School of Built Environment and Development Studies

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Adaption and survival: perspectives and experiences of migrants in an urban township in KwaZulu-Natal.
(2022) Mazibuko, Philane Bongumusa.; Maharaj, Pranitha.
South Africa is currently facing a growing number of migrants from other countries. This qualitative study investigates the dilemma of being a migrant in South Africa. The overall objective was to explore the perspectives and experiences of migrants in Newcastle, South Africa. Particular attention is given to exploring how the migrants negotiate the often controversial social, economic, cultural, and political realities in the urban towns of KwaZulu-Natal. The South African case is subject to investigation, particularly regarding the migration system. In this study, the data was collected using in-depth interviews. Interviews were held with 20 migrants, both men, and women, living in Newcastle KwaZulu-Natal. All participants were migrants from various African countries such as Ethiopia, Zimbabwe, Congo, Mozambique, Lesotho, and Nigeria. The study found that migrants use different livelihood strategies to survive in South Africa, and their level of education does not allow them to work in the formal sector. This study found that migrants work as street traders to earn income, buy, and sell goods at an affordable price, and they use their skills to make and sell a range of products. Furthermore, migrants work as hairdressers, restaurant waiters, welders, bricklayers, and shopkeepers to earn income. Other migrants have families in South Africa as well as in their home countries. Migrants send home part of their earnings in the form of either cash or goods to support their families, these transfers are known as a worker or migrant remittances. Migrants are vulnerable to crime and xenophobia, they become abused and exploited by the local people since they are not from South Africa, they even call them derogatory names. Most participants observed that they are surviving in South Africa, nevertheless, they are concerned with their safety. The study recommends that there must be a strong awareness among police that everyone has a right and deserves respect and protection, regardless of who they are and whether they have any legal documentation.
Exploring the benefits and challenges of land restitution at Qhubekani-Mnqobokazi community land.
(2022) Mabaso, Thembisile Rejoice.; Tshishonga, Ndwakhulu Stephen.
In 1994, the democratic government of South Africa introduced the Land Reform Programme, which aimed to redress the historical imbalances. The Land Reform Programme is designed to provide equitable redress to persons and communities involuntarily dispossessed of their rights to land after June 1913 due to racially discriminatory laws and practices. Of the three pillars of the land reform programme, land restitution, land tenure reform, and redistribution, the former is seldom a matter of empirical inquiry. The people who lost their rights were allowed to lodge claims with the Regional Land Claims Commission office for equitable redress. Mnqobokazi community, was dispossessed of their rights to land, and out of the three types of land reform awards, the Mnqobokazi community opted for restoration of the land used as a game reserve owned by Phinda, and &Beyond. This research explores the benefits and challenges of land restitution in the Qhubekani-Mnqobokazi community. Mnqobokazi community is a poor community in a remote rural area under UMkhanyakude District Municipality, KwaZuluNatal. This study further investigated the challenges that the Qhubekani-Mnqobokazi community and land Restitution faced in making land claimed to benefit the people of the Qhubekani-Mnqobokazi community and made recommendations on how the land claimed through restitution could be used to address socio-economic challenges in the QhubekaniMnqobokazi community. This researcher used a qualitative research approach, and the philosophical grounding is a social constructivist paradigm. Data was collected through semi-structured in-depth interviews. Semi-structured interviews are the most common technique in qualitative research. Eighteen (n=18) participants participated in the study. Among these, three of them were from the Office of the Land Claims Commission, six were Qhubekani-Mnqobokazi Committee members, four were ordinary community members who are also referred to as beneficiaries of the land restitution, and two were from the community leadership which is the Municipality and the tribal authority. One participant was from the management of Phinda Game Reserve. This study analysed data using themes, and literature was used to support or refute the empirical findings. The findings show that the community of Mnqobokazi benefited from their land restitution claim. Access to education improved through schools that were built. Further, the health and well-being of the community improved through increased access to potable water, and sanitation. The community also benefited from access to electricity, health care services, business development, and increased job opportunities. However, there is still room for improvement regarding skills transfer, the balance of power, community involvement, and participation in decision-making. The researcher recommends that Phinda Game Reserve should train community members on conservation and land restitution to bring back postsettlement support and ensure that they improve their processes to ensure that land claims do not take long to settle. Further, efforts to empower community members particularly the youth must be prioritised to enable efficient skills transfer. Most community members in Mnqobokazi are satisfied with what they have accomplished as a community through land restitution.
