In accordance with Table 4.10 above, of the two hundred and thirty-two (232)

respondents, 62.1% (144Nr) of the respondents stated that the noise level in their

neighbourhood was not really serious, 26.7% (62Nr) said that the noise level was

somewhat serious, 6.9% (16Nr) believed it was quite serious and the remaining

4.3% (10Nr) stated that it was very serious. This showed that the noise level in the

KwaMaphumulo was not really that serious.

Regarding pollution in the area, out of the two hundred and thirty-two (232)

respondents 42.2% (98Nr) stated that it is not really serious, 31.9% (74Nr) said that

it was somewhat serious, 21.6% (50Nr) felt that it was quite serious and the

remaining 4.3% (10Nr) believed that pollution in the area was very serious. These

results showed that pollution is not really a problem for residents in KwaMaphumulo

157

The respondents’ reaction concerning how serious the extent of crime (theft, murder,

rape etc.) is in KwaMaphumulo showed that out of the two hundred and thirty-four

(234) respondents, 7.7% (18Nr) said it was not really serious, 23.9% (56Nr) stated

that it was somewhat serious, 26.5% (62Nr) believed it was quite serious and lastly,

41.9% (98Nr) stated that crime in the area was serious. This shows that crime is a

problem in KwaMaphumulo

Lastly, the figures reflecting how serious the problem of violence is in

KwaMaphumulo showed that out of the two hundred and thirty-four (234)

respondents, 13.7% (32Nr) said that it was not really serious, 22.2% (52Nr) of the

respondents said that is somewhat serious while 35.9% (84Nr) stated it is quite

serous. The remaining 28.2% (66Nr) indicated that they felt that violence in the area

is serious. Thus, one can conclude that violence is a problem in the neighbourhoods

of KwaMaphumulo.

Table 4.11: The Extent to which the Location of your House Benefits you Relative to its Proximity to the Following Amenities

Strongly Disagree Disagree Neutral Agree

Strongly Agree N

Your workplace 52.5% 18.0% 12.3% 11.5% 5.7% 244

Work opportunities

61.2% 19.8% 9.1% 9.1% 0.8% 242

Schools 6.6% 9.8% 34.4% 36.1% 13.1% 244

Healthcare centres

9.9% 24.8% 28.1% 31.4% 5.8% 242

A shop (including spaza)

24.4% 11.3% 17.4% 36.5% 10.4% 230

Activities done for enjoyment centres

39.7% 28.9% 24.0% 6.6% 0.8% 242

Transportation opportunity

17.5% 11.7% 36.7% 30.0% 4.2% 240

Places of worship 27.9% 23.8% 18.9% 25.4% 4.1% 244

Police station 39.7% 9.1% 19.0% 26.5% 5.8% 242

Bank 73.0% 17.2% 5.7% 3.3% 0.8% 244

Post office 62.3% 6.6% 12.3% 17.2% 1.6% 244

158

Table 4.11 above shows that 52.5% (128Nr) of the two hundred and forty-four (244)

respondents indicated that they strongly disagreed that the location of their house

benefited them regarding proximity to their workplace, 18% (44Nr) disagreed, 12.3%

(30Nr) said that they felt neutral about the statement, 11.5% (28Nr) agreed and lastly

5.7% (14Nr) strongly agreed. This showed that most of the people are not satisfied

with the location of their house, relative to its proximity to their workplace.

Of the two hundred and forty-two (242) respondents, while judging whether the

location of their house benefited them, relative to its proximity to work opportunities,

61.2% (148Nr) strongly disagree with the statement, 19.8% (48Nr) disagreed, 9.1%

(22Nr) felt neutral, 9.1% (22Nr) agreed with the statement and lastly, 0.8% (19Nr) of

the respondents strongly agreed.

This showed that most of the houses are far away from work opportunities.

In giving their opinion on whether the location of your house benefited them relative

to its proximity to schools, the results showed that out of the two hundred and forty-

four (244) respondents 6.6% (16Nr) of the people strongly disagreed, 9.8% (24Nr)

disagreed, 34.4% (84Nr) felt neutral while 36.1% (88Nr) agreed with the statement

and the remaining 13.1% (32Nr) stated that they strongly agreed.

This showed that the location of resident’s houses benefits them regarding their

proximity to schools.

The respondents’ reaction concerning whether the location of your house benefited

them relatively to its proximity to healthcare centres revealed that out of the two

hundred and forty-two (242) respondents 9.9% (24Nr) strongly disagreed with the

statement, 24.8% (60Nr) disagreed while 28.1% (68Nr) felt neutral about the

statement, 31.4% (76Nr) agreed and the remaining 5.8% (14Nr) of the respondents

strongly agreed.

This showed that for most of the respondents the location of their houses does

benefit them regarding its proximity to healthcare centres, although there is room for

improvement

When assessing whether the location of their house benefited them, regarding its

proximity to a shop (including a spaza) out of the two hundred and thirty (230)

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respondents, 24.4% (56Nr) strongly disagreed, 11.3% (26Nr) disagreed, 17% (39Nr)

said that they felt neutral about the statement, 36.5% (84Nr) of the respondents

agreed and lastly the remaining 10.4% (24Nr) of the people said they strongly

agreed.

This showed that most of the people are somewhat satisfied with the location of their

house benefiting them relatively to its proximity to a shop (including a spaza)

however there is still space for improvement.

According to Table 4.11 above, when the respondents were asked whether the

location of your house benefited them, relative to its proximity to recreational centres;

of the two hundred and forty-two (242) respondents, 39.7% (96Nr) strongly

disagreed, 28.9% (70Nr) of the respondents disagreed, 24.0% (58Nr) said they felt

neutral, 6.6% (16Nr) agreed and only 0.8% (2Nr) strongly agreed.

This showed that the proximity of recreational centres did not benefit residents in

terms of the location of their house.

Table 4.11 disclosed that out of the two hundred and forty (240) people, 17.5%

(42Nr) of the respondents stated that they strongly disagreed with the fact that that

the location of their house benefits them relative to its proximity to transportation

opportunities, 11.7% (28Nr) stated they disagree, 36.7% (88Nr) of the respondents

said that they felt neutral, 30.0% (72Nr) said that they agreed and the outstanding

4.2% (10Nr) strongly agreed. These results showed that the proximity of the

respondents’ house to transportation opportunities benefited them.

When questioned about whether the location of their house benefited them regarding

its proximity to places of worship; of the two hundred and forty-four (244)

participants, 27.9% (68Nr) said they strongly disagreed, 23.8% (58Nr) said they

disagreed, 18.9% (46Nr) stated that they felt neutral about the statement while

25.4% (62Nr) agreed and the remaining 4.1% (10Nr) strongly agreed with the fact

that the location of their house benefited them regarding its proximity to places of

worship.

These results showed that the proximity of the respondents house to places of

worship was less than significant.

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The respondents reaction concerning whether the location of their house benefited

them, relatively to its proximity to the police station in KwaMaphumulo revealed that

there abundant attention needs to be paid to boosting police services to make it

reachable for everyone as out of the two hundred and forty-two (242) respondents`

39.7% (96Nr) of the occupants said that they strongly disagreed, whereas 9.1%

(22Nr) ascertained that they disagree, 19.0% (46Nr) agreed it was neutral, 26.5 %

(64Nr) said they agreed and the other 5.8% (14Nr) said they strongly agreed with the

statement.

While giving their judgement on whether the location of their house benefited them

regarding its proximity to the bank revealed that out of the two hundred and forty-four

(244) respondents 73.0% (178Nr) strongly disagreed with this statement, 17.2%

(42Nr) said that they disagreed, 5.7% (14) were neutral, 3.3% (8Nr) of the

respondents stated that they agreed while 0.8% (2Nr) stated that they strongly

agreed with the statement. These results showed that the benefit of the proximity of

the respondents house to the bank was insignificant.

Lastly, The respondent’s answers to the question asking whether the location of their

house benefited them regarding its proximity to the post office showed that out of the

two hundred and forty-four (244) respondents 62.3% (152Nr) strongly disagreed with

the statement, 6.6% (16Nr) said they disagreed, 12.3% (30Nr) of the people felt

neutral about it. 17.2%(42Nr) said they agreed and lastly, 1.6% (4Nr) stated that they

strongly agreed. This showed that overall, the majority of the community showed that

they were not happy with the distance they had to travel to the post office from their

homes and the majority disagreed with the statement that the location of their house

benefiting them relative to its proximity to the post office.


4.7.1 Housing quality in the KwaMaphumulo Local Municipality

This section presents the outcomes of the investigation where focus was on the

housing quality in the KwaMaphumulo Local Municipality. The questions below were

directed at; traditional leaders, the senior town planner, the senior technician the

engineer and the housing manager. The quantitative analysis under the section

housing quality plays an important role in seeking to answer the research question

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as it provides the researcher and the reader with knowledge viewed from the

communities’ point of view and living situation. There seems to be a relationship

between what the community is experiencing and what the relevant stakeholders

have mentioned below. The quality of housing in KwaMaphumulo is poor and can

therefore be a constraint blocking the attainment of sustainable human settlements.

This is further justified by the interviewees below.

How would you define housing quality?

The respondents were able to define housing quality which therefore shows that they

understand what it means. Therefore, the issue is not the lack of understanding but

the resources to implement strategy.

This was explained by IP 10 who stated that, “Quality housing allows the

beneficiaries to grow as individuals. It refers to the physical condition of the house as

well as the social, economic and physical environment surrounding the house. That

was why the government spoke about the housing in human settlements. They

looked into the issue of the quality of the infrastructure because you can build a

house and then find that there is no access to electricity there, no water and that the

house is located far from the city so people residing there miss out on opportunities

for work, social activities and facilities, retail shopping and other services because

the facilities are too far away and expensive to travel to”.

IP 11 defined it by stating that, “Housing Quality is the main component that must be

well defined and checked before a project is started. We do geotechnical

assessments by checking the type of soil to ensure that everything is done according

to necessary standards. We also ensure that we compile with the NHBRC, which

guides us in terms of quality, therefore housing quality can be defined as the

sustainability of the physical condition of human settlements.”

IP 12 elaborated on this, saying, “Here in KwaMaphumulo, we have specialists that

includes our quality assurer the NHBRC and here in the department of human

settlements. We have guidelines and policies that we need to follow, and we need to

ensure that when we carry out inspections that we run them according to the

standards laid down and if there are any issues, we make sure that everything is

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redone until it meets the building standards. Therefore, the housing quality speaks to

the guidelines provided by NHBRC and it is our duty to practise them”.

Lastly, IP 13 stated, “Housing quality can be defined as being much greater than just

the quality of the physical characteristics of a unit. It has to take into consideration

everything that makes up a neighbourhood such the distance between the physical

structure and the various amenities that a community needs to nurture its people and

survive today”.

How would you rate the quality of the houses in KwaMaphumulo and what is the cause of this?

The respondents all seemed to have agreed that the quality of housing in

KwaMaphumulo is poor.

This is justified by IP10 who further explains that, “The housing quality in

KwaMaphumulo is bad due to the terrain within KwaMaphumulo. It becomes a

problem if the terrain does not allow for the building of new houses. Another thing is

that you cannot take houses specifically, for example, in KwaMaphumulo and go

build them in Kwaxhosa. You cannot do this as the budget is specifically drawn up

for that area. Therefore, because of the terrain we can no longer accommodate a

thousand (1000) units as planned and maybe four hundred (400) end up being built

which also leads to the backlog not being addressed.

