Land use decision-making on residential plots in Fingo Village, Makhanda (Grahamstown), South Africa

This study seeks to understand land use decision-making dynamics on large residential plots in Fingo Village, Makhanda (Grahamstown). Fingo Village was selected as a study area because it is one of the poorest urban settings in South Africa where urban poverty is observed alongside access to land. A dominant economic perspective not only suggests that land use decisions are motivated by economic motives, but also implies that access to land would enable people to generate income from its use to improve their livelihoods. This study argues against an uncritical embrace of this assumption. Lefebvre’s production of space thesis provides a holistic understanding of the factors involved in the making of land use decisions. The focus of this study is on the dialectic process in the spatial triad– spatial practice, representational space and representations of space. This involved the reading of government policies and legislation together with local lived experiences to gain an understanding of the particular spatial practices seen in Fingo Village. Snowball and convenience sampling were used to select 36 household plots in Fingo Village. Primary data was gathered by means of semi-structured interviews and participatory mapping while additional information was sourced from secondary sources and desktop analysis. The findings of the study show that there is no uniform pattern of land use and success. Different land use activities found on the selected residential plots, including the main house, backyard flat or flats, spaza shops, a funeral parlour, livestock keeping, cultural use (a kraal for ancestral worship) and food gardening. These activities are motivated by residents’ perceptions and attitudes towards their spaces, as well as the value and meaning they attach to the land which is not limited to economic factors, but is also influenced by socio-cultural, political and biophysical considerations. Although some spatial practices are prohibited by the government, they are important to the residents. Other participants fail to use the land as would be expected by a conventional economic perspective, due to spatial conflict relating to different interests as a result of collective land ownership and the failure of municipalities to enforce policies and regulations. The fact that numerous factors influence households’ land use decisions means that access to land does not always directly translate into economic benefits. It is all about what people think or do about their land, as well as what the state lays out in terms of policy and legislation, that will influence whether those people with large plots of land will ‘prosper’ or not.Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Science, Geography, 202

Vulnerabilities of African female refugees in South Africa : a case study of Albert Park area.

M. Sc. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban 2014.The fear of being persecuted has led to thousands of refugee women fleeing their countries of origin to seek safety in South Africa. However, this has proved an elusive aspiration. This dissertation investigates the vulnerabilities of African refugee women in South Africa with specific reference to the Albert Park area in Durban. The objectives of the study were to: understand the life histories of refugee women; evaluate South African refugee policies since 1994; explore the vulnerabilities of refugee women and evaluate government and non-governmental organizations‟ responses to the vulnerabilities of refugee women in the Albert Park area. Structuration and elements of feminism influenced the theoretical framework of the study. Life histories and in-depth interview methods were used to collect primary data. Snowball and purposive sampling methods were used to select participants. The migration of refugee women was mainly caused by conflict and many lost their loved ones, and had also been sexually and physically attacked. During the journey, refugee women were often sexually abused by gangs, truck drivers and border officers. In South Africa, the rights of refugee women were violated as they were denied refugee status permits and their safety and security were not guaranteed. They also faced difficulties in finding accommodation and employment, and could not access government social services, even though this is constitutionally guaranteed. Most female refugees in the Albert Park area have survived through the support of non-governmental organizations such as Refugee Social Service, Lawyers for Human Right and church-based organizations

Black female power in Dudu Busani-Dube’s novels Hlomu-the wife, Zandile-the resolute and Naledi-his love.

Masters Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg.This dissertation examines the power of black females in Dudu Busani-Dube’s novels Hlomu-the wife, Zandile-the resolute and Naledi-his love. The study also examines Black diamond by Zakes Mda and Hunger eats a man by Nkosinathi Sithole to evaluate their representation of black female characters. South African literature has a pessimistic portrayal of black female characters, and the representation of black female characters seems to be that of victimisation in various forms. The black female body has been a symbol of victimisation in literary textual representations. The study briefly looks at the background of how black females such as Sarah Baartman were victimised, both physically and in textual representation. It then explores the activism of females in South African history. Thereafter, the themes of power, motherhood, conflict and sexual love are analysed in detail. The research highlights the power and strength that black women possess as represented in Busani-Dube’s work. Previous research studies focused on women as a homogenous group negating the cultural and racial differences of black women. Black women’s vigour and courage call for scholarship thought and consideration. The study aims to affirm black women in literature and highlight their victories. The research methodology of the study is textual analysis, and the theoretical framework is African feminism. The analysis of the study demonstrates that black women are not only victims as they are generally portrayed in literature, but they are heroines and competent women who require positive recognition in South African literature and Africa as a whole. The aim of the study is to depict that black women have positive traits worth academic engagement

Creative Destruction and Built Environment Heritage in Makhanda, South Africa

Heritage conservation is recognised as an important component of sustainable development but is often considered a lower priority compared to other development imperatives, and societal issues. The prioritization of economic and urban development threatens urban heritage through a process known as creative destruction. This research uses the concept of creative destruction to explore the interplay between market forces and urban planning and management practices on the heritage conservation of the city of Makhanda in South Africa. Makhanda has a rich and varied cultural heritage landscape, including many individual buildings and streetscapes. A qualitative approach, including semi-structured key informant interviews and secondary sources was employed. The study found that municipal dysfunction and other urban management challenges result in difficultly in enforcing legislation and policy, and thereby threatens heritage conservation. The fates of three buildings within the historic urban fabric of the city are explored in terms of the impacts of neoliberal urbanism occurring within this context. The research contends that for heritage management to be successful, there needs to be a balanced approach through improvements in stakeholder relationships, governance, institutional capacity, knowledge sharing and community involvement in decisionmaking processes