Exploring the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the informal economy in Durban, South Africa.
(2023) Mhlangu, Thulile Sinethemba.; Khambule, Isaac Bheki.
The informal economy in South Africa is predominantly characterised by the presence of women and the working poor. The flexibility in entry and exit in the informal sector enables the marginalised and those with low skills to gain entry in this particular sector. Informality is quite prevalent in developing countries as the economies have less economic diversification. The high levels of unemployment in South Africa influence the growth of the informal sector as a method of livelihood. The informal economy has minimal protection, exposing those operating in the informal sector to social and economic shocks. The eThekwini region is noted as one of the busiest hubs in South Africa and has a strong presence of informal traders. It is impossible to ignore the outbreak of the Coronavirus pandemic, which has caused a huge instability in the daily lives of South Africans. Against this background, the aim of this study was to explore the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on informal workers in the eThekwini Region. This study has also identified and explored the various livelihood and socio-economic challenges encountered by the informal workers in the region. Methodologically, the study utilised secondary data analysis as a data collection tool, informed by the mixed methods approach. The study’s data is based on a survey conducted with 150 informal workers in eThekwini on the impact of COVID-19 on their livelihoods. The key finding reveal that the Covid-19 brought upon great hardship and challenges in the informal businesses and the livelihoods dependent on the sector due to the closure of economic activities during the height of the pandemic. There was insufficient distribution of Covid-19 relief funds by the government and the local municipality towards informal workers in the midst of being barred from earning a living. Additionally, there is a huge gap for social security in the informal sector in the eThekwini region. While the resilient informal workers in eThekwini region have returned to trading (despite being unable to recover post-Covid income), most aspire for better protection in the midst of social and economic shocks.
Gospel of prosperity and development: the rise of third wave Pentecostal movement in Zimbabwe.
(2021) Marimbe, Francis.; Mottiar, Shauna.; Denis, Philippe Marie Berthe Raoul.
This study examines the nexus between NRMs’ gospel of prosperity on sustainable and transformational development in Zimbabwe. The research was carried out in Harare, Zimbabwe, amongst the believers of the Prophetic Healing and Deliverance (PHD) Ministries, Grace Oasis Ministries (GOM), and Emmaus Encounter (EE). The study was conceptualized within the social capital theory and the Asset Based Community Development (ABCD) approach. The study framed with the critical and social constructivist paradigm and it utilised a qualitative research methodology to provide a nuanced analysis of how the gospel prosperity intersects with sustainable and transformational development. The study conducted in-depth interviews with 18 participants and three focus group discussions, totaling 29 participants, 10 sermons and eight observations at the PHD Ministries and GOM. The major findings of the study highlight that NRMs have a complex and contested relationship with sustainable and transformational development. At one level, the individual initiatives of entrepreneurial activities inspired by the gospel of prosperity provide believers with increased incomes and access to basic goods. Believers are able to meet some of their everyday needs without necessarily transforming their lives. The ministry/institutional activities tend to benefit the pastor, his family and a few elites. Such activities often involve allegations of defrauding believers. The study concludes that there is a distinct difference between the teaching of the gospel of prosperity (hard work, entrepreneurship, saving, good life) and its practice (loss of money through sowing, fraud and theft to the pastor) within NRMs in Zimbabwe. In such a context, sustainable and transformational development cannot be achieved within NRMs as currently constituted as the practices of the pastors and prophets are often predatory.
Post-Covid 19 recovery and resilience in Cato Manor, Durban.
(2022) Dlamini, Andisiwe Nomvelo.; Mottiar, Shauna.
The Coronavirus disease that has come to be popularly known as the Covid-19 pandemic has become more than a health crisis as it has exposed the vulnerabilities that exist in our country and within our communities. The declaration of the National State of Disaster was subsequently followed by the implementation of the national lockdown that commenced at midnight on the 26th of March 2020. As a country we quickly had to adapt to what was termed the “new normal”. We had to adapt to the mandatory wearing of face masks, curfews as well as the closure of schools for a longer period of time. The lockdown regulations put a limit of economic activities which threatened people’s livelihoods. The impact of these changes was unequally experienced amongst our societies and revealed the dire socio-economic conditions that our societies are faced with. This study explored the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic in Cato Manor and the level of resilience of the residents from the pandemic shocks. This was done through conducting faceto-face interviews with twelve members of households in Cato Manor which falls under the eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality in KwaZulu-Natal. The qualitative methodology applied aimed to gain an in-depth insight into the residents’ experiences and realities during Covid-19. The study also aimed to get a sense of what the post-recovery phase would entail amongst the citizens in our communities. The responses to the questions posed to the were transcribed and analyzed with the aid of NVivo analysis software to generate codes and themes. From the findings it can be highlighted that the Covid-19 pandemic exacerbated the plight of unemployment in Cato Manor, that was present prior to the pandemic, especially amongst the youth. The study also found that the pandemic had an impact on the informal businesses of Cato Manor. It can also be noted that Cato Manor residents relied on the social grants to prevent them from falling into poverty combined with the use of the newly introduced SRD grant which they relied on buy basic necessities. Moving away from the pandemic, the post-recovery plans for the residents include looking for and securing employment as well as starting up businesses and picking up those businesses that existed prior to the pandemic.