The other main challenge that we face here in KwaMaphumulo when it comes to

housing, is that we only have rural housing. Other types of housing schemes. Even

the houses that are close to the town are rural. Middle-income housing schemes are

not available so as the municipality, we need to diversify our housing schemes and

they need to cater for people who fall into the middle-income group.

Currently there is only low cost housing, which is rural. Especially within the context

of a town, middle-income housing is a necessity because there is a huge demand for

housing in terms of people who are not from the area but wanting to migrate to

KwaMaphumulo get rental accommodation. Therefore, that is one of the key

challenges in KwaMaphumulo. The housing typology does not speak directly to the

needs of people because the current need is middle-income housing.

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However, IP 11 suggested that, “The quality of houses in KwaMaphumulo is

satisfactory as a lot can still be improved. This is caused by the terrain of the area as

majority of the areas are very step and the nature of the soil is not the same

therefore it affects the quality of housing. We sometimes end up building houses in

steep area and end up having to cut and fill somewhere”.

IP12 also agreed with this and added, “that the quality of housing in terms of

infrastructure in KwaMaphumulo is satisfactory however; there is still space for

improvements. In terms of the environment, we have a very unsustainable

environment which makes it hard for us to provide quality services as the terrain of

this area is very bad and the settlement patterns are very scattered, we also find

ourselves in battles with our traditional leaders over land as they do not want to give

out their land very easily and we end up having to stop projects before completion to

fix certain issues.”

“This puts a pause in addressing the needs of the community. Because we have an

issue of water, the houses here do not have a bathroom, we have built a utility room

whereby they are given the choice to turn it into a bathroom or a kitchen, and instead

we put VIP toilets outside”.

Lastly, IP 13 revealed that, “The quality of housing in KwaMaphumulo is bad, the

municipality could definitely do better. When you compare the houses that are

provided here with those that are provided in cities you can see thee inequality

experienced in rural areas. This is caused by the lack of competent political leaders.

Tenders are given based on who is the favourite and corrupt. The communities are

the ones who end up suffering as they are the ones who must live in these houses

while these politicians go and live their fancy lives”.

To your understanding, what is a sustainable living environment?

Interviewees seemed to understand what a sustainable living environment

comprises.

IP 10 went on to describe it as, “A sustainable living environment would be an

environment that allows one to thrive for instance, firstly in terms of the environment,

it must be clean, it must be conducive so that a person is able to live, work and

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generate an income, meaning that you should have the basic essential needs

available in that environment.”

“The distance between your place of work and where you stay should be close

instead of travelling kilometres just to get to work. You should also be able to

generate an income, have easy access to shopping centres, primary health care

facilities, because living is not only about the roof over your head. That is what

sustainability concerning a living environment is essentially about”.

IP 11 added to this by also adding, “I think it is about ensuring that the community is

satisfied and happy with whatever you are providing them with. It is ensuring that the

community within the area is sustained so that they do not migrate to other areas

that are providing them with better opportunities and their needs by providing them

with housing, electricity, water, schools and sport fields. Here we only have primary

and high schools; the youth end up leaving to go to eThekwini to obtain higher

education therefore we need to have more FET/TVTs in KwaMaphumulo so we can

keep up with the needs of the community”.

IP 12 enlightened the researcher by stating, “We have to remember that this is a

rural area and it is not an urban area. We deal with rural housing. A sustainable

living environment is an environment that is conducive to its inhabitants therefore it is

an environment that brings people closer to opportunities such as health, education,

economic just to name few”.

Lastly IP 13 briefly stated, “A sustainable living is the ability of communities to not

waste, damage or harm the earth’s resources for the future generations to come”.

Would you say that KwaMaphumulo is a sustainable living environment?

Why?

Most of the participants do not believe that KwaMaphumulo is a sustainable living

environment, this is further explained by firstly IP10 who alluded and explained, “Not

really, to be honest because KwaMaphumulo has many challenges for one the

terrain so it is a challenge for development. In addition, the infrastructure, we do not

have bulk infrastructure like a water borne system. If we had this system, then we

would be able to have proper sanitary facilities.”

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“Currently we must put a septic tank in order to have access to water. And also the

KwaMaphumulo population is not densifying, it is still sparsely populated which

becomes a challenge for infrastructure to hold up because its more expensive, while

you can electrify ten (10) houses built closely together but then ten (10) houses far

away from each other by kilometres becomes a problem because we have to stretch

the road and get more electric cables so that we can reach those ten (10) houses.”

“If you look at the city, it is easier to have and make access roads for development.

Therefore, sustainability is a challenge in KwaMaphumulo. In addition, employment/

income generating opportunities is another challenge in KwaMaphumulo because we

have no industries. People must go and seek work far away from their homes. Even

the youth must migrate to a bigger area to go and study because we do not have any

tertiary institutions here in KwaMaphumulo. Even if you have qualifications you

would have to go far or somewhere else to get a job. Therefore, KwaMaphumulo is

not really a sustainable place to live in. You even get in terms of the demographics in

the area, numerous young people in the area are studying and then they leave.”

IP 11 further agreed and explained, “KwaMaphumulo is not a sustainable

environment as we do lack in many aspects such as roads, electricity, housing and

tertiary education just to name a few. We have very limited resources, but we are in

the process of getting there. There are also high levels of political interference,

especially in construction as people eat money and end up not doing the job

resulting in the community suffering because of how greedy people are which ends

up with people getting nothing in terms of services. People with the right

qualifications and skills need to be hired to do their jobs”.

IP 12 added, “KwaMaphumulo is not a sustainable environment as it does not cater

for all the needs of its inhabitants. Many people end up leaving the community to go

live in KwaDukuza, Stanger or eThekwini because of the lack of services and growth

opportunities here. Therefore, the high rate of migration in the area is proof that

KwaMaphumulo is not a sustainable living environment”. Lastly IP 13 also agreed

that KwaMaphumulo is not a sustainable living environment, they mentioned, “No,

this area is not. We need to educate our communities and provide them with

information on how to live a sustainable life. It is also very important to provide them

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with the resources to do, as this is a rural area after all. It will not help providing

people with houses if they cannot live in them or benefit from them”.

What suggestions would you recommend that would enhance the quality of living (house and environment) in KwaMaphumulo?

The recommendation provided by the respondents are important as they could be

used to mitigate the constraints that hinder the development of sustainable human

settlements in KwaMaphumulo. For instance, IP 10 mentioned, “We need to invest in

bulk infrastructure because it would make it easier from a planning point of view. We

need investors to have an appetite to invest KwaMaphumulo. Even you would not

invest in a place that you still need to put in a whole lot of money in terms of laying

out infrastructure.so if we as a municipality in this government make the area

favourable then we would attract investors.”

“This would also encourage the youth to study and attain skills for employment.

Looking at the stats of the youth’s education in the area, many children go to school

but end up dropping out in Grade 9 so very few of them go to tertiary institutions in

this community. We need to raise entrepreneurs and develop certain industries here

for example Woodcutters so we can establish co-operatives around even waste

management. We need young people and women to form co-ops and run these

types of projects then we as a municipality can organise their funding and support.

Housing schemes also need to be diversified since we only have rural housing; we

need to speak to the communities needs for housing”. While IP 11 added that, “I

think we as the municipality together with traditional leaders need to work together

as this will ensure that the community receives the services they need in time as

there is tension between the municipality and traditional leaders with regards to who

owns the land which ends up with the community suffering while they fight with each

other. Therefore, a level of agreement needs to be reached between the two

institutions”.

IP 12 also mentioned that, “If we could ensure the integration of all sectors

concerning providing services such as housing. We need to provide bulk services

before building houses to ensure better quality of both the houses and service. We

need to modernise the type of housing we provide to the KwaMaphumulo community

in a sense that more housing typologies need to be made available to the community

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and not just rural housing alone”. Lastly IP 13 suggested, “We need to develop the

town of KwaMaphumulo as currently, the town is dead. We lack various crucial

services and the infrastructure is extremely lacking. If we could develop the town, we

would open many doors for the area and its people, as investors who will then bring

in money for more development to occur will notice us. Job opportunities will also

open a generally the quality of life of the rural population will increase”.


4.8.1 Part E: Traditional leaders’ collaboration with the municipality in developmental programmes and projects

This question sought to probe on whether the Traditional leaders collaborate with the

municipality in developmental programmes or projects so that they can fulfil the

socio-economic development responsibilities placed upon them by the Constitution

of the Republic of South Africa (Act, 108 of 1996).

Table 4.12: The Extent You Agree or Disagree with the Following

Strongly Agree Agree Neutral Disagree

Strongly Disagree N

Municipality consults with community regarding developmental programmes or projects.

16.5% 28.9% 33.9% 11.6% 9.1% 242

Traditional leaders participate during municipal consultations with the community.

6.7% 28.3% 35.0% 22.5% 7.5% 240

Traditional leaders play an important role in the community.

14.1% 57.9% 13.2% 7.4% 7.4% 242

I attend community meetings held by the traditional leaders.

21.5% 33.9% 25.6% 13.2% 5.8% 242

I attend community meetings held by the municipality.

24.0% 35.5% 18.2% 17.4% 5.0% 242

Feedback from the community is noted by the municipality.

5.9% 41.2% 26.1% 21.0% 5.9% 238

Feedback from the community is noted by the traditional

5.0% 42.5% 25.8% 22.5% 4.2% 240

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leaders.

Feedback sessions are encouraged by the municipality.

5.8% 38.3% 27.5% 18.3% 10.0% 240

Feedback sessions are encouraged by the traditional leaders.

1.7% 34.5% 34.5% 21.9% 7.6% 238

I am happy about the developmental projects or programmes in the community.

1.7% 11.7% 20.0% 27.5% 39.2% 240

Traditional leaders in my community play a positive role in ensuring that developmental programmes or projects are active.

4.2% 17.5% 40.0% 25.8% 12.5% 240

Conflict between the municipality and the traditional leaders is resolved easily.

1.7% 11.6% 26.5% 33.1% 27.3% 242

Traditional leaders are proactive in ensuring that challenges faced by the community are resolved.

8.3% 19.2% 34.2% 23.3% 15.0% 240

Developmental projects or projects in the community speak to critical community needs.

7.4%% 23.0% 32.8% 21.3% 14.8% 244

The municipality and the traditional leaders have a good partnership.

3.3% 11.5% 22.1% 27.1% 36.1% 244

According to Table 4.12 above, when respondents were asked the extent to which

they disagree or agree with whether the KwaMaphumulo municipality consults with

the community regarding developmental programmes or projects, the two hundred

and forty-two (242) respondents indicated that 16.5% (40Nr) strongly agree, 28.9%

(70Nr) of the respondents agree, 33.9% (82Nr) felt neutral about the

statement,11.6% (28Nr) stated they disagree that the KwaMaphumulo Local

Municipality consults with community regarding developmental programmes or

projects while the remaining 9.1% (22Nr) also strongly disagree. This demonstrates

that the KwaMaphumulo Local Municipality does, to an extent, consults with

community regarding developmental programmes or projects.

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With regards to whether the respondents felt that traditional leaders participate

during municipal consultations with community in KwaMaphumulo out of the two

hundred and forty (240) participants, 6.7% (16Nr) stated they strongly agree with the

statement , 28.3% (68Nr) of the respondents alluded they agree, 35.0% (84Nr) felt

neutral, 22.5% (54Nr) disagree and lastly 7.5% (18Nr) of the respondents suggested

that they strongly disagree. This reveals that traditional leaders participate during

municipal consultations with community although there is room for improvement.

