Magister Philosophiae - MPhil (LAS) (Land and Agrarian Studies)

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The contribution of communal rangelands to rural people's livelihoods in the Maluti district
(University of Western Cape, 2001) Ntshona, Zolile Mninawa; Turner, Suzanne Dawn
The contribution of common property resources to rural people's livelihoods is enormous, yet policy makers overlook it. Wild resources, grazing resources and trees provide an important buffer for most rural households. This study investigates the contribution of common property resources, in particular communal rangeland resources, to rural people's livelihoods in the Maluti District of the Eastern Cape, South Africa. Looking at an array of livelihood strategies which people use, the study investigates the proportional contribution of different livelihood strategies with reference to common property resources, specifically wild resources, grazing resources and trees.
Water use and waste management strategies in Sakubva, Mutare (Zimbabwe)
(University of the Western Cape, 2002) Morake, Mosupye Gilbert; Swatuk, Larry, A
Following the severe drought of 1991/92, the city of Mutare embarked on a multi-million dollar water supply project. This project brought water from the Pungwe River via pipeline to the city of Mutare. The project was deemed to be a satisfactory solution to the water and sanitation problems in Zimbabwe's third largest city. For residents of Sakubva township, the Pungwe project has ensured a supply of clean water. However, it has made very little impact in terms of accessibility to water and sanitation facilities to those same residents. In Sakubva there are various kinds of households and forms of home ownership some with piped water and in-house toilets, but many more dependent on communal ablution blocks and open-access standpipes. Widespread dependence on communal ablution blocks in most sections of Sakubva raises serious questions regarding equity of access to freshwater and clean sanitation facilities. At the same time, City Council and Government's reluctance to deal effectively with these issues compromises the concept of water demand manatgement as encompassed in the Zimbabwean National Water Act of 1998. Moreover, a combination of overcrowding in Sakubva and the high mobility of its 'resident' population has negatively impacted on planning, provision and management of water and sanitation services. As a generality, there is lack of effective participation by all stakeholders, particularly women and the disadvantaged in water resources management. This compounds the general lack of social and environmental justice arising from poor governance. Rapid and unplanned urbanization in Sakubva is compounding waste management problems. Lack of financial resources is the main problem in provision of waste management services in most developing countries. Although the same problem applies in Sakubva and Mutare the City Council is doing little to deal with waste management and this poses a serious health threat to the residents of Sakubva. The study concludes by looking at alternative water and waste management strategies thot may be employed in Sakubva. Moreover, the researcher believes that lessons from and suggestions for Sakubva may be extended to other high-density areas throughout the Southern African region, so offering region-wide policy recommendations.
Water use and waste management strategies in Sakubva, Mutare (Zimbabwe)
(University of the Western Cape, 2002) Morake, Mosupye Gilbert; Swatuk, Larry, A.
Following the severe drought of t99t/92, the city of Mutare embarked on a multi-million Dollar water supply project. This project brought water from the Pungwe River via pipeline to the city of Mutare. The project was deemed to be a satisfactory solution to the water and sanitation problems in Zimbabwe's third largest city. For residents of Sakubva township, the Pungwe project has ensured a supply of clean water. However, it has made very little impact in terms of accessibility to water and sanitation facilities to those same residents. In Sakubva there are various kinds of households and forms of home ownership - some with piped water and in-house toilets, but many more dependent on communal ablution blocks and open-access standpipes. Widespread dependence on communal ablution blocks in most sections of Sakubva raises serious questions regarding equity of access to freshwater and clean sanitation facilities. At the same time, City council and government's reluctance to deal effectively with these issues compromises the concept of water demand management as encompassed in the Zimbabwean National Water Act of 1998. Moreover, a combination of overcrowding in Sakubva and the high mobility of its 'resident' population has negativity impacted on planning, provision and management of water and sanitation services. As it generality, there is lack of effective participation by all stakeholders, particularly women and the disadvantaged in water resources management. This compounds the general lack of social and environmental justice arising from poor governance. Rapid and unplanned urbanization in Sakubva is compounding waste management problems. Lack of financial resources is the main problem in provision of waste management services in most developing countries. Although the same problem applies in Sakubva and Mutare the city council is doing little to deal with waste management and this poses a serious health threat to the residents of Sakubva. The study concludes by looking at alternative water and waste management strategies thot may be employed in Sakubva. Moreover, the researcher believes that lessons from and suggestions for Sakubva may be extended to other high-density areas throughout the Southern African region, so offering region-wide policy recommendations.