Rethinking social protection in Masvingo Province, Zimbabwe: towards the development of a social protection framework.
(2022) Daitai, Joseph.; Mtapuri, Oliver.
The biggest problem I have found during my research is that poverty and precariousness persist despite the presence of several social protection programmes the world over. The problem of insufficient social protection in addressing vulnerabilities in Masvingo Province and the rest of Zimbabwe follows from this. In this research focus on social protection, I believe and am adamantly convinced that the country must give priority to the provision of social protection to Zimbabwe's poorest populations. The purpose of this research is to develop a comprehensive social protection framework and identify strategies for improving Zimbabwe's social protection system. To effectively execute social protection efforts, the government and other pertinent parties must rethink their strategy and develop a transition winning plan. Based on the state welfare theory, this study found that there is a marked asymmetry in the distribution and use of resources in Zimbabwe (necessities like hospitals and food packages), which is concealed by the widespread belief that the government, through the responsible ministry, provides welfare to the underprivileged citizens. According to the study's results, social protection in Zimbabwe is so miserably inadequate that the government cannot meet the needs of all its citizens who need welfare assistance to have access to essentials like food, free healthcare, and good housing. I interviewed carefully chosen recipients of social protection schemes in a total of eighteen interviews. Each of the recipients who were interviewed was the primary provider for their households. Assessments and desktop research were conducted to ensure the study's richness, breadth, and depth. The topics covered in this thesis inductively evolved from the data after it was subjected to thematic analysis, which was then utilized to examine the data. For this qualitative research, semi-structured interviews and focus groups were used to interview the targeted participants in the selected neighbourhoods. This study discovered that ineffective recipient selection criteria, partisan service distribution, a lack of awareness of welfare program availability, and a lack of capacity building are impeding the efficient administration and distribution of welfare services to citizens even at the community level. I also suggested an extensive system of social protection that covers everyone without exception, from the local committee up to the central government. The main takeaways from this research politics should not lead development hence policymakers should not be politicians who are by nature biased towards their parities.
The role of civil society organisations in the provision of adequate housing to citizens: the case of Abahlali baseMjondolo (ABM)
(2022) Mhlongo, Nhlakanipho Wiseman.; Mottiar, Shauna.
Housing is an essential component of the social and personal life of every individual. Housing the nation is one of the greatest challenges facing the South African government. To address the housing challenge, the South African government introduced several policies such as the Reconstruction and Development Programme (RDP) in 1994 and 10 years later, the Breaking New Ground (BNG) in 2004. Despite the adoption of these policies, the housing crisis in South Africa’s continues to worsen each year as Hartmann (2019) indicates the housing backlog in South Africa stands at 2.3. million houses and it is growing by approximately 178 000 houses a year. With this in mind, the study sought to understand the role of civil society organisations (CSOs) in the provision of adequate housing to citizens. It investigates this through the case study of Abahlali baseMjondolo (AbM) which is a CSO that was established in 2005 by shack dwellers in Kennedy Road in Durban, within the Province of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The study method was qualitative. The sample consisted of ten participants, and purposive sampling was used while selecting the five AbM members and snowballing sampling was utilised to sample shack dwellers and an interview schedule was applied. The study revealed that AbM is not a political organisation, but it is a social movement meant to address the issue of housing and land as well as restoring the dignity of a black person. The organization is committed to building a just society where people enjoy equality and access to opportunities. Findings also revealed that the organization seeks to improve the living conditions of shack dwellers through the provision of basic services and assisting them in the provision of adequate shelter. In the delivery of adequate housing to the citizens, the study findings indicate that AbM plays a role of empowerment, advocacy and promoting participation. Furthermore, AbM uses five (5) strategies in the delivery of housing to the citizens namely, engagement, issuing media statements, holding marches and protests, litigation and/or the use of the legislation as well as land occupation. The study also discovered that there are several challenges faced by AbM while attempting to play a role in the delivery of housing to the citizens. AbM members and shack dwellers face brutal and violent evictions at the hands of law enforcement officers. Furthermore, some AbM members have been killed while trying to assist the citizens in terms of housing. Despite the challenges, AbM has had success in the delivery of adequate housing, and they have been recognized by international institutions for their effort. The research also discovered that AbM has a good relationship with other CSOs. However, the relationship between AbM and local government is a concern and borders on animosity. Based on the study findings, this study concludes with a proposition of a number of recommendations for CSOs and the government on how to work together to deliver adequate housing to the citizens. There is a need for cooperation between all spheres of government and CSOs. Furthermore, the research recommends that the delivery of services and housing should be de-politicized.
