Comprehensive Rural Development Programme Research Articles

Planning for sustainable livelihood development in the context of rural South Africa: A micro-level approach

In South Africa, different spheres of government (national, provincial and municipal) have different responsibilities with respect to rural planning and development. Rural development strategies, however, are predominately developed by national and provincial government (centralised planning) such as, for example, the 2009 Comprehensive Rural Development Programme (CRDP) and the 2018 draft National Spatial Development Framework (NSDF). These efforts from different spheres of the South African government are nevertheless still not having the desired effect in the development of sustainable rural livelihoods, according to the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform, similar to policies and efforts to implement them elsewhere in Africa. In addition to the appropriate planning and implemen-tation scale, the spatial dimension of rural livelihood within the South African context also requires a specific understanding of the extreme differentiation of areas within ‘rural South Africa’. Research regarding the impact of planning at village level (micro-level), as presented in this article, may provide valuable insights for realising sustainable rural livelihoods. This article aims, through an analysis of relevant literature, to examine the sustainable develop-ment discourse, in general, while addressing sustainable rural livelihoods and micro-level planning, in particular. The main research question concerns the way in which micro-level planning can contribute to ensuring sustainable rural livelihoods in South Africa. The article also discusses the complexity of ‘rural’ space and its understanding in the development planning framework of South Africa, providing the spatial context for sustainable rural livelihoods. Examples of micro-level planning approaches in Africa and South Africa are discussed to elucidate their applicability to sustainable rural livelihood development in South Africa. In conclusion, the analysis reveals that, while centralist policies are pursued in South Africa to support sustainable rural development, the actual realisation of sustainable rural livelihoods may well require micro-level development planning strategies. The implication for academics, planning professionals and politicians is that the support and development of microlevel sustainable rural livelihood planning should be pursued to attain the goals of the National Development Plan (2012) of eliminating poverty and to encourage citizens to be active in their own development.

Assessment of Comprehensive Rural Development Programme in Empowering Rural Women at Umhlontlo Local Municipality, Eastern Cape Province

Assessment of Comprehensive Rural Development Programme in Empowering Rural Women at Umhlontlo Local Municipality, Eastern Cape Province

Rural Development within the Context of Development, Sustainability and Rural Issues – Some Constitutional, Policy and Implementation Perspectives

This article provides an overview of some developments, internationally, regionally and in the SADC, in relation to development, that may be expected to influence the South African government’s response to the development needs of the people in the country. An overview is provided of the somewhat haphazard way in which the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996 refers to the need for and objective of development (including rural development) in the country. Through their explanatory outline of three distinct phases in South African rural development law and policy: 1994–2000 (the Reconstruction and Development Programme and related documents and their implementation); 2000–April 2009 (the Integrated Sustainable Rural Development Strategy and its implementation) and April 2009+ (the Comprehensive Rural Development Programme and related documents), the authors review some of the historical strengths and future prospects related to rural development in South Africa. Based on an assessment of historical trends, a number of recommendations are made for government’s way forward in the implementation of the constitutional objectives, law and policy relevant to rural development in the country.

Participation Index Analysis for CRDP at Muyexe in Limpopo Province, South Africa

The present study investigated the level of stakeholders’ participation to find out how relationships are maintained among the beneficiaries of Comprehensive Rural Development Programme (CRDP). A s...

