Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Subsidies – South Africa'

Despite South African citizen’s constitutional right to adequate housing, Government’s housing delivery has been described as a complex, multi-stakeholder, multi-phase problem, exacerbated by political interference and corruption. Housing delivery in South Africa is ideologically and politically designed and executed. However, the government subsidised housing sector remains plagued by: huge and increasing backlogs; corruption; quality concerns, and recipient and stakeholder dissatisfaction. This includes the government subsidised housing construction sector, which faces issues such as: established contractors leaving the sector; late and failed completion; substandard quality; rework; cost overruns; late progress payments; and insolvencies. Moreover, government subsidised housing officials, which forms part of this sector, must contend with abandoned projects and appointing new contractors; shoddy workmanship from sub-standard contractors; remedial work, including demolition and rebuilding; and systemic problems such as staff shortages and under qualified staff. The process of Government’s ideological and political designed and execution may therefore not have considered certain practicalities relative to construction principles and practice. It therefore appears that there may be some relationship between the compatibility of Government’s housing ideological and political designed (policy) and execution and general construction principles and practice. It is clear from the related literature that government subsidised housing construction has mostly been investigated as an exercise observing from the outside in, and not from a construction sector perspective. The main purpose of this study is thus to explore housing policy and practice compatibility as a major obstacle to housing delivery in general and assess whether the current housing policy is sufficiently responsive to the requirements of the government subsidised housing sector by specifically describing and exploring the effects of Government’s housing procurement policies relative to the ability of the construction sector to supply government subsidised housing. More specifically, the study describes and explores corruption, quality; contractors and worker competency, and government capacity as specific consequences of housing policy and practice incompatibility, as well as factors contributing to recipient dissatisfaction and the housing backlog. Finally, based on the finding, a proposed framework for improving the supply of subsidised housing in South Africa has been developed. The methodology for this study adopted a post-positivist philosophy, embracing a quantitative approach using questionnaires, which incorporated mainly five-point Likert type scale, but also multiple-choice questions, as instruments for data collection. Three surveys were conducted, starting with a pilot study and followed by a primary study, during which a total of 2 884 potential participants within the construction sector across South Africa were randomly sampled and solicited to participate, of which 284 responded. The respondents consisted of four groups: general contractors (76); government housing officials (34); built environment professionals (137), and built environment suppliers (37). An electronic questionnaire was sent by email to all potential participants and allowed four weeks to complete the survey. Furthermore, a housing recipient survey was conducted among 100 randomly selected recipients of government subsidised housing in the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan area, by means of a structured interview using a paper based questionnaire, over a period of two weeks. The primary outcome measures used for this study were the ranked mean scores for mainly descriptive analysis and the Chi-square test, the 𝑡-test, Cohan’s d test, ANOVA and Scheffé test, using Cronbach's alpha as a measure of internal consistency of scale and validity, for inferential analyses and hypotheses testing. Hypothesis testing was founded upon Government’s worldview that its policies will not influence the operations of the construction sector relative to housing construction, and therefore tested respondents’ perspectives with respect to the impact that government policies have in terms of contractor operations and contractor success, as well as its contribution towards the housing backlog, substandard housing, recipient dissatisfaction and corruption. The following results were obtained by means of the hypothesis testing:Government housing procurement policies are inappropriate for application in the government subsidised housing sector. Respondents therefore disagree with the notion that government policy and practices do not impact contractor operations and contractor success, and thus the supply of houses; The application of government housing procurement policies leads to inadequate quality. Respondents therefore disagree with the notion that government preferential procurement policies do not impact quality; Government’s housing procurement policies inappropriately target emerging contractors. Respondents therefore disagree with the notion that Government’s targeting of emerging contractors does not impact housing supply; Government has inadequate capacity to address subsidised housing construction sector requirements in terms of housing projects. Respondents therefore disagree with the notion that Government has the capacity to address subsidised housing construction sector requirements in the supply of housing, and Government subsidised houses do not meet recipients’ expectations. Respondents therefore disagree with the notion that government subsidised houses do meet recipients’ expectations. It thus became apparent that housing supply is mostly inhibited by Government’s housing procurement policy, contributing to various factors, such as quality capability, contractor capability, systemic and administrative capacity, and resulting in recipient dissatisfaction. Using Pearson’s product moment correlation, a framework model was developed to illustrate the process flow, which revealed definitive statistical and practical relationships between these factors, and indeed reflects complex relationships between factors inhibiting supply and resulting in recipient dissatisfaction. To find an appropriate framework model for the purpose of improving housing supply, various sources were consulted. Based on the research question, together with the aims and objectives for this study, as well as the realisation that the problems associated with housing supply relate to the project management of the construction phase, which requires interventions for improving supply, it was decided that a results framework would be the most appropriate for this purpose. The proposed framework is therefore a graphical depiction of how the research process may be used to identify problems in the government subsidised housing sector, questioning how these may be resolved, setting strategies to improve the situation, evolving hypotheses and testing these hypotheses to establish the critical factors to be considered in the process of resolving the problem in the housing sector, by means of implementation and feedback.