The role of local government in common pool resource management: the case of municipal commonage in the northern cape
(University of Western Cape, 2004) Henseler, Anja; Lahiff, Edward; Atkinson, Doreen
Municipal commonage has the potential to make a major contribution to land redistribution in South Africa. During the Apartheid era, land under the control of local government was leased out to commercial farmers at commercial rates, which ensured an important source of income for municipalities. Post-1994, municipalities have been tasked by the Department of Land Affairs with making land available to the previously disadvantaged and thus managing and administering the commonage for purposes of poverty alleviation.
The challenge of sustainable land-based local economic development in poor communities of South Africa: The case of Groblersdal, Northern Cape
(University of the Western Cape, 2004) Parker, Gail Denise; Kepe, Thembela; Programme for Land and Agrarian Studies; Faculty of Economics and Management Sciences
This research investigated whether local economic development interventions necessarily improve the livelihoods of poor communities. More specifically, the goal of this thesis was to explore some of the reasons why land-based economic development interventions often struggle to meet their main objective of improving the livelihoods of local poor people.
The role of traditional authorities in rural local governance in Mozambique: case study of the community of Chirindzene
(University of the Western Cape, 2004) Cau, Boaventura Manuel; Ntsebeza, Lungisile; Kepe, Thembela; Programme for Land and Agrarian Studies; Faculty of Economics and Management Sciences
This study is about the place of traditional authorities in local level land administration and rural governance in contemporary Mozambique. It came about as a result of the publication of the Decree 15/2000 that recognised traditional authorities after their abolition more than 20 years earlier. This study seeks to examine four inter-related themes: the role of traditional authorities in local level land administration in Mozambique; why the government recognised traditional authorities in the year 2000 after having abolished them more than 20 years earlier; whether the recognition of hereditary traditional authorities is consistent with principles of democracy; and lastly to investigate whether the practices taking place on the ground are an expression of democracy as envisaged by the country’s constitution. The study is based on documental research on the subject, as well as on fieldwork in the community of Chirindzene, Gaza Province in Southern Mozambique. It argues that generalisations about the role of traditional authorities in local level land administration may be misleading. Drawing from the case study in Chirindzene, it shows that it was only the lowest level of the traditional authority structure (the lineage level) that continued having influence in land allocation and distribution after independence in this area. With regard to the recognition of traditional authorities, the study argues that an appreciation of the changing global context is important to understand this dramatic shift. The study argues that the Decree 15/2000 and its regulations are weakening the democratic experience initiated in 1970s by allowing rural populations be ruled by hereditary rulers who are not elected. For this reason, the rural population does not enjoy full citizenship rights because they are ruled by both elected structures and appointed ones.
Crafting a livelihood: local-level trade in mats and baskets in Pondoland, South Africa
(University of the Western Cape, 2004) Makhado, Zwoitwa; Kepe, Thembela; Programme for Land and Agrarian Studies; Faculty of Economics and Management Sciences
This study explored the dynamics of local-level trade in plant-based mats and baskets in Khanyayo village, Eastern Cape. These dynamics include social aspects of harvesting, resource tenure and trade. It also includes institutional issues such as legislation that enhances or restricts the degree to which local people could benefit from the trade or direct use. The study also explored the contribution of the trading in mats and baskets to the livelihoods of the Khanyayo people.
Smallholder agriculture as local economic development (LED) strategy in rural South Africa: exploring prospects in Pondoland, Eastern Cape
(University of the Western Cape, 2005) Manona, Siyabulela S.; Kepe, Thembela; Programme for Land and Agrarian Studies; Faculty of Economics and Management Sciences
The aim of this study was to explore the role and the prospects of smallholder agriculture as local economic development in Eastern Pondoland, in the former Transkei homeland. The study explored the role of agriculture in contributing to local economic development and the upliftment of the rural poor. It also explored the role that government and its agencies have played and could play in stimulating agricultural development.
