Browsing by Author "Ngcoya, Mvuselelo."

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Adaptation to the impacts of climate Change on agriculture in eThekwini: a literature review.
(University of KwaZulu-Natal., 2016-09-14) Shezi, Nokubonga.; Ngcoya, Mvuselelo.
The eThekwini Municipality has shown strong innovative strategies and activities on climate change adaptation. Putting the improvement of the quality of life of its urban poor remains the main goal in the official planning systems of the municipality and its counterparts. In this era of the changing climate affecting agricultural activities across the world, both small-scale and commercial farmers are adjusting their practices. Commercially, farming has had to adapt to diversified land use plans as well make choices of inputs which would be resilient and work within forecasted conditions. There is also evidence of shifting public policy to adapt to forthcoming changes. The Municipality has designed a food security strategic plan that intends to complement its climate change policy documents. Certainly, the Municipality’s food security vision declaration aims to guarantee that eThekwini population has a strong and resilient food security status. Urban agriculture is one of eThekwini’s policies supporting urban agricultural programmes and activities, although this policy is complemented with the rural agricultural policy (under the rural area-based management). These include the organic and sustainable agricultural initiatives, essential food sovereignty, food security, economic empowerment and environmental sustainability for eThekwini residents and the Municipality’s green leadership, which is mainly responsible for implementing approaches to aid poor citizens to adapt to climate change.
Analysing South African indigenous knowledge policy and its alignment to government's attempts to promote indigenous vegetables.
(2016) Shonhai, Venencia Fortunate.; Ngcoya, Mvuselelo.
The study was concerned with examining if DST policy on indigenous knowledge is aligned with practice on the ground. It focussed on understanding the formulation process of Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS) policy enacted by the Department of Science and Technology (DST) in 2004. It also explored the implementation process of IKS policy by investigating the Agriculture Research Council (ARC) project funded by DST that promoted indigenous vegetables as a component of IKS. The first phase of the study was an investigation of the formulation of the 2004 IKS policy using FaircIough‘s critical discourse analysis method and a decolonial theoretical framework. The study revealed that the formulation of the DST‘s, IKS policy of 2004 involved the co-operation and participation of stakeholders from various backgrounds, including indigenous knowledge holders and practitioners. The policy formulation process included people from different backgrounds in order to recognise the diverse nature of the subject as well as to redress colonial tendencies that discriminate against IKS holders and practitioners in decision-making and benefitting from the knowledge and resources. Critical discourse analysis revealed the African Renaissance, the commodification of IKS, the integration of indigenous knowledge and science, and Equity as dominant discourses in the policy. The study shows how ‗naturalisation‘ of the above discourses in the IKS policy has tended to promote some IKS components while marginalising others. The second phase of the study employed a food sovereignty theoretical framework to investigate the practices, successes and challenges of the KwaMkhwanazi community in KwaZulu-Natal, where the ARC and the University of Zululand (UNIZULU) promoted indigenous vegetables. Food sovereignty analysis of the case study shows that indigenous vegetables (IVs) were promoted because of their many positive attributes, namely their high nutritional value, adaptation to adverse climate conditions, potential for income generation, and resistance to disease and pest. Small-scale farmers were shown as embracing indigenous vegetables and farming practices that enables them to be food secure. Small-scale famers were hindered by numerous challenges in attaining food sovereignty with the question of land shortage taking center stage. The study adds to the body of knowledge that reveals experiences of food sovereignty on the ground. It departs from previous investigations on IVs that predominantly examined the nutritional, medicinal and agronomical factors, instead, this study places IVs in the context of food politics, identity issues, and cultural and socio-economic factors. This study has implications for policy makers and small-scale farmers in their practices.
Banking on agriculture:an assessment of Absa Bank’s Shared Growth Strategy for Agriculture.
(2018) Mashile, Dante.; Ngcoya, Mvuselelo.
