Infrastructure Provision as a Catalyst for Local Economic Development in South Africa

2020 ◽  
Vol 42 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mandisa SM Makhathini ◽  
Victor H Mlambo ◽  
Siphesihle Mpanza
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Economic Development ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Local Economic Development ◽  
Review Of The Literature ◽  
South Africans ◽  
Infrastructure Provision ◽  
The Government ◽  
Rural Dwellers

Throughout the era of the apartheid, the provision and accessibility of infrastructure in South Africa was skewed, and while the minority had access, the majority was overlooked. Local economic development (LED) has rested on the premise that the availability of infrastructure is likely to spur socio-economic development and to lift millions of South Africans out of poverty. However, with South Africa’s economy struggling to register consistent growth, there are difficulties accessing the much-needed finances needed to invest in infrastructure to spur LED. The study that this paper reflects upon used a qualitative research method and a systematic review of the literature relating to infrastructure provision and local economic development. It utilised thematic content analysis to deduce its findings with the hope of bringing in meaning to the overall content of the paper. The study revealed that indeed infrastructure provision is key to local economic development, that South Africa’s infrastructure provision is still skewed as urban areas continue receiving priority over rural areas; that local economic development is key in reducing inequality and spurring economic growth and sustaining the livelihoods of rural dwellers. However, limited investments in infrastructure in rural areas hinder the realization of such benefits. It recommends that the government prioritise LED in rural areas among other suggestions.

South Africa’s Key Health Challenges

2014 ◽  
Vol 652 (1) ◽  
pp. 166-185 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alan Whiteside
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Economic Development ◽  
Health Sector ◽  
Transition To Democracy ◽  
Noncommunicable Diseases ◽  
People Living With Hiv ◽  
South Africans ◽  
Aids Epidemic ◽  
The Government ◽  
Living With Hiv

South Africa has an estimated 6.4 million people living with HIV, with more than 2 million already on treatment. The disease emerged in South Africa at the same time as the transition to democracy began in 1990. Although the country has seen considerable advances in many social spheres, the health sector has lagged. This lag is primarily because the HIV/AIDS epidemic results in an increased burden of disease in a cohort of people who would otherwise be healthy. This article warns that the all-pervasive nature of the epidemic will put other areas of development at risk. With economic development come new threats to the health of South Africans, including noncommunicable diseases and environmental change. Service delivery remains a challenge for the government at all levels, and the demands of not only South Africans but of migrants and refugees need to be considered.

scholarly journals A STUDY ON PERSONALIZED BANKING SERVICES - A STEP TOWARDS RURAL DEVELOPMENT

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-3
Author(s):  
S. S. Mallikarjuna Prasanna
Keyword(s):  
Rural Development ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Banking Sector ◽  
Rural Residents ◽  
Banking Services ◽  
Bank Branches ◽  
Personalized Services ◽  
The Government ◽  
Rural Dwellers

Ever since the country gained independence, the Government of India has taken a plethora of measures for the development of rural areas along with the urban areas. This is perceptible from the first Five-year plan to the latest schemes announced by the Government, which distinguishably emphasize on rural development and enhancing farmers’ income & welfare. To achieve these aims, RBI gives directives to banks for development of rural areas and for opening of bank branches in these areas. Personalized services targeted for the rural residents will make them active participants in the banking sector and they will contribute towards the growth of the economy. The objective of this research paper is to understand the preference of personalized services by bank customers residing in different areas of the Mysore and Tumkur. More than half of the population in Karnataka is residing in rural areas. The results of the study reveal that the urban bank customers have more preference for personalized services as compared to their rural counterparts and there is need to motivate the rural dwellers for utilizing more personalized banking services for their own development and for the development of the economy.

scholarly journals The Effectiveness of the Expanded Public Works Program in Promoting Local Economic Development: A case study of Zibambele Project, eThekwini Municipality

2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (3(J)) ◽  
pp. 60-72
Author(s):  
Nonkululeko Zulu ◽  
Jabulani Nyawo ◽  
Pfano Mashau
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Economic Development ◽  
Local Economic Development ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Public Works ◽  
Exploratory Research ◽  
Employment Opportunities ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Marginalised Groups ◽  
The Government

