3. Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETDs) - All submissions
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Item Finding a space between poverty alleviation and high growth – a model for youth enterprise development in South Africa(2018) Smith, Jocelyn ReneeInterventions promoting youth entrepreneurship in South Africa assume there is a central role for entrepreneurship in confronting a range of development challenges. This research interrogates such assumptions and offers an alternate approach towards systemic interventions. A theoretical framework of transformative learning to negotiate challenges of liquid modernity underpins the study. A qualitative case study design, comprising 24 interviews conducted in 2014, explored two enterprise support programmes in Mpumalanga and Gauteng, each comprising a majority of youth under 35. Findings show how assumptions embedded in policies promoting youth entrepreneurship are paradoxical, contributing to their failure. Youth entrepreneurship can contribute strategies to help navigate effects of liquid modernity and develop know-how if perceived as niche activities, achieved with appropriate support. It is not for everybody. Possible niched approaches include structured ones for levels above subsistence, and effectuation for potential high-growth technology start-ups. Recognition that entrepreneurship development must help transform individuals underlies both.Item The perceived impact of youth entrepreneurship development programmes on entrepreneurial aspirations of the youth in Swaziland(2018) Tfwala, Colisile HloniphileSwaziland is a small, landlocked country in Sub-Saharan Africa, with 79% of its population below the age of 35 years. The country has one of the highest youth unemployment in Africa and very slow economic growth. The Government of Swaziland believes that the above can be corrected by raising the Swazi youth’s entrepreneurial spirit through the use of Youth Entrepreneurship Development Programmes (YEDPs). Research shows that these programmes can only raise the entrepreneurial spirit by raising the youth’s entrepreneurial aspirations, which are: innovation, growth and internationalisation aspirations. Swaziland has had three YEDPs in place for a long time. These YEDPs have never been evaluated to see if they raise the entrepreneurial aspirations or not. This study set out to evaluate these three YEDPs, by conducting a cross-sectional telephonic survey, using a structured adapted questionnaire. The data was collected from 492 of 1980 young people (25%), who have been trained by the three YEDPs since their inception. The data was then analysed. First, descriptive statistics were used to test the data for further statistical analysis. Thereafter non-parametric tests were used. A relationship was explored between the youth entrepreneurship development programmes and the youth entrepreneurial aspirations. The relationship was found to exist between one of the three programmes and entrepreneurial aspirations, as perceived by the youth entrepreneurs. The study then recommended that the YEDPs should improve their training on entrepreneurial aspirations and implementation of the best practices in the YEDP field. In addition, the Swazi Government, working with all stakeholders, which include the private sector, NGOs and the youth itself, needs to ensure that there is collaboration in putting in place an enabling environment. This is the only Swazi study which has evaluated largely unevaluated YEDPs to ascertain their contribution to raising the youth’s entrepreneurial aspirations or their entrepreneurial spirit, so it is important in contributing to the academic body of knowledge, as well as providing a basis for policy formulation in the country and in Sub-Saharan Africa.Item Protecting and promoting livelihoods of the excluded through the community work programme: a comparative case study of Munsieville and Bekkersdal(2018) Masondo, ThembaThe idea of the government acting as an Employer of Last Resort (ELR), commonly known as ‘public works’, has become a prominent feature of the ‘impulse for social protection’ in the global South. The dissertation focuses on a long-term ELR programme in South Africa called the Community Work Programme (CWP) – a distinctively and innovatively designed component of the orthodox Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP). Based on field research involving the triangulation of a survey questionnaire, in-depth semi-structured interviews, focus groups, and ethnographic non-participant observation – this study adopts the comparative case study approach, imbued in the extended case method, to investigate the CWP’s potentialities in protecting and promoting livelihoods of the excluded in Munsieville and Bekkersdal—located in the West Rand region of the Gauteng Province, South Africa The central question posed in this dissertation is whether the CWP has other transformative potentialities beyond its ameliorative role. The dissertation advances three connected arguments. First, the dissertation argues that in addition to protecting livelihoods, the CWP possesses transformative potential in fostering development from below. The CWP participants in Munsieville tended to possess greater autonomous capabilities in adapting the CWP to respond to a myriad of local social challenges. Secondly, the dissertation argues that the mainstream theoretical approaches to livelihood promotion through the ELR tend to ignore cooperative development as a potential vector for promoting livelihoods of the excluded. In this respect, the dissertation presents the case of three nascent CWP-linked cooperatives in Munsieville to illustrate this argument. Lastly, the dissertation argues that the operationalisation of the Organisation Workshop (OW) methodology in Munsieville helps clarify the significant variance in the outcomes of the CWP in the two townships. Key words: community work programme, employer of last resort, organisation workshop, protecting livelihoods and promoting livelihoods.Item The comprehensive rural development programme and job creation in Impumelelo(2016) Chidzewere, PrevilageWith the advent of President Zuma’s administration, the issue of rural development became one of the key focal areas in South Africa (2009-2014). This is also premised in the South African Constitution (Constitution of the Republic of South Africa of 1996) which provides for planning, coordination and implementation of development (rural development included) as one of the key foundations of a developmental state that South Africa envisages. Previous research found that the poorest people in South Africa live in the rural areas where they are still poor, disempowered, characterised with high dependency and outmigration of the economically active. This research used a mixed method approach where quantitative and qualitative questionnaires were used to collect primary data from 50 heads of household in Impumelelo. It was found that the Impumelelo heads of household generally hold positive perceptions on whether service delivery has improved in Impumelelo since the introduction of Comprehensive Rural Development Programme. However, there has been mixed reactions on whether locals have had access to jobs locally and on the issue of skills development for the youth. The majority of Impumelelo heads of household hold negative perceptions on whether Comprehensive Rural Development Programme has been beneficial to women empowerment, youth empowerment and long term employment in Impumelelo.Item Evaluability assessment of the