The study assesses whether Absa Bank lives up to its Shared Growth Strategy for Agriculture. The objectives of this study are to examine how Absa Bank is supporting and contributing strategically to the development of the agriculture sector in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN); establish whether Absa’s products and services are assisting black commercial farmer clients to escape from poverty and succeed in running sustainable businesses; to assess how Absa Bank is supporting black commercial farmers financially and non-financially; and whether Absa Bank’s Shared Growth Strategy is realised through agricultural sector financing and advisory in KZN. The research method was scheduled in-depth qualitative interviews with eight Absa clients, who are black commercial farmers. The study uses the multidimensional equity framework (MDEF) to assess the impact of Absa agricultural funding, assessing whether access to finance has transferred equity and empowered the clients. The MDEF shaped the interview content with clients to delineate whether they thought about equity issues beyond the current state of their businesses and at the same time government representatives interviewed reflected on the equity issues of the farmers’ businesses in terms of longevity and sustainability. In examining Absa Bank’s Shared Growth Strategy in specific reference to agricultural sector financing to black commercial farmers, it is clear that the funding system is not strategically focused to pay attention to this segment. It was poignantly clear that providing finance to black commercial farmers was not sufficient, therefore there was a legitimate need to provide non-financial business support to the clients as well. These lessons can also be applied to other commercial banks who provide finance to agriculture and specifically black commercial farmers. Absa has not risen to the occasion in as far as using its technical expertise; in as far as the role of the bank in black commercial farming is concerned. Clients and government representatives, including industry body representatives, revealed that the bank should be more than just a financier. The technical capability of the bank is in demand in agriculture, combined with the training and development of black farmers. The strategic challenge is to be differentiated in a competitive market by using enterprise development. The role of a bank in providing loan finance is not enough, therefore its clients, specifically black farmers emphasised the fact that a deeper engagement with Absa Bank was required in order for the relationship to be more nuanced. This is in line with the bank’s strategy to shape its operations to help small and medium-sized businesses to succeed and grow through enterprise development, therefore the bank is expected to offer innovative financial solutions and business support services to small businesses. At the centre of this, is reinventing itself in order for more people to have access to financial services to achieve financial inclusion.
Circular labour migration networks and HIV in Malawi.
(2015) Masebo, Wilfred Gilbert Burton.; Ngcoya, Mvuselelo.
Circular labour migration is a livelihood strategy for many Malawians regardless that migrant workers and their sexual partners are well known groups to be at risk of HIV infection. Many of these migrant workers and their sexual partners are socially and sexually connected through kinship, friendship and sexuality. The aim of this research is to explore the role of social networks on HIV risk reduction strategies and transmission mechanisms among the migrant workers and their sexual partners. To explore the role of social networks on HIV risk reduction strategies and transmission mechanisms among the migrant workers and their sexual partners, this research makes use of empirical qualitative data. The data was collected through in-depth interviews, focus group discussions and conversational observations both at the migrant rural workplace of Kayelekera Uranium mine and one of the migrant sending rural village of Maganga in Malawi. Findings of this research show that HIV and AIDS information was discussed daily within the social networks of the migrant workers and their sexual partners. As a result, knowledge about HIV and AIDS was universal among the migrant workers and their sexual partners. However, most of these social network discussions about HIV and AIDS among the migrant workers and their sexual partners were along gender lines, in that the migrant men talked with their male colleagues while their sexual partners talked with their female friends. Despite the gendered nature of their social networks, their influences on discussions about HIV and AIDS for the migrant men were similar to those for their sexual partners. In their discussions, the migrant workers and their sexual partners attempted to formulate HIV risk reduction strategies. These HIV risk reduction strategies were socially framed to suit to the local social circumstances of the migrant workers and their sexual partners. Although similar, social network influences on risk perception for both the migrant workers and their sexual partners nevertheless reached quite different conclusions about appropriate HIV risk reduction strategies. Most of the migrant workers talked more about partner selection, partner reduction and remaining faithful. In their discussions, the rural regular sexual partners of the migrant workers focused on how to persuade their migrant partners to remain faithful. The differences in HIV risk reduction strategies between the migrant workers and their sexual partners could be that social influence plays a greater role in HIV and AIDS conversation networks. In this case, the more dense and homogeneous the HIV and AIDS conversation network is, the more normative the effects are, that is, the social influence. For the rural partners, their HIV and AIDS conversation partners were usually from the same local village. While for the migrant men, there was greater social integration from different geographical locations meeting at the workplace. All in all, the most important empirical result is that social networks of the migrant workers and their sexual partners have significant and substantial effects on HIV risk reduction strategies. Despite socially accepted strategies of HIV risk reduction, some of the migrant workers and their sexual partners indulged in risky sexual behaviour. Some of these migrant workers and their sexual partners were involved in, supported and encouraged multiple and concurrent sexual partnerships among their social networks of colleagues and friends. They even assisted each other in identifying potential sexual partners. With the influence of their social network colleagues, some of the migrant workers used condoms with some of their casual sexual partners especially at the workplace. However, none of the regular sexual partners of the migrant workers used condoms with their casual sexual partners in the migrant sending rural village. Also, the migrant workers themselves did not used condoms with their regular rural sexual partners. The prevailing social norm was that condoms were not acceptable in regular sexual partnerships. It is this sanctioned low level of protection within regular sexual partnerships that is likely to increase the risk of HIV transmission among the migrant workers and their regular sexual partners regardless of some noticeable efforts within their social networks to reduce HIV risk. Therefore, my findings confirm that social networks have a role both on HIV risk reduction strategies and transmission mechanisms among the migrant workers and their sexual partners. Thus, the consideration of the local social contexts within which the migrant workers and their sexual partners transact their daily life is paramount if HIV interventions are to work.