Thesis (MComm (Logistics))--University of Stellenbosch, 2009.<br>ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The current subsidy system, designed to make South Africa’s public transport more affordable, has instead contributed to a worsening of the existent neglected state of affairs. Although subsidy policies are in place, misdirected allocation renders them mostly ineffective. The implementation of the new integrated public transport systems for metropolitan areas affords an opportunity to adopt a broad spectrum approach and initiate a redesigned and improved subsidy system. The purpose of this study is to assess the South African urban public transport industry with the aim of finding by means of a system-based process a subsidy approach that will overcome the remaining inequalities of the past. This study will consequently evaluate different subsidy theories and determine which one(s) will be best suited to the demands of a specific period. The final objective is to design a product which offers government a systembased process that will help it determine, every few years, whether the subsidy regime being applied at that juncture is still relevant to the requirements of the market and/or what (new) approach is necessary to achieve social and economic wellbeing. Commuter transport in South Africa is currently in a transition phase where new public transport infrastructure is being implemented in the metropolitan cities. The current economic recession (making people’s demand more elastic to prices) present a good time to conduct the system-based process necessary for transition of the public transport system and determine an optimal subsidy approach for the new system. The first step in the system-based process was to determine the scope of work and the overall objectives that should be reached. The main public transport shortcomings are the lack of accessibility to affordable transport for the poor and increasing private transport ownership by the rich, which increases congestion and forms the second step of the systembased process. The third step stated the action plan of strategies on how the objectives could be reached. These three steps also form the basic measurement criteria against which the different subsidy approaches needed to be tested. The fourth step in the system-based process to a better subsidy approach was to evaluate different theoretical subsidy approaches. The review of different subsidy approaches has indicated that some approaches work better than others, but an optimal subsidy system is almost never found.

The South African Automotive industry has been one that has enjoyed the subsidies schemes like the Motor Industry Development Program (MIDP), and in the near future the Automotive Production Development Program (APDP). There are however different schools of thought when it comes to subsidies for an industry. One is that there should be no incentives when others are for the schemes, which one is best for the growing economy of a young democratic and highly unemployed nation? Looking at the next planned incentive scheme to be introduced to replace the MIDP, the APDP is it better than the MIDP? How are these schemes going to benefit the country in the future and will they exist for as long as we have the Auto industry in South Africa? The objective is to prompt those in political power and positions capable of influencing infrastructure changes to think long term when making decisions today that will affect future generations. Future generations should be able to benefit from future technologies of the day and not be hindered by the lack of improved and capable infrastructure.

Magister Legum - LLM<br>It has been held that agricultural domestic support would not be such a contentious issue if its only effect was the benefit of local farmers, but this is not the case.1 It was found that several forms of domestic support have the effect of distorting the patterns of agricultural production and trade at an international level, leaving non-supported farmers elsewhere worse off.2 It was thus concluded that such support measures may indeed nullify the benefits which accrue from trade liberalisation and explains how the AoA3 regulates these measures in a way that reduces their trade distorting effects.4 It has been noted that the agricultural sector only accounted for a small percentage of the developed world's Gross Domestic Product {GDP}, yet the regulation of international agricultural trade was not an easy task.5 Smith explains that numerous attempts were made to implement some form of regulation, including a half-hearted effort in the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) and the subsequent AoA upon the creation of the WTO in 1995.6 According to Smith, the successful regulation of international agricultural trade remained elusive, despite Desta MG and McMahon JA explain that the WTO is not very concerned with countries that provide domestic support to their agricultural sectors, as this only matters to the extent that it hopes for liberalising trade in the sector.7 affects trade in that sector.8 It is further observed that the AoA balances out the freedom to provide domestic support with the need to reduce or eliminate the trade distortive effects thereof and note that the AoA has essentially made all forms of domestic support more transparent and easier to deal with.9 A party is therefore unlikely to be challenged, successfully, if domestic support is given in accordance with the provisions of the AoA.10 The aforementioned views only seem to address the merits of the AoA and the way in which it regulates the use of agricultural subsidies. It should however be noted that the literature fails to address the fact that the WTO has not enforced the provisions of the AoA very effectively against the EU and the USA, in light of the continued misuse of subsidies within both parties. In this regard it must be ascertained whether the WTO should impose stricter penalties as a means to deter its member states, especially the EU and USA, from using subsidies in an abusive way. In addition to this, it must be determined which types of penalties can and should be imposed.

Thesis (MSc (Consumer Science)--University of Stellenbosch, 2006.<br>The South African government drafted a national housing policy in 1994. This policy is being implemented in terms of seven strategies. One of the housing strategies is to provide subsidy assistance to low-income groups to enable them to become home owners and improve their quality of life. The delivery of state-subsidised housing will help to reduce the housing backlog and to reach the goal of eradicating informal settlements by 2014. The purpose of this study was to determine the levels of housing satisfaction of residents in state-subsidised housing units.