Feedback from the respondents in terms whether traditional leaders play an

important role in the community displays that out of the two hundred and forty-two

(242) 14.1% (34Nr) of the respondents strongly agree, 57.9% (140Nr) supposed they

agree, 13.2% (32Nr) felt neutral about the statement, 7.4% (18Nr) of the

respondents disagree and the remaining 7.4% (18Nr) believed they strongly

disagree. This discloses that traditional leaders do play an important role in the

KwaMaphumulo community, as majority of the respondents believe they do.

Table 4.12 indicated that out of the two hundred and forty-two (242) people, 21.5%

(52Nr) of the respondents strongly agree that they do attend community meetings

held by traditional leaders while 33.9% (82Nr) stated that they agree, 25.6% (62Nr)

alluded that they felt neutral with regards to the statement of whether they attend

community meetings held by traditional leaders in the area, 13.2% (32Nr) disagree

with this statement and to sum up 5.8% (14Nr) of the respondents strongly disagree

with this statement. This confirms that majority of the people do attend community

meetings held by traditional leaders in KwaMaphumulo.

Table 4.12 also bared that out of the two hundred and forty-two (242) respondents

24.0% (58Nr) of the respondents strongly agree that they do attend community

meetings held by the municipality while 35.5% (86Nr) stated that they agree with the

statement, 18.2% (44Nr) mentioned that they felt neutral with the statement of

whether they attend community meetings held by the KwaMaphumulo Local

Municipality, 17.4% (42Nr) disagree with this statement and to sum up, the final

5.0% (12Nr) of the respondents strongly disagree with this statement. This confirms

that majority of the people do attend community meetings held by the municipality in

KwaMaphumulo.

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While giving their judgement on feedback from the community by the municipality,

two hundred and thirty-eight (238), 5.9% (14Nr) strongly agreed with this statement,

41.2% (98Nr) say that they agree, 26.1% (62Nr) responded with neutral, 21.0%

(50Nr) of the respondents stated they disagree while 5.9% (14Nr) stated they

strongly disagree with the statement. This posits that the municipality notes feedback

from community as majority of the respondents agree.

The respondents reaction with regards to whether feedback from community is noted

by the traditional leaders in KwaMaphumulo revealed that out of two hundred and

forty (240) people, 5.0% (12Nr) strongly agree, 42.5% (102Nr) agree, 25.8% (62Nr)

of the respondents selected neutral as their opinion, 22.5% (54%) of the respondents

said they disagree and the remaining 4.2% (10%) ascertained they strongly

disagree. This suggests that traditional leader’s notes feedback from community as

most of the persons agree.

The responses for whether feedback sessions are encouraged by the municipality

and revealed that two hundred and forty (240) of the participants, 5.8% (14Nr) of the

people strongly agree, 38.3% (92Nr) said they agree, 27.5% (66Nr) remained neutral

in their response about whether feedback sessions are encouraged by the

municipality in KwaMaphumulo, 18.3% (44Nr) responded by disagreeing and lastly,

10% (24Nr) felt they strongly disagree with the statement. This hypothesizes that

feedbacks sessions are encouraged by municipality however, there is room for

progress.

Reactions on whether feedbacks sessions are encouraged by traditional leaders

exposed that out of two hundred and thirty-eight (238) people, 1.7% (4Nr) of the

respondents strongly agree, 34.5% (82Nr) stated they agree, 34.5 % (82Nr) of the

respondents selected neutral as their opinion, 21.9% (52Nr) of the respondents said

they disagree and the remaining 7.6% (18Nr) ascertained they strongly disagree.

This suggests that the encouragement of feedbacks sessions by traditional leaders

are below the standard expected by the respondents.

Whereas giving their outlook on whether they are happy about the developmental

projects or programmes in the community out of the two hundred and forty (240)

respondents, 1.7% (4Nr) strongly agreed with this statement, 11.7% (28Nr) say that

they agree, 20.0% (48Nr) responded with neutral, 27.5% (66Nr) of the respondents

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stated they disagree while 39.2 (94Nr) stated they strongly disagree with the

statement. This theorizes that people are not happy about the developmental

projects or programmes in the KwaMaphumulo community, therefore developments

can be initiated to mitigate this issue.

When answering whether traditional leaders in the community play a positive role in

ensuring developmental programmes/projects are active in KwaMaphumulo showed

that out of two hundred and forty (240) participants, 4.2% (10Nr) strongly agree,

17.5% (42Nr) agree with this statement, 40.0% (96Nr) responded by stating they felt

neutral about the statement, 25.8% (62Nr) of the people disagree and lastly 12.5%

(30Nr) of the respondents stated they strongly disagree. This illustrates that

traditional leaders need to improve on the role they play in their community in

ensuring developmental programmes/projects are active in KwaMaphumulo as the

respondents do not see it as a positive one.

While giving their view on whether conflict between the municipality and the

traditional leaders is resolved easily out of the two hundred and forty-two (242)

respondents, 1.7% (4Nr) strongly agreed with this statement, 11.6% (28Nr) say that

they agree, 26.5% (64Nr) responded they felt neutral, 33.1% (80Nr) of the

respondents stated they disagree while 27.3% (66Nr) stated they strongly disagree

with the statement. This suggests that conflict between municipality and traditional

leaders is not resolved easily and both entities need to find measures that will allow

them to easily resolve their conflicts.

From Table 4.12 above out of the two hundred and forty (240) respondents, 8.3%

(20Nr) of the responses stated that they strongly agree that traditional leaders are

proactive in ensuring that challenges faced by the community are resolved, 19.2%

(46Nr) agree, 34.2% (82Nr) answered they felt neutral, 23.3% (56Nr) disagree and

the remaining 15.0% (36Nr) strongly disagree with the statement. This shows that

traditional leaders need to do better in ensuring they proactively resolve challenges

faced by the KwaMaphumulo community.

The respondent’s answers concerning whether developmental projects or projects in

the community speak to critical community needs show that out of the two hundred

and forty-four (244) respondents 7.4% (18Nr) strongly agree with this statement,

23.0% (56Nr) said they agree, 32.8% (80Nr) of the people felt neutral in their

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response, 21.3% (52Nr) said that they disagree and lastly, 14.8% (36Nr) stated they

strongly disagree. Therefore, this shows that the developmental projects or projects

in the KwaMaphumulo community satisfactorily speak to critical community needs,

there is space for improvement.

Lastly, the figures provided by the respondents in terms whether the municipality and

traditional leaders have a good partnership displayed that out of the two hundred and

forty-four (244) participants 3.3% (8Nr) of the respondents strongly agree with this

statement, 11.5% (28Nr) agree, 22.1% (54Nr) of the respondents felt neutral about

the statement while 27.1% (66Nr) disagreed and finally, 36.1% of the respondents

strongly disagreed with the statement. This illustrates that the municipality and

traditional leaders do not have a good partnership in KwaMaphumulo.

Table 4.13: The causes of disintegration between municipality and traditional leaders

Variable Strongly Agree

Agree

Neutral

Disagree

Strongly Disagree

N

Fighting for power 44.6% 23.1% 12.4% 15.7% 4.1% 242

Councillors not doing their jobs

35.3% 32.0% 22.1% 8.2% 2.5% 244

Lack of trust between municipality and traditional leaders

35.8% 34.2% 21.7% 6.7% 1.7% 240

Cultural norms of traditional leaders

11.6% 24.8% 32.2% 22.3% 9.1% 242

Corruption in the municipality

60.5% 13.5% 13.5% 9.2% 3.4% 238

Corruption within traditional leaders

30.3% 12.3% 22.1% 26.2% 8.2% 244

In accordance with Table 4.13 above out of the two hundred and forty-two (242)

respondents above, 44.6% (109Nr) of the respondents alluded to the fact they

strongly agree that fighting for power is a cause of disintegration between

municipality and traditional leaders while 23.1% (56Nr) also agreed with the

statement, 12.4% (30Nr) felt that the statement made was neutral, 15.7% (38Nr) of

the respondents disagree and the remaining 4.1% (10Nr) strongly disagree. This

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therefore asserts that their fight for power causes the disintegration between

municipality and traditional leaders as majority of the respondent agree.

While giving their opinion on whether the disintegration between the municipality and

traditional leaders is caused by councillors not doing their jobs out of the two

hundred and forty-four (244) respondents, 35.3% (86Nr) strongly agreed with this

statement, 32.0% (78Nr) say that they agree, 22.1% (54Nr) responded with neutral,

8.2%(20Nr) of the respondents stated they disagree while 2.5% (6.1Nr) stated they

strongly disagree with the statement. This posits that Councillors are not doing their

jobs and is therefore causing disintegration between the municipality and traditional

leaders as majority of the respondents agree.

Feedback from the respondents in terms of whether the lack of trust between

municipality and traditional leaders is a cause for the disintegration between the two

showed that out of the two hundred and forty (240) respondents, 35.8% (86Nr)

strongly agree, 34.2% (82Nr) agree with this statement, 21.7% (52Nr) responded by

stating they felt neutral about the statement, 6.7% (16Nr) disagree and lastly 1.7%

(4Nr) of the respondents stated they strongly disagree. This illustrates the lack of

trust between the municipality and traditional leaders’ causes disintegration between

the two as majority of the respondents agrees.

With regards to whether the cultural norms of traditional leaders is a cause of

disintegration between the municipality and traditional leaders out of the two hundred

and forty-two (242) participants, 11.6% (28Nr) of the respondents strongly agreed

with this statement, 24.8% (60Nr) felt they agree, 32.2% (78Nr) stated they are

neutral with their response to the statement while 22.3% (54Nr) disagreed and the

remaining 9.1% (22Nr) of the respondents strongly disagreed with the statement.

This there affirms that cultural norms of traditional leaders are somewhat of a cause

in the disintegration between the municipality and traditional leaders.

The respondents reaction with regards to whether the disintegration between the

municipality and traditional leaders is caused by the corruption in the municipality

revealed that out of the two hundred and thirty-eight (238) respondents 60.5%

(144Nr) strongly agree, 13.5% (32Nr) agree, 13.5% (32Nr) of the respondents

selected neutral as their opinion, 9.2% (22Nr) of the respondents said they disagree

and the remaining 3.4% (8Nr) ascertained they strongly disagree. This suggests that

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there is corruption in the municipality, and it causes disintegration between the

municipality and the traditional leaders.

Lastly, the figures provided by the respondents in terms whether disintegration

between the municipality and traditional leaders is caused by corruption within

traditional leaders displayed that out of the two hundred and forty-four (244)

participants 30.3% (74Nr) of the respondents strongly agree with this statement,

12.3% (30Nr) agree, 22.1% (54Nr) of the respondents felt neutral about the

statement while 26.2% (64Nr) disagreed and finally, 8.2% (20Nr) of the respondents

strongly disagreed with the statement. This illustrates that there is somewhat

corruption within traditional leaders, and it could be a cause in the disintegration

between the municipality and traditional leaders.

Figure 4.8: Extent of underdevelopment in the area (n = 240)

Looking at Figure 4.8 as to whether the responses above affect underdevelopment in

the area out of two hundred and forty (240) respondents, 1.7% (4Nr) felt that

underdevelopment in KwaMaphumulo is “not really seriously affected by the

responses from Figure 4.8, 11.7% (28Nr) stated it somewhat seriously affects the

area, 39.2% (94Nr) trust that the factors listed in Figure 4.11 affect KwaMaphumulo

1.7% 11.7%

39.2%

47.5%

Not really serious Somewhat serious Quite Serious Very serious

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quite seriously and the remaining 47.5% (14Nr) believe that they affect the

underdevelopment seriously in KwaMaphumulo.