Coastal identities: exploring the construction of identities on the Durban beachfront.
(2016) Mathenjwa, Mxolisi Nhlakanipho.; Ngcoya, Mvuselelo.
This research project is part of a larger coastal governance project, titled Knowledge for Coastal Change, led by the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR). The main objective of that project is to “develop an innovative and radical model for (scientific) knowledge production at local (or municipal) levels in order to inform evidence-based decision making and management of South Africa’s coastal resources, build competence and contribute to the theoretical debate around the development of a democratic knowledge-society” (CGCG Report, 2013). My research is nested within and contributes to this larger body of work. The Durban coastline is one of the most attractive spaces in the city. Because of its cultural and socio-economic value to the city and province, this area is called the Golden Mile. But there are numerous questions about its governance and the role of identities in its governance: does it accommodate all the relevant users, stakeholders and those who rely on it intensively? The study is based on qualitative research methods and uses concepts such as “spatial fetishism” (Soja 1989), “space and place” (Keith and Pile 1993, Dixon and Durrheim 2004), “ritual of habitation” (Holmes 1999), “identity-construction spaces” (Kaya 2005) and “interactive governance theory” (Kooinman et, al 2008) to interrogate how identity formation informs people’s attachment to the Durban Beachfront (and vice versa)
Corporate social responsibility in the case of Rio Tinto and rural community of KwaNdaya and Port Dunford.
(2020) Gumede, Nomnotho Cebisile.; Ngcoya, Mvuselelo.
In 2004 Richards Bay Minerals, a subdivision of Rio Tinto, the multibillion global mining company that specialises in titanium, iron ore, and zircon signed an agreement to expand mining in northern KwaZulu-Natal on the Zulti South Mineral Lease Area situated in the rural communities of KwaNdaya and Port Dunford. Residents of these two impoverished communities expected a new dawn through the company’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programmes. This study was conducted to explore CSR as a potential tool for socio-economic development in the KwaNdaya and Port Dunford. It used Primitive Accumulation, Accumulation by Dispossession and Parity of Participation theories as frameworks to understand why Corporate Social Responsibility continues to fail in achieving social justice. Qualitative methods were used to extract information from sustainable development reports and compare the findings based on knowledge, attitudes and opinions of the 18 participants who reside in the two host communities. The findings reveal that community members in KwaNdaya and Port Dunford are aware of what is happening around them, but lack knowledge on how to fight the hierarchal system which has made decisions on their behalf while they remain in chronic poverty. Development by Dispossession continues to loot South African communities by wearing a mask of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) to access mineral wealth in rural peripheries. There are endless promises about community development, and the findings show that these benefit Traditional Authority representatives. As a result, unfulfilled CSR promises remains the major cause of conflict and community unrest in mining host communities around South Africa.
Deliberative or instrumental participation? : perceptions of households on the development and implementation of the One Home One Garden programme in KwaMashu Township, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.
(2014) Chihambakwe, Michelle Tendai.; Ngcoya, Mvuselelo.
Home gardening has great potential to enhance urban food security. This has led to the mushrooming of food security interventions to reduce food insecurity. In South Africa, community gardens have been touted as significant strategies for the urban poor to augment their diets and livelihoods. Yet the degree of participation in such schemes remains opaque and the success of these projects under examined. This dissertation examines participation in a township garden project. In light of heightened claims of participation in institution-led projects, this study explores participatory processes through a critical lens. While it is widely acknowledged that observing ‘meaningful’ citizen participation enshrined in the South African Constitution is imperative, evidence suggests that interventions embrace top-down instead of bottom-up approaches to participation. This suggests that literature on home gardening interventions that exclusively focuses on structural power dynamics of participation is relatively thin. My study therefore, explores participatory processes of the One Home One Garden Programme (OHOG) in KwaMashu Township, KwaZulu-Natal. Consequently, to deepen our understanding of the gardeners’ experiences, I employ the Food Sovereignty Framework and buttress it with Cornwall’s concept of ‘invited’ and ‘invented’ spaces of participation. I conducted 25 in-depth interviews with One Home One Garden programme participants and key informants. Further, I also used participant observation to assess the progress of the gardens. Results show that there was no involvement of participants in decision-making processes. However, contrary to my initial expectations I discovered that rather than merely attributing the success or failure of the gardens to citizen participation, gardening apathy was a critical factor. The findings demonstrate that gardeners who embraced principles of food sovereignty by carving out their own participatory spaces not only managed to feed their families but stood apart from most gardeners. This is because they were empowered to govern their gardens independent of state support. Ultimately, grounding interventions with the principles of food sovereignty is fundamental to buttressing household food security.