Magister Legum - LLM<br>The aim of the research is to establish how trade distorting agricultural subsidies have impacted South Africa’s agricultural exports. The research will explore trade distorting subsidies and how South Africa’s trade liberalisation approach relative to its trading partners have impacted South Africa’s trade output, as well as suggesting effective policy recommendations for South Africa’s agricultural trade going forward.

Thesis (PhD (Consumer Science))--University of Stellenbosch, 2006.<br>In the ten years since the inclusive elections of 1994, the South African government has created an international precedent in the housing field. It is widely acknowledged that in this period it has delivered more subsidised houses than any other country in the world. The housing backlog is still between 2 to 3 million and growing every year, so housing policies for the future must continue to , not only provide subsidised housing for a large part of the population but also seeking to establish a viable market for low-cost housing units and to create sustainable human settlements for low-income groups. There are a therefore large numbers of new consumers that enter the housing market for the first time.

The study of the Walmer Links Finance Linked Individual Subsidy (FLISP) is the response to the housing backlogs that have been experienced by the Port Elizabeth area. The ownership programme is the first of its kind in the area and has been met with scepticism, revolt and acceptance as the neighbouring township of Walmer and the nearby suburbs had mixed feelings about the project. The overall feeling and experience of the new FLISP owners far exceeds the scepticism around the project. The project also brought racial integration and improved the quality of life for the poor. It also seems as though the success of the project will be the determinant factor of whether it can rolled out to other provinces as an approach to development and poverty alleviation.

This thesis examines the structure and flow of public funding between the public and private sectors in the South African health system and the consequences thereof for the achievement of equity. The conceptual framework used to undertake the analysis derives from Richard Titmuss’ core theoretical framework, the Social Division of Welfare. The application of the Social Division of Welfare applied to the South African health care context demonstrates how state resources end up benefitting the non-poor and, as a result, reproduce inequality. Those who access public institutions such as public health care are assumed to be ‘dependent’ on the state, whilst those who access private health facilities claim to be ‘independent’ of the state. However, this thesis shows that these assumptions are flawed. Access to the formal labour market, and subsequently the paying of taxes, authorises one to access state subsidies not available to those who do not. The application of the Social Division of Welfare shows that tax-paying private health care patients benefit considerably from state resources. This thesis argues that due to cost escalation in the private health sector, a consequence of the commodification of health care, these private health care ‘consumers’ as well as the private health industry in general are dependent upon state resources. This thesis analyses the role played by the profit motive present in the private health industry and the consequences for equity, quality, access and efficiency in health care provision

Thesis ( M.Dev.) --University of Limpopo, 2016<br>The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of Youth Empowerment Subsidy Tax Incentive emanating from South Africa’s Employment Tax Incentive Act of 2013, dedicated towards reducing youth unemployment. The scheme targets youth in the ages of between 15 and 29. The research used Triangulation Research Design approach, and questionnaire, interview and observation were used for data collection. These were statistically and thematically analysed. The results showed that the scheme lacked advocacy, and the people were not well informed or involved in planning the subsidy scheme. The study highlighted that people were eager to take part as long as the procedures were clearly feasible and well communicated. YESI vacancies were not advertised stating the type of programme that might have been confused with learnerships.

Thesis (MScAgric (Agricultural Economics)--University of Stellenbosch, 2009.<br>The Doha Round of negotiations on the liberalisation of agricultural trade inherited complications from its predecessor - the Uruguay Round (UR). It needs to be noted, as one of the fundamental differences, that agriculture sectors in the developed countries of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) get support from their governments. In contrast to the situation, in the developing countries, agriculture is taxed to generate government revenue. The subsidies that farmers receive in the developed countries affect farmers globally through world prices (world prices depression). Therefore protection and greater subsidies should be not encouraged. As such, after a long time of preferential treatment, agriculture trade was tabled as a separate issue of negotiations at the UR and resulted to the round to be prolonged. However, one of the achievements of the UR was imposing of bound tariffs on agricultural products and determining tariff equivalence for non-tariff measures. Then, the Doha Round (DR) also known as the Doha Development Agenda (DDA) which is the first round to place development and focus strongly on agricultural liberalisation as a tool for development. International trade theory supports agricultural liberalisation, as negotiated in the DDA. Therefore, the DDA, in seeking more liberalised agricultural markets, continues a theoretically sound approach, as in the UR. The effects of liberalising agricultural trade in the DDA will differ across countries, whereas some will gain, others may loose, and the same situation is true for different sectors within an economy. The focus of the DDA on agriculture, as a tool of development, links well to the fact that agriculture in the developing countries accounts for a substantial share of their gross domestic products (GDPs) and exports. This situation, therefore, calls for a closer consideration of the possible impact of agricultural liberalisation in South Africa even though agricultural share of GDP is less than 4 percent.