This illustrates that the underdevelopment in KwaMaphumulo is affected by the

factors that cause disintegration between municipality and traditional leaders.


4.9.1 Part E: Traditional leaders’ collaboration with the municipality in developmental programmes or projects

This question sought to probe on whether the traditional leaders collaborate and

work well with the municipality in developmental programmes or projects. Traditional

leaders, ward councillors, ward committee members, municipal manager, and induna

were investigated using the below questions. The quantitative questions that speak

to this section allowed the researcher to understand the dynamics of the relationship

between the community, traditional leaders and the municipality, these dynamic

where then future explained by the diverse stakeholders under this qualitative

section.

What is your contribution in ensuring that developmental programmes or projects occur in your community?

The respondents are well informed of their responsibilities in ensuring that they

contribute in ensuring that developmental programmes or projects in

KwaMaphumulo occur For example, IP 14 stated that, “My contribution is to ensure

that the community needs are known to the municipality and that the developmental

programmes and projects initiated are completed. I have to ensure that I conduct

public meetings so that people are given a platform to voice out their opinions and

forward them to the municipality and I await their response”.

IP 15 mentioned that , “The point of departure in community development is to hold

public meetings in order to listen to the community so that they can us what they

need and so I know what I can do to better their quality of life. After hearing those

needs, I take them to the relevant departments, one being the municipality. I then

have to ensure feedback and ensure that those basic needs are delivered.”

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IP 16 added, “Our role as the traditional council is to identify developmental needs of

the community. We then engage with the necessary department for example, if there

is no clinic in an area that needs one, us as the chiefs must then liaison with the

department of health. Traditional leaders need to work with all the government

departments because the communities need services from the various departments.

Therefore, working with all the government departments is the starting point towards

developing KwaMaphumulo. And ensuring services are provided”.

What developmental projects or programmes are you involved in to empower your community?

IP 14 stated that, “I am currently working with a consultant that goes by the name

‘Siyezwa’ it is accredited to teach subjects taught in FET’s so we have identified

schools that have closed down due to low enrolment so we want to renovate those

schools and find learners that will be taught those subjects that are provided in FET’s

such as carpentry, plumbing and bricklaying just to name a few. We are also

planning to work with a company called ‘iThuba’, as there is land that was given back

to us that was taken years ago from the community, so now that we have it back, we

want iThuba to provide us with machinery so the community can grow crops and sell

them to make a form of income.”

IP 15 said, “I need to ensure that there is a supply of water which we get through

water tanks and pipelines and electricity not taking away from the fact that we do

experience problems. I need to ensure that the building and the maintenance of

halls, crèches and schools, we had schools that received toilets this year. I need to

ensure the building of RDP houses, the maintenance of roads and the building of

bridges, facilitating the issue of social needs including grants, identification

documents and certificates, ensuring that job opportunities are created through CWP

and EPWP programmes. “

“We also assist matriculants with registration fees, we also facilitate career

guidelines and latent expo and lastly I also assist organised structures such as

cooperatives and NGO’s, CBO’s and NPO’s to get funding and assistance from the

municipality.”

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IP 16 said, “We find ourselves in an awkward situation as our communities come to

us and tell us their needs or problems but we are not recognized by the municipality.

We have no say in the final decisions or the voting rights, so I cannot say I’m

involved in any developmental programmes or projects as I do not have any input or

simply I am not included in any of them. I’m only included when they need to develop

something on my land”.

What are the objectives of the above projects?

The common response with regards to the objectives of the projects is to ensure for

the continuous development of KwaMaphumulo and improvement of quality of life of

the community. IP 14 justified this by stating, “Our main purpose is to ensure the

development of the KwaMaphumulo community in various ways such as providing

them with work opportunities and sustain themselves”. IP 15 further added and said,

“The objectives of these projects is to change the lives of the people in

KwaMaphumulo by dealing with the triple challenges which are unemployment,

inequality and poverty”.

How successful are these projects?

Based on the respondents perceptions, the success of these projects still need to be

worked on in order for them to be considered successful which will in turn play a

huge role in the sustainability of the rural area as IP 14 mentioned, “Although we are

not perfect we do try to ensure that we come out of these programmes and projects

with the best outcome we can as we have an issue of not having the necessary

resources and capacity to ensure 100% success”.

IP 15 mentioned, “We still have a long way to go but we are gradually getting there

so I cannot speak about success right now as there is still a lot that we need to do.

We experience contextual factors such as delayed or unfinished projects,

communities stopping the projects due to dissatisfaction just to name a few”.

What type of challenges are you facing in terms of ensuring that developmental projects or programmes occur?

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With regards to the challenges faced by the relevant stakeholders in terms of

ensuring that the developmental projects or programmes occur, the responses were

quite similar as most mention that finances is a problem.

IP 14 mentioned, “We have an issue that when there is a project, people who are

hired demand money that is beyond their pay grade therefore they end up striking

which slows down the development in the area. We do inform them that we use the

EPWP rate that runs across all provinces and therefore we cannot divert and give

them more money. We also have a challenge of limited resources and you would

find that many projects stop half way, this is mainly caused by the lack of monitoring

as there are hardly any project steering committee meetings that would’ve enabled

problem identification before money was wasted to start the project or programme”.

However, IP 15 alluded, “We face issues such as turnaround time by the

departments and municipality. When we make request, you would find that they take

a long time to respond. We also have a challenge of financial constraints that are

experienced but our own municipality and the department as our government is not

good with handling finances for example if we go to the Department of Transport and

ask for the maintenance of roads they will tell us that they do not have money.

Another issue is climate change as it has an impact on the issues of projects not

going well as roads are destroyed due to the drastic weather conditions, heavy rains

also destroy a lot of our infrastructure just to give a few examples. But the main one

is defiantly finance to carry out development in the area”.

IP16 stated “” majority of this land is traditionally owned therefore before a project is

proposed, we as the traditional council need to be made aware of it, however, it does

not happen that way , the importance of our roles in the communities is overlooked

by the municipality which affects development in the area, we also are faced with a

challenge of funds, therefore many needed projects by the community and area

cannot be carried out because of that”

How are you currently addressing these challenges?

The respondents had different views on how to they are currently addressing the

above mentioned challenges, for instance IP 14 stated that, “We try to address them,

we asked the municipal officials that when there is a project or a programme being

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introduced to the community, they need to identify a project steering committee that

will include a pastor, traditional leaders ward committee members and the necessary

stakeholders from that company and municipal officials who will meet on a monthly

basis and they agreed. With regards to limited resources there is not much that we

can do as we are a rural municipality therefore the only way out is to develop this

area so that skilled people will want to stay and investors will want to invest in us

because of the potential they see”.

IP 15 mentioned that, “I cannot really say that there is a way we are addressing

these challenges. All we do is wait for the money to become available or made

available. All we can do is keep pressurizing the municipality and departments to

ensure that they provide to the community’s needs”.

IP 16 stated “although we do try to resolve our problems through meetings, we

always find ourselves in similar situations therefore I cannot say that we are

addressing the our challenges in an efficient manner”

How is your relationship with the municipality / traditional leaders?

The relationship between traditional leaders and the municipality needs to be

addressed as they face some issues when it comes to working together, for instance

IP 14 validates this by stating, “There is a lot of tension between us and the

municipality, I cannot say why but we are struggling to work well together as our

belief system are different.”

IP 15 opinion differs as they stated, “We have a fairly okay relationship even though

we do have our own disagreements sometimes but we try by all means to work well

with the traditional leaders by giving them the respect that they want even though

they have their grievances that we try to solve. We follow the municipal systems act

that requires traditional leaders to sit in structural meetings including portfolio

meetings, subcommittee meetings and council meetings just to name a few.”

IP 16 mentioned, “Our relationship with the municipality is rocky, there are too many

issues that need to be solved in order for us to get along well”

How do you involve the municipality/traditional leaders in supporting developmental programmes or projects in the community?

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There still needs to be direction in terms of how both the dominant institutions

involve each other in supporting developmental programmes or projects in the

community.

This is seen in the response provided by IP 14, who stated, “That is a difficult

question to answer, but we involve traditional leaders in all developmental processes

but the issue is that traditional leaders do not have a decision making right, they just

sit, listen and engage but they cannot decide on the decisions as decisions cannot

be taken by people who will not account if something goes wrong. Traditional leaders

also do not have a voting right, but their inputs are taken into consideration”.

IP 15 added, “I always make sure that I inform the traditional leaders with all the

developmental projects and other projects that are going to be implemented. We

also provide them with reports and feedback on the various stages and processes of

all developments. Whenever I have a public meeting, I always invite traditional

leaders to all public meetings that I hold. We also have consultative meetings

whereby only the leaders meet and discuss the process of the project or programme

that are taking place. We also have PSC meetings, which include service providers,

traditional leaders and councillor to discuss that specific project”.

IP 16 suggested, ‘’ the community brings their suggestions, needs or pleads to us,

we then discuss it with the municipality and relevant stakeholders”

Does the municipality have any programmes to improve the relationship between itself and the traditional leaders?

Based on the responses, it seems that there is no programme currently available to

improve the relationship between the municipality and traditional leaders.

This is further justified by IP 14 who stated, “No we do not have programmes to

improve our relationship with the traditional leaders, but it is very important that we

develop one as the community is the one that suffers because of the tension

between the two institutions. People hold grudges against one another and forget

that they are here to serve the community”.

IP 15 mentions, “We experienced many challenges this year and the traditional

leaders ended up voicing their frustrations and dissatisfaction in a meeting and we

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ended up discussing a forward to ensure that their grievances are solved. So, I am

hoping for a much better working relationship between the traditional leaders and us

now. These grievances included that the traditional leaders also want compensation

for attending meetings, as well as giving them respect when we invite them to

meetings as traditional leaders.

IP 16 adds to this by briefly explaining, “No, the municipality does not, but it is

definitely something this community needs”

What do you think can be done in ensuring that the municipality and the traditional leaders work together in developing programmes or projects within the community?

In response to the above question, IP14 believes that, “It is important that traditional

leaders are given the chance to make decisions as it is useless for them to attend

meetings to just sit and listen. COGTA needs to train traditional leaders so that they

can make well informed decisions and have an understanding on how a municipality

operates and why they do what they do. This will also help them with addressing

issues the right way through the proper communication channels”.

IP 15 added to this by mentioning, “We need more consultative meetings with all the

stakeholders whereby people voice out the way they feel. We also need to develop

team-building gatherings whereby we only discuss issues as the leaders of

KwaMaphumulo. Traditional leaders also need a fair share of all the projects that are

being implemented as development happens on their land as all eleven wards are

under AmaKhosi. They must be given responsibilities and tasks in all projects. It will

also help if traditional leaders can be mandated to assess, evaluate and report

openly to the public about projects. They must be given a chance to comment and to

criticise about everything that is taking place in the community. I think that will help

build our relationship with the traditional leaders.”

IP 16 added, ‘’ we need to be more involved in all developmental processes that re

initiated by the municipality and community. There also needs to be regular meetings

between the various stakeholders so that any issues are brought to light and

discussed. We also need to develop ways to get funding as we are a rural

municipality, this can be done through transferring skills to communities who will then

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start their own ventures in KwaMaphumulo in order for money to start flowing within

the municipality instead of it going out’’

4.10 Conclusion

These research key findings show how the constraints in attaining sustainable

human settlements affect the living conditions of the KwaMaphumulo community

which results in the constitution of barriers behind which people are trapped in

underdeveloped conditions. As mentioned in the research problem statement,

stakeholders are aware of the poor living conditions experienced by communities but

no proactive measures seem to be working and new ones initiated.