The factors influencing youth participation in agricultural co-operatives: evidence from the semi-rural areas of eThekwini, KwaZulu-Natal.
(2019) Mdluli, Siphephelo Freedom Siyabonga.; Ngcoya, Mvuselelo.
Co-operatives, as microeconomic community economic development (CED) strategies, have demonstrated to have the ability to create jobs and alleviate poverty. Agricultural co-operatives, in particular, stand a better chance of transforming the economic status quo by providing black rural small-scale farmers with an opportunity to participate in the mainstream agriculture economy. Co-operatives also contribute to community socio-economic development and the empowerment of vulnerable groups such as women and the youth. Hence, young people in rural and semi-rural areas have employed the co-operative strategy to sustain their livelihoods and improve their quality of life. However, agricultural co-operatives established by the youth often face internal and structural challenges, leading to their ultimate demise. This study aims to determine the factors influencing youth participation in agricultural co-operatives located in rural and semi-rural areas of eThekwini, KwaZulu-Natal. As in the rest of South Africa, the province of KwaZulu-Natal faces a socio-economic crisis of youth unemployment. The focus on youth participation is of particular importance as it allows the study to gain insight into how these impoverished and unemployed young black people deal with the adversities of the agricultural co-operative sector which is monopolised by elite white commercial farmers who control both the markets and arable land. By focusing on the youth, the study will be looking at the individual level of analysis, that is the choices and perceptions of young people who have formed agricultural co-operatives. To achieve this, the study has employed the capability approach as the main theoretical framework to be applied in analysing the co-operative members’ participation. The research methodology employed by this study is qualitative, which is framed by the constructivist paradigm with a narrative approach. This study has employed a purposive sampling strategy to select information rich respondents. Ten (10) respondents from seven (7) agricultural co-operatives were interviewed. Data has been analysed thematically, and the themes that emerged from the coding procedure have informed the findings of this research. The study found that there were factors encouraging youth participation in agricultural co-operatives, such as having a passion for agriculture, working together, being unemployed, and the desire of being self-employed. While factors hindering youth participation in agricultural co-operatives included insecure land tenure, lack of infrastructure and equipment, lack of essential services such as water, access to information, markets. These emerging factors continue to affect the participation of young people in agricultural co-operatives; thus, affecting the development and sustainability of co-operatives.
Gender and the precariousness of producing and selling indigenous vegetables : a case study of farmers in Northern KwaZulu-Natal.
(2017) Bhengu, Menzi Mthembeni.; Ngcoya, Mvuselelo.
The cultivation and consumption of indigenous vegetables in rural communities, over successive generations, has been an integral livelihood strategy of both households and communities to ensure food security and concomitantly to enable them to wield greater control over their food systems. In a concerted endeavor to ascertain and understand the intersecting dimensions of gender and precarity, on a rural community in South Africa, the production and sale of traditional leafy vegetables (imifino/ morogo/ miroho) were examined through the livelihood strategies of rural farmers. The combination of a questionnaire based survey with a qualitative research methodology was used to collect data on the dynamics and processes which animate the production and sale of these traditional leafy vegetables. The majority of farmers, who were interviewed for this study, in rural Northern KwaZulu-Natal, were predominantly women due to the condition that the production of indigenous vegetables was predominantly a female-centered form of agricultural endeavor. Many households in the area were headed by women and they used the production of indigenous vegetables such as; amadumbe (taro), sweet potato and imbuya (amaranth), mainly for domestic consumption. However, the sale of these traditional vegetables was sparse and the income generated was used to augment family income. The significance of the different indigenous vegetables, for production and sale, differed due to the particular socio-economic circumstances of a household and was also affected by the temporal and ecological features of agricultural production. Despite the well-known medicinal and nutritional values of indigenous vegetables, the study discovered that they were not thoroughly embraced by the youth and other vulnerable groups within the community. Thus, discernable economies of perception were at play in the valorization of western varieties of leafy vegetables to the relegation of local/indigenous vegetables and varieties, as they were perceived as ‘backwards’ and connoted with ‘poverty’. In addition, the decline of indigenous knowledge (IK) on an about indigenous vegetables was discerned to be directly linked to the decreasing production and consumption of indigenous vegetables, and the leafy varieties, as a result of the break-down in production systems, the nascent drought, degradation of soil quality, and the shortage of seed. The seed systems and ‘seed banks’ for indigenous vegetables were found to be unstructured despite the sophisticated and advanced knowledge, on seed quality, possessed by a myriad of older women in the region. Further, the structural and normative challenges faced by the farmers, notwithstanding the social-cultural milieu in a region where food sovereignty was discovered to be at best nascent, it was also discerned that through sheer determination, and a methodological selection of plants, supportive social networks, and limited state support, these farmers were able to develop some autonomy, albeit precarious.