Gauteng science park incubation programme(2016) Pangwa, Kutala HelenGenerally, we can trace the Science Park idea to the 1950s when Silicon Valley, with the support of Stanford University, transformed an agricultural valley into a semiconductor industry. Science parks offer infrastructure and incubation support to entrepreneurs for the development of new technology based companies (Lindelöf & Löfsten, 2002; Durão et al., 2005). Specifically, The Innovation Hub project in Gauteng province is an economic development intervention, modelled on the science park idea with the aim of promoting socioeconomic development and competitiveness of the province through innovation. The Innovation Hub project delivers its services through the incubation programme whose purpose is to provide a catalytic incubator that facilitates commercialisation of research and technology ideas into new business ventures. Similar to any other development intervention, it is important to determine whether the Gauteng science park incubation programme is delivering on its objectives of creating jobs and promoting small and medium enterprises, as mandated by the Gauteng government. This study examines the evaluability of the incubation programme based on the theory of change and results chain framework to determine if the programme can achieve its desired outcomes and if the programme has adequate information to enable a credible and meaningful evaluation of the programme. A qualitative study is undertaken to clarify a theory of change for the incubation programme based on the understanding of the programme stakeholders from the Department of Economic Development and the Gauteng Growth and Development Agency as well as the perspectives of The Innovation Hub Management Company’s internal managements. The study reveals that results-based management is not used within the incubation programme. The study tests if the theory of change of the programme is plausible, do-able and testable and we find that these conditions are currently not in place. The evaluability assessment recommends that the incubation programme improve by adapting results based management planning techniques to redesign as well as determine performance information for the programme. Programme implementation should improve with emphasis on providing a capacitated management team for the entrepreneurs and improving the services rendered in the programme. Author: Kutala Pangwa Thesis title: Evaluability assessment of the Gauteng science park incubation programmeItem The impact of mineral extraction on local economic development of mining towns: a Marikana perspective(2017) Khenisa, Matthews BhekuyiseThe research examines the relationship between mineral extraction and sustainable economic development of local mining communities. The research will focus specifically on Marikana within the Rustenburg Local Municipality. The research investigates the efficacy and implementation of the regulation and legislative framework relevant for the transformation of the mining industry as well as the sustainability of the local economic development. In terms of the MPRDA, mining companies are obligated to submit a social and labour plan (SLP) when applying for mining rights. The main purpose of the SLP as per the guidelines, regulation 46, is to ensure the improvement of infrastructure, poverty alleviation and community development of the host community and in the situation from which most of the labour is sourced and being addressed. The Act further prescribes that the SLP should be aligned to the municipality‟s integrated development plans (IDP). Sec 100 of the MPRDA further prescribes the development of the mining industry charter. The charter, aims at addressing the integrated sustainable LED of the host communities, the facilitation of meaningful participation of HDSA in the mining and mineral industry. This research adopts an interpretative social science approach. The design that the research took is a qualitative approach. Primary data was collected through semi-structured interviews conducted with eight interviewees. Participants consisted of two companies (mining house, Research Company), four policy experts from local and national government, two community representatives from the ward committee and the business forum. Secondary data is from the journals, academic writings, SLP and the IDP of the municipality. The results show there are challenges with compliance with SLP and the Charter prescripts from the mining houses, also there is a debate about mining houses‟ commitment in implementing sustainable LED as there is a view that they are only focused on small, economically unsustainable projects and that they reserve mega ii projects for white established businesses to the exclusion of black start-up companies. The view that the regulator is encouraging lack of accountability of the mining houses because of lack of applying punitive measures against non-performance is also gaining traction. The issue of lack of capacity of the regulator to monitor local projects was highlighted as a contributor to mining houses‟ noncompliance. Inadequate stakeholder engagement, lack of alignment of the SLP, IDP and the priorities of the community creates a challenge due to lack of buy in and ownership of LED projects implemented. The research found that there is a need to improve alignment of the IDP, SLP and the community's priorities, improve stakeholder engagement process and also to enforce the prescripts of the Act where there is lack of adherence. KEY WORDS: Local economic development, Social and labour plans, Integrated development plansItem Construction and validation of a theoretically derived PEST analysis type tool for LED community entrepreneurship programmes in South African rural economies(2016-08-25) Stockil, Andrew DonovanIn South Africa today there are many rural economies in decline. Despite the recognition internationally, since the 2nd World War internationally and since 1994 in South Africa specifically, of the value that can be added by specifically targeting Local Economic Development and Entrepreneurship as strategies for an answer to the decline in local economies, success has been limited. More success has in fact been seen in rural communities that have developed through the natural flows of the market than from direct intervention. This progression takes a long time though and the South African situation with all its history cannot wait this long for development. The question asked is why interventions fail, what are the basic factors that make up the local economic development paradigm and how are they affecting the interventions. Information is key to planning and planning is key to successful interventions. A literature review is done in order to establish the basis of LED historically, theoretically and specifically with regards to the South African rural environment, in order to assist in the development of the information required for successful planning of LED interventions. With the most prominent factors derived from this literature review tabled and applied into established Case Study models, a questionnaire is developed for application into rural economies through Community Entrepreneurship programmes or LED vehicles. In order to establish firstly the relevance of the factors and secondly the relevance of the questionnaire, it is reviewed, scored and commented on by a select group of industry practitioners in LED. The opinion of these individuals further validates the use of the factors and questionnaire in baseline LED intervention planning.