Rural areas are at a great disadvantage in relation to urban areas as far as the

provision of basic infrastructural facilities and services such as roads, drinking water,

electricity, schools, hospitals, police protection, transport and communications are

concerned. Not only are these public facilities and amenities inadequate in rural

areas but they are also very poorly organized and undependable which therefore

leads to KwaMaphumulo being stuck, from generation to generation, in a poverty

trap. Thus, it is important for the KwaMaphumulo Local Municipality to try to find

solutions and strategies to combat poverty in the lives of the communities which will

be discussed in the chapter to follow.

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CHAPTER FIVE: CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

5.1 INTRODUCTION

Chapter Five provides an overview of the study, summarizes the main findings from

the study, answers the research objectives, draws conclusions and makes

recommendations.

5.2 OVERVIEW OF THE STUDY

This study identified that there is an apparent constraint in the attainment of

sustainable human settlements in KwaMaphumulo.

It set out to answer a principal question of: “what are the constraints in attainment of

sustainable human settlements in KwaMaphumulo Local Municipality?”

The following research questions were identified:

What are the reasons for the minimal provision of public services in the

KwaMaphumulo Local Municipality?

Do developmental projects or programmes in the KwaMaphumulo Local

Municipality contribute to sustainable development?

What is the quality of low cost housing in the KwaMaphumulo Local

Municipality?

Do Traditional leaders work well with the municipality to ensure the

developmental programmes or projects?

The aim of the study formulated in Chapter One was to investigate the constraints of

sustainable human settlement development in the KwaMaphumulo Local

Municipality, its impact and the measures that can be taken to combat

stagnant/underdevelopment in the area.

To achieve it, the following objectives were pursued in the study:

To establish factors for the dearth of public services in the KwaMaphumulo

Local Municipality;

To evaluate the contribution of developmental programmes or projects to

sustainable development ;

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To assess the quality of low cost housing in the KwaMaphumulo Local

Municipality;

To ascertain the level of participation of traditional leaders in municipal

developmental programmes or projects; and

To provide recommendations on how the constraints of sustainable human

settlement development can be mitigated to develop sustainable human

settlements in rural areas of the KwaMaphumulo Local Municipality.

A review of the literature was undertaken and key issues were discussed that

revealed , despite twenty-five (25) years of democracy and a constitution that

governs all citizens equally, creating sustainable human settlements requires money,

capacity, suitable land, infrastructure and visionaries or sustainable designs and

materials which KwaMaphumulo faces a dearth of. The constraints faced in

delivering sustainable human settlements in KwaMaphumulo were investigated and

legislation, strategies and stakeholders who are the drivers of change were identified

and discussed.

Efforts made since the dawn of democracy in 1994 have been geared towards

ameliorating the negative consequences of economic, agricultural, social and

political exclusion and marginalization of the rural dwellers. Many policy and

institutional measures have been put in place in order to improve the lives of the

rural communities and the regenerate rural economies but have had limited

successes as seen in KwaMaphumulo.

Service delivery in rural areas is more costly than in urban areas and it is a key

challenge for governments at all levels. Rural policy needs to act as a platform

coordinating national and sub-national resources to guarantee access to services

and to identify public goods that are conducive to sustainable human settlements in

rural areas.

It would be too simplistic to state that bottom up approaches do not necessarily lead

to more sustainable outcomes than top down approaches. In research conducted in

Cape Town, titled “Unexpected negative outcomes of community participation in low-

cost housing projects in South Africa”, Lazarralde and Massyn (2008:14) argue that

the bottom up approach or community participation is not always an effective way to

achieve sustainable outcomes

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Rural migration, which is an implication caused by the living conditions faced in rural

areas, when regarding its effects of it from place of destination and place of origin

aspect was also captured. It was discovered that there firstly there needs be a

customized definition of what sustainable human settlement is in rural areas and it

needs to the speak to the rural and urban context separately because of the large

dissimilarities between the two worlds as the researcher believes that sustainable

human settlements in rural areas will never be achieved if the development of rural

areas is centred and measured around urban blueprints.

Following up on the literature review, an empirical study was undertaken, which

involved a case study that was conducted using closed ended questionnaires and

face-to-face interviews. The interviews were used to establish stakeholders’

perceptions in terms of the constraints faced in KwaMaphumulo affecting the

attainment of a sustainable human settlement, the questionnaires were used to

gather the perceptions of the community as they experience first-hand the setting of

the environment.

The results were then drawn on how these perceptions influence the attainment of

sustainable human settlements. The researcher then made recommendations on

how these constraints can be mitigated to achieve sustainable human settlements in

a rural area like KwaMaphumulo.”

A summary of the key empirical findings is presented below.

5.3 SUMMARY OF KEY EMPIRICAL FINDINGS

The research questions were answered by the different empirical data collected. The

summary of key empirical findings is recorded and compared to each research

question asked. Questionnaires and interviews were both used to answer the same

research questions and collected concurrently.

5.3.1 Research question 1: What are the reasons for the minimal provision of public services in the KwaMaphumulo Local Municipality?

From the research findings, many factors were highlighted that contribute to the

minimal provision of public services in KwaMaphumulo. These factors included, but

were not limited to the lack of cohesion between municipality and the traditional

leaders, finances, natural and artificial physical features of KwaMaphumulo, political

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interferences, corruption, dearth of appropriate personnel and the migration of skilled

community members

The face-to-face interviews that were conducted affirmed many of the factors that

emerged from the case studies’ findings. There were also additional factors

emphasised which included; cost consideration, employment creation, proper

planning and professional consultants’ knowledge and experience terrain, lack of

funds, political influences, segregation of settlements, the non-involvement of many

government departments.

Therefore, the research established that most municipalities that are largely rural

lack capacity to render municipal services to their local communities. Section 153(a)

and (b) of the 1996 Constitution clearly stipulates the development duties of all

municipalities in the country, which are to structure and manage its administrative as

well as budgeting and planning processes, to give priority to the basic needs and to

promote the social and the economic development of the community; and to

participate in national and provincial development programmes. From the above

constitutional provisions, it can be deduced that municipalities must develop an

adequate plan and budget that will assist in rendering municipal services. Most

importantly, in the planning through an integrated development planning and

budgeting, relevant role players must be consulted to ensure that the views solicited

are as broad and as wide as possible.”

5.3.2 Research question 2: Do developmental projects or programmes in the KwaMaphumulo Local Municipality contribute to sustainable development?

This research question was specifically addressed in the exploratory survey and

face-to-face interviews. The exploratory survey revealed the following perceptions:

the developmental programmes or projects do not contribute to sustainable

development as community members are not satisfied with the ones available.

Which is in alignment with the opinions gained from interviews as the various

stakeholders stated that there is much more that the municipality and the relevant

stakeholders need to do to ensure sustainability had the following effect on the

execution of human settlement projects not implemented. Stakeholders cannot keep

running to the excuses of not having funds, innovative approaches need to be

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developed for rural communities to start being independent environments which will

be explained later in the chapter

The success or the failure of development projects may be determined by the extent

to which communities are involved, as opposed to deciding on community projects

without the contribution of communities. According to Theron (2008:101), the idea of

participation by the beneficiaries of development is twice as compulsory in all

development proposals as part of the community participation strategy.”

5.3.3 Research question 3: What is the quality of low cost housing in the KwaMaphumulo Local Municipality?

The above research question was explicitly addressed during the face-to-face and

questionnaires interviews conducted with various SHS stakeholders and community

households. The main perceptions as highlighted above had the following effects on

the quality of low cost housing it was established that sometimes housing projects

fail because they are planned, executed and monitored without the knowledge of all

the relevant stakeholders. Municipalities must create platforms for multi-stakeholder

collaboration. Collaboration between the public and the private companies should be

encouraged. Collaboration works well where there is trust that develops through

communication.

5.3.4 Research question 4: Do Traditional leaders work well with the municipality to ensure developmental programmes or projects?

This researcher question revealed that there is a need to recognise the cultural

difference between the two institutions; to understand their language and cultural

protocols; and to develop a trust relationship with communities. In addition, Davids,

Theron and Maphunye (2011:2) make an important point that contextual issues,

such as past and present experiences, circumstances, perceptions, values and

beliefs, inform the meaning of development.

The research established that traditional leaders and ward councillors undermine

each other. The problem between these two institutions is a result of the competition

that exists between them over recognition of which institution performs the best,

instead of sharing responsibilities and helping each other toward achieving the same

goal of servicing and developing the lives of the communities. Traditional leaders are

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also concerned about the approach used for community development, which is

through the invading of traditional affairs by overlooking them and implementing

development programmes in their area without proper consultations. This challenge

can only be resolved by redefining and clarifying the roles to be played by traditional

leaders in developing their communities”

5.4 CONCLUSIONS

5.4.1 Objective 1: Establish factors for the dearth of public services in the KwaMaphumulo Local Municipality

It is important to recognise that the effects of apartheid remain writ large through our

country. Historically, traditional authority areas and areas in which homelands were

designated were particularly underdeveloped. Objective 1 was achieved through the

investigation of the constraints faced in attaining sustainable human settlements in

KwaMaphumulo, with the help of questionnaires and face-to-face interviews of

various stakeholders.

The various factors that are to be considered for the dearth of public services in

KwaMaphumulo have been revealed by this study. KwaMaphumulo faces a

particular challenge in the form of relatively high costs of service delivery due to a

number of factors: Lower density populations, Larger distances that have to be

travelled by service users and service providers, small numbers of people in any

location that preclude economies of scale, dearth of appropriate personnel, lack of

cohesion between municipality and traditional leaders, finances of the municipality,

educational level of municipal officials, natural and artificial physical features of

KwaMaphumulo, politics and corruption in municipality, lack of skills of municipal

officials migration of skilled community members.

5.4.2 Objective 2: Evaluate the contribution of developmental programmes or projects to sustainable development

This objective was achieved through responses gathered from questionnaires and

interviews related to the seeking the constraints faced in attaining sustainable human

settlements in KwaMaphumulo. The discussions have provided a breakdown of

interviewees’ views regarding the perceptions and questionnaires allowed the

researcher to obtain large amounts of information from a sample of the community

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regarding the contribution of developmental programmes/projects. Overall, these

perceptions were found to be adequate and correlated with one another. The

insights of stakeholders have been effectively disclosed in the themes that

developed.

5.4.3 Objective 3: Approve and assess the quality of low cost housing in the KwaMaphumulo Local Municipality

Objective 3 was accomplished. The interviewees’ perceptions and questionnaire

responses from the community members regarding the quality of low cost housing in

KwaMaphumulo have provided a record of their experiences and opinions, which

provides some valuable insights into the impacts of how the quality of low cost

housing in KwaMaphumulo is a constraint in attaining sustainable human

settlements. In order to promote the development goals of the state and to create

economic opportunities such as employment it is important to ensure living

environments that are conducive. Therefore, KwaMaphumulo needs to ensure

infrastructure development as in the context of this study, infrastructure development

refers to the enhancement of physical structures by municipalities in cooperation with

local stakeholders including traditional leaders and community-based organisations.

The better the living environments that are closer and integrated within places that

will better their quality of life.

5.4.4 Objective 4: Ascertain the level of participation of traditional leaders in the municipal developmental programmes or projects

This objective was reached. The questionnaires provided the researcher with how

the community perceived the relationship between traditional leaders in municipal

development programmes and the interviews enabled the researcher to understand

the dynamic relationship between the two institutions. It is important to note that local

government is the first point of contact between an individual and a governmental

institution. Thornhill (2008) implies that it is the sphere of government that is closest

to the people (Letsholo, 2006) thus, it should be capable to negotiate development

(Paradza, 2010). The Municipal Systems Act of 2000 entrusts elected leaders

(especially ward councillors and committee members) with the responsibility of

meeting community members quarterly to give updates on the progress with the

implementation of development programs and projects.

