Wits School of Governance (ETDs)

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    The post-1994 land reform prism to interrogate development planning in South Africa
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Molokwane, Masibane John; T.K, Pooe
    The Republic of South Africa’s post-1994 government has embarked on developing numerous policies, legislations, and in 2011, a National Development Plan to advance its economic development trajectory. Yet, despite the various policies, plans and legislations, unmanageable levels of poverty, inequality, and unemployment continue to persist and, in certain areas, increased. The post-1994 government, in line with developed policies and legislations, has sought to utilise re-industrialisation, manufacturing, small business development, mining, and other such economic drivers. While land reform has featured in various policies post-1994, it has not been elevated and used as a central means in advancing development planning and development to address socio-economic challenges. This study, therefore, took a unique approach, unlike previous studies examining land reform in the context of development planning and development. The study’s unique approach was informed by the instrumentality of land reform in advancing development planning and catalysing industrialisation in selected Asian States. This study aimed to address the dearth of literature that prioritises and focuses on the instrumentality of land in development and the inability of the post-1994 South African land reform approach to view land as a development tool. An interpretive sequential mixed qualitative methods study was employed to theorise how development planning can be modelled to feature a re-shaped and re-planned land reform in a development plan. The result of this approach was to present a nuanced contribution to knowledge in the field of development planning, namely a framework that elevates land reform as a central means of development for South Africa’s problematic re-industrialisation.
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    Impact of mega astronomy infrastructure projects on development in the rural Northern Cape, South Africa
    (2024) Mokhohlane, Daniel Manama; Qobo, Mzukisi
    This study investigates the impact of mega astronomy infrastructure projects on development in rural Northern Cape, South Africa. The Northern Cape province especially Kareeberg Local and Karoo Hoogland Local Municipalities has become a hub for astronomy research due to its clear skies and low light pollution, attracting significant investments in mega astronomy infrastructure projects such as the MeerKAT and the Southern African Large Telescope among others. There is also an expectation from local communities that these projects should assist in improving development in those communities. This is the paradox the study investigates. That is so because those communities earmarked for mega astronomy infrastructure projects are preserved and protected by legislation against polluting activities i.e., too much lighting, a lot of radio frequency, too much dust, and smoke, which could be detrimental to radio and optical astronomy. Therefore, this research assesses the development impact of these projects with respect to infrastructure development, job creation, education, tourism and perceptions of people living around those projects. The study discusses the paradox of using mega astronomy infrastructure projects for rural and socioeconomic development. A mixed-methods approach was employed, including surveys, interviews, observations and data analysis, to gather, analyse and synthesise data from residents, project stakeholders, and government officials. A new framework for the Impact of Mega Astronomy Infrastructure projects for the Development of Rural Areas was developed. This framework could be useful in dealing with the persisting dissonance and paradox in assessing mega astronomy infrastructure projects' impact on rural development. The findings of this study provide valuable insights into the role of mega astronomy infrastructure projects in assessing and promoting sustainable development in rural areas and informing future policy decisions and investment strategies in the rural Northern Cape in South Africa.