Emnambithi - Ladysmith Local Municipality

Transcription

1 Emnambithi - Ladysmith Local Municipality Rural Development Strategy Draft 1 May

2 TABLE OF CONTENTS Section 1 Introduction Objectives of the Study Location of Emnambithi Local Municipality Research Methodology Data Collection Techniques Structure of the Report... 7 Section 2 Rural Development Rural Development in South Africa General characteristics of rural areas... 8 General characteristics of rural areas Key Factors for Promoting Rural Development The Comprehensive Rural Development Programme (CRDP) and its Implementations Agrarian Transformation Rural Development Land Reform The Aim and Scope of CRDP The Comprehensive Rural Development Programme s Mandate The Comprehensive Rural Development Programme Pilot Project in Limpopo Province as a Case Study The Muyexe Village Programme as Key Pilot Programme Community Mobilisation Community Food Security Initiatives Community Facilities: Ward Committee Offices & Community Hall Education Health Facilities Sanitation Projects Water

3 2.8 CRDP Progress since April The Comprehensive Rural Development Strategy in KwaZulu Natal Emergent Communal Farmer Programme Conclusion Section 3 The status quo of Rural Emnambithi Overview of Rural Wards Profiling the rural Wards SWOT Analysis of Rural Emnambithi/Ladysmith Summary SWOT for Rural Emnambithi Conclusion and recommendations Section 4 Strategy Formulation The National Medium Term Strategic Framework Critical Stakeholders (Strategy Refinement, Policy and Budgetary Alignment, Programme and Product Development Implementation Planning) CRDP Council of Stakeholders CRDP Technical Committee Strategic Partnerships Vision, goals and objectives of the Rural Development Strategy Conclusion Section 5 Implementation framework Rural Development Strategy Project identification Anchor Projects Conclusion Section 6 Conclusion

4 SECTION 1 INTRODUCTION This report deals with the development of a Rural Development Strategy for the Emnambithi /Ladysmith Local Municipality. It starts with an overview of the location of Emnambithi Municipality and the conditions experienced by the people who live in the rural areas of Emnambithi. The purpose of the study is to formulate a strategy that will suit the needs of the people residing in the rural areas of Emnambithi OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY The Rural Development Strategy hopes to address and propose solutions to the economic and development challenges that are currently being experienced by people living in the rural areas of Emnambithi. Rural Development has been earmarked as government s Priority Number 3 in the Medium Term Strategic Framework (MTSF), hence the need for the formation of a Rural Development Strategy that will encompass the Comprehensive Rural Development Programme (CRDP) in Emnambithi. 1.2 LOCATION OF EMNAMBITHI LOCAL MUNICIPALITY Emnambithi/Ladysmith Local Municipality is located on the northern corner of the uthukela District Municipality in the KwaZulu Natal Province. It is one of the five Category B municipalities in the uthukela District Municipality area. The municipality borders the Free State Province to the west, Dannhauser Local Municipality to the north, ukhahlamba Local Municipality to the south-west, Umtshezi Local Municipality to the south, and Indaka and endumeni Local Municipalities to the east. The uthukela District Municipality map below (Figure1) shows the Emnambithi Local Municipality and other neighbouring municipalities. 4

5 Figure 1: UThukela District Municipality Map Source: Emnambithi/Ladysmith Phase One: Perspective Report Located along the N11 route, and just 20km off the N3 route between Durban and Johannesburg, the Emnambithi/Ladysmith Local Municipality is serviced by regional transportation linkages which provide easy access to the municipality. It is further linked by the rail line that links the port town of Durban and the country s economic hub of Gauteng. Emnambithi is at a geographical advantage as it is located centrally between Gauteng and the coast. It is 370 km from Johannesburg and 250 km from Durban while Van Reenen serves as a gateway to KZN from Gauteng Province. 5

