Academic literature on the topic 'Plasticview informal settlement, Pretoria'

Poor living conditions in informal settlements may be attributed mostly, though not exclusively, to the lack of basic services. Informal settlements, which also go by the name of squatter camps, are volatile by nature. Even within relatively fixed settlement boundaries, change in urban fabric continually manifests through altering dwelling configurations. Deemed unstable and unsafe by formal criteria, these environments disclose schizophrenic characteristics: beyond the dirt, grime and smog, exist relatively functional societies capable of survival and self-regulation. Public and private sector investment within informal settlements is restricted as a result of their illegal status. Inhabitants have no incentive to invest their own resources where they have no formal tenure over the land. Due to a rather backward approach to informality in South Africa, innovation in dealing with these settlements has been limited. Despite the fact that the rhetoric has sometimes changed from eradication to upgrading, little has been done with regards to alternative forms of settlement development that has relevance in terms of improving the lives of informal settlement dwellers. With rising anger in poverty-stricken areas and on the peripheries of cities, what is needed is improved service delivery through immediate solutions. This article suggests a service delivery core, an architectural catalyst, rooted to the ‘energy’ of the public realm, stimulating growth of infrastructure networks. This catalyst core aims to instigate the amelioration of the surrounding environment. The concept presented is that of a dynamic service core – universal in principle – while also being contextually-driven by responding to a specific environment and needs of a specific community. A generic architectural solution is thus presented to providing basic services and infrastructure within informal settlements, with focussed consideration for the unique situation of an informal settlement in Mamelodi, Tshwane (Pretoria), South Africa. It is important to realise that there is no final product, but rather an organic architecture that adapts in a process of continuous and progressive change.

Abstract. Informal settlements are often not mapped, and only anecdotal evidence is commonly found on the activities that take place daily within these settlements. To address, this lack of information we followed a participatory GIS (PGIS) approach to mapping the daily struggles of individuals in the informal settlement of Alaska, Mamelodi, in Pretoria, South Africa. We interviewed twelve community members and started to analyse the data, but the question arises, how do we visualize and communicate the results? We decided to make use of web maps and story maps, and we implemented them both in Esri ArcGIS Online and in Mapbox. In this paper, we present the results of an evaluation of ArcGIS Online and Mapbox for creating web maps and story maps for PGIS projects. A list of evaluation criteria was developed based on literature and our experience. The results show that both ArcGIS Online and Mapbox are suitable options for creating web maps and story maps, but that they have different barriers to entry. We also found that story maps are superior in some cases to web maps for creating visualizations for PGIS projects as they provide a narrative with which the user can connect and a more immersive environment than web maps.

Substance abuse is a pervasive problem across the world. The most commonly abused substanc-es include tobacco, alcohol and dagga. In teenagers, research has found out that substance abuse is often linked to multiple factors such as scholastic problems, mental and health problems, risky sexual behaviour, accidents, crime and violence. The present study aimed to explore the level of knowledge and attitudes of teenagers towards substance abuse in an informal settlement. The target population were teenage girls and boys between the ages of 13 and 19. A mixed method approach was employed in this study. A self-administered questionnaire was designed and used to collect data. This questionnaire contained both closed and open ended questions. The Statis-tical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) was used to analyse the data. Findings show that teen-agers have adequate knowledge and appropriate attitudes towards substance abuse. However, the results also indicate that the provision of information on substance abuse remains important in shaping attitudes of young people. Interventions such as awareness campaigns, focus group discussions, education and developmental programmes that contribute to knowledge on the impact of and ways to control substance abuse are recommended
Psychology
M.A. (Psychology)