Using community development practice for instilling the value of the institution of family: perceptions of academics at Howard College.
(2019) Mkhize, Zamambo Sazi Nobahle.; Ntini, Edmore.
Several literary works have acknowledged that the modern institution of the family is in crisis. The increase in social welfare cases such as street children, the vagrant homeless, moral degeneration and rampant crime have however been explained as indicators of and effects of the demise of the institution of the family. Rarely have scholars, researchers and practitioners in community development considered Community Development Practice as a possible tool for reviving the institution of the family. This study examined how community development practice can be used to restore the value of the institution of the family. A descriptive qualitative research design and purposive sampling was used. The sample consisted of information – rich informants who are academic elites in Social Sciences (the Department of Community and Development Studies, the Department of Social Work and the Department of Sociology) at Howard College University of KwaZulu-Natal. The interviewing method was used for the data collection. The study revealed that on one hand, community development practice can play eight roles in instilling the value of the institution of the family. On the other hand, community development practice can apply nine strategies in restoring the value of the beleaguered institution of the modern family.
Women-owned home base enterprises and poverty alleviation: a case of Umlazi B township.
(2024) Hlongwa, Nokuphiwa Charity.; Adebayo, Pauline Wambui.
Dwellings can provide shelter, amenities and an income through spaces used to create wealth, and act as collateral for borrowing. Therefore, housing is an asset that can unlock wealth if the owner utilizes it thus. In South Africa, historically, black women in townships were placed at the back of acquiring homeownership. However, this has changed, and black women in townships are now also homeowners and can explore different avenues of generating income through their housing. For women who were previously disadvantaged, the inclusion into urban policies for housing tenure, such as through the Extend Discount Benefit Scheme (EDBS), have opened the opportunity to potentially realise economic prosperity for themselves through home-based enterprises (HBEs). Women experience myriad barriers when it comes to income generation, beyond those faced by men. The belief that women's work is not part of the monetary mainstream prevails. The study aimed to assess black women-owned HBEs from the beginning of their entrepreneurship, the challenges they have faced and continue to be impacted by, and the extent to which they are achieving income generation and poverty alleviation. It employed a qualitative methodology, where a sample of women who run HBEs was sourced through purposive and snowball sampling, to select the participants to partake in the study. This type of sampling allowed for the researcher's discretion to be used to choose variables or set out the criteria based on the study's aim and objectives. The researcher used semi-structured interviews to conduct interviews with women identified in this way, as well as two other key informants, in order to explore the extent to which HBEs were fulfilling the policy objective of poverty alleviation and wealth creation. A covert obse rvation was also used to gather discernible information required to understand women owned HBEs in the study area better. Data was analysed and interpreted in a thematic manner, with themes predetermined from an understanding of the issues pertinent to women owned HBEs, as well as sub-themes that emerged from the data. The researcher found that women owners of HBEs’ perception was that their poverty has reduced through the operation HBEs, because they are able to feed their families and meet some basic needs. Nevertheless, the absence of business data on the women’s operations and the generalised terms with which they discuss their businesses with no real detailing means it cannot be established whether the businesses have alleviated poverty. Indeed, the size of the businesses and informality of the operations suggest a survivalist character rather than a wealth creating one. To this extent, it was concluded, the policy goal of poverty alleviation and income generation may not have been v achieved, despite these women becoming homeowners. However, the results of the research have also identified gaps and room for improvement for the government’s role in supporting women owned HBEs, which are used as a basis for recommendations.

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