Land tenure reform in Namaqualand: elite capture and the new commons of Leliefontein
(University of the Western Cape, 2005) Lebert, Thomas Siegfried; Lahiff, Edward; Programme for Land and Agrarian Studies; Faculty of Economics and Management Sciences
This thesis provides a detailed examination of the development and implementation of a commonage management system on newly acquired municipal commonage in the Leliefontien communal area of Namaqualand, South Africa. This commonage has been acquired ostensibly for use by all of the Leliefontien's residents. A Commonage Committee made up of community members and state representatives manages this land on behalf of the municipality.
What is the agenda of the rural land social movements in post apartheid South Africa?: a case study of the Tenure Security Coordinating Committee (TSCC)
(University of the Western Cape, 2005) Mkhize, Siphesihle Ceswell; Lahiff, Edward; Programme for Land and Agrarian Studies; Faculty of Economics and Management Sciences
This was an original case study that aimed to locate South African post-apartheid rural land social movements within existing theoretical approaches. The land social movements organize around land rights and access for landless people and for those whose land rights are weak or threatened. The study analyzed conditions contributing to the emergence of land social movements in the post-apartheid South Africa and struggle methods they employ, using a case study of the Tenure Security Coordinating Committee in KwaZulu-Natal.
Land demand and rural struggles in Xhalanga, Eastern Cape: who wants land and for what?
(University of the Western Cape, 2005) Ncapayi, Fani; Ntsebeza, Lungisile; Kepe, Thembela; Programme for Land and Agrarian Studies; Faculty of Economics and Management Sciences
The study explored and investigated demand and struggles for land in the communal areas of South Africa with particular reference to Luphaphasi in the former Xhalanga magisterial district, in the Eastern Cape. The study argued that despite arguments about proletarianisation and conversion of rural land users into wage laborers, leading to assumptions that there was less interest in land use by rural people, there is and has always been demand and struggles for land in communal areas such as Xhalanga.
Communal land reform in Zambia: governance, livelihood and conservation
(University of the Western Cape, 2006) Metcalfe, Simon Christopher; Kepe, Thembela; Faculty of Economics and Management Sciences
Communal land tenure reform in Zambia is the overarching subject of study in this thesis. It is an important issue across southern Africa, raising questions of governance, livelihood security and conservation. WIldlife is a 'fugitive' and 'mobile' resource that traverses the spatially fixed tenure of communal lands, national parks and public forest reserves. The management of wildlife therefore requires that spatially defined proprietorial rights accommodate wildlife's temporal forage use. Land may bebounded in tenure, but if bounded by fences its utility as wildlife habitat is undermined. If land is unfenced, but its landholder cannot use wildlife then it is more a liability than an asset. Africa's terrestrial wildlife has enormous biodiversity value but its mobility requires management collaboration throughout its range, and the resolution of conflicting ecological and economic management scales. The paper does not aim to describe and explain the internal communal system of tenure over land and natural resources but rather how the communal system interacts with the state and the private sector.
Reviewing farm worker equity schemes: a case study of Saamwerk wine farm in the Overberg region, Western Cape
(University of the Western Cape, 2006) Tom, Boyce; Hall, Ruth; Programme for Land and Agrarian Studies; Faculty of Economics and Management Sciences
This research investigated experiences of the Saamwerk equity scheme as a framework to analyze the ways in which the scheme has achieved the objectives of land reform. It reviewed the role of this scheme in relation to the experiences and perceptions of beneficiaries about the extent to which this scheme has or has not improved their living conditions.