Discourses on challenges regarding water access in South Africa municipalities are intertwined with the concept of human rights and sustainable development goals. Stakeholders and social scientists continue to debate the plaque of service delivery in regard to water access in the African continent. These debates are framed around discussions to explore suitable governance models that are proficient to promote, protect and rule the right to water access amongst the poor. If South Africa and global curve continue to ignore the pleas of the disadvantaged communities on lack of water access, water scarcity will increase causing droughts and floods. The study investigated the water access, challenges and coping strategies in informal settlements specifically focusing on Iscor informal settlement. The challenges of access to water and coping strategies in informal settlements is a continuous issue of concern in South Africa Municipalities. The study was premised on qualitative approach and employed both the snowball sampling and purposive sampling techniques which refer to key participants in the study area, the government officials and the key individuals interviewed for the research. Data were gathered from a total of 61 participants; interviews were conducted with 20 participants in the study area, 10male focus group and 10 female focus group participants, three key individuals from the study area, three government officials from Department of Water and Sanitation (National and Provincial office), five officials from the City of Tshwane metropolitan Municipality and lastly 10 residents on the impact of research, since the collaboration of the research resulted in the provision of basic amenities to the study area during the course of the research. The study analyses the findings of the stated case studies, with each narrative capturing the themes on Demography; Historical background of the study area; level and impact of water access and coping strategies. The findings from the study reflected the complex range of factors influencing and exacerbating the household resilience to water inaccessibility. The research recommends that the government should implement monitoring programmes and projects which will ensure water accessibility in all informal settlements across the city, provide shelters/RDP houses to the residents, educate and create jobs through support groups and NGOs to the study area.
Development Studies
M.A. Development Studies

Thesis (M.Sc. (Geography)) -- University of Limpopo, 2019
South Africa’s population is more than 60% urbanised. Although food poverty has historically been associated with rural communities, this is no longer the case. With sustained urbanisation, food insecurity is now being experienced in the urban areas as well. The aim of this study was therefore to assess household food security levels and determinants, and to examine household food security coping strategies in Brazzaville informal settlement, Pretoria. The study adopted a quantitative approach which involved the collection of information through a standardised household questionnaire. A statistically representative sample of 95 households participated in the study. Household questionnaires were used to collect information on household demographics, income and expenditure statistics, poverty data as well as household food access issues. In terms of data analysis, the survey used three measures of household food insecurity: a) the Household Food Insecurity Access Prevalence Indicator (HFIAP); b) the Household Dietary Diversity Score (HDDS); and c) the Months of Adequate Household Food Provisioning (MAHFP) measurements of household food access. The survey results indicate that 29.5% of households in Brazzaville informal settlement were food secure and 70.5% food insecure. Contrary to conventional wisdom of female-headed households being the most food insecure, results of this study show that maleheaded households were the most food insecure. In addition, households with low incomes, low level of education, and high unemployment were also likely to be food insecure. The results of the regression analysis suggest that gender, household income, and employment influences household food security. The probability of food security decreases if household is headed by a female, because females can adopt multiple coping strategies. The study concludes that food insecurity coping strategies vary significantly from one household to another according to their expenses, objectives and constrains. Keywords: Household food insecurity, urbanisation, livelihood, Brazzaville informal settlement, coping strategies.
National Research Foundation (NRF)

The persistence and enormity of the housing backlog facing the poorest of the poor is an indication of the gravity of the housing crisis in Gauteng. The challenge exists despite government efforts to provide low-cost housing and formalize informal settlements. Against the background of this persistent need, this study investigates the City of Tshwane Municipality’s response to informal settlements in Mamelodi Phase 3, Gauteng. Participants from Mamelodi Phase 3 and officials from the City of Tshwane Municipality were purposively sampled. Research findings indicated that informal settlements in Mamelodi are caused by various factors, which include movement from rural to urban areas, movement from other provinces to Gauteng and natural population growth. Furthermore, the persistence of the informal settlements is caused by poverty. Most people continue to live in informal settlements since they cannot access financial assistance from the banks as per the National Credit Regulation (NCR). Corruption is also a formidable problem as some informal settlement dwellers alleged that officials of the City of Tshwane Municipality allocated houses in contravention of set procedures. This research shows that the City of Tshwane’s informal upgrading policies have failed in terms of providing adequate housing. Further, the housing policy has not succeeded in creating long-term sustainability in the delivery of low-cost housing to deal with the problems of the informal settlements. Although the City of Tshwane has implemented the Re aga Tshwane, which involves a wide range of policies, programmes and strategies to address the developmental challenges facing dwellers in informal settlements, more is required. On this basis, it is recommended that proper consultation with the community should be held to improve the lives of people in informal settlements in line with Section 26 of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa (1996), regarding every person’s right to have access to adequate housing.
Public Administration and Management
M.B.A. (Public Administration)