Research Publications

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    Enhancing local governance through local initiatives: Residents' associations in Zimbabwe
    (Academic Journals, 2011) Mapuva, Jephias
    Residents associations are a local initiative by residents within a specific community. Through residents associations, citizens have been able to keep local authorities in check and to demand accountability. With the economic crises facing many countries across the globe and the world recession setting in, as well as the economic meltdown in Zimbabwe over the last few years, which was exacerbated by a hyperinflationary environment, local authorities have had to contend with shortages of resources to dispense services to local communities. This has increased restiveness on the part of residents. The article eclectically draws from the mobilisation theory whose premise is that a disgruntled citizenry is easy to mobilise. The study of the Combined Harare Residents' Association (CHRA) has shown that residents' associations are a conduit through which residents can demand accountability and participatory spaces in promoting good local governance. This article seeks to explore the extent to which residents associations have enhanced citizen participation and promote good local governance. This article deliberates on the prospects and challenges which residents associations as residents' initiative can enhance citizen participation in local governance.
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    Linking service delivery and protest in South Africa: an exploration of evidence from Khayelitsha
    (Unisa Press, 2011) Nleya, Ndodana
    The notion of service delivery protests in South Africa has perhaps become a cliché in South Africa. While there was a lull in protest activity (excluding industrial action) in the first decade of democracy, the second decade has been characterised by increased militancy reminiscent of the anti-apartheid struggle days, with many of these diagnosed as so-called service delivery protests. To be sure, service delivery issues are often mentioned as part of a blend of issues that have caused the different communities to protest in media reports. The role of service delivery in the generation of these protests however has so far not been investigated directly. This article reports the results of a quantitative study using path analysis to investigate the strength of the claim of the link between service delivery and protests in Khayelitsha, one of the protest prone townships in Cape Town. The article concludes that that service delivery affects protests directly and indirectly through its impact on perceptions of service delivery, perception of condition of life and the attendance of meetings.
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    From poverty to power? Women’s participation in intermediary organisations in Site C, Khayelitsha
    (Unisa Press, 2011) Thompson, Lisa; Conradie, Ina
    This article examines how women organise themselves in community structures to claim socio-economic rights through participation. The discussion is based on case study research undertaken in Khayelitsha, Site C, where women involved in incomegenerating projects (IGPs) have also been involved in a dual strategy of trying to improve their living conditions through active engagement. The article looks at the intermediary institutions, the South African national Civics Association (SANCO) and the Khayelitsha Development Forum (KDF) which mediate the participatory spaces for engagement created by local government, and how these organisations serve ordinary men and women from the townships in terms of helping them to attain a better quality of life.