Status and Pathways to Sustainable Development of Growth Centres: Lessons from Makhado Biaba, South Africa

Growth centers are a common and prevalent phenomenon that have been in existence for a very long time, particularly in Sub-Saharan African countries. While some growth centers have been developing, physically, economically and socially, others have not been performing well. Although several reasons have been attributable to declining or stagnant growth centers, very little is known about the effective and efficient pathways to developing these centers. For instance, amidst faltering growth centers in South Africa, very few studies have been conducted to determine the appropriate strategies and approaches to developing these spaces sustainably in the country. It has been observed that, the pathways to developing growth centers in South Africa have not been documented in a clear and convincing manner. Consequently, this paper explores the pathways to establishing and developing growth centers in South Africa. The work adopted a mixed methods research approach, which employs both quantitative and qualitative research approaches. A case study research design where Makhado Biaba growth center in South Africa was studied to get insights on the influence of rural growth centers on local economic development and the impact it has on the livelihoods of the people in and around Makhado Biaba area. The growth center was aimed to attain a positive livelihoods outcome through creating a balanced socio-economic development of an area thus, spill over effects covering more than just economic growth. Questionnaires survey and key informative interviews was applied as primary data collection methods, and excel and thematic analysis were employed for data analysis respectively. Findings shows that some parts of the communities lack services because the local municipality cannot meet the service demands. Hence, some areas will remain poor, as social services are necessary for socio-economic growth. Insufficient and inadequate stall structures are a handicap to informal traders in the growth center as in the raining and cold season it becomes both uncomfortable and unprofitable to them. The paper concludes that the level and nature of the services provided confirm that social growth and economic empowerment will have to take on a different shape as some areas still lack access to services. Therefore, the paper ends by recommending policy planning to make innovative adjustments to create more inclusive and advantageous environments for the informal street traders. Borrowing strategies’ in organisational networks to create access to economical and livelihoods, which requires the establishment of networks with surrounding growth centres to “tap into” some of the benefits they offer and “borrow” some of their “strategies”. Future studies are necessary for evaluating growth centers as a toll in creating a balanced socioeconomic development for rural areas

Chronicles of Peri-Urban Expansion in Small Rural Towns: a Comprehensive Study of Makhado Biaba’s Built-Up Areas from 1995 to 2022

Over the past few decades, the phenomenon of peri-urban expansion has emerged in South Africa as a significant and complex challenge, particularly for small towns across rural municipalities. Traditionally characterized by their rural economies and close-knit communities, these towns now find themselves at the crossroads of urbanization, grappling with the complex implications of expanding urban influence. This paper investigates the dynamic changes in the Makhado Biaba town's spatial landscape post-apartheid era, spanning from 1995 to 2022. The work adopted a mixed methods research approach, which employs both quantitative and qualitative research approaches. Google Earth Engine (GEE) was used for supervised classification to evaluate the Support Vector Machine (SVM) algorithms, using Landsat-8 images. Questionnaires were administered to collect qualitative and quantitative data and key informative interviews were conducted to gather qualitative data. Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) was used to analyse quantitative statistical data and thematic analysis was employed for qualitative data analysis. Findings reveal that the land cover of the build-up area increased from 1443.0 HA in 1995 to 1936.0 HA in 2011 and further increased to 2279.0 HA in 2022. This significant increase highlights the visible increase of built-up areas, attributed to the rapid growth in population, which drives the escalating demand for land to accommodate housing and infrastructure needs. Leading to the encroachment of urban settlements into neighbouring rural areas, causing the convergence of urban and rural settlements. Due to the communal tenure system, it is frequently difficult for the municipality to facilitate the demarcation of sites and commercial development on tribal land. Limited authority over such areas, makes it difficult for rural municipalities to control growth and align development with the goals of the municipal bylaws. Ultimately, the study recommends sustainable urban development strategies in mitigating adverse effects on the environment and community well-being. Thus, there is a need to reconcile conflicting By-laws to create a cohesive land management framework that accommodates both traditional practices and modern spatial planning and land use management by-laws. There is also a need to formulate peri-urban expansion strategies tailored to rural contexts by considering local needs, minimizing environmental impact, and actively involving the community in the planning process

The potential of rural growth centers in fostering local economic development : case study of Makhado Biaba

Abstract: A growth service center has the potential for further development. Consequently, such a center needs to be supported by both public and private sector investment because it provides goods and services to the people thus creating a balanced socio-economic development of an area. Governments have long been trying to promote the approach of rural growth center strategies in an attempt to attract investment and sustainable local economic development. There have been growth centers world over, and while some have been developing, others have not been performing well. Most centers designated for growth do not have the requisite potential or strong human resource base from which to ignite the processes of increasing action and subsequent growth. Limpopo and other rural provinces in South Africa have engaged in Rural growth centers and Local Economic Development initiatives for nearly a decade. Very few however have assessed the impact of Rural Growth Centers and Local Economic Development (LED) on improving the livelihoods of citizens. Consequently, this study examines the potential of Rural growth centers in fostering sustainable Local Economic Development in Makhado Biaba, and the extent to which it has contributed towards improving the livelihoods of communities. This work adopted a case study research design and a qualitative and quantitative research approach. Data were collected through Questionnaires (completed by households from Makhado Biaba, Tshirolwe and Tshituni, and business owners). Structured in-depth interviews were conducted with key informants from Makhado Local Municipality (town planners and LED officials). Data was also obtained from observations, map surveys and photographic surveys of the growth center. The results reveal that policy doesn’t automatically lead to successful implementation, but amended skills levels are needed, and funding shortages need to be resolved. Makhado Local Municipality furthermore does not have adequate economic strategies in place to address the issues of poverty and unemployment. The study concludes by recommending that rural municipalities (Makhado Local Municipality) have to generate their own policies and frameworks that are different from those used in metropolitan municipalities. That is because a single strategy does not work when it comes to creating and implementing growth centers. Lastly a conceptual growth center development framework is proposed for Makhado Biaba growth center.M.A. (Sustainable Urban Planning and Development