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Doctoral Degrees (Town and Regional Planning)

Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://hdl.handle.net/10413/8204

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Browsing Doctoral Degrees (Town and Regional Planning) by Author "Mchunu, Koyi Humphrey."

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    Housing and socio-spatial integration in the post-apartheid urban communities, in South Africa: a case study of Shaka's Head, KwaDukuza Municipality.
    (2018) Mbambo, Sanele Brian.; Mchunu, Koyi Humphrey.
    This study assesses the potential for housing to attain socio-spatial integration in the post-1994 urban communities. Urban communities in South Africa have a history of segregation enforced through policy and legislation during the apartheid rule. Housing was used effectively as a tool to enforce urban spatial segregation through separate locations, urban restrictions, dispossessions and so forth. In the post-1994 period, housing continued to be utilised in driving further urban residential segregations through private housing developments promoting gated enclaves. Post-apartheid urban communities continue to reflect patterns of segregation. The study argues that class inequalities have maintained urban fragmentation and suppressed the role of housing in achieving socio-spatial integration. Neoliberal urbanism is used to understand class domination and the maintenance of hegemony which has appeared to be a fundamental root cause for persistent urban exclusion. Neoliberal urbanism seeks to enlarge the role of market forces in the housing sector, to privatise the provision of urban and social services, and to increase the role of elites in shaping the urban landscapes. The neoliberal urbanism ideology asserts that the city is envisaged as a playing field for the elites, whereby growing socioeconomic inequalities are managed by creating privatised, customised and networked spaces for consumption by urban elites. The study uses a case of Shaka’s Head, a socially mixed urban neighbourhood in Ballito, KwaDukuza Municipality. A qualitative approach was used for research methodology and design. In-depth interviews were conducted with government officials, the civic movement, low and high-income sections of the study area. Research findings show that in Shaka’s Head, there has been a noticeable but limited role of housing to achieve socio-spatial integration. Through housing location, it was possible to attain a multi-class urban neighbourhood, which is strategically located closer to economic opportunities. However, there has been an inability of social groups to create social relations and share in the local economy. The study concludes that, while housing has a potential to attain spatial integration, socially mixed neighbourhoods have remained socially fragmented. In achieving socio-spatial integration, the study recommends for institutional integration, effective participation, development of quality infrastructure and improved security.
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    Municipal governance under siege in South Africa: the comparative study of uMhlathuze and Mtubatuba local municipalities.
    (2020) Khuzwayo, Terence Sibusiso.; Mchunu, Koyi Humphrey.
    Many scholars in public policy are increasingly locked in the debate about the changing role of the state in meeting societal needs. This is amidst the spectrum of many perspectives on service delivery provision ranging from state-centric, market-centric, and citizen-centric approaches. While there is relative consensus on the need for the state to play a role in responding to the changing service delivery demands, there are stark differences in the literature about the nature, form, and texture of the role of the state. With the advent of the democratic government in South Africa, various state apparatus, including municipalities, are expected to play their significant role in responding to the changing societal demands as articulated in the 1996 Constitution. There is compelling empirical evidence to suggest that municipalities are under immense pressure to exercise their governance role amidst changing service delivery demands brought about by socio-economic and population dynamics, technological change, climate change as well as global pandemics. However, there is little understanding about how municipalities, given the wide array of perspectives, interpret and experience their governance role in responding to these changing service delivery demands. This understanding is critical to providing an empirical analysis of how different governance partners interface and relate to one another within the municipal space. This research project sought to respond to the gap in literature by bringing out the voices of key stakeholders within the municipal space into the governance conversation. These voices add flavour and colour to the unfolding governance conversation in a manner that not only enriches the debate but also suggests practical measures that assist governance systems for municipalities in South Africa.