Magister Psychologiae - MPsych<br>Substance abuse has been identified internationally and in South Africa as an escalating problem that has harmful effects on the substance user and on society. The cost of treating substance-related disorders places a strain on the allocation of financial resources to treat the problem. When relapse occurs in substance users who have already undergone rehabilitation, it increases the costs of treatment. Waiting lists at treatment centres are also negatively affected for first-time admissions when relapsed substance users are re-admitted. The study aimed to identify relapse indicators by post-discharge follow-up of adult substance users in a registered, non-profit, state-subsidised treatment facility in Cape Town. Marlatt’s Dynamic model of relapse was used to explore the individual and socio-cultural factors which were potentially associated with relapse. A quantitative research design using archival data and purposive sampling was used to identify possible relapse indicators. The participants were ex-patients who had undergone an inpatient treatment programme and who had been followed up post discharge. Ethical clearance was obtained from the University of the Western Cape Higher Degrees Committee. Written permission was granted by the treatment centre who is the original data owner.The majority of participants were male. More than half of the sample reported polysubstance use and, for more than half of them, the age of onset of substance use was between 11 and 15 years. Severe depression was present for more than a third of the participants, whilst the majority of the sample was assessed as being substance dependent. A large proportion of patients had family members who also used substances. The majority of the sample was unemployed and more than half had received previous substance abuse treatment. Significant associations were not established between the identified variables within the groups of factors. Additional studies are required to explore the factors contributing to relapse in this patient population.

Substance abuse has been identified internationally and in South Africa as an escalating problem that has harmful effects on the substance user and on society. The cost of treating substance-related disorders places a strain on the allocation of financial resources to treat the problem. When relapse occurs in substance users who have already undergone rehabilitation, it increases the costs of treatment. Waiting lists at treatment centres are also negatively affected for first-time admissions when relapsed substance users are re-admitted. The study aimed to identify relapse indicators by post-discharge follow-up of adult substance users in a registered, non-profit, state-subsidised treatment facility in Cape Town. Marlatt’s Dynamic model of relapse was used to explore the individual and socio-cultural factors which were potentially associated with relapse. A quantitative research design using archival data and purposive sampling was used to identify possible relapse indicators. The participants were ex-patients who had undergone an inpatient treatment programme and who had been followed up post discharge. Ethical clearance was obtained from the University of the Western Cape Higher Degrees Committee. Written permission was granted by the treatment centre who is the original data owner.The majority of participants were male. More than half of the sample reported polysubstance use and, for more than half of them, the age of onset of substance use was between 11 and 15 years. Severe depression was present for more than a third of the participants, whilst the majority of the sample was assessed as being substance dependent. A large proportion of patients had family members who also used substances. The majority of the sample was unemployed and more than half had received previous substance abuse treatment. Significant associations were not established between the identified variables within the groups of factors. Additional studies are required to explore the factors contributing to relapse in this patient population.<br>Magister Artium (Psychology) - MA(Psych)

Pre-print<br>Many governments have tried to stimulate economic growth via policy on the creative industries. South Africa is no different but additionally has an overarching aim of achieving social and labour market ‘transformation’ to move away from the legacy of the apartheid era. The effectiveness of incentives provided to the film and television sector in South Africa are considered in terms of their stated objectives of job creation, skills and knowledge transfer and the attraction of foreign direct investment. Informed by empirical analysis of incentive scheme data and supplemented by elite interviews with key informants, some specific policy revisions are proposed.

This dissertation examines the impact of state-subsidised housing on the realisation of the right to adequate housing in South Africa. The incremental housing policy adopted in 1994 has its roots in the work of the Urban Foundation and others, who significantly shaped the discussions in the National Housing Forum, where South Africa's first post-apartheid housing policy was formulated. As a result low-income housing policy is centred on the use of capital subsidies allocated towards homeownership. In 1996 the state promulgated the Constitution obligating government to ensure that, inter alia, 'everyone has the right of access to adequate housing'. 'Adequate housing', as per the United Nations Covenant on Economic Social and Cultural Rights, comprises of six core elements: accessibility, affordability, location, availability of services, habitability and security of tenure; which have all been affected in various ways by government's legislative and policy interventions. The delivery of state-subsidised housing has been impressive - with nearly three million completed since 1994. However, there have been significant problems. This paper emphasises four main issues: the poor quality houses that have required rectification and/or rebuilding; an overemphasis on homeownership, above rental tenure; a lack of effective transfer of title deeds; and the informal sale of state-subsidised houses. All of which have negatively impacted on progress towards full realisation of the right of access to adequate housing.