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According to Nyalunga (2006:44), a ward councillor is the most direct form of access

people have to their government. He or she becomes the person that communities

go to for any government-related problem for direct advice and support. A ward

councillor is a chairperson of the ward committee in that ward. He or she is a link

between the municipality and the people in that he or she takes issues raised by the

ward committee to the municipal council and vice versa. However, the value of

traditional leaders is never to be forgotten as they play a crucial role in the

livelihoods of their communities

5.4.5 Objective 5: Provide recommendations on how the constraints of sustainable human settlement development can be mitigated in rural areas of the KwaMaphumulo Local Municipality

The framework, data analysis and recommendations have provided explanations on

how constraints in attaining sustainable human settlements in rural areas can be

pragmatically alleviated. The interviewees have recommended various approaches,

which can be adopted, while the theoretical framework also offers a variety of

supplementary tried and tested solutions. This objective was achieved and is

reflected in the recommendation paragraphs. However, it is important to note that

development should be mainly focused on rural areas because the poverty that

exists in the world is predominantly rural (Pade-Khene, Mallinson & Sewry,

2011:188) and if reduced, it may positively influence the entire world’s problem of

poverty and unemployment.

It is important for municipalities to produce municipal reports as the objectives of the

municipal reports are to provide an informational overview of the environmental

situation of the municipality, reviewing the demographic and social context, the

economic context, land and human settlements, movement and transport,

infrastructure and service provision, and the environment. The municipal reports then

provide a review of the governance situation in each municipality, and a high-level

review of municipal capacity, looking at general staffing, management, financial and

governance information as well as details on capacity by function.

It is also important for practitioners to develop the definition of what it means to be a

sustainable living environment in rural areas much like KwaMaphumulo. The

definition of sustainable human settlements in rural areas is very much unclear as

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little research has focused on that. Policies, projects and programmes need to

develop based on that definition so that rural problems can start the process of being

solved. Rural areas have experienced the issues they face even after South Africa

became a democratic country more than twenty-five (25) years ago, when will there

be a realisation that the way in which rural poverty is being combatted is not

sustainable, instead migration is growing in rural areas and that should inform us that

the current strategies that are in place are not working.

5.4.6 General Conclusions

This study has critically examined the constraints in attainment of sustainable human

settlement in KwaMaphumulo, KwaZulu-Natal. This research site was identified

because it is one of the sites that had witnessed high levels of inequality, poverty

and migration of multitudes mainly to big metropolitan cities such as Durban and

Johannesburg (but also elsewhere such as Stanger), and could therefore be useful

as an example in this regard.

The study revealed that there is an ever-growing demand for social, economic and

environmental development in rural areas therefore suggesting that the South

African government needs to follow a different process of sustainable human

settlement development in lieu of the current providing strategy. The study revealed

that there is an ever-growing demand for subsidized housing in rural areas

suggesting that there needs to be a variety of housing typologies that will open more

doors as while the researcher was conducting fieldwork, it was also discovered that

majority of the people who work in KwaMaphumulo do not even reside there

themselves because of the limited

Larger households could also indicate a degree of mutual aid needed not just for

familial reasons, but to cope with the effects of apartheid and unemployment.

However, rural communities always developed coping strategies, but is evident that

these coping strategies are not sustainable as the quality of life in rural areas,

particularly KwaMaphumulo seems to be getting worse. This is proved by the high

migration weight in the area which is backed up.”

According to Global Insight’s 2009 estimates, 15.9 million South Africans live in

poverty; and of these, eleven (11) million people, representing sixty-nine percent

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(69%) of all South Africans that live in poverty, live in rural areas. Poor households in

rural areas depend on a combination of subsistence agriculture, social grants and

remittances from family members working in the cities or mines. Household assets

are often tied to traditional forms of land tenure, making it difficult for households to

leverage their assets to generate wealth.

The challenges of poverty and unemployment are compounded by limited access to

basic municipal services such as water, sanitation and electricity, as well as a lack of

good quality social services (education, health and ambulances) and transport

services (roads and buses).”

When looking at rural development, it is important for us to discuss rural-urban

migration as the various aspects that influence it play an important role in achieving

sustainable human settlements. The UN reported that: “Between 2000 and 2025 the

world’s proportion of urbanised populations is expected to rise from forty-seven

percent (47%) to over sixty percent (60%)”. It is clear that such growth in urban

areas is not only based on natural growth, but also on rural migration, given

changing circumstances in world economy as well as urbanisation trends which

normally attract more and more people to big cities as a result of rural areas

embodying high levels of poverty and low levels of service delivery and

infrastructure.

Various factors associated with attaining sustainable human settlements in rural

areas are normally based on the hope of improving economic and social conditions.

People are moving to cities in the hope of getting better paying job opportunities in

urban industries, or gaining easier access to a better quality of social services, such

as tertiary education, the health sector, a variety of entertainment services and

shopping facilities, sophisticated technology and communication networks, which are

absent in rural areas.”

Government policy, initially through the rural development strategy (1995) and the

rural development framework (1997), began the process of prioritising the

transformation of rural areas from ‘surplus labour reserves’ into dynamic local

economies that can provide sustainable self-employment opportunities and

remunerative jobs. However, the economic constraints associated with leaving the

area will remain a critical matter in determining the movement of people. While these

193

reasons appear to be central, they may also be said to be ‘socially irresponsible and

individually beneficial’. This causes the community left behind to have difficulty of

having to deal with a lack of development, poverty and disease, or to contemplate

leaving themselves. Neither of these alternatives would benefit the local community.”

This research has further demonstrated that this trend in migration patterns is a

global one and need not, in any sense of the word, be treated as a peculiarly South

African notion. International as it may be, this notion, however, is very critical in

South Africa as this country is a dual economy. There are vast differences between

Black and White, urban and rural, formal and informal sectors etc. It is for this reason

that local governments, including those from KwaZulu-Natal and KwaMaphumulo in

particular, must take reasonable and serious steps in trying to curb migration. A

number of rural development programmes are currently pursuing this objective,

including land reform and restitution programmes and various LED initiatives.”

The critical challenge in the short term is to ensure that municipal spending is

aligned with local developmental needs and priorities. In the medium term, rural

municipalities need to ensure that they raise own revenues in accordance with their

fiscal capacity to reduce their dependence on national transfers and optimise their

ability to deliver services and facilitate development. Despite the land reform and the

restitution programmes in motion in KwaMaphumulo, most of them service for no

purpose as communities are given the land that they are unable to use to their

highest advantaged as they do not have the skills or the equipment to do so.”

These initiatives invariably involve the development of the area of KwaMaphumulo,

which will have two positive spin-offs. On the one hand, job opportunities created will

help in fighting poverty and underdevelopment in the community while retaining skills

that are needed locally. On the other hand, sustainable development will start to

shape, and more financial resources will be ploughed back into development

projects.

Leaders are failing to put their political differences aside to the benefit of

development and are focussed on internal battles rather than on community

development or service delivery. Besides, some respondents alluded to the fact that

the chief is uneducated and therefore does not understand the complexities of the

task of development. The problem with this is that it exacerbates the problem of

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sustainable human settlements, because people will move to find better

opportunities in urban areas rather than stay in an undeveloped area. This lack of

development is in terms of both human resources, economic, environmental, social

development as well as infrastructural development. The existing literature and

research on sustainable rural human settlements needs to emerge and be dominant

as underdevelopment in rural areas has been a serious issue.

On the other hand, the above studies reflect that unsustainable patterns in

developing countries are influenced by many factors other than economic

improvement. The South African housing policy does not propose subsidies as the

main tool to deliver houses to the poor. Instead, subsidies are viewed as an interim

system, which is dependent on the growth of the economy and the “trickle-down” of

resources to the poor, as well as the revision of housing finance markets (Baumann,

2003:86). In Bangladesh, for example, many people have undergone several rounds

of displacement due to climatic shocks and conflict based on the unavailability of

land. These movements are not so much about social or economic improvement but

they are a survival and livelihood strategy. In Latin America, as in South Africa, rural

migration is largely influenced by political systems and economic need which can be

the constraints in attaining sustainable human settlements in KwaMaphumulo..”

The usefulness of using triangulated methods is that one gets differing perspectives

on the same subject matter and this gives the researcher a good angle of viewing

the matter from different perspectives, thus making logical deductions more

conclusive and more compelling. Thus, this study employed both quantitative as well

as qualitative empirical research methodologies.

5.5 RECOMMENDATIONS

Rural areas are subjected to inequality which will result in an increase in the influx of

people into the big cities such as Durban to provide them with better opportunities.

The study acknowledges the importance of addressing rural-urban migration as it

possesses a significant threat to the development of rural areas and therefore, the

study suggests: “

Incentivise skilled professionals who opt to work in rural areas

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The government should ensure that rural areas are characterised by robust and well-

functioning public services, which are manned by skilled and competent personnel,

however with most skilled professionals preferring urban areas, the government

should perhaps incentivise people who work in rural areas. This will encourage

people to stay and work in rural areas and at the same time, it would improve the

services rendered to rural communities. Rural communities in South Africa are too

great extent disadvantaged when it comes to the accessing services, therefore, this

approach will ensure competent people are employed and services are being rolled

out effectively. It will also entice those in urban areas to relocate to rural areas..”

Coordinate policies with local and traditional leaders

At times, there is a policy misalignment between government and community leaders

in rural areas. As representatives of communities, local leaders understand the

challenges faced by their communities, hence there should be open and clear

channels of communication, which will ensure that policy development and

implementation is happening within the context of challenges identified by local

leaders, hence this calls for increased communication and consultation between

leaders and government.”

Promote agricultural development through skills development

Rural provinces in South Africa possess large hectares or arable land, which could

be used for agricultural development but because of the lack of skills and technical

understanding, rural communities only engage in subsistence farming rather than

commercial farming, therefore for self-development and empowerment, the

government should try and invest in capacity building workshops that would train

people in the areas of framing and furthermore government should increase in

financial support to established rural farmers as they can help in creating

employment.”

Infrastructure development and eradicate poverty

Communication, health, housing, education and transportation infrastructure needs

to be upgraded significantly in rural areas. Because of their economies scale, the

government prioritises development of infrastructure in urban areas and because of

the geographical setting of rural areas; upgrading the infrastructure may take time

196

and may prove to be expensive. However, it is observable that rural areas lack the

required infrastructure to develop themselves and government should prioritise

infrastructure development for rural areas in order to fight rural-urban migration.

Poverty results in the migration of people as they go on the search for economic

opportunities, the government in its quest to develop rural areas should prioritise

policies that would contribute to the eradication of poverty while this may take time, it

is however imperative that poverty is eradicated.”

However, in order for the above mentioned to work, the following impacts need to be

addressed distance plays a crucial role in ensuring service delivery as all forms of

connectivity are scarcer and accessibility to rural areas more expensive which

results in transportation costs and overall costs to provide goods and services are

high in KwaMaphumulo.

Due to the migration rate in KwaMaphumulo it results in it having a low population,

therefore making it difficult to achieve scale economies of production of goods and

services including public services. In addition, people in KwaMaphumulo are

dispersed or scattered across the territory, which makes connectivity harder.

Therefore, all stakeholders need to come together in developing solutions in rural

contexts that speak to build communities that are closer together.”