In South Africa, with the advent of democracy, the Expanded Public Works Programme was conceived as an employment strategy by government in order to alleviate poverty and promote a better standard of living for marginalised groups, particularly youth and women in South Africa. This is a qualitative exploratory research in which the data was collected through face-to-face interviews with beneficiaries. The researcher utilised the exploratory research in order to explore the effectiveness of the Zibambele Project at the local level, and to see how it creates employment opportunities for marginalised groups. The key focus of the literature review is on local economic development, with special reference to the poverty alleviation strategies as a guideline for economic growth at local levels. The findings show that the government-led programmes that eliminate poverty at the grassroots level as well as creating employment opportunities for marginalised are crucial. Furthermore, the study shows that the government programmes are more needed in order to tackle poverty and also increase local economic development in South Africa.

scholarly journals The Effectiveness of the Expanded Public Works Program in Promoting Local Economic Development: A case study of Zibambele Project, eThekwini Municipality

2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 60
Author(s):  
Nonkululeko Zulu ◽  
Jabulani Nyawo ◽  
Pfano Mashau
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Economic Development ◽  
Local Economic Development ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Public Works ◽  
Exploratory Research ◽  
Employment Opportunities ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Marginalised Groups ◽  
The Government

In South Africa, with the advent of democracy, the Expanded Public Works Programme was conceived as an employment strategy by government in order to alleviate poverty and promote a better standard of living for marginalised groups, particularly youth and women in South Africa. This is a qualitative exploratory research in which the data was collected through face-to-face interviews with beneficiaries. The researcher utilised the exploratory research in order to explore the effectiveness of the Zibambele Project at the local level, and to see how it creates employment opportunities for marginalised groups. The key focus of the literature review is on local economic development, with special reference to the poverty alleviation strategies as a guideline for economic growth at local levels. The findings show that the government-led programmes that eliminate poverty at the grassroots level as well as creating employment opportunities for marginalised are crucial. Furthermore, the study shows that the government programmes are more needed in order to tackle poverty and also increase local economic development in South Africa.

scholarly journals Prospects of Development of Green Tourism are for a Regional Tourist Market

2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 121-128
Author(s):  
Svitlana Pavliuk ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Economic Development ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Local Economic Development ◽  
Rural Tourism ◽  
Entrepreneurial Activity ◽  
Social Infrastructure ◽  
Activity Increase ◽  
Use Of Resources ◽  
Green Tourism ◽  
The Government

Introduction. The sector of tourism and renovation is one of the trendiest directions of social and economic development of rural areas. It is generally maintained, that green tourism increases the motivation of the rural nontraditional territorial communities in the development of social infrastructure and the creation of new workplaces. For this, tourism could promote the application of new unconventional forms of entrepreneurial activity. It opens new potential possibilities, such as assists the filling of local budgets, effective use of resources, increase a profit of the population, development of social infrastructure, the origin of alternative forms of employment and entrepreneurial activity, increase the prestige of rural. Purpose. The purpose of the article is the research of terms and processes of development of green tourism, and to his influence on a regional tourist market, especially in a part of local economic development of territorial communities. Results. Cultural and natural resources are an extremely main part of world tourism. Furthermore, this is a significant type of support. The analysis of the terms allows us to set that unfortunately, the attempt at the legislative level to give legal determination by a concept «green tourism», «ecological tourism» or «rural tourism» remained not executed. Besides, the world's society uses the name of «geotourism». It is believed, that tourism could support or improve the geographical character of the environment. Moreover, it is based on principles, for instance, ecological responsibility (maintenance of resources and bio variety), cultural responsibility (devotion and respect are to local originality and inheritance), and synergy (association of all elements of geographical features for creation of tourist experience, what richer, than the sum of his parts, and attractive for visitors with different interests). Ukraine has great possibilities for the development of rural green tourism, in particular, as well as the Mykolaiv region. Conclusions. Taking everything into account, green tourism could provide local economic development of territorial communities. Firstly, the government must improve the laws for the green tourism sphere. Also, we need to set forth the main principles of politics there. Secondly, society should pay attention to the development of green tourism, especially for local farms or personal peasant farms. Because of them have possibilities and prospects for its development. Thirdly, society should use the innovations, which could increase the amount of tourist service. In practice, it could be gastronomy, traditional rural tourism, air therapy, in civilized mannerethnographic measures, and so on. Apart from this, local inhabitants could create the thematic villages as a regional brand. There are some examples of this - production of the special product, which is typical for local territory, or organization of unique festivals, and even production of hand-made souvenirs. Finally, local rural inhabitants should implement the unconventional ideas of evolution of the rural communities.