The purpose of the study was to investigate and examine the impact of the government housing subsidies in Alexandra, Gauteng, in terms of improving the socio-economic conditions of poor people. The ANC government promised to change the material conditions of people by among other things eliminating poverty when it ascended to power. Access to adequate housing is regarded as a fundamental right in terms of the prescripts of the South African constitution. By implication the government has a developmental duty to provide housing to eligible citizens. A policy decision by government in 1995 to provide housing subsidies to poor households, particularly those earning between R0-3500 rand provided a significant catalyst in the objective to improve the socio-economic conditions of poor people. That is why the study was conducted in the Alexandra Township, given the proximity of the area to affluent suburbs such as Sandton. This also provided a perfect case study to measure the effectiveness of the housing subsidy system and how the system has been managed to maximise the housing delivery impact in terms of outcomes. In terms of research findings, the expectation was that delivery of low cost housing using government subsidies should not have experienced problems on housing delivery backlogs and administrative blockages. The research results revealed that the failure to quickly improve the socio-economic conditions of poor people through providing adequate housing and creating a progressive environment to create and access job opportunities has exacerbated the state of poverty, which perpetuates dependency on state assistance. The research findings further showed that there is no conclusive evidence that many if not all beneficiaries were using their subsidised house as an asset in terms of leveraging it to improve their financial position; and that there is still a high level of dependency on government for assistance even on maintenance of these units, especially after taking ownership. This has exposed a grave lack of knowledge or information on the side of beneficiaries on how to utilise the house as an asset in order to be progressive as far as improving social and economic conditions. The overall research results demonstrated that vi the existing low cost housing funding model (in Gauteng) is not sustainable in terms of delivering subsidised housing units; and significantly improving the quality of life and standard of living of poor people. In terms of limitations, the study took to account that the new government needed enough time to translate policy into concrete implementable ideas as far as housing was concerned, hence the period of study was from 1995 to 2012. This study is important because its findings contribute knowledge in the field of Public Administration and housing literature; and also assists the Department of Human Settlements (DHS) to explore recommended solutions to improve the Housing Subsidy System. Most importantly, the study provides valuable data relating to the impact of government housing subsidies, including challenges on housing allocations and subsidies management. The study concludes with recommendations on what an effective government subsidy programme should look like. This provides an opportunity to review the entire government subsidy system, as recommended in the National Development Plan (NDP) 2030 vision. The government of the day needs to urgently review the existing grant and subsidy regime for housing with a view to ensuring diversity in product and finance options that allows for more household choice and greater spatial mix and flexibility. Moreover, government should ensure that state funding does not support the further provision of non-strategic housing investments in poorly located areas.<br>Public Administration<br>D.P.A.

In 1994 the new government introduced a subsidy scheme where the beneficiaries are provided with houses through housing projects. The houses have been vastly criticised for being small and poorly built. The sites provided are perceived to be small. The recreational facilities are perceived to be non existent and educational facilities scarce. The places where the projects are, is perceived to be far away from job opportunities. A sample of 200 beneficiaries was drawn from 1024 beneficiaries residing in the housing project in the area of France, Edendale in Pietermaritzburg, Phases 1 and 11. In this study, the respondents were composed of 32.9% males and 67.1% females. The respondent’s age group who participated in this project was 3.9% between 0-21 years, 28.9% between 22-35 years, 34.2% between 36-45 years, 16.4% between 46-55 years, and 11.8% between 55- 65 years and 4.6% did not reveal their age status. 80.9%, indicated they were owners of the houses, 6.6% indicated that they were not and those that did not reply are 12.5%. The study is descriptive in nature and explored the extent to which the beneficiaries were happy with their houses. The study explored the perceptions on the size of the sites, the small starter houses, the sanitation provided and the location of the houses. The findings suggest that the provision of sustainable housing in South Africa is still a challenge. The houses are still located far from the places of work and they are so small and there is overcrowding. The sizes of the sites are small and the sanitation provided unacceptable. The recreational facilities are nonexistent. Beneficiaries expressed dissatisfaction with the educational facilities.<br>Thesis (MBA)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Westville, 2012.

A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts in Community Development work in the Department of Social Work, at the University of Zululand, 2005.