Opportunities for and constraints on crop production within Zimbabwe's fast-track resettlement programme: a case study of fair Range Estate, Chiredzi District, South Eastern Zimbabwe
(University of the Western Cape, 2006) Chaumba, Joseph A.; Cousins, Ben; Programme for Land and Agrarian Studies; Faculty of Economics and Management Sciences
The government of Zimbabwe started implementing its fast track resettlement programme in July 2000, the objective being to accelerate both land acquisition and land redistribution. This programme witnessed a massive movement of people from various localities into mainly large-scale commercial farms in search of agricultural land. Under this programme, people were settled under the A1 model (which involves villages and land use pattern similar to those found in communal areas) as well as the A2 model, which involves commercial farming. This study investigates, documents and analyses the opportunities and constraints currently being faced by newly resettled crop production farmers in one example of an A1 model resettlement project (Fair Ranch Estate in Masvingo Province). A questionnaire was used to gather data on livelihood sources, income, assets and also aspects of the associational life of crop production farmers. Seventy households were interviewed, and a number of key informant interviews were undertaken with both government officials and the local leadership. The greatest opportunity that A1 crop production farmers in Fair Range Estate experienced was the fact that they now have access to land that they can call their own, without having to go through the market to try to acquire such land. In terms of crop production, however, farmers in Fair Range Estate face a number of challenges and constraints: they lack adequate access to tillage and livestock; the supply of inputs is inadequate; generally negative socio economic conditions prevailing in the country have led to sharp increases in prices of all basic commodities, including inputs such as fertilisers and seeds; they lack tenure security; the amount of rainfall received in the area is generally not sufficient for crop production; and many lack crop production skills. Measures to reverse this decline must include the availability of foreign currency to buy spare parts for tractors, rebuilding of the national herd, which was greatly affected by both drought and the disturbance of commercial agriculture as a result of the controversial land reform programme. Fuel should also become more readily available, and urgent policy measures be put in place to revamp institutional frameworks in the agricultural sector to make them more farmer-oriented.
An Agrarian History of the Mwenezi District, Zimbabwe, 1980-2004
(University of the Western Cape, 2007) Manganga, Kudakwashe; Goebel, Allison; School of Government; Faculty of Economics and Management Sciences
The thesis examines continuity and change in the agrarian history of the Mwenezi District, southern Zimbabwe since 1980. It analyses agrarian reforms, agrarian practices and development initiatives in the district and situates them in the localised livelihood strategies of different people within the Dinhe Communa Area and the Mangondi resettlement Area in Lieu of the Fast-Track Land Reform Programme (FTLRP) since 2000. The thesis also examines the livelihood opportunities and challenges presented by the FTLRP to the inhabitants of Mwenezi.The thesis contributes to the growing body of empirical studies on the impact of Zimbabwe's ongoing land reform programme and to debates and discourses on agrarian reform.
Reconciling poverty reduction and biodiversity conservation: The case of expanded public works progeamme (EPWP) in Hluleka and Mkambati Nature Reserves, South Africa
(University of the Western Cape, 2007) Kobokana, Siviwe; Kepe, Thembela; Programme for Land and Agrarian Studies; Faculty of Economics and Management Sciences
This study aimed at analysing the South African government's attempt at reconciling poverty reduction and biodiversity conservation in the context of the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP). The study analyses this, using the cases of Hluleka and Mkanbati Nature Reserves in the Eastern Cape Province. To achieve this aim, the study used qualitative research methodology, which employed a three-pronged approach.