Service Delivery in Local Government through Socio-Economic Programmes: Successes and Failures of the Comprehensive Rural Development Programme (CRDP)

The purpose of this article is to reflect on the successes and failures confronting the Greater Giyani Municipality in terms of service delivery through the Comprehensive Rural Development Programme (CRDP) implemented in Muyexe community, Limpopo Province (South Africa). The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa (1996) defines service delivery as the provision of sustainable services by the municipality to communities. Post-apartheid South African municipalities are still confronted with service delivery backlogs, 20 years in to the democratic dispensation. The recipients of municipal services continue to be frustrated by the poor quality and the frequency in which services are delivered to them by the municipality. This provision of goods and services denotes that particular functions must be performed by the municipality. CRDP has emerged from the first two pilot engagements in Riemvasmaak in the Northern Cape, and Muyexe in Giyani in Limpopo Province as part of presidential designated projects. This paper is an empirical study that followed both the qualitative and quantitative methodologies. The data collection instruments used for this study are open-ended questionnaires, unstructured interviews and a number of site visits. The paper argues that the CRDP has inadequately satisfied the intended objectives in the Muyexe Pilot Project. Intended beneficiaries of the programme from the Muyexe community exposed many of the failures of the programme by frustrations about the programme implemented in their community. In concluding this article provide recommendations on how future similar programmes implemented elsewhere at South African municipalities can satisfy the objectives they are originally intended for. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2014.v5n20p132

African Researchers and the Rural School Issues in South Africa: A Predatory Culture

One of the mandates of Comprehensive Rural Development Programme (CRDP) in South Africa is to ensure that all schools and health facilities have access to basic infrastructure such as water and electricity by 2014. Our academic researchers have not researched much about how rural schools that do not have infrastructure have been managing to achieve school education outcomes. When wind-storms occur (sometimes accompanied by rains) learners coming from the same rural regions of our country do not go to school to avoid the risk of having their classroom roofs and walls collapsing on them. Our statistics show an entry of rural mud-walled schools, especially in the Eastern Cape Province in 2011. This paper confronts these challenges of South Africa’s rural schools in 2012 and 12 years (k-12) in the future of our rural schools and their learners. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2013.v4n14p397

Reverse Empowerment in South Africa’s Comprehensive Rural Development Programme

This paper reports a testing of the ‘reverse empowerment’ concept on South Africa’s ambitious comprehensive rural development programme (CRDP). The objectives of the study were to provide a brief o...

Rural Education in South Africa: A Critical Reflection on Government Reconstruction and Development Efforts

Rural development strategies in South Africa are not achieving their goals, namely, the reconstruction and restructuring of the living conditions of the majority of people located in rural areas. Although different rural development strategies have been introduced by the African National Congress (ANC) government since it came to power in 1994, the state of provision of education to rural learners remains abysmal. This article provides a critical reflection on state reconstruction and development in South Africa by reviewing the Reconstruction and Development Programme (RDP), Growth, Employment and Redistribution (GEAR) strategy and the Comprehensive Rural Development Programme (CRDP). The article further investigates the impact of the ANC's economi c policy on the provision of education in rural areas. Document analysis as a research method is used to examine and interpret data in order to extract meaning, gain comprehension, and furthermore develop and widen empirical knowledge on the influence of government policies on the provision of education to learners in rural areas. The findings reveal that the government's reconstruction and development policies, backed by neo-liberal thinking, failed to make an impact on reducing past imbalances, and thus failed to address pressing issues in rural areas. Based on the findings, the study calls for the government to take the central role and to ensure that its reconstruction and development policies address what they are intended for.

Rural development within the context of development, sustainability and rural issues - some constitutional, policy and implementation perspectives

This article provides an overview of some developments, internationally, regionally and in the SADC, in relation to development, that may be expected to influence the South African government’s response to the development needs of the people in the country. An overview is provided of the somewhat haphazard way in which the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996 refers to the need for and objective of development (including rural development) in the country. Through their explanatory outline of three distinct phases in South African rural development law and policy: 1994–2000 (the Reconstruction and Development Programme and related documents and their implementation); 2000–April 2009 (the Integrated Sustainable Rural Development Strategy and its implementation) and April 2009 (the Comprehensive Rural Development Programme and related documents), the authors review some of the historical strengths and future prospects related to rural development in South Africa. Based on an assessment of historical trends, a number of recommendations are made for government’s way forward in the implementation of the constitutional objectives, law and policy relevant to rural development in the country.