M.Tech.<br>South Africa is one of the countries in the world that has delivered the highest number of houses to the poor through various delivery mechanisms. This was done to fulfill her vision of adequate housing for all, as reflected in the National Housing Policy framework. Over the last fifteen years, the African National Congress [ANC] led government has vigorously ensured that essential services were made available to advance the lives of ordinary people. Since 1994 to date, about 2 700 000 houses have been delivered, providing more than 13 million people with secure homes. One of the housing strategies, as contained in the National Housing Policy of 1994, was to provide subsidy assistance to low income groups to enable them to become home owners and improve their quality of life. The Housing Subsidy Scheme, adopted as the channel of delivery, has to date helped reduce the housing backlog and is tending to reach the goal of eradicating informal settlement by 2014. This research work is an evaluation of the post-occupancy experience of housing subsidy beneficiaries. The study evaluated satisfaction levels of subsidy beneficiaries, what beneficiaries actual do with the subsidized houses after they have been allocated to them, to ascertain if the subsidized houses have improved the beneficiaries’ lives. It also evaluates if the progressive strategy of housing to South Africa citizens is being realised; as well as determining government commitment in maintaining these houses. The methodology used for the study was both qualitative and quantitative. The quantitative research was conducted in four already established housing subsidy locations in Johannesburg, Gauteng Province of South Africa. A structured questionnaire with dichotomous, multiple choice, scaled, matrixtype and open-ended questions was used to conduct interviews and obtain data during the survey. Findings from the study revealed that the progressive strategy of housing is successful in fulfilling its vision to supply adequate housing to all its citizens. However, beneficiaries are not satisfied with the subsidized houses, because of the units’ sizes. Also, defects occurred in the houses delivered. These defects include roof leakages, cracks in walls, lack of finishing internally and externally, and defects in roof trusses. The cause of these defects was a result of poor quality control mechanisms put in place by the Department of Housing. Lastly, it was also revealed that the government has no plans in place to prevent slum conditions in the subsidized housing areas, by means of a well structured maintenance system. Based on the findings from the study, it is recommended that the Department of Housing and administrator of subsidized housing units in Gauteng should conduct a complete and thorough needs analysis of the beneficiaries of a proposed housing subsidy development, it is also recommended that government should provide as wide a choice of housing and tenure options as is reasonably possible. This can be achieved through the rental housing option. It is further recommended that the Gauteng Department of Housing should set up an independent section to carry out monitoring of subsidized houses during construction and formulate an appropriate maintenance culture that will help in encouraging beneficiaries to maintaining the subsidized house. In addition, the Department of Housing should move beyond the progressive realization of the right to adequate housing as contained in the South Africa Constitution, to the use of the housing to improve the lives of the citizens and lastly, the Gauteng Department of Housing should conduct more post-occupancy evaluations of housing subsidy beneficiaries’ experiences. By conducting more POE, the Department of Housing will be well informed of the satisfaction levels of the occupants whether the house is up to standard, if the houses have improved the lives of occupants and what actually they are doing with the houses once they are allocated to them.

Thesis (M.B.A.)-Business Studies Unit, Durban University of Technology, 2006 v, 96 leaves, Annexures A-F<br>The marginal and low-income groups face a number of obstacles in their quest to secure housing finance to improve their living conditions. South Africa has a sophisticated and effective finance system. However, it appears that the only beneficiaries from it are the middle and upper income groups of the housing market. The whole system of accessing housing finance has proven to be problematic for the marginal and lower income groups for various reasons, among others: it is not user friendly and is not easily understood by an illiterate or poorly educated person. The key challenge for the South African housing finance system is to find ways of bridging the gap between those who have a regular income and those who do not. The credit gap exists because of the relationship between risk and cost which is a standard lending issue across the globe. The study has unpacked the obstacles by looking at the literature and role players in the housing finance.

