Browsing by Author "Ngcobo, Sipho Casper."

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'Cycling out of poverty' through a culture of bicycle ownership and use : a case study.
(2003) Ngcobo, Sipho Casper.; Burton, Simon Ingram Robshaw.
South Africa does not currently have a strong bicycle culture, as most cycling is of a recreational nature. At the same time, inadequate and expensive transport, particularly for many rural individuals and groups, is one of the significant features of poverty in South Africa's rural areas. Many people do not have easy access to vital social and economic activities and opportunities. Because of transport limitations, attempts to promote bicycle transport, by establishing micro bicycle retail outlets in identified rural communities have been in place since the year 2000 in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN). Cycling is viewed as a relatively cheap and efficient means of transport, which has the potential to reduce the transport burden of groups and individuals designated under the term the 'rural poor'. This study is an exploratory qualitative investigation. Its main aim was to uncover and understand (through observation and interviews), the perceptions of identified rural groups and individuals about the potential of bicycle transport in improving rural travel of up to 20 kilometres. The study sought to identify factors influencing bicycle ownership and use, and whether or not this has become the prerogative of both male and female members of rural communities. The key issues which emerged from the collected data, point to the following: that household economic status; cultural prohibitions; self interests of key stake holders; lack of credit facilities and or subsidies, are the main obstacles for many rural inhabitants with interest in undertaking investment in bicycle transport resources.
Towards a People’s Theology of the road in an African Township: a case study of the Edendale Road Network within the Pietermaritzburg District.
(2017) Ngcobo, Sipho Casper.; Balcomb, Anthony Oswald.; Meyer, Wilhelm Henry.
One of the legacies of the apartheid era in South Africa is the phenomenon of black townships that exist in the outskirts of urban areas. There is very little development in these townships which means that those who live in them have to make their way to the city centers to survive and make a living. This has given rise to the public transport industry. Millions of people in South Africa use kombi taxis every day. It is no secret that when it comes to these vehicles reckless and dangerous driving is an unfortunate reality. This means that people using them take their lives into their hands every day. The trip from home to work is probably the most dangerous daily experience that ordinary people living in the townships have to face. The vulnerability and helplessness that people feel when on the road causes them to seek help through religious faith. This study focused on one particular township, Edendale, outside the city of Pietermaritzburg. I have experienced the dangers of road travel myself and have always been concerned about the death toll on the roads and interested in the kinds of beliefs, rituals, and other expressions of faith that can be found among commuters. I sought permission from the regional taxi council to undertake this research by traveling on the taxis and conversing with commuters about their faith practices while on the road. I went on numerous taxi trips and cultivated relationships with a wide range of commuters, old and young, male and female, and from a variety of religious persuasions and faiths, as well as taxi drivers themselves. My informants were adherents mainly of Christianity, Islam, and African Traditional Religion. They had many different beliefs, performed a variety of rituals, and used a range of biblical texts if they were Christian. While the majority of them were Christian, most of them Christian or otherwise, reverted to their ancestral religion when it came to invoking help from the supernatural realm. This caused me to investigate further the basic features of a primal worldview and how these found expression in the beliefs, rituals, and other faith practices of my informants. This thesis documents my investigation into the environment of religious faith created by road travel in general and on the road from Edendale into Pietermaritzburg in particular. It outlines the rationale, methodology, and findings of my research, and attempts to theologically reflect on them. It is a “people’s” theology because it expresses the beliefs of ordinary people of Edendale, not the religious professionals of Edendale, and it is a theology of the road because it is done on the roads of Edendale.