Gender-based violence and human security in Cape Town : a case study of the Saartjie Baartman Centre for Women and Children.
(2013) Zupka, Ivy Kaminsky.; Ngcoya, Mvuselelo.
This study investigates the relationship between human security, gender, and the activities of the Saartjie Baartman Centre for Women and Children, an NGO serving women who have experienced gender-based violence. Gender-based violence is studied within the specific context of South Africa, with special attention given to the history, culture and socio-economic conditions. The study uses the concepts of human security and gender to construct a framework for examining gender-based violence. This theoretical approach fosters interdisciplinary collaboration and includes marginalised populations. This is a qualitative case study comprising of in-depth interviews with both clients and staff at the Saartjie Baartman Centre in Cape Town and it provides rich detail of personal experiences of both clients and employees of the centre. The themes of organisational challenges, socio-economic, and cultural issues are discussed and analysed. The intention of the study is to bring attention to the issue of gender violence in South Africa, investigate the occurrence of this violence in Manenberg, and put forth recommendations to further the fight against it. This will be done through an exploration of the activities of the Saartjie Baartman Centre and the implications of these activities. The study concludes that given the existing statistics of gender-based violence continually rising, current efforts are either not working or not having a large enough impact. Therefore, something different needs to be done in order for sustainable change to take place.
Indigenous vegetables and access to markets: a study of rural women farmers in Senanga, Zambia.
(2016) Mukupa, Nancy Lwimba; Ngcoya, Mvuselelo.
General agriculture, fishing and small business enterprises are the most prominent economic activities in Senanga, a district located on the Western part of Zambia (Central Statistics Office 2010). However, in the recent years, cultivation of indigenous vegetables by rural women has both increased and gradually become a source of livelihood in Senanga. It is from this backdrop that this dissertation employs the food sovereignty framework to examine the cultivation of indigenous vegetables and rural farmers’ access to markets in Senanga. It also draws on the food security literature, Sustainable Livelihoods Approach (SLA) and the agro-ecological approach to analyse indigenous vegetable farming in developing countries. With the aid of data collection instruments such as participant observation, transect walk and in-depth interviews conducted with 11 female farmers, five traders and five agricultural officers, the study investigates the production of indigenous vegetables in Senanga. I also examine women’s access to local, national and international markets and how they maintain business relationships with these markets. The dissertation also evaluates the role of the public and private sector in indigenous vegetable farming. From the views and experiences of the research participants, socio-economic factors such as high unemployment rates, growing demand for indigenous vegetables and access to resources emerge as factors that motivate farmers in Senanga to engage in indigenous vegetable farming. This has helped farmers increase their households’ food security and income. It has also improved their access to social services and other agriculture inputs. On the other hand, gender bias and limited recognition of indigenous vegetables by public and private sector, socio-economic factors such as lack of agricultural skills and financial resources are identified as factors that hamper indigenous vegetable production and farmers’ access to markets in Senanga. Equally, the research findings show that gender stereotypes and sociocultural factors such as discriminatory gender roles, cultural rigidity, customary land laws and dependence syndrome also contribute to low production of indigenous vegetable in Senanga. In addition, the dissertation discusses strategies such as adequate provision of agricultural services and training in agro-ecological approaches to food production by government and NGOs, increased women’s participation in the formulation of agricultural policies if implemented might improve indigenous vegetable farming in Senanga.
Key drivers & effects of corruption in rural areas: a case study of Jozini local municipality.
(2018) Shongwe, Zakhele Bongani.; Ngcoya, Mvuselelo.
Corruption in post-apartheid South Africa continues to remain a critical challenge and obstacle to rural development. Each and every day in rural South Africa, myriad public officials are reported to have been implicated in corruption scandals through demanding and accepting bribes from the ordinary people who are in dire need of government services, like job opportunities. About millions of state funds allocated for rural development are embezzled by corrupt public officials in execution of public duties and the benefits of democracy being enjoyed by the so-called politically connected and economically empowered individuals who are always prioritized by the corrupt public officials, thus pauperizing the vast majority of the rural population who are economically disadvantaged who find it very difficult to survive in a corrupt system characterized by bribery and the so-called issues of political connectedness. The aim of this study is to explore the local’s perceptions of corruption focusing on its key drivers and effects in Jozini Local Municipality area of South Africa with specific reference to the Public Works sector. To explore local perceptions of corruption with a focus on its key drivers and effects, this study makes use of a qualitative research approach. Research data was collected through in-depth individual interviews in Jozini area using a sample of 20 research respondents, which included municipal officers and local youth respondents as key research informants on a subject under investigation. Findings of this study show that corruption in Jozini rural areas is caused by myriad factors, ranging from issues of human greed and lack of ethics, lack of commitment by public officials, low salary levels being paid to public officials, weak legal system and the scarcity of resources in the rural world. Factors such as poverty, enrichment of the few, impoverishing of the vast majority of the unemployed population, creation of inequality, undermining of democracy and the prevalence of service delivery protests are among the critical effects resulting from corruption in Jozini area. Therefore, my findings confirm that corruption and development are interconnected and that corruption is a zero-sum game whereby some people within a particular geographic area benefit from the corrupt system while others get pauperized by such a corrupt system and practice, thus making corruption a major culprit to rural underdevelopment and fair distribution of government services.