6 1.3 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY Five workshops in total were held were held in rural wards of Emnambithi. The aim of these workshops was to inform the community in these rural areas about the Rural Development Strategy Study that Urban Econ had been appointed to conduct. During the workshop, data was collected from the participants. This information was then analysed and used to aid in the formulation of the strategy DATA COLLECTION TECHNIQUES Three different data collection techniques were used to gather information from stakeholders. The information centred on what they felt they needed to achieve economic development in their rural areas. These techniques allowed people in the rural areas to be familiarised with the government s intervention programme called the Comprehensive Rural Development Programme which is aimed at enhancing rural development PERSONAL INTERVIEWS Personal interviews were conducted with relevant stakeholders from Emnambithi Municipality and from Agriculture Cooperatives. The aim was to find out what kind of agricultural programmes are currently in existence and what type of projects are needed in the rural areas of Emnambithi. A personal interview with the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform representative was also conducted to gain official on the Comprehensive Rural Development Programme and the pilot programme that is currently taking place in Msinga Area in KZN WORKSHOPS A total of five workshops were held in the rural wards. Two of these workshops on the Rural Development Strategy were held at Bluebank Community Hall and Buhlebezwe High School on the 17 th of February. At these workshops the communities were able to voice their needs regarding rural development and the issues they felt were hindering them from developing successfully. Three workshops were conducted in the Municipality Chambers, as well as in Lusitania and Driefontein wards to introduce the idea of the Rural Development Strategy and its aim to the people in those areas DESKTOP INFORMATION Information was accessed from reports that are relevant to the Rural Development Strategy. These reports included: Emnambithi/Ladysmith Municipality Integrated Development Plan 2007/2008. The Comprehensive Rural Development Programme July Emnambithi/Ladysmith Agricultural Strategy and Tourism Strategy. 6

7 1.5 STRUCTURE OF THE REPORT The remainder of the report is structured as follows: Section 2 describes rural development, the characteristics of a rural area and the key factors of promoting rural development. It further discusses the new Comprehensive Rural Development Programme, its mandates and critical stakeholders. The CRDP programme, a pilot project in Limpopo Province is then discussed as a case study of how the CRDP is being implemented on other provinces. Section 3 provides a description of how the Comprehensive Rural Development Programme can be implemented in Emnambithi/Ladysmith Local Municipality s rural areas. The section also identifies agricultural, tourism and other projects that are currently in operation in the rural areas. Section 4 presents a SWOT Analysis upon which the strategy formulation is based. The strategy formulation is then derived from looking at all the challenges that the people in the rural areas are currently facing and proposes creating ways in which those challenges can be turned into projects. Section 5 provides a list of projects that were identified by people in the rural areas. These projects are listed and their implementation plans are discussed in this section. Section 6: provides the conclusion and gives recommendations on the Emnambithi Rural Development Strategy. 7

8 SECTION 2 RURAL DEVELOPMENT This section begins with an overview of rural development and the Comprehensive Rural Development Programme, its implementation procedures and the stakeholders involved. It also discusses the implication of this programme for Emnambithi/Ladysmith Municipality Local Municipality. The purpose of this section is to gain a thorough understanding of what the Comprehensive Rural Development Programme is. 2.1 RURAL DEVELOPMENT IN SOUTH AFRICA Rural development is about enabling rural people to take control of their destiny, thereby dealing effectively with rural poverty through the optimal use and management of natural resources. It is a participatory process through which rural people learn over time, through their own experiences and initiatives, how to adapt their indigenous knowledge to their changing world. Rural development and poverty alleviation are largely synonymous. Rural development is a large and inclusive umbrella term for all kinds of departmental programmes and orientations. It includes, for example, agricultural development, poverty alleviation via tourism, small-scale mining, and infrastructure provision. Different government departments have adopted widely different definitions and approaches when dealing with poverty alleviation. There are two schools of thoughts about whether rural development and poverty alleviation are primarily welfarist functions (and therefore is categorised as Social Development ) or whether they should be categorised as the promotion of economic opportunities (in which case they should be located under Economic Development. Our approach is based on the economic development model because this study falls under Local Economic Development where the focus is on economic development of rural areas. The confusion about these two approaches is the fundamental reason for the ambiguity and divergence of many government poverty alleviation programmes. 2.2 GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS OF RURAL AREAS In this study the definition of the term rural area is an area which is sparsely populated and in which people depend largely on agriculture or natural resources for their income and survival. A rural area may include villages and small towns which serve as rural centres. It also is understood to refer to large or closer settlements created by the historical dumping of populations in the former homelands during apartheid ( e.g.???). The population in most rural areas depends on the migratory labour system and remittances for their survival. Rural areas are generally characterised by: High levels of poverty, especially among women-headed households. Spatial chaos and stark contrasts between the former homelands and the areas around them, in terms of settlement patterns, land ownership and use, transport and other infrastructure Historical restrictions on entrepreneurial development and poor support. Increased cost of living: goods and services are more expensive in rural areas than in urban areas because of higher transport costs 8

