3. Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETDs) - All submissions
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Item Race, gender, class and land reform: a case study approach on the land reform for agricultural development (LRAD) sub-programme(2012-01-17) Madletyana, PhilaniThe racial discrimination under colonialism and apartheid culminated to the dispossession of black people from their land, and to unequal land distribution between black and white people. Territorial segregation during this period was not only about the displacement of black people from their land and their deprivation to equal access to land compared to their white counterparts, it was also about economic deprivation, eradication of subsistence agriculture and the transformation of blacks into wage labourers (Hall, 2004; Walker, 2008).The post-apartheid land reform process was initiated to redress the injustices and inequalities of the past. It took a market-driven approach to blend the objectives of land reform with those of national reconciliation and maintenance of food security (DLA, 1997). The land reform process took a form of restoring land to its original owners who were forcefully removed from it after June 1913 or compensation if land could not be restored. It was also aimed at securing tenure rights for farm workers, labour tenants, farm dwellers and people residing in communal areas. The aims of the third part of the land reform programme was to redistribute 30% of commercial farms in white hands to black people with the view of redressing racial disparities in landholding. As early as in the initial stages of the development of South Africa’s land policy in the early 1990s, scholars and civil society groups warned about the ineffectiveness of the market to deliver on land reform objectives. This paper adopts a case study approach to study the South African land reform process in relation to the notion of empowerment. It focuses on the Land Reform for Agricultural Development (LRAD) sub-programme by looking at the intersection between race, gender and class. Bambanani Fruits (Pty) Ltd, an LRAD project based in the Gauteng province is used as a case study. This is an LRAD Equity Scheme project, meaning that its beneficiaries (who are former workers on the farm) acquired an LRAD grant to purchase equity shares to be co-owners of the project. Bambanani Fruits is a successful project considering its productivity and access to the market. This paper investigates how much LRAD beneficiaries are part of this success i.e. whether they have agency, whether they feel a sense of ownership and control of the project, and the extent at which they take part in decision making in the project. This task is carried out through the application of Kabeer’s (1999) instrumentalist model of measuring empowerment. Kabeer states that empowerment is measured by looking at three aspects, namely; resources, agency and achievement. Kabeer’s model is applied to the data which was collected through various means including in depth interviews with Bambanani LRAD beneficiaries and land officials from the province, document analysis and review of existing scholarly work on land reform. It is well documented that South Africa’s land reform process has been very slow in delivering to its objectives, and departmental reports used in this paper also confirm this assertion. The research results reveal that even though more land was transferred under LRAD, the sub-programme also encountered some of the challenges and hindrances faced by its predecessor Settlement/Land Acquisition Grant (SLAG). It faced budgetary constraints, complexities of the land market such as price restrictions and resistance by land owners to cede land, and so on. Generally, it was found that LRAD tended to entrench race, gender and class disparities in landholding. At Bambanani, I discovered that LRAD has affected beneficiaries differently. The sub-programme has stratified these beneficiaries into competing class factions. Divergent interests have emerged to distort the actual meaning of empowerment. I have labelled this tension a ‘dichotomous factionalism’. The struggle and conflict is caught up between beneficiaries themselves, and their disunity has left the hegemony of the farm’s management unchallenged. I argue that, their empowerment is firstly condemned from within and this internal condemnation limits their negotiating power with the management. Secondly, their empowerment is curtailed by the farm’s management in such as way that it sometimes uses its majority shares to justify unilateral decision making. According to Kabeer, empowerment ought to encompass egalitarian decision making. Respondents have reported this is not always being the case at Bambanani. One group of participants complained about how things have remained the same on the farm despite the acquisition of LRAD shares to co-own the farm. Another group which is mostly comprised by trust members argued that things have changed for the better compared to the period prior to the attainment of these equity shares. In doing so, this group blames the discontent group for the lack of commitment to the project and for being after money over the interest of the project. The discontent group has also complained that the trust is not representing their interests to the management, and whenever they lay complaints there are often threats of expulsion. Apart from the above mentioned conflict of interests amongst Bambanani beneficiaries, positive elements were also discovered where beneficiaries agreed on some areas of dissatisfaction. I have labelled this a Collective Discontent Spectacle. The plight of beneficiaries is caused by the lack of adequate exposure to the business side of the farm’s operation and the lack of delivery on houses which were promised to them by the management as part of the shareholding package. Having considered the Bambanani case and other literature on LRAD, I concluded that LRAD has failed to fulfil empowerment requirements as per Kabeer’s model.Item Do donor agencies address the question of the empowerment and sustainable development of poor black women?