Land restitution and poverty alleviation in KwaZulu-Natal: the case of Hlomendlini Community.
(2020) Ndlovu, Sandile.; Ngcoya, Mvuselelo.
Unequal land access and poverty skewed along racial lines remains one of the major legacies of colonialism and apartheid in South Africa. Massive poverty amongst the black South African population in particular is associated with their landlessness dating back to the colonial past. The democratic government rolled out a land access programme to restitute the victims of past injudicious laws. Amongst other objectives, this programme aims to improve household welfare and alleviate poverty. The nexus between land access and poverty reduction has become the dominant narrative amongst politicians, some scholars and policy-makers. This study seeks to interrogate the popular notion dominating the South African land discourse that access to land will reduce poverty amongst the poorest of the poor. To achieve its aim, the study adopted qualitative methods using a case study approach which was better suited given the complex nature of the study. Using snowball sampling to identify participants, I used semi-structured interviews, observations, secondary materials and transect walks to conduct the research. The study found that land access was biased towards old people and males in particular. The government imposed its own preferred land use plans on new landowners in order to sustain the previous large-scale commercial model, despite the limited number of hectares of land shared by a large number of beneficiaries. Post-settlement was inadequate as land claimants face numerous challenges such as delayed grant funding, a lack of institutional support, corruption, a lack of equipment and difficult co-management arrangements with white strategic partners. The study found that contestations from within and outside the community have pushed them to the brink of collapse. The major finding of the study is that since taking ownership of the land, there are no durable material and psychological benefits that have been derived by new land entrants to alleviate their poverty, largely caused by their loss of land due to dispossession.
Memory, identity and food production among Zimbabwean migrants in Durban, South Africa.
(2018) Oni, Femi Emmanuel.; Ngcoya, Mvuselelo.
This study answered questions about the experiences and factors considered in food identification and choice among Zimbabwean migrants, the value chain of food choices among Zimbabwean migrants and how this food production process has influenced development in Durban. This study explores qualitative approach methodology focusing on constructivism epistemology to interpret the relationship that exist between migrants and their food using food mapping as a theory and method to explain their experiences while tracing the food. Sixteen semi-structured interviews helped to follow plants of Zimbabwean origin in Durban from production to consumption tracing the developmental effect. Research shows that the experience of Zimbabwean migrants has a linkage to their culture and identity leaving a trace of home feelings while making choices in consideration to economic, biological and socio-cultural factors. Food value chain analysis helped to capture the sustainable impact of the production of these plants on the economic, social, agricultural and environmental developments. It was concluded that the consumption pattern of these migrants has weighty positive effect on the entire populace, thereby bringing about an aggressive transformation in the economic, social, agricultural and environmental interaction.
Race and participation in coastal governance : the case of the eThekwini golden mile competency group.
(2018) Zondo, Mdoda Davidson.; Ngcoya, Mvuselelo.
In recent years, there has been a heightened global interest in coastal governance and management. The focus has been on development of policies, administrative regulations and on expert analysis to address coastal management issues. However, in South Africa, a plethora of literature indicates that these approaches have proven insufficient in promoting sustainable coastal development and management. This is because coastal governance is an inherently political endeavour that is best approached through the creation of meaningful opportunities for participation and the establishment of partnerships that include government, civil society, scientific or professional communities and local communities. The recognition of the importance of participation has led to a major shift towards participatory coastal governance. This global coastal governance and management blueprint which emphasizes the importance of meaningful participation was adopted by the democratic South African government in formulating environmental and coastal governance legislation. However, because of the deliberate expulsion of Blacks by the apartheid government from coastal areas and their subsequent historical exclusion from coastal governance issues this study hypothesizes that participatory coastal governance legislation alone is not sufficient to achieve meaningful and inclusive participation of all racial groups. The essence of this argument is that in exploring participation in coastal governance in South Africa there is a need to address structural challenges that are faced by Black people based on apartheid induced alienation from coastal issues and areas. Using conceptual tools from critical race studies and environmental justice, this study conducted semi structured interviews with knowledge-holders that were part of the Global Change Grand Challenge and Global Change (GCGC) study which focused on coastal governance. The major findings indicate that previously disadvantaged Black Africans experience structural challenges when participating in coastal governance issues. However, I am optimistic that this research can have a significant role in ushering a discourse that will contextualize participation in coastal governance in South Africa that is focused on addressing structural hindrances faced by previously disadvantaged groups in order to achieve meaningful participation.
