Assessing local job creation and employment sustainability within greenfields housing projects : case studies of Wiggins Umkhumbane and Westrich (Durban)
Loading...
Date
2005
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Abstract
Most low cost housing beneficiaries either work in the informal sector
with little income to meet all their basic needs, or do not work at all.
They live in poverty because many of them are unskilled, unemployed,
poorly represented economically, politically and socially. Hence the new
South African Housing Policy is said to be enabling the housing
environment to play a more meaningful role in job creation and
employment sustainability. This is said to be achieved through skills
transfer and giving support to small businesses which are geared
towards more labour intensive opportunities.
Job creation, in the context of this study, means training ,and the use of
housing beneficiaries in housing construction. The provision of skills
enhances beneficiaries to engage in self-employment programmes.
Sustainability, on the other hand, looks at the use of dwelling units for
small business purposes, the proximity of housing projects in relation to
areas of employment, and the transfer of skills from place to place when
required. After conducting a survey of 98 beneficiaries, the study
revealed a lack of an effective mechanism for job creation and
employment sustainability within greenfields housing projects.
In order to provide both guidelines and recommendations for the effective
implementation of housing projects, this dissertation assesses the extent
to which greenfields housing projects have been able to create and
sustain employment opportunities for housing beneficiaries. Case studies
used to assess this aspect are Wiggins uMkhumbane in Cato Manor and
Westrich in Newlands West. This study outlines failures and successes in
the manner in which the above mentioned housing projects were
implemented in relation to the creation and sustainability of income
generating activities.
This dissertation is structured as follows: The first chapter introduces
the research problem, research question hypothesis, and the research
method used to conduct the study. The second chapter provides both the
conceptual framework and the literature review for the topic being
investigated. International, national and local case studies are used to
support the flow of the argument. Chapter three introduces the
geographical and historical background of case studies in which the
study was conducted. This historical background is linked to the topic of
study to help to understand the phenomenon of employment. Chapter
four deals with the presentation and analysis of data collected. The
conclusion drawn from the findings and recommendations are found in
chapter five.
Description
Thesis (M.T.R.P.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, 2005.
Keywords
Low-income housing--KwaZulu-Natal--eThekwini Metropolitan Area., Blacks--Housing--KwaZulu-Natal--eThekwini Metropolitan Area., Blacks--Employment--KwaZulu-Natal--eThekwini Metropolitan Area., Housing policy--KwaZulu-Natal--eThekwini Metropolitan Area., Cato Manor (Durban, South Africa)--Economic conditions., Westrich (eThekwini Metropolitan Area)--Economic conditions.