The role of social networks in farm production in Zimbabwe's resettlement programme: the case of an AI model scheme in Murewa District
(University of the Western Cape, 2007) Mugara, Tendai; Lahiff, Edward
Land has been a source of political conflict in Zimbabwe since colonization, both within indigenous black communities and especially between white settlers and the black rural communities. At independence in 1980 Zimbabwe inherited a dual agrarian structure characterized by skewed land ownership and white minority control over the countrie's land resources. After 18 years of very limited reforms, the government of Zimbabwe announced the Fast Track Land Reform programme in 2000 with the aim of acquiring more than 3,000 commercial farms for redistribution. The Fast Track Land Reform greatly increased the number of households resettled compared to previous resettlement programmes. Fast Track has benefited diverse classes of people, such as peasants, landless workers, government bureaucrats, politicians and middle class urbanites. Unlike previous reforms, the fast track programme has brought people who arguably have no connection with each other together in settlements. The failure of government to provide the basic services to resettled farmers to cushion them in the new environments has exacerbated the already difficult situation amid weak social networks. Little research has been carried out on the role of social networks in farm production in such areas, or how resettled households interact and organize themselves to generate growth and development. A study was initiated in 2005 to assess the role of social networks in agricultural production in resettlement schemes. A questionnaire survey covering 20 households was administered at Chigori A1 (small-holder) resettlement scheme in Murewa District. Two focus group discussions and 7 key informant interviews were also conducted. The analysis focused exclusively on types of social networks found at Chigori resettlement scheme and their role to farm production. Factors that facilitated the establishment and functioning of social networks were explored. The study revealed that different types of networks were identified at Chigori resettlement scheme. These networks identified included family and kinship based networks, networks of identity, networks of production, institutional networks, farmer groups, networks of influence, power and access. Social support came from relatives and friends when scheme members engaged in land preparation, weeding and harvesting at the scheme. Networks of identity were created among certain groups at Chigori scheme due to the sense of originating from same area. This created opportunities to access information and resources. Networks of production such as tobacco network emerged between scheme members who either possessed knowledge of tobacco farming or with resources to utilize. Scheme members at Chigori were encouraged to form agricultural groups by AREX officers. The study also revealed that groups were used differently by different agencies and individuals, for different purposes and motives. Councilors, GMB, AREX officers, scheme members and local leadership worked with groups in different ways mainly for their own advantage. Scheme members enrolled in networks in order to optimize their opportunities for economic, social and political gain. Networks of production should be strengthened in order to increase crop production. This should be complemented by other factors such as extension to improve management of crops.
Livelihoods and HIV /AIDS: a case study of Nhamoinesu Village, Zaka District, Zimbabwe
(University of the Western Cape, 2007) Makonese, Loveness; Tapela, Barbara Nompumelelo; School of Government; Faculty of Economics and Management Sciences
The Human Immune Virus (HIV) and Acquired Immuno Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) isa pandemic that has worsened the plight of vulnerable communities and environments in Africa. It is estimated that 40,3 million adults and children are living with HIV and AIDS and 3.1 million adults and children died in 2004 in the world. Southern Africa is the most affected region with a very high HIV/AIDS prevalence rate. The primary objective of the proposed study was to examine livelihoods and coping strategies of HIV/AIDS-affected households of Zaka District in Zimbabwe. Attention was given to institutional frameworks for HIV/AIDS interventions as district and village level. A second objective of the study is whether interventions are appropriately aligned and responsive to household livelihoods and coping
Post settlement challenges for land reform beneficiaries: three case studies from Limpopo Province
(University of the Western Cape, 2007) Manenzhe, Tshililo Justice; Lahiff, Edward; School of Government; Faculty of Economics and Management Sciences
This thesis presented a study of post-settlement experiences of land reform beneficiaries, with a focus on three case studies from Limpopo Province. Since 1994, the South African government has implemented a land reform programme that aims to redress the injustices in land ownership patterns in the country. This study included a review of international and local literature on land reform with particualr interest in what happens after land transfer and settlement.
A case study of Fairtrade labelling and worker empowerment on two wine and fruit farms in the Western Cape
(University of the Western Cape, 2008) Kruger, Sandra.; du Toit, Andries; Faculty of Economics and Management Sciences
This thesis explores the link between Fairtrade labelling and worker empowerment in the cases of LFFT and Stellar Organics in terms of: the reasons for becoming certified and commercial benefits expected from the Fairtrade labelling; the intergration of the Faitrade requirements into the structures and management of employee equity share shemes; the enabling or disabling factors for Fairtrade certification to contribute to the socio-economic development and empowerment of the workers. This thesis describes the two cases in detail according to these links and concludes that Fairtrade labelling has not significantly changed the trade relationships with large retailers for these two Fairtrade producers even though it has provided additional market access. The link between the Fairtrade requirements and the legal and administrativestructures of employee equity share schemes is complex and open to interpretation. Finally, the possibility for Fairtrade certification to contribute to the socio-economic development and empowerment of workers is dependent on changes in management and communicationbetween white farm owners and bleck workers which confronts deeply held paternalist beliefs.

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