As the population ages, the mix of services demanded changes which therefore

requires new investments or outlays especially concerning healthcare and taking into

consideration that the aftermath of the global crisis, government is cutting

expenditure which has an impact on government services and costs, on could say

that subsidies are diminishing. Municipalities need to find ways to start generating

their own income and to break the cycle of being dependent on government.

Rural populations are also becoming very diverse, representing a mix of residents

historically rooted in the region, as there are newly retired people, second home

residents or newcomers who commute to the city for work. This result is fragmenting

the demand and a population where significant numbers of people choose to obtain

goods and services away from the place where they live. It is important to note that

choice is valuable. Too often rural service providers seek to exploit a local monopoly

situation while paying little attention to actively marketing their business or improving

the quality of service that they are providing. More skill development programmes

197

need to be implemented in rural communities so that more equipped entrepreneurs

are developed who can start competing at higher levels both locally and globally.

5.5.1 Recommendation for policy

Rural municipalities should be more inclusive when it comes to decision

making towards their traditional leaders to eliminate any disagreements that

hinder development.

There should be a definition of rural sustainable human settlements that does

not focus on the urban definition. It is important to consider the context of that

particular rural area when defining what rural sustainable human settlements

is in that area.

More policies supporting different typologies in rural housing need to be

developed. It is important that there is an end to the inefficient houses that are

being provided in KwaMaphumulo under the notion that rural communities do

not live the same standards as urban areas. The constitution forbids

inequality.

5.5.2 Recommendation for practice

Existing rural housing instruments and subsidies to be reviewed and improved

to better direct housing and human settlements investments.

Ensure that qualified and skilled people are employed in key positions in the

human settlements sector.

That the NHBRC should improve visibility and accessibility in the market while

enhancing interaction with human settlements stakeholders.

Consolidation of services - concentrating customers on a smaller number of

service locations.

Merging similar services - merge similar or substitute services to combine

them into a single entity.

Alternative delivery options - where the demand for services is widely

dispersed, it may be more efficient to bring the service to the user for example

mobile library services, dental clinics, and doctors.

Many recommended measures for rural development cannot be effective

without significant capacity building and institutional support. In some areas,

198

decentralisation should be promoted to reinforce positive trends for increased

accountability.

5.6 AREAS FOR FURTHER RESEARCH

Research is required into understanding the spatial variation of rural areas so

that development interventions can adequately address the unique

challenges, which rural areas face.

Research that seeks to investigate whether the projects being implemented in

rural areas are beneficial to the rural community.

Programmes that could be a guideline in addressing the challenges faced with

regards to the relationship between traditional leaders and the municipality as

it slows down the process or the implantation of development.

5.7 LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY

Limitations experienced during this study, specifically related to the fieldwork

component, included:

Some interviews conducted were not recorded, as technical difficulties

occurred and were textually recorded.

Some interviewees preferred to respond to the interview questions in their

local language (isiZulu ) and these interview responses had to be translated.

Various government officials who were approached did not want to be

interviewed.

Rural topography, dispersed settlement patterns and poor social infrastructure

was a major issue when distributing the questionnaires.

Time and finances were also an issue as the research was self-funded.

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APPENDICES

Appendix 1: Survey Questionnaire

Department of Construction Management,

School of Built Environment, Faculty of

Engineering Built Environment and

Information Technology, Nelson Mandela

University.

Date: ………………………

Dear Respondent,

SUBJECT: Constraints in attainment of sustainable human settlements at

KwaMaphumulo Local Municipality

I am a master’s student of the Master of Science in Construction Management at the Nelson

Mandela University. I am currently administering a questionnaire to validate my master’s

research titled above.

This questionnaire aims to gather your responses which will help the researcher to investigate

the constraints in attainment of sustainable human settlements at Kwa Maphumulo Local

Municipality. This cannot be effectively completed without your involvement; therefore, you are

humbly requested to complete this questionnaire. Completing the questionnaire is estimated to

take about 15 minutes of your precious time. For which support I thank you in advance.

Delimitations of the study

Delimitations of the study help to identify what the study is and what it is not. Simon (2011)

further explains that delimitations are potential weaknesses in your study and are in your

control. Creswell (2012) goes on to further explain that delimitations are choices made by

the researcher which should be mentioned. They describe the boundaries that you have set

for the study. The researcher has confined their study based on the following:

This study will confine itself only about the KwaMaphumulo Local Municipality and not the

whole of the iLembe district. One of the many features of the municipality is sugar-cane

cultivation and is the predominant economic activity and land use in the KwaMaphumulo

Local Municipality. Subsistence agricultural activities in the form of small cropping areas is

attached to traditional family units and dominate land usage. This study will only be focusing

on 10 in KwaMaphumulo and not the whole municipality. Most of the area is rural, which is

associated with low levels of services and high levels of poverty. Development opportunities

and infrastructure provision need to be tailored in accordance with prioritised needs as

according to Molobela (2011) “The poorer you are, the easier it is for politicians to ignore

your basic needs”.

According to the KwaZulu-Natal COGTA Maphumulo profile (2018:1) Ward 10 is seen as

the only major “town” of Maphumulo and is the centre of the rural community as it provides

basic government services for all and is where one would find the local municipality offices,

212

main taxi rank, food markets such as Spar and local food vendors, petrol station and local

clinic. However, it also comprises a deep rural setting because of how spread out the area

is. Ward 10 consists of a population of 9815 and 2122 households, from these households,

69.46% receive electricity, 3.94% have flush toilets, 13.71% have water piped in dwellings

and 17.53% have some form of water source, therefore this study is necessitated by the

belief that studying the constraints extensively may yield useful results which would

contribute to the evolution of a more sustainable human settlement development in the rural

areas of South Africa. Therefore, this study is only about sustainable human settlement

development and constraints in the KwaMaphumulo Local Municipality. The researcher will

only be using purposive sampling therefore, the results generated from the study cannot be

generally applied to a larger population, only suggested.

In order to protect your confidentiality, privacy, dignity and anonymity, your answers will be

attached with a unique code that will only be understood and accessed by the researcher.

Finally, any data provided by you will be destroyed once the degree is achieved. The

project has ethical approval for the study protocol from the University, which provides

further assurance.

If you have further questions about your participation, please contact me or my supervisor

using the details below.

Thanks, and yours sincerely as you assist in this regard,

Phindokuhle Sikhosana

Contact email: [email protected]

Telephone: 083 444 7440

Supervisor: Prof Sijekula Mbanga

Email: [email protected]

213

Consent to take part in research

I……………………………………… voluntarily agree to participate in this research study.

By filling out this questionnaire / answering the questions put to me:

I agree to participate in this research project.

I understand that I will not be compensated for my participation in this study.

I have read this consent form and the information it contains and had the opportunity to

ask questions about them.

I understand that I was selected to participate in this study due to my being a household

member in KwaMaphumulo as I am aware of the dynamics.

I understand that I was selected convincedly from a larger group of people.

I agree to my responses being used for education and research on condition that my

privacy is respected. I understand that my responses will be used in aggregate form

only, so that I will not be personally identifiable.

I understand that I am under no obligation to take part in this project.

I understand I have the right to withdraw from this researcher at any stage.

I understand that this research might be published in a research journal or book. In the

case of dissertation research, the document will be available to readers in a university

library in printed form, and possibly in electronic form as well.

If I do not understand any information, the researcher will translate into my preferred

language

Name of Participant

:

Signature of Participant

:

Date :

The researcher must supply you with an Information sheet which provides his or her

contact details, outlines the nature of the research and how the information will be used

and explains what your participation in the research involves (e.g. how long it will take,

participants’ roles and rights (including the right to skip questions or withdraw without

penalty at any time), any anticipated risks/benefits which may arise as a result of

participating, any costs or payment involved (even if none, these should be stated))

Has this been provided? Yes No

Have your received verbal confirmation/explanations where needed? Yes No

214

Questionnaire

Instructions: Please put a tick in the box next to the answer of your choice

and/or write in the space provided.

PART A: BIOGRAPHICAL DATA

1. Gender:

Male Female Other

2. What is the highest level of education you have obtained?

High School/ Matric/TVET

Diploma / Undergrad

Honours Masters/PhD No formal education

3. Employment status

Employed Unemployed Self Employed

Pensioner None Student Other (Specify

4. What is your main source(s) of income?

Salary/Wage Old age pension

Child support

grant

Disability grant

Student grant

Other:

5. How many people live in household (including you)?

No. Dependents 1-3 dependents 4-6 dependents >7 dependents

215

PART B: FACTORS FOR DEARTH OF PUBLIC SERVICES IN KWAMAPHUMULO LOCAL MUNICIPALITY 6. What is the level of the below services?

Service Very poor

Poor Fair Good Very good

Not available

Transportation

Healthcare

Electricity

Water

Sewage system

Sanitary

Education

Communication Networks

Waste Management

7. To what extent does the following factors influence the provision of public services?

Reason Strongly disagree

disagree Neutral Agree Strongly agree

Lack of cohesion between municipality & traditional leaders

Finances of municipality

Gender of municipal officials

Educational Level of municipal officials

216

Natural and artificial physical features of KwaMaphumulo

Politics in municipality

Corruption in municipality

Important decisions are taken by state officials rather than elected representatives

Lack of Skills of municipal officials

Non-payment for Services by municipality

Dearth of appropriate personnel / lack of capacity in municipal officials

Migration of skilled community members/ municipal officials

Other ( please specify);

PART C: CONTRIBUTION TO SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN THE KWAMAPHUMULO LOCAL MUNICIPALITY 8. How would you rate the contribution of the following programmes/ projects

to sustainable development ?

Sector Very low

Low Average High Very high

Not available

Early childhood development programme

Teaching adults to read and write campaign

School Nutrition Programme

217

Partnership against HIV/AIDS

HIV Counselling and Screening

National Health Insurance (programme initiated by government to ensure all citizens are provided with essential health care)

Implementation of anti-crime initiatives

Programmes/projects against Gender-based violence

Programmes/projects aimed at enhancing growth, employment creation and equity.

Women Economic Empowerment Financial Assistance - financial incentives from the Department of Trade and Industry that helps women in various areas of business development.

Finance for small businesses(Black Business Supplier Development Programme (BBSDP),Small Enterprise Finance Agency (SEFA),Livelihoods, Registering)

RSA Retail Savings Bonds - government developed these bonds to encourage the public to start saving.

Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP)

Youth Economic Participation (coordinate the efforts of State-Owned

218

Companies (SOC) under the Department of Public Enterprises towards maximising their inputs towards youth economic empowerment)

Community work programmes/projects

Local Economic Development programmes/projects

Youth build programmes/projects (a comprehensive programme that integrates academic achievement, work experience, social action, leadership development, and personal transformation in a single project)

Energy efficiency programmes/projects

Municipal infrastructure grant programme (ensures the provision of basic services such as water, sanitation, roads and community lighting)

Taxi Recapitalisation Programme (aims to replace old, unsafe taxis with new vehicles)

Rural Youth Service Corps Programme (aims to enhance skills development by providing unemployed youth in the rural areas with opportunities to work in their communities and to be trained to provide the necessary services for local socio-economic development)

Recapitalisation and Development Programme

219

( develop and provide strategic support to farmers and cooperatives)

Animal and Veld Management Programme( focuses on restoring degraded lands to improve crop production, de-bushing as well as infrastructure to support the livestock industry)

Disaster management programmes

Home- based community care programme

Neighbourhood development grant programme

Land care programmes/projects

Bucket Eradication Programme/projects

Fire management programmes/projects

PART D: HOUSING QUALITY IN KWAMAPHUMULO LOCAL MUNICIPALITY

9. Are you the recipient of a government subsidised house?

Yes No Unspecified

10. Do you have any issues with your house?

Yes (Specify) No Unspecified

11. If yes to question 10, please specify

…………………………………………………………………………………………………

…………………………………………………………………………………………………..