(2009-03-09T11:24:05Z) Thompson, AshleighAbstract Women globally are faced with many challenges and obstacles which include poverty, disease, violence and inequality. Over the years, women through their own initiative, have organised themselves nationally and internationally to have their agendas taken seriously by governments. Donor agencies did not come to supporting women due to their own conscientiousness – rather it was because of the concerted will and commitment of the international women’s movement that brought attention to the need for assistance for women. In South Africa there are many donor agencies that provide funding for programmes and initiatives that address the challenges faced by women of lower socio-economic groupings. The arising question is how effective these initiatives have been in addressing poverty and inequality of women. This pilot study attempted to investigate how select donors and non-governmental organisations have fared in relation to their target group – ‘poor black women’. The study addressed the issues of empowerment and sustainable development of ‘poor black women’ through an analysis of the work of non-governmental organisations supported by donor agencies. The findings were that donors do attempt to address the empowerment and sustainable development of ‘poor black women’ through the funding that they provide.Item The significance of sheltering in the lives of four woman affected by abusive relationships(2007-02-15T10:28:02Z) Wright, Ruth IsabelleDomestic violence is recognized as a pervasive problem in South Africa. This study focused on the narratives of four abused women and attempted to establish the significance of sheltering in their lives. A qualitative research design was used based on semi-structured interviews and a short follow-up questionnaire, which were analysed thematically. The findings supported past research, indicating that the women’s experiences were very diverse, and they contained many similar features to those reported in previous studies. Each of the four women was not a passive victim, having taken the decision to leave an abusive and violent relationship. Sheltering provided for these women the protected space necessary to move beyond, and in addition provided structure and social support necessary to start to transcend the abuse. Sheltering was found to fill in the gaps created by a society in transition, in which abuse and violence are often tolerated or condoned within the existing social and family structures.Item The social impacts of community-based tourism: A case study of Khama rhino sanctuary trust in the central district of Botswana(2006-11-16T10:49:35Z) Sebele, Lesego SenyanaThe purpose of this study was to find out the social impact of community-based tourism on host communities, using a case study of Khama Rhino Sanctuary Trust. Community-based tourism is the new buzzword for tourism development nowadays, with its proponents promoting its potential to increase local benefits and to empower local communities in economic, social, environmental and cultural terms. This research sought to address closely the benefits and problems associated with community-based tourism in one community in Botswana. The research also attempted to find out how involved the community is in decision making processes involving the running of the Khama Rhino Sanctuary, a community-based initiative which is not only involved in tourism, but also in environmental education. The research findings indicate that there is no sense of ownership amongst the community and benefits have not been forthcoming. Although job opportunities have been created, these have not been increasing since the inception of the Sanctuary. Above all, the Sanctuary still relies heavily on foreign donors. In order to address the research questions, qualitative methods of data collection and analysis were employed.Item The impact on current and former learners of ABET programme run at Duvha Power Station(2006-11-14T13:43:55Z) Shelile, Motlatsi PetrusThis study evaluated the impact on learners of Adult Basic Education and Training (ABET) programmes at Duvha Power Station. The methods of collecting data comprised face-toface interviews, on-site participant observation, classroom observation and document analysis. The underlying assumption was that ABET programmes did not have a positive impact on either the company and individual candidates, and that they were only provided to comply with the legislation and not to develop and empower people. What emerged from findings was that ABET programmes had a major impact on the company and on the individual candidates, in their homes and communities. The findings, however, also revealed weaknesses and challenges in ABET level 1 that need to be addressed i.e ABET level 1 respondents showed no further interest in participating in the programme citing advanced age, learning being for youth, difficult sums etc, as some of the reasons.