Researching QoL change from ICT training, access and use at South African telecentres : empowerment through participatory research.
(2014) Attwood, Heidi Elaine.; Ngcoya, Mvuselelo.
A participatory action research project, Community-based Learning, ICTs and QoL (CLIQ) conducted in four areas within KwaZulu-Natal (South Africa) between 2008 and 2011, investigated whether information and communication technology (ICT) training, access and use could improve the QoL (QoL) of poorer people. Two thirds of the 113 CLIQ participants did improve their QoL, and furthermore, over three quarters of participants noted an empowering impact from their participation in CLIQ, in addition to other social and educational impacts. Initial analyses of findings found a greater likelihood of improved QoL and CLIQ impact in research areas with better project implementation and participation (Attwood et al., 2011). Initial analysis also identified factors contributing to different levels of participation and implementation (Attwood et al., 2010). With reference to literature on QoL, agency and empowerment; Information and Communication Technology for Development (ICT4D); and participatory methodologies, a detailed analysis of the implementation of CLIQ identifies elements of the research process, methods and ethos that contributed towards participants’ empowerment. The post-field application of Kleine’s (2010b) Choice Framework (CF) to CLIQ findings, confirms the usefulness of this empowerment framework for analysing ICT4D interventions. Analysis of the variety of individual CLIQ stories reveals examples of how all of the CF’s agency resources and structural factors impacted on, or were impacted by participants’ engagement with the intervention. Specifically, this thesis illustrates how interactions between aspects of agency, structure and individual characteristics result in different degrees of empowerment and development outcomes, thereby integrating and augmenting the initial analysis of CLIQ findings. As a complex logic model, the CF accommodates the diversity and complexity of participants’ engagement with CLIQ and efforts to improve their QoL, through providing a framework which allows for multiple, recursive and emergent causality. This thesis concludes by suggesting minor adjustments that could improve the CF, including an elevation of the importance of psychological resources. Based on the empowering outcomes attributed to CLIQ’s participatory action research process, and recognising that problems facing telecentres in South Africa are the same as they were ten years ago, the thesis concludes with recommendations for public access computing in South Africa.
The role of horizontal philanthropy in mitigating the impacts of HIV/AIDS in rural areas : a case study of Mathulini Rural Area.
(2014) Khumalo, Buyisiwe G.; Ngcoya, Mvuselelo.; Mottiar, Shauna.
This Masters dissertation documents the results of a qualitative research study on how horizontal giving lessens the impacts of HIV/AIDS in the rural Mathulini area of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The main objective of this research study was to understand the role and importance of horizontal philanthropy (giving occurring amongst families, friends and within communities) in mitigating the impact of HIV/AIDS in a rural community. The study was conducted in the Mathulini rural area of KwaZulu-Natal, with a focus on a community based organisation, the Mathulini Women’s Group. The thesis uses the theory of horizontal philanthropy to investigate the role of philanthropy in rural areas, especially towards reducing HIV/AIDS impacts within these communities. In this research an understanding of horizontal philanthropy from a South African perspective was first put forward. Using participant observation and interview research methods, the study concludes that giving and philanthropy form a large part of South African tradition and culture, and also impact positively on the country’s citizens. Based on an understanding of horizontal philanthropy, the study then reflects the way in which people from poor and marginalised settings engage in horizontal philanthropy as means of helping each other on a daily basis. It highlights the role of horizontal philanthropy in mitigating the impact of HIV/AIDS within the rural communities. This study contributes to the nascent literature on African indigenous philanthropies.
The ruralization of urban spaces in the context of subsistence farming : the case study of Gwabalanda Township, Bulawayo, Zimbabwe.
(2013) Chibvongodze, Danford Tafadzwa.; Ngcoya, Mvuselelo.
