Examining the effectiveness of the land use management framework in Ntambanana Municipality.

Abstract

Land use management in South Africa was historically used to racially and spatially segregate areas. Post-Apartheid, South Africa has had pressure to restore places and promote equality. Several legislative frameworks have been introduced to address past imbalances and create new urban spaces. Thus, all municipalities (including rural) have had to adhere to the Municipal Systems Act (2000), the Development Facilitative Act (1995) and the Spatial Planning and the Land Use Management Act of 2013 (SPLUMA), which is the most recent. Evidently, rural municipalities usually have more challenges when implementing land use management systems. This research examines the effectiveness of the Land Use Management Framework (LUMF) in Ntambanana Municipality. It further measures the community of Ntambanana against the normative concerns of Behrens and Watson (1996). The focus of the research is to access what impacts the land use management framework has had on the people of Ntambanana, with the intent to suggest solutions. The majority of the land within the municipality is traditionally owned, however the findings show that the municipality, together with the traditional leaders are still able to implement projects to improve land use management systems. Using both qualitative and quantitative research methods, in the form of interviews and questionnaires, the findings show that the community of Ntambanana has changed for the better since the implementation of the land use management framework. To avoid biasness, the local residents were selected at random and the municipal official and traditional leader were selected purposively to answer questions directly related to their duties within the municipality. The findings of the research also show that there is disintegration among the stakeholders (traditional authorities, the municipality, the councillors and the community). However, with a modification in policy and the participation of all stakeholders within the community, Ntambanana municipality has the potential to greatly improve land use management systems.