scholarly journals Assessing the Effectiveness of e-Government and e-Governance in South Africa: During National Lockdown 2020

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 208
Author(s):  
P.P. Blom ◽  
D.E. Uwizeyimana
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Information And Communication Technologies ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Free Access ◽  
Municipal Services ◽  
Rural And Urban Areas ◽  
Services Delivery ◽  
Rural And Urban ◽  
The Government

This article aims to assess the effectiveness of e-Government and e-Governance service during the national lockdown in South Africa. The focus of this article is on e-Health, e-Education and e-Municipal Services delivery, as these are the most sought-after e-Services during the national lockdown caused by COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic in 2020. Education, health, and municipal services are some of the core functions that could not be paused during the lockdown due to their importance. The methodology used in this research is mainly qualitative. Unobtrusive research techniques based on documentary and theoretical analysis will be applied to assess the state and use of e-Government and e-Governance within the public sector during the national lockdown in South Africa. The findings of this article suggest that government failed to achieve its objective of building an inclusive Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) infrastructure in South Africa. Even though steps have been taken by the government to provide free access to basic e-Services, network coverage, and ICT infrastructures, poverty and inequality remain the major challenges in rural areas. The findings of this research suggest that the South African government needs to build ICT infrastructures in rural areas and to provide citizens with training on how to utilise ICT infrastructures in order to reduce the gap between rural and urban areas.

scholarly journals Opinions of South African optometry students about working in rural areas after graduation

2015 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Khathutshelo P. Mashige ◽  
Olalekan A. Oduntan ◽  
Rekha Hansraj
Keyword(s):  
South African ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Financial Incentives ◽  
Living Conditions ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
South Africans ◽  
Care Services ◽  
The Government ◽  
Optometry Students

Background: Eye and vision problems have been reported to be more prevalent in rural than urban areas; and a large proportion of South Africans live in the rural areas.Aim: To investigate the opinions of South African optometry students about working in rural areas after completion of their training and to identify factors that may influence theirdecisions.Method: This was a cross-sectional quantitative study using a survey instrument containing both closed and open-ended, semi-structured questions.Results: Four hundred and thirty-eight students responded to the questionnaire (85.4% response rate). Overall, many of the respondents did not want to open their first (66%) or second practices (64.6%) in the rural areas. However, most respondents from rural backgrounds reported that they would open their first (77.2%) or second (79.4%) practice in the rural areas. The main reasons cited by the respondents for their unwillingness to work in the rural areaswere financial concerns (81.2%), personal safety (80.1%) and poor living conditions (75.3%), with a significantly higher number (p < 0.05) being from urban respondents for the latter twoissues only.Conclusion: Many students were not in favour of opening practices in rural areas, but were willing to work for the government or a non-governmental organisation after graduation. Efforts should be made to address financial incentives, safety and living conditions in the rural areas. The results of this study have implications for the future of availability and accessibility of eye care services to those living in the rural and remoteareas of the country.

scholarly journals Probing the efficacy of local economic development in South African Municipalities: A case of POLOKWANE local municipality

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (01) ◽  
Author(s):  
CM Mashabela ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Economic Growth ◽  
South Africa ◽  
Economic Development ◽  
South African ◽  
Local Economic Development ◽  
Local Economy ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
The Government ◽  
The Impact