The post-apartheid government inherited an urban housing backlog of approximately 1.3 million units at its inception in 1994. This huge backlog was partially contributed by apartheid discriminatory administrations and laws such as the Black (Native) Laws Amendment Act, No 46 of 1937 and the Black Communities Development Act, No 4 of 1984 along with rapid urbanization during the post-apartheid period. In a bid to address past injustice related to housing, it has become necessary for the post-apartheid government to diversify housing delivery approach to include alternative development and delivery strategies, methodologies and products including upgrading of informal settlements, and increasing rental stock. The human settlements department also encouraged the establishment and implementation of self-help housing through the establishment of the People Housing Process (PHP). It is the implementation of this programme that led to the establishment of the SACTSP aimed at enhancing South African housing service delivery using Cuban experience. The programme has been implemented in the South African human settlements sector since 2002. The focus of this research is to evaluate the impact of the South African Cuban Technical Support Programme (SACTSP) in the lives of the South African housing beneficiaries. The collected and analysed data, to a large degree, confirmed the effect of the programme in the lives of the beneficiaries. The research design of the study is a multiple Case Studies approach. The scope of the study is the three provinces participating in the SACTSP, which are Mpumalanga (MP), Western Cape (WC), and Limpopo (LP). The intention was to have both the control group and the intervention group in the same province, but due to the over usage of the CTA’s in these provinces the researcher decided to use Gauteng Province (GP), a non-participating province in the programme, as a control group. This is also due to the fact that the province (Gauteng) is also commonly known for publicly criticising the effectiveness of the SACTSP programme. Data was collected in three housing projects from the three Gauteng Metropolitan Municipalities Tshwane, Ekurhuleni and City of Johannesburg. The selected projects were Mamelodi Extension 5 in Tshwane, Villa Lisa (Boksburg) in Ekurhuleni and Driekiek Extension 3 in Orange Farm, Johannesburg. The selected projects where the CTAs participated (experimental group) were Chicago Bulls at Strand in Cape Town (WC), Thekwane South Housing Projects, Nelspruit in Mpumalanga and Westernburg at Polokwane in Limpopo Province. In each unit of evaluation, questionnaires to collect data were distributed to the rightful owners (beneficiaries) of the houses, who were above eighteen years of age. (Annexure A). The participants, all rightful owners of state subsidies, were identified by means of purposive sampling. The main goal of purposive sampling is to focus on particular characteristics of a population that are of interest, which will best enable the researcher to answer the research questions Semi-structured interview questions were also conducted to the main stakeholders in the housing circle. This includes officials in all spheres of government involves in delivering sustainable human settlements (Annexure B). The selection is also influenced by what is called the “good enough” rule in formulating evaluation research (Rossi et al., 2012:28). Stated simply the “good enough” rule advocates that the evaluator should choose the strongest possible design from a methodological stand point after having taken into account the potential importance of the results, the practicality and feasibility of each design and the probability that the design chosen will produce useful and credible results (Rossi et al., 2012:33) The collected data was analysed and presented in five principal stages involving descriptive and inferential statistics. The first phase involves presenting the reliability of the instrument using Cronbach’s alpha. The second phase presents the descriptive statistics of the sample using frequencies, and proportions for categorical data and means and standard deviations for continuous variables. The validity of the instrument then follows using exploratory factor analysis which explains the observed variables that are linked to underlying factors. The fourth phase involves calculation of composite variables using the means and averages to determine the trend patterns in the data. The central limit theorem was applied to the data and comparative analyses were done to determine whether views differed by socio-demographic variables. The two sample independent t-tests were done to determine whether views of the respondents differed for two-categorical variables and the one-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was used to determine whether views differ for variables with more than two categories. The fifth stage presented the correlation analysis which was used to determine the extent or degree of the relationship between the constructs. The findings of the studies confirm the effectiveness of the programmes in the participating provinces. The study also discovered that, CTA’s are mostly transferring skills to contractors who happened to be working close to the CTAs and only to beneficiaries in a few instances. This is due to the nature of the self-help model that the South African government adopted which involves private contractors in building PHP houses. This model ignores the national PHP policy and guidelines which recognise beneficiaries as the main drivers of the PHP. The study concludes by recommending the department policy makers to monitor and enforce correct implementation of formulated policy to close the gaps that are usually created between policy formulation and implementation.<br>Public Administration and Management<br>D. Admin. (Public Administration)

M. Tech. Business Administration<br>Provision of grants by financial institutions, government units and state owned agencies is of paramount importance in the development of entrepreneurs to the level of self-sustainability. Grants should be given on merit and also according to the needs of entrepreneurs; this can be established by means of feasibility studies done by entrepreneurs and effective funding models. Gert Sibande District is a municipality within the Mpumalanga Province which can be categorised as one of the areas that has previously disadvantaged individuals and most of the areas are rural, semi-rural and declared poverty pocket areas by the Provincial Government. This study was undertaken to analyse the impact of grants on the effective development of entrepreneurs and their sustainability in Gert Sibande District of Mpumalanga Province. The capability of the entrepreneurs and the roles of the support structures in addressing this problem were explored.

The right to adequate housing is recognized internationally as a basic human right. South Africa is one of the countries that include this basic right as one of the cornerstones in its constitution. Quite a number of ways and means have been implemented and various kinds of mechanisms have been put into place to kickstart and spearhead the process of providing shelter mainly to the poor segments of the communities in South Africa at large. Towards this end the South African Housing Policy is formulated around the notion of the enabling approach whereby state assistance in the form of a lump sum subsidy is given to households to enhance and intensify the beneficiaries' own efforts towards improving their housing. In other words the smooth operation of the enabling approach is to a large extent dependent on the individuals' substantial contribution in many if not all aspects of housing process. The study demonstrates that since the implementation of this enabling approach too little has been achieved in terms of housing delivery. The study therefore identifies three key issues (among other issues) that are seen as major bottlenecks in the implementation of the enabling approach in housing delivery for all. The study argues that in order for the beneficiaries to consolidate their housing, they need to augment their low-income with a loan or any other form of a housing credit. It is the central argument of this study in this regard that proper housing credit mechanisms suited to the circumstances of the low-income groups have not been adequately addressed. The study further observes that the majority of low-income groups do not have proper labour and employment skills in that these groups also lack access to employment opportunities. This study therefore adopts the position that proper structures need to be put in place in-order to eradicate these above-mentioned major hurdles standing in the way of the enabling approach. The study argues that if these issues are not adequately addressed, housing consolidation among low-income groups will remain a major problem and the enabling approach will eventually be regarded as non-viable and incompetent.<br>Thesis (M.Arch.)-University of Natal, Durban, 2002.

