An assessment of local economic development as a mechanism for poverty alleviation: a case study of Blue Crane Route Municipality in Cacadu District Municipality in the Eastern Cape
- Authors: Gqezengele, Ayanda
- Date: 2014
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MPA
- Identifier: vital:11740 , http://hdl.handle.net/10353/d1018517
- Description: Prior to 1991, the development concept and strategy of Local Economic Development (LED) was not part of the development lexicon in South Africa. With the exception of some very limited local government advertising campaigns and the work of NGOs, the concept of locally –based and driven development interventions was an alien one in South African practice. The rigidities of the apartheid state, both in terms of its racial controls and its centralized management of all affairs precluded local development initiatives. What spatial economic development there was, focused on the flawed pre-1991 Regional Industrial Development Programme, which was tainted by failure to promote the former Homelands, corruption and faulty economic logic (Reflections on the Evolving Nature and Prospects of Local Economic Development in South Africa: 1990-2007). The post-apartheid government in its quest to alleviate poverty formulated a number of policies and legislation to guide developmental local government initiatives. Thus local government committed itself to, among others, building local economies and creating jobs for the people. By the end of Apartheid, South Africa’s economy was facing a variety of serious structural problems. The final two decades of the National Party’s regime had been particularly damaging to the economic climate, with stagnant economic growth (the average over the entire period was just 1.7%), declining per capita income (averaging -0.7% annually), increasing unemployment (using the broad definition, up from around 20% at the start of the 1970s to around 30% by 1994) and a spiraling debt problem (under the De Klerk government (1989-1994) alone, debt had increased from less than 3% of GDP to more than 9%, and total government debt more than doubled. Facing this “deep-seated structural crisis”, the government attempted to put together a policy framework that could begin to address the variety of problems being faced both economically and otherwise. The RDP White Paper, presented to Parliament in 1994, identified economic, social, legal, political, moral, cultural and environmental problems that the country faced.
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An assessment of the challenges faced by the risk management unit in the public sector: the case of the Eastern Cape department of basic education
- Authors: Daniels, Mandisa Julia
- Date: 2014
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MPA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/1030 , vital:26520
- Description: The main purpose of the study was to assess the challenges faced by the risk management of the Department of Basic Education in the Eastern Cape Province. The study revealed that the department is faced with challenges ranging from: Poor internal controls, lack of appropriate capacity, non-compliance with management policies, high rate of employment, ineffective performance from the managers and there were no punitive measures applied, no adequate systems in place to identify and disclose irregularities and highly distributed structure where the department failed to demarcate its districts as per local government demarcation. From the analysis of the study, the study reveals that the following legislative frameworks were used in order for risk management in the Department to be performed in an effectively and efficiently manner but the Department failed to receive a positive audit outcome. Just to mention the few are as follow: Public Finance Management Act (Act 1 of 1999), Treasury Regulations, The Constitution of the Country and Risk Management Framework. The Department must speed up the finalization of its organizational structure so as to hire required staff for all sections, speed up the cleaning of data in schools, learners and personnel. It must improve efficiency and effectiveness of systems, process and procedures to achieve a better audit outcome. Training and capacitation of staff must be number one in their agenda. Ensure that systems are in place and have punitive measures to employees who contravene Treasury Regulations. The Department’s plan to reduce the number of districts in the near future must be speed up so as to assist the Department in addressing effective controls, accountability and monitoring.
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Assessing the role of Walter Sisulu University on economic development in King Sabata Dalindyebo (Eastern Cape)
- Authors: Boti, Z T
- Date: 2014
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MPA
- Identifier: vital:11700 , http://hdl.handle.net/10353/d1015138
- Description: This mini-dissertation assesses the role played by Walter Sisulu University in achieving economic development in King Sabata Dalindyebo municipality. The aims of the study were: Assess the role played by Walter Sisulu University in achieving economic development in KSD. Assess the strides and achievements that Walter Sisulu University as an institution for higher learning has achieved in terms of advancing economic development in KSD municipality. In accordance with these aims, an investigation of respondent’s perceptions the role played by WSU was undertaken. The participants were 20 staff members from three faculties and two units in Nelson Mandela Drive campus of Walter Sisulu University. Using purposive sampling to select the research respondents, data was collected. The researcher also used journals, articles and books, both published and unpublished to collect data. A quantitative and qualitative data analysis was used in order to draw conclusions about the strides taken by WSU, and satisfaction of respondents with the existing programmers offered at Walter Sisulu University. Empirical evidence concerning problems with implementation of research initiatives that support community-based research and business research as supported by the mission and vision of the institution has been uncovered. In spite of the clearly articulated mission statement and the vision of this comprehensive university, the research revealed that the institution is lagging behind in delivering its mandate. On the basis of the findings, recommendations for enhancing economic development in KSD were put forward.
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The impact of performance management system on employees: the Eastern Cape provincial legislature (2009- 2011)
- Authors: Mfene, Ndileka Lorraine
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Performance management -- performance contracts , Quarterly reviews -- Performance assessment -- Training
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MPA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/1261 , vital:26540 , Performance management -- performance contracts , Quarterly reviews -- Performance assessment -- Training
- Description: The Performance Management System (PMS) has been introduced in the Republic of South African public service with intentions of planning, monitoring, developing under-performance, rating and rewarding good performance. The study was undertaken as an attempt to investigate the impact of the PMS on employees of the ECPL. The literature review shows that there are challenges facing the institution with regards to implementation of PMS. The findings of the study indicated that the supervisors have no understanding of PMS instead they used it as punishing tool. Other findings of the study showed that there’s a culture within the institution of using PMS as a money making scheme or a 14th checque. To achieve this, a semi- structured questionnaire was issued to employees of the ECPL. The recommendation on the basis of the study is that the compliance issue should be strengthened and disciplinary measures be taken against employees who failed to comply with the provisions of the PMS policy.
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The role of local government in the basic education system: the case of the Eastern Cape Province
- Authors: Kivedo, Desmond
- Date: 2014
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MPA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/1037 , vital:26521
- Description: The purpose of this study was to determine the role Local Government can play in the Department of Basic Education with the aim of addressing the enormous challenges faced by the Department of Basic Education with specific reference to the Province of the Eastern Cape. Currently the Department of Education in the Eastern Cape gets regular media coverage for the wrong reasons. Problems highlighted by the media normally include the following; over-crowded classrooms; mud schools; lack of ablution facilities at schools; delays in delivery of text books and stationary; shortage of teachers; unpaid teachers and the bungles with school transport and school nutrition programmes. Currently the National Government and Provincial Government have jurisdiction over basic education. An in-depth literature study was conducted in order to get insight in the Department of Basic Education in the Eastern Cape with its numerous problems and challenges that are crippling education in the province. The researcher also deemed it necessary to conduct an in-depth literature study on Local Government’s role in the education system in other countries e.g. USA, Wales, Great Britain and Nigeria where education is managed and financed by Local Government. Empirical studies were done through face-to-face interviews with the sample population from school principals, teachers, education specialists, administration officials and parents serving on School Governing Bodies in the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropole. The findings of the study suggested that Local Government is not yet in a favourable position to control the entire Department of Basic Education, although certain functions can be shifted to Local Government e.g. school transport, school nutrition programme; teachers’ salaries. The general feeling is that councilors at Local Government level are more likely to be aware of and sympathetic to the needs of their communities than Ministers and MEC’s. Through the relevant data the researcher has drawn certain conclusions and recommendations were made to alleviate the plight of education in the Province of the Eastern Cape.
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