220

12. If yes to question 10, was any of the issues remedied?

Yes No Unspecified

13. If ‘no’ to question 12, why were no repairs carried out?

…………………………………………………………………………………………………

…………………………………………………………………………………………………..

14. If ‘yes’ to question 12, who carried out the repairs?

Homeowner Government Other (Specify)

15. How would you rate the quality of low-cost housing?

Housing facility & quality

Very inefficient

Inefficient Neutral Efficient Very efficient

Bath/shower

Toilet/ Sewage Supply

Electricity in house

Ventilation

Wall

Roof

Windows

Door

Rubbish removal once a week.

Water supply in house

Neighbourhood

Characteristics

Not serious

Somewhat serious

Quite Serious

Very Serious

Noise level

Pollution

221

Crime (theft, murder, rape etc.)

Violence (intentional use of physical power to injure, abuse damage, destroy humans and/or physical infrastructure).

16. To what extent do you agree that the location of your house benefits you relative to its proximity to:

Strongly disagree

Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly agree

Your workplace

Work opportunities

Schools

Healthcare centres

A shop (including spaza)

Activities done for enjoyment centres

Transportation opportunity

Places of worship

Police station

Bank

Post office

222

PART E: TRADITIONAL LEADERS COLLABORATION WITH MUNICIPALITY IN DEVELOPMENTAL PROGRAMMES/PROJECTS 17. To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following?

Question Strongly Agree

Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly Disagree

Municipality consults with community regarding developmental programmes/projects

Traditional leaders participate during municipal consultations with community

Traditional leaders play an important role in the community

I attend community meetings held by traditional leaders

I attend community meetings held by the municipality

Feedback from community is noted by the municipality

Feedback from community is noted by traditional leaders

Feedbacks sessions are encouraged by municipality

Feedbacks sessions are encouraged by traditional leaders

I am happy about the developmental projects / programmes in the community

223

Traditional leaders in my community play a positive role in ensuring developmental programmes/projects are active

Conflict between municipality and traditional leaders is resolved easily.

Traditional leaders are proactive in ensuring that challenges faced by the community are resolved

Developmental projects/projects in the community speak to critical community needs

Municipality and traditional leaders have a good partnership

18. To what extent do you agree or disagree that the following is the cause of disintegration between municipality and traditional leaders?

Causes Strongly Agree

Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly Agree

Fighting for power

Councillors not doing their jobs

Lack of trust between municipality and traditional leaders

Cultural norms of traditional leaders

Corruption in the municipality

Corruption within traditional leaders

Other (Please specify)

224

19. How does the response above affect underdevelopment in the area?

Not serious Somewhat serious Quite Serious Very serious

THE END, THANK YOU

225

Appendix 2: Interview Schedule

Department of Construction

Management, School of Built

Environment, Faculty of EBEIT,

Nelson Mandela University.

Date:

Dear Participant,

Constraints in attainment of sustainable human settlements at the KwaMaphumulo Local

Municipality

I am a master’s student of the Master of Science in Construction Management at the Nelson

Mandela University. I am currently administering a questionnaire to validate my master’s

research titled above.

This interview aims to gather your responses which will help the researcher to investigate the

constraints in attainment of sustainable human settlements at the KwaMaphumulo Local

Municipality. This cannot be effectively investigated without your involvement and it is estimated

to take about 25 minutes to complete.

Delimitations of the study

Delimitations of the study help to identify what the study is and what it is not. Simon (2011)

further explains that delimitations are potential weaknesses in your study and are in your

control. Creswell (2012) goes on to further explain that delimitations are choices made by

the researcher which should be mentioned. They describe the boundaries that you have set

for the study. The researcher has confined their study based on the following:

This study will confine itself only about the KwaMaphumulo Local Municipality and not the

whole of the iLembe district. One of the many features of the municipality is sugar-cane

cultivation and is the predominant economic activity and land use in the KwaMaphumulo

Local Municipality. Subsistence agricultural activities in the form of small cropping areas is

attached to traditional family units and dominate land usage. This study will only be focusing

on 10 in KwaMaphumulo and not the whole municipality. Development opportunities and

infrastructure provision need to be tailored in accordance with prioritised needs as according

to Molobela (2011) “The poorer you are, the easier it is for politicians to ignore your basic

needs.”

According to the KwaZulu-Natal COGTA Maphumulo profile (2018:1) Ward 10 is seen as

the only major “town” of Maphumulo and is the centre of the rural community as it provides

basic government services for all and is where one would find the local municipality offices,

main taxi rank, food markets such as Spar and local food vendors, petrol station and local

clinic. Ward 10 consists of a population of 9815 and 2152 households, from these

households, 69.46% receive electricity, 3.94% have flush toilets, 13.71% have water piped in

dwellings and 17.53% have some form of water source, therefore this study is necessitated

by the belief that studying the constraints extensively may yield useful results which would

contribute to the evolution of a more sustainable human settlement development in the rural

areas of South Africa. Therefore, this study is only about sustainable human settlement

226

development and constraints in the KwaMaphumulo Local Municipality. The researcher will

only be using purposive sampling therefore, the results generated from the study cannot be

generally applied to a larger population, only suggested.

In order to protect your confidentiality, privacy, dignity and anonymity, your answers will be

attached with a unique code that will only be understood and accessed by the researcher.

Finally, any data provided by you will be destroyed once the degree is achieved. The

project has ethical approval for the study protocol from the University, which provides

further assurance.

If you have further questions about your participation, please contact me or my supervisor

using the details below.

Thanks, and yours sincerely as you assist in this regard,


Contact email: [email protected]

Telephone: 083 444 7440

Supervisor: Prof Sijekula Mbanga

Email:[email protected]

227

Consent to take part in research

I……………………………………… voluntarily agree to participate in this research study.

I understand that even if I agree to participate now, I can withdraw at any time or refuse

to answer any question without any consequences of any kind.

I understand that I can withdraw permission to use data from my interview within two

weeks after the interview, in which case the material will be deleted.

I have had the purpose and nature of the study explained to me in writing and I have had

the opportunity to ask questions about the study.

I understand that I will not benefit directly from participating in this research.

I agree to my interview being audio-recorded.

I understand that all information I provide for this study will be treated confidentially.

I understand that in any report on the results of this research my identity will remain

anonymous. This will be done by changing my name and disguising any details of my

interview, which may reveal my identity or the identity of people I speak about.

I understand that disguised extracts from my interview may be quoted in dissertations,

conference presentation and published papers.

I understand that if I inform the researcher that myself or someone else is at risk of harm

they may have to report this to the relevant authorities - they will discuss this with me first

but may be required to report with or without my permission.

I understand that signed consent forms and original audio recordings will be retained in

on an audio recording device that will be kept in a safe place and only reachable to the

researcher until the exam board confirms the results of my dissertation.

I understand that under freedom of information legalisation I am entitled to access the

information I have provided at any time while it is in storage as specified above.

I understand that I am free to contact any of the people involved in the research to seek

further clarification and information.

Signature of research participant Date

--------------------------------------------- -------------------------------

Signature of researcher Date

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INTERVIEW PROTOCOL

Topic: Constraints in attainment of sustainable human settlements at the KwaMaphumulo

Local Municipality.

PART A: INTRODUCTION

Self-introductions done.

Purpose of the study explained.

Research ethics outlined.

Approval to use a recording tool during the interview secured.

PART B: PROVISION OF PUBLIC SERVICES INTERVIEW QUESTIONS FOR:

Municipal officials

Traditional leaders

Ward councillor

Municipal Councillor

1. What is your role in service delivery?

2. What services are provided by the KwaMaphumulo Municipality?

3. How would you rate the level of the services?

4. What are the reasons for the minimal provision of public services in KwaMaphumulo

Municipality?

5. In your understanding, what are basic needs?

6. To what extent is the community’s basic needs catered for?

7. How is the community involved in ensuring service delivery?

8. What suggestions would you recommend boosting service delivery in KwaMaphumulo?

to

PART C: QUALITY OF HOUSING

Municipal officials (Project manager, town planner, programme developer)

Ward Councillors

1. How would you define housing quality?

2. How would you rate the quality of houses in KwaMaphumulo and what is the cause of

this?

3. To your understanding, what is a sustainable living environment?

4. Would you say KwaMaphumulo is a sustainable living environment? Why?

5. What suggestions would you recommend enhancing the quality of living ( house and

environment) in KwaMaphumulo?

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PART D: DEVELOPMENTAL PROGRAMMES/ PROJECTS CONTRIBUTING TO SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

Contractors on sight

Municipal officials & councillor

Community development workers

1. To your understanding, what is sustainable development?

2. What developmental projects/programmes are offered in KwaMaphumulo?

3. Do these projects/programmes speak to the most critical needs of the community?

4. Have these programmes/projects boosted the sustainability of the area?

5. How have these programmes or projects enhanced sustainable development in

KwaMaphumulo?

6. What developmental projects or programmes would you recommend improving the

sustainability of the area?

PART E:TRADITIONAL LEADERS COLLOBRATION WITH MUNICIPALITY

Traditional Leader

Municipal Manager

1. What is your contribution in ensuring developmental programmes or projects occur in

your community?

2. What developmental projects or programmes are you involved in empowering your

community?

3. What are the objectives of the above projects?

4. How successful are these projects?

5. What type of challenges are you facing in terms of ensuring developmental projects or

programmes occur?

6. How are you currently addressing these challenges?

7. How is your relationship with the Municipality/Traditional leaders?

8. How do you involve the municipality or the traditional leaders in supporting

developmental programmes/projects in the community?

9. Does the municipality have any programmes to improve the relation between itself and

the traditional leaders?

10. What do you think can be done in ensuring that the municipality and traditional leaders

work together in developing programmes or projects within the community?

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Appendix 3: Letter from University requesting permission to conduct study

Tuesday, 18 June 2019

The Municipal Manager Maphumulo Local Municipality MR711, LOT 152b Private Bag x 9205 MAPHUMULO 4470 Attention: Mr Phakama Mhlongo

Dear Sir

PERMISSION AND SUPORT TO CONDUCT RESEARCH FOR ACADEMIC PURPOSES, MS PHINDOKUHLE SIKHOSANA, STUDENT NUMBER, 214155013

I write, herein, to introduce myself as Ms Phindokuhle Sikhosana. I will be

commencing the fieldwork component of my research undertaken in fulfilment of the

requirements for the completion of a Master of Science in Construction Management

student at the Nelson Mandela University.

I am conducting research that is entitled: CONSTRAINTS IN ATTAINMENT OF

SUSTAINABLE HUMAN SETTLEMENTS AT KWAMAPHUMULO MUNICIPALITY.

I, kindly, request your good office to grant me official permission to pursue this

significant study and render any other support you may deem appropriate to aid me

complete the fieldwork. There is no doubt that this research will add value in the

work of human settlements sector while contributing to the built environment

discipline

Yours in pursuit of the aspirations of the National Development Plan, Vision 2030.


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Appendix 4: Letter from the KwaMaphumulo Local Municipality granting approval to conduct the study

232

Appendix 5: Signed letter from a Language Editor confirming proof-reading of final Dissertation

233

Appendix 6: University Ethical Clearance Approval Letter

234

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