Government policies on subsidising higher education institutions may have a direct impact on the behaviour of researchers and managers respectively. Therefore, this thesis looks for clues on how higher education institutions respond to the government funding policies, with special reference to the New Funding Framework (NFF) introduced in South Africa in 2001. The funding framework specified that research funding would be determined only on the basis of research output. The NFF puts emphasis on the number of publications produced by higher education institutions per annum to determine their subsidy amounts. Governments use quantitative formulas to allocate research funds to higher education institutions based on their production of output. The current South African funding framework is arguably consistent with some international suggestions of the role that government funding can play in the implementation of national higher policies. This thesis uses higher education research output as a measure of knowledge production. As such, the thesis was set out to determine the effects that the research subsidy component of the NFF might have had on South African public higher education institutions‟ knowledge production between 2001 and 2006. The thesis argues that the subsidy component of the NFF has had positive effects on the knowledge production of South African public higher education institutions (HEIs). An empirical analysis of the output trends of South African HEIs for the period under review has shown a steady increase, more especially from 2003. The thesis attributes the new trend in higher education research output to the successful implementation of the NFF. It is thus concluded that considering the output trends of the period under review, the implementation of the NFF is yielding positive effects towards achieving its intended goal of increasing research output of South African public HEIs.<br>Public Administration<br>D. Admin. (Public Administration)

Homeownership is widely advocated and believed to contribute towards economic activity, employment, wealth creation, economic, political, and neighbourhood stability and financial independence. Despite government’s interventions to advance homeownership there is currently a declining trend in homeownership and an increase in renting experienced in South Africa. As the government does not have the resources to provide adequate housing to all South Africans, identifying the factors which attribute to non-subsidised homeownership will assist in implementing interventions and strategies to increase access to non-subsidised homeownership and reduce reliance on government subsidised housing. The main objective of this study was to determine the comparative odds of variables contributing to non-subsidised homeownership in South Africa from secondary data obtained from a South African household survey. Compared to the heuristic model, the following variables were found to align closely with the expectation created; non-subsidised homeownership attainment was most likely for households within high-income groups and least for households within the low-income groups, more likely for households who have access to credit than those without, more likely for households with no accounts in arrears than those with accounts in arrears, more likely for households with an ability to save than those without, most likely for households consisting of seven or more household members and least likely for single member households, most likely for households where FKP (Financially Knowledgeable Person) has completed a tertiary education level and least likely for households with primary not completed education levels, most likely for households where the FKP is older (aged 65 and older) and least likely for young FKP households (aged between 18 and 24), most likely for households residing in rural areas and least likely for households residing in metropolitan areas, most likely for female FKP households and least likely for male FKP households. Unexpectedly the regression model indicated that non-subsidised homeownership is most likely for households where the Financially Knowledgeable Person (FKP) is not economically active (for example pensioners) and least likely for employed households, most likely for households from the African population group and least likely for Indian households, most likely where the FKP is never married or single and least likely for separated or divorced FKP households (which is expected) and most likely for households residing in Limpopo (which is expected) and least likely for households residing Western Cape.<br>Financial accounting<br>M. Phil. (Accounting Science)

The perceived lack of progress by the Department of Human Settlements (“Department”) in meeting the increased demand for subsidised housing post-1994 is a ticking time bomb, given the repeated promises without any prospect of meeting the commitment to eradicate or upgrade all informal settlements by 2014. Despite ongoing delivery of subsidised housing, the backlog remained at 2,4 million households from 2005 to 2009, the indicator being the number of informal settlement households. The “Department” has acknowledged the existence of bureaucratic blockages throughout the housing delivery chain. Despite the urgency of the situation, there appears to be no research on the departmental factors hampering delivery under the Upgrading of Informal Settlements Programme (“programme”) and finding a solution that would maximise delivery within budgetary constraints. This research assesses the suitability of the Balanced Scorecard (BSC), a Strategic Management Accounting performance measurement and management tool, for addressing the departmental factors hampering delivery (“factors”) under the “programme” and develops a conceptual framework to guide any future application of the BSC to the “programme”.The complexity of housing delivery and the proposed integration of the BSC call for a detailed literature study of the post-1994 national housing and “programme” documentation and that of the public sector BSC. The theoretical study will establish how and by whom housing delivery should be done, the “factors” and the BSC framework and translation process. This will serve as the basis for the assessment of the suitability of the BSC for addressing the “factors” and the development of the conceptual framework.This study revealed that the BSC is suitable for addressing seven of the eight departmental factors hampering delivery under the “programme” and partially suitable for addressing the remaining factor. The recommendation is that the BSC be applied to the “programme” according to the conceptual framework provided. This study has contributed to knowledge by: producing an overall picture of the national framework for the delivery of subsidised housing, presenting the BSC as a suitable performance measurement tool for addressing the departmental factors hampering delivery under the “programme”, and developing a conceptual framework for any future BSC application to the “programme”.<br>Accounting Sciences<br>D. Com. (Accounting)