The burgeoning of subsistence agriculture in the townships of Bulawayo, the second largest city in Zimbabwe symbolizes a change in the use of urban space in many cities of the global South. The activity of subsistence agriculture, which in both colonial and post-colonial Zimbabwe has been highly regarded as a rural activity is now a common sight in most townships of Bulawayo, Zimbabwe (RAUF, 2007). Indeed the rise of subsistence agriculture in the residential areas of Bulawayo particularly in the township of Gwabalanda is leading to what I refer to as the ‘ruralization of urban space’, where through practises of subsistence agriculture, elements of rural life have slowly seeped into the everyday life of urbanites (cf. Rogerson, 1993:33; Zeleza, 1999:45). The thesis uses Lefebvre’s (1974) theory of Production of Space to investigate some of the conditions and factors that have influenced the ruralization of urban space in the township of Gwabalanda, as seen in the intensification of a rural-oriented activity of subsistence farm. Using primary data from 17 semi-structured interviews with Gwabalanda residents involved in farming, the thesis intended to interrogate the perceptions and attitudes Gwabalanda residents hold towards the changes in the use of urban space and also examine the possible benefits of urban farming. The investigation of subsistence farming in Gwabalanda led me to identify three complementing and overarching themes or factors that drive urban farming and the ruralization of urban space. The first two themes are the political and economic factors which seem to operate on a macro-level, whereas the other theme of socio-cultural factors functions at an individual or household level. Economic and political factors such unemployment, lack of income, high transport costs of moving food, political alienation and freedom were identified by Gwabalanda residents as important drivers of urban agriculture. On the other hand, socio-cultural aspects which included identity, traditional religion, socialization and changes in migration patterns appeared to be crucial motivators for cultivating urban spaces. The research study also found out that urban households that are engaged in subsistence farming are more food secure and generate extra income from selling some of the produced crops. The income generated is used to pay school fees, pay bills and buy farming inputs for the next planting season. Furthermore some households were sending excess farm produce to their rural homes.
Sowing the seeds of food sovereignty or cultivating consent? The potential and limitations of Johannesburg’s community gardens.
(2017) Kesselman, Brittany.; Ngcoya, Mvuselelo.; Casale, Daniela Maria.
This thesis investigates the benefits and challenges of participating in community gardens in Johannesburg. More specifically, it seeks to understand whether and how urban community gardens contribute to food sovereignty, with the aim of identifying ways to enhance their contribution. For this research, six components of food sovereignty were considered: 1) access to sufficient, healthy and culturally appropriate food; 2) sustainable livelihoods and local economies; 3) environmental sustainability; 4) food system localisation; 4) empowerment and food system democratisation; and 6) gender equality. This research adopts a constructivist approach and a comparative case study method. In addition to an extended period of participant observation, the research utilises a unique array of research instruments adapted from various disciplines, including key informant interviews, an informal survey of community gardens in Johannesburg, a food diary exercise, food/life history interviews and semi-structured interviews with garden participants. The thesis finds that the community gardens do contribute to food sovereignty, though their contribution to the six elements is uneven and faces many obstacles. Some of the more unique challenges identified by this research include: 1) the role of culture and worldviews; 2) the restrictive impact of the neoliberal rationality underpinning support for the gardens—whether from government, non-governmental organisations or the private sector; and 3) conflicts and a climate of suspicion amongst gardeners which inhibit knowledge sharing, development of critical consciousness and social mobilisation. This research represents a contribution to both the urban agriculture (UA) and food sovereignty scholarship. Applying the food sovereignty framework to community food gardens in Johannesburg enables a more multidimensional and multi-scalar analysis of the gardens than previously found in South African literature on UA. At the same time, this research highlights a number of unexplored issues within the food sovereignty literature, such as: the challenge of defining ‘culturally appropriate’ food; the potential contradictions between culturally appropriate foods, sustainable livelihoods and agroecological production methods; and the role of race and gender inequality. This approach also revealed that the material benefits of UA (e.g., food security, income) are limited by the context of marginalisation, while its transformative potential can only be realised if support for UA has transformation as a principal objective.
Thinking race thinking tourism: a critical race approach to heritage and cultural tourism in KwaZulu-Natal.
(2019) Gasa, Thandanani.; Ngcoya, Mvuselelo.; Maart, Rozena.
South Africa’s tourism industry continues to grow and has come to be part of the government’s developmental strategy which seeks to alleviate poverty and uplift previously disadvantaged groups. In the South African context, where there is a long history of colonization, which unfairly subdivided the country’s resources and economy, race is a crucial characteristic in the tourism sector. I use critical race theory to explore the unjust role of race and racism in the tourism sector which has ensured the failure of a post-apartheid transformation agenda by covertly perpetuating White domination. In this study, the focus is particularly on heritage and culture tourism, which encompasses even more elements of racialized exploitation. This way, the study examines the commodification of Black culture in a sector that is still largely owned by White people. The study samples a cultural village in the province of KwaZulu-Natal located in the outskirts of Pietermaritzburg. The study uses a non-probabilistic purposive sampling method where the interviewed participants of the study were direct employees of the cultural village. Ultimately the study finds that there has been minimal to no change in the racial structure of the sector; which is that Whites own a lion’s share of the industry while Black people serve as employees, at times for a bare minimum wage. The study finds that the heritage and cultural tourism is racially exploitative and uneven. Worryingly, the White domination of this sector, especially in the case where Black culture is the primary commodity, is characteristic of how most industries can be argued to have functioned during the apartheid era; with Black people at the bottom.