Church and small, medium and micro enterprises in rural Tswaing in the North West Province.
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Date
2009
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Abstract
This thesis is a search for the relationship between the church and SMMEs in the Tswaing
Municipality, in the North West Province. It concerns the role of the church in supporting
SMMEs in such a way that they benefit the whole community instead of individuals, thus
contributing towards the building of the economy in selected areas of rural Tswaing. The
selected areas are Khunwana, Atamelang, Manamolela and Gannalaagte/Vrischgewaagd. It
is written in the context of the church that has come to understand that ministry to the poor is
never complete without dealing with wealth creation, and in recognition of the fact that the
church can offer alternative economic values. Small business development and support in
rural communities is seen to be a key factor in the building of the community economy.
It is argued that rural economies have generally collapsed due to various factors. First
the apartheid policies which displaced communities from areas where agricultural
ventures were thriving to areas that were not suitable for subsistence farming. Second was
rural urban migration which caused some Tswaing community members to go to cities to find
work, leaving behind elderly people and youth who could no longer or were not willing to
live off the land. Whilst in the cities such migrants were marginalized and remained jobless.
Research findings indicate that the Tswaing community have assets and entitlements that
could be harnessed by the church and other stakeholders like Government and big business,
using Kretzmann and McKnight’s approach to community development; that of building the
community from the inside out to enhance the economy. Four areas of involvement have
been identified for the church (i) engaging the three tiers of government by advocacy for
small businesses and ensuring implementation of policy; (ii) promotion of development and
support for SMMEs and (iii) that the church sets up its own development project.
Description
Thesis (M.Th.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2009.
Keywords
Informal sector (Economics)--North West Province., Church work with the poor--North West Province., Theses--Theology., North West Province--Economic conditions., North West Province--Social conditions., North West Province--Rural conditons.