Rural settlement and retail trade business in the Eastern Cape

Rural retail trade shops in the Transkei/Ciskei areas of the Eastern Cape are inherently tied to settlement form and distribution. Spatial distortions in settlement associated with resettlement policies in the past are increasingly being enhanced by unplanned settlement growth. The undeveloped state of the rural economy makes it difficult for most settlements to sustain their inhabitants. Rural shops are trapped in an economy and settlement system not conducive to formal retail trade. The result is that settlement today imposes constraints on the growth of these shops.     

Rural development in Hertzog,Eastern Cape: Successful local economic development?

The government's recently released rural development strategy identifies the important role which local economic development can play in the rural areas of South Africa. This article examines the key features of local economic development and the degree to which recent initiatives in the rural village of Hertzog conform with the basic principles of local economic development. The recent establishment of an agriculture cooperative and smallholder farming on irrigated one‐hectare plots forms the basis of the initiative. Community structures, strategies and achievements are outlined and assessed.     

The social-demographic situation and labor migration: the Far Eastern vector

This paper examines the demographic and migration components in the development of the population potential in the Far East of Russia, as well as issues of the social development and their effect on the comfort of living in the region. The labor migration and use of foreign labor in the region are examined.     

What of the youth? Aspirations and survival strategies from the Eastern Cape

A survey of black matriculants in Port Elizabeth and Grahamstown revealed that career aspirations were somewhat more modest than is popularly assumed and that these differed according to the immediate material circumstances and also the presence or absence of role models during the socialisation process. Such differences have important implications for unemployment relief programmes.     

Informal moneylenders in the Limpopo,Gauteng and Eastern Cape provinces of South Africa

The article provides a critical analysis of the informal (unregistered) money-lending business and how it has served as a survival strategy for black South Africans. Using data obtained from 657 informal (unregistered) micro-moneylenders in three South African provinces, namely the Eastern Cape, Gauteng and Limpopo, an analysis is undertaken to highlight how the business is organised, conducted and marketed, and how income generated from it. Provincial spatial variations and similarities relating to this economic activity are noted. Finally, the article aims at highlighting of the informal microlenders' responses to affiliation to the Micro Lenders Association and registration with the Micro Finance Regulatory Council.     

Trade in reed-based craft products in rural villages in the Eastern Cape,South Africa

Selling traditional craft products made from fibrous plants is an important source of income for economically vulnerable rural women. In the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa, Cyperus textilis and Juncus kraussii have been used for centuries to make products of functional and cultural importance, such as sleeping mats and baskets. In the former Transkei village clusters of Mpozolo and Ntubeni, female crafters harvest the raw material and make and sell the products in their communities and in nearby towns. Interviews with 40 of them revealed what the trade contributes to their livelihoods and what enhances or limits their success. The findings show that crafting contributes vital income to vulnerable households, on average 26 ± 4 per cent of annual household cash income, over 40 per cent for the poorest households and 5–15 per cent for wealthier households. Lack of access to non-traditional markets was identified as the main constraint on the trade.     

DEVELOPMENT DEBATE AND PRACTICE: A situational appraisal of demographic data utilisation in planning in the Eastern Cape province

The relationship between population and development is frequently highlighted in international debates as signifying that changes in population size, age and gender structures, settlement patterns and other population characteristics have implications for public policy planning and for developing evaluation indicators. This study explores the accessibility, quality, userfriendliness and other aspects of demographic data from a planning perspective. Planners from South Africa's Eastern Cape provincial Departments of Education and Health were interviewed and the policy documents were studied to determine how they incorporate population variables. The findings indicate dissatisfaction among planners with the quality of available demographic data at sub-national levels, particularly for the smaller geographic units - regions, districts and villages. Inadequate coordination of data compilation and evaluation is another common perception. There is consensus on the potential contribution of demographic data to improved planning, and recommendations for improving demographic data accessibility and use were made.     

Directional trends in selected aspects of rural poverty in the Eastern Cape Province: changes during the first ten years of South African democracy

This study analysed changes in demographic, gender, basic service access and agricultural production patterns in the rural black Eastern Cape Province between 1993 and 2002 in order to offer advice for future poverty alleviation strategies. It used secondary data from national surveys and the 2001 census and stratified the Eastern Cape districts into former Transkei, former Ciskei and commercial farming district sub-regions, in accordance with the pre-1994 developmental scenarios. The results showed that the demographic and basic service access changes were positive, but that pre-existing sub-regional differences had been reinforced, indicating that the populous former Transkei was being marginalised. There has been little development for rural women, agricultural production is almost negligible and employment in commercial farming has declined. Geographically targeted interventions seem to be warranted for the demographic, gender development and basic service accessibility aspects of Eastern Cape rural poverty, but improving rural production appears to be the major challenge.     

Mainstreaming sustainable adaptation to climate change into municipal planning: An analysis from the Eastern Cape,South Africa

Municipalities are well positioned to support adaptation of vulnerable people to climate change; however, they seldom integrate climate change into their planning for social development. The building of adaptive capacity for sustainable adaptation requires that municipalities understand and mainstream climate change into their plans, and develop context-specific adaptation strategies that address existing social development issues. A desktop analysis was conducted to compare the planning landscape in six District Municipalities in the Eastern Cape, South Africa, focusing on Municipal Integrated Development Plans (IDPs). A scoring system was developed for comparing the IDPs of the municipalities, based on levels of context-specific information about climate change, mainstreaming of climate change with other development concerns, and vertical integration across district and local municipalities, amongst other themes. Overall, the mainstreaming of climate change in municipal IDPs in the Eastern Cape remains weak, and requires critical attention if sustainable adaptation is to be achieved.     