The government of South Africa adopted Local Economic Development (LED) as part of its development policy in its quest for an inclusive economic development and growth. LED is intended to create a conducive environment for an inclusive local economy. However, unemployment and poverty rates are high in local communities with some SMMEs struggling to secure funding. Although municipalities do not create jobs directly through LED, they should, however, ensure that strategies implemented talk to inclusive economic growth, particularly the mitigation of unemployment and poverty rates. The purpose of the paper is to investigate the efficacy of LED in South African municipalities. The paper aims to evaluate and analyse the impact of implementing LED in South Africa. The quantitative research approach was adopted, and questionnaires were utilised to collect primary data. The paper found that LED in South Africa produces desired results at a low rate in that only a small fraction of the participants agrees that the municipality facilitates funding for SMMEs; only a small fraction of the participants is of the view that LED units provide adequate infrastructure and create industries. Moreover, the paper found that only a fraction of the participants is able to create job opportunities. Consequently, the paper recommends that municipalities should facilitate SMMEs funding, provide adequate infrastructure, develop industries and design LED strategies that enhance job creation. The paper argues that effective measures of implementing LED will enhance LED impact rate and fast track the prospects of inclusive economic growth in South African municipalities.

Micro-entrepreneurship Development in the Handloom Industry

2018 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 22-38 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bhabesh Hazarika ◽  
Kishor Goswami
Keyword(s):  
Economic Development ◽  
Rural Women ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Local Economic Development ◽  
Past History ◽  
Labour Force ◽  
Labour Force Participation ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
Firm Level ◽  
The Government

Women entrepreneurship is gaining importance all over the world for addressing the development issues of women. Since the inception of the five-year plans, the Government of India has been giving attention towards mitigating the development issues of women such as labour force participation, empowerment, education and gender inequality. Women-owned micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) are contributing significantly towards the economic development of the nation through employment and income generation, poverty eradication, and by bringing entrepreneurial diversity in the economic activities. The handloom industry offers an appropriate setting to analyse the significance of the rural women-owned micro-enterprises towards local economic development. With archaic hand-operated looms, the production mechanism takes place mostly in the rural areas. The present article analyses the factors that affect tribal women to own a handloom micro-enterprise. It is based on primary data collected at firm level from two major tribes in Assam, namely Bodo and Mising. The data were collected from five different districts in Assam where tribal communities are operating handloom businesses. Within the framework of random utility model of economic choice, the findings of the probit model show that age, knowing other handloom micro-entrepreneurs, past history of family business, access to borrowing and risk-taking behaviour have significant and positive influences on the decision of a woman in becoming a handloom micro-entrepreneur. The study suggests for an all-inclusive policy approach for the overall development of handloom industry in the tribal areas.

scholarly journals Socio-economic development through the exploitation of natural resources in rural South Africa

2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 44-52
Author(s):  
Akwasi Arko-Achemfuor
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Natural Resources ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Economic Transformation ◽  
Rural South ◽  
Rural And Urban Areas ◽  
Rural And Urban ◽  
The Government ◽  
Rural South Africa

South Africa has many developmental challenges but three have been identified as affecting each other. The three challenges are unemployment, poverty and inequality. The Second Quarter Report by Statistics South Africa (STATSSA) confirms that poverty, unemployment and inequality are highest in rural areas and most especially among people with no or little education. Meanwhile, many people in rural South Africa have access to land which can be used to produce food for the ever increasing population in both the rural and urban areas, as well as for export and other value adding agribusinesses. The task of addressing the challenges of poor communities calls for a multi-stakeholder approach which can include the private sector, NGOs, communities, traditional leaders and the state coming together to pursue economic transformation in rural South Africa by tapping into the natural resources nature has provided for the communities. This article reports on how some stakeholders have come together to transform a rural community in South Africa. The paper uses qualitative data from personal and focus group interviews and observations as the main data collection instruments. The findings indicate that the stakeholders have been able to empower a community by tapping into and effectively using the natural resources in an area to transform it through collaborations and partnerships. The model is recommended to the government and development practitioners for adoption on how the natural resources that exist within communities can be exploited and effectively managed to transform rural economies to ensure inclusive growth and development.

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