Academic literature on the topic 'Public welfare Atteridgeville (Tshwane, South Africa)'

The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa states that public servants must deliver services to improve the general welfare of the citizens. The public servants therefore have a duty to the citizens to deliver effective and efficient public services that will be to the satisfaction of the citizens to improve their well-being. However, this is not the case since service delivery protests have become the norm, with citizens regularly protesting about the services received from the various municipalities. Citizens are not happy about the level of service delivery received and therefore take to the streets to render their unhappiness. The City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality is no exception, as service delivery protests have also plagued the municipality and during 2016, the media referred to the protests as Tshwane burning. The municipal frontline staff are at the coalface of service delivery and are often the only public servants that the citizens come into contact with. The municipal frontline staff deliver services to the public on a daily basis and should possess the necessary knowledge, skills, behaviours, attitudes and competencies to deliver professional services. This article will describe what the Customer Care Consultants think should be included in the design of an essential model for training and development for Customer Care Consultants at the City of Tshwane, as they are at the forefront of service delivery. It does so by drawing on an extensive case study using a qualitative questionnaire toexplore the views and perceptions of the municipal frontline staff. The article seeks to add to the body of knowledge by critically analysing the views provided by the Customer Care Consultants on the content for a training and development modelfor Customer Care Consultants at the City of Tshwane. This study reports on research undertaken for the author’s doctoral research conducted during 2018 and culminates in a training and development model for municipal frontline staff.

The Indigency Policy / Programme was introduced by the Tshwane Municipality in 2000 to alleviate poverty by assisting the poor with subsidized limited basic municipal services. The goal of this study was to explore the experiences and views of indigent older persons in Atteridgeville of the Indigency Policy / Programme of the Tshwane Municipality. Limited literature was available on the topic and hence the researcher undertook a qualitative study that was exploratory and descriptive in nature to explore this unknown area. The key recommendations were: There is a need for active involvement and availability of municipal social workers; continuous monitoring, education and evaluation by the municipality for the communities. It was recommended that the Municipality conduct a full scale research on indigents` experience and perceptions/ views of their Indigency Policy / Programme in Tshwane.
Social Work
M. A. (Mental Health)

The purpose of the study was to locate the informal hiring sites for day labourers in Tshwane, to determine the approximate number of day labourers, to describe the nature of socio-economic activities taking place at the sites, and to make recommendations to address needs that have been identified. The research approach and methodology was exploratory, descriptive, quantitative and qualitative. In terms of the findings, 80 informal hiring sites were identified in Tshwane with approximately 3032 day labourers standing at the sites. Case studies were done on three sites and it was found that they were hazardous and lacked basic facilities such as shelter and toilets. Employer-employee interactions were also found to be haphazard and sometimes manipulative and exploitative. It is recommended that intervention programmes should be implemented which could include the provision of basic facilities, skills development, job search assistance and access to comprehensive social services.
Health Studies
M.A. (Social Science - Mental Health)

Developmental local government is regarded as a remedy for the deep-rooted structural socio-economic challenges in South Africa. Many of these challenges are a legacy of apartheid and colonialism, so the ascent to power of a democratic government after the 1994 democratic elections was seen as a watershed for the development of policies and programmes to ameliorate poverty, unemployment and gross inequality. The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa Act, 108 of 1996, positions South Africa as a developmental state (defining developmentalism as a capable state with strong economic growth and professionalized public institutions). The White Paper on Local Government, 1998, was also introduced to mitigate poverty and unemployment. The adoption of a democratic developmental state model that empowers local government, as the coalface of service delivery, was seen as the solution. The developmental trajectory posited by the national government was thus predicated on the efficacy of municipalities. This study therefore explores the success and failure of developmentalism in South Africa, using the Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality as a case study. Analysis and comparison regarding the best model for South Africa was done on the basis of a literature review of international and local studies and official documents and legislation. The review shows that the now defunct developmentalist Reconstruction and Development Programme (RDP) was adopted in 1994 to address the socio-economic ills associated with colonialism and apartheid, but it was replaced by the neoliberal Growth Employment and Redistribution policy. Most developing countries use East Asia as a template to replicate developmental models. Developmentalism thrived in Asia because these countries are not democratic. However, South Africa is a constitutional democracy, which means that the public and public participation must be taken into consideration in policy-making and decision-making, especially for local government to address local socio-economic problems, particularly those affecting the poor. This was not found to be the case in the Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality, where developmentalism is overshadowed by endemic problems around leadership, patronage and a lack of consultation with the people, leaving their needs largely unmet. Neo-liberal policies, clearly not aligned with developmentalism, have been espoused, so a developmental local government model has not been implemented systematically in the Metro. Recommendations to prioritize truly developmental local economic growth and socio-economic development include extensive training and higher appointment criteria.
Development Studies
M.A. (Development Studies)

In the past decade Zimbabwe has experienced serious economic and political challenges, forcing many to flee in search of better employment opportunities and lifestyles. This research, conducted in Tshwane Gauteng, aimed to gain an in-depth understanding of Zimbabwean economic migrants’ experiences and challenges in relocating and adjusting in South Africa. Employing a qualitative approach, semi-structured face-to-face interviews were conducted to collect data which were analysed using Tesch’s framework (in Creswell, 2009:186). The ethical considerations of informed consent, anonymity and confidentiality, debriefing, guidelines for dealing with research data and record management, and honesty with professional colleagues were applied in the research. The research confirms that most Zimbabweans relocated to South Africa for economic reasons and their social and family situations were affected. Challenges were experienced with government officials, in terms of employment, accommodation, education, health services, travelling and with banking institutions. Language barriers and differences in cultural beliefs and values impacted negatively on participants’ socialisation and adjustment. The research shows an alarming lack of social work visibility. The researcher recommends that social work should accept that economic migrants are part of their clientele
Social Work
M.S.W. (Social Work)

Female-headed families have become a major component of society, globally and locally. South Africa has also witnessed an increase in the number of female-headed families. Children raised in female-headed families have been reported to be disadvantaged in several ways. Many are said to be performing poorly at school, having low self-esteem, experiencing early sexual activity, and displaying adverse behaviour. Hence, the views of adult children who grew up in female-headed families were explored to inform social work practice. A qualitative, explorative, descriptive, and contextual study was undertaken with 12 participants whose ages ranged from 25 to 35 years. The goal of this study was to gain insight into the experiences of adult children who grew up in female-headed families. Data was gathered through semi-structured interviews and analysed following Tesch’s (in Creswell, 2009) framework. Data was verified using Lincoln and Guba’s model of trustworthiness. The major findings highlighted first, a deep-seated need to understand reasons for being abandoned by their fathers. Second, the resources inherent within female-headed families, often overlooked, revealed the strengths that these families possess. Third, spirituality as the foundation of their resilience during difficult times dominated the participants’ accounts of being raised in female-headed families. Fourth, various support structures emerged as fundamental components, requisite for the optimal functioning of female-headed families. The implications for social work and recommendations for future research are presented.
Social Work
M.A. (Social Work)