Implications of rural settlement patterns for development: A historical case study in Qaukeni,Eastern Cape,South Africa

Successive administrative policies, overlaid on the traditional communal land tenure system in the Qaukeni area of the Eastern Cape, have had the effect of tying people to the land and creating an environment that severely constrains opportunities for development. This article traces the influence of administrative changes on land allocation over the last century. It assesses the impact of the settlement pattern in the early 1980s on accessibility to basic facilities, services and development opportunities. In view of the severe conditions in the study area (internal push factors), coupled with reduced restrictions on movement to South African cities and a general urbanisation trend (external pull factors), population movements could have been expected both out of the region and to more accessible places within it. Primary research, using districts and administrative areas as the units of analysis, revealed that few of the expected changes had occurred in the period between 1982 and 1993. However, recent evidence shows that several of the anticipated changes are taking place. The article concludes that, notwithstanding recent trends, a combination of the land tenure system (in both rural and urban areas), a variety of place-related factors in rural areas, together with risk-spreading strategies on the part of households, continue to exert a strong influence in keeping people on the land, even though their existence is not subsistence based, but linked to the urban economy.     

The contribution of trout fly fishing to the economy of Rhodes,North Eastern Cape,South Africa

Recent government legislation, which calls for the eradication of trout from ecosystems where they may cause harm, could damage the tourism appeal of many South African catchments. However, no South African studies have tried to quantify the economic impact of removing trout from rivers and streams. This study aimed first to value the Rhodes trout fishery, North Eastern Cape, South Africa, and second to assess whether the trout fly fishing industry in Rhodes could form the foundation for the implementation of a local economic development initiative. Overall, the study found that the trout fishing industry directly generates approximately R5 658 240 per annum, and sustains a minimum of 39 direct job opportunities for the community of Rhodes, and can therefore provide the impetus for the creation of a tourism-based local economic development programme.     

The demise of a South African growth point,Butterworth in the Eastern Cape: a community development model as an alternative strategy for development

Butterworth was chosen for this research as one of the growth points in the former Transkei under apartheid. Prospective and existing entrepreneurs in mostly manufacturing enterprises were entitled to various incentives, all of which were phased out by the mid-1990s, and factory closures ensued. Since then the economy of Butterworth has atrophied, leaving thousands unemployed. This paper suggests a community development model as an alternative strategy for resuscitating an ailing local economy, emphasising the imperatives of community participation at all levels of the developmental process. Kenya and Ghana are cited as examples of community development. With this international backdrop, three community-inspired projects in the Eastern Cape were used to test the model: the Umngazi Farming Scheme, the Philani Ncambedlana Farmers' Cooperative and the Tanga Village Masakhane. The paper shows that community development can provide an alternative livelihood in local economies.     

Government capital formation: Explaining the decline

Government Capital Formation: Explaining the Decline. —This paper examines whether various hypotheses put forward to explain the downward trends in government capital spending are supported by the data. Using panel data for 22 OECD countries for 1980–1992, various hypotheses are tested in a model. The authors find support for three hypotheses: (1) capital spending is reduced during periods of fiscal stringency, since this category of government spending is politically an easier target for cuts than other spending categories; (2) myopic governments will cut investment spending more than governments which have a longer policy horizon; (3) private investment influences government investment spending, because both types of investment are complementary.     

Fertility decline in Indonesia: a review of recent evidence

The author presents an annotated list of major data sources on Indonesian fertility. The general consensus that there has been a decline in Indonesian fertility is noted, and the various estimates concerning fertility levels prior to that decline are discussed. The relationship between fertility and the family planning program is examined     

张双楼煤矿绿色矿山建设规划研究

绿色矿山是解决矿山可持续发展的最佳途径,建设绿色矿山是摆在矿业行业面前的一个全新课题。文章概括分析了张双楼煤矿建设条件,提出了绿色矿山建设目标及建设规划原则,探讨了资源利用、清洁生产、科技创新、环境保护及矿区建设5个绿色矿山建设重点领域的主要任务,为全国其他同类绿色矿山建设规划提供思路。     

Risk amplification: HIV in migrant communities

The demography of both urban and rural South Africa is shaped by migration, with three unique patterns: labour-sending, labour-receiving and rural areas. This article explores the relationship between HIV risk and migration in South Africa. It identifies the urban informal settlements common in labour-receiving areas as key magnifiers of HIV risk, increasing the vulnerability of migrant workers in these townships. It examines the urban informal settlement, a unique social environment with distinctly high-risk behaviour dynamics, as a focal determinant of HIV. It proposes this framework as an extension of the migration–HIV dialectic beyond the traditionally unidimensional approach, to encompass a more contextualised discussion. This methodology, which uses the environment as an entry point to understanding behaviour and emphasises the importance of addressing the HIV–migration issue within a broader development perspective, has important implications for HIV programming in South Africa.