9 Agriculture is often dominant, and sometimes the exclusive economic sector and opportunities for resource mobilisation are limited. 2.3 KEY FACTORS FOR PROMOTING RURAL DEVELOPMENT The key factors that promote rural development are named and discussed as key or important factors when tackling rural development LOCAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT Local economic development refers to any and all efforts to increase growth and employment, and to develop markets. The concept usually applied in urban areas but there are two respects in which it is useful in rural areas: The importance of local solutions to the development of small rural towns and The emphasis on obtaining the advantages of agglomeration, which is usefully captured in rural areas through a deliberate attempt to promote markets How can the local economic development concept be applied to small rural towns? With few exceptions there are two types of rural towns: Those in large scale farming areas, which have often lost their connections with the surrounding rural areas as more and more farm production is moved directly to the national market and, Those in the former homelands which grew in response to the pressure of displaced people. In both cases, great efforts will be required to build a local economy based on the exploitation of local resources in the rural areas around, such as the development of the small farm sector, of agriindustries and other resource-based production, and of tourism and eco-tourism possibilities. All these possibilities will be enhanced by if there are active steps to increase access to information, capacity building, encourage community organisations, and develop a social compact around coherent, widely agreed development plans PROMOTING LOCAL MARKETS Promoting local markets is crucial in eradicating poverty in the rural areas. It helps in creating job opportunities and improving rural livelihoods. Some of the advantages of promoting local markets in the rural areas include: Levels of rural production must be increased to improve local income circulation (some suggest that this is a pre-requisite for the establishment of rural markets). Rural markets will improve local income circulation. The successful establishment of rural markets and specifically periodic markets will to a large extent depend on the ability of local government to coordinate the delivery of mobile services at identified locations, in support of market activity. 9

10 The six basic steps to ensure that markets contribute to improving local income circulation have been identified as: Adjust local government strategic planning to reflect the importance of improving local income circulation; Coordinate government service delivery with a strong focus on mobile services that will attract people and support the establishment of markets; Identify appropriate market places and/or service delivery points based on a thorough understanding of local development dynamics; Develop a periodic market system (including service delivery) that will provide local markets with appropriate support and implement this using a phased approach; Identify and develop appropriate market spaces in consultation with local communities; and Manage the markets based on the clear assignment of roles and responsibilities in this regard PROMOTING SMALL, MEDIUM AND MICRO ENTERPRISES Small businesses have an important role to play in the South African economy in terms of employment creation, income generation and output growth. They are also often the vehicle by which the lowest-income people in our society gain access to economic opportunities. It is therefore important for small medium and micro enterprises to be part of each municipality s Local Economic Development (LED) Plan. There is a crucial need to promote the SMME s in the rural areas hence is the current strategy to create a national network of local services centre (LSCs) where a variety of services can be accessed. The LSC in rural areas will receive government subsidisation, and will assist entrepreneurs in obtaining access to hard skills training and provide on-site hand-holding to developing larger, more sustainable businesses. The LSC should ensure that local by-laws and higher level legislative and regulatory mechanisms promote, rather than hinder, local entrepreneurs. Three factors are crucial to enable rural people to progress beyond a survivalist enterprise (whose turnover falls well below the levels required for VAT registration in South Africa), namely: Information on source and costs of inputs Information and assistance in marketing for their products and Help with financial services- this is very difficult for rural people to access due to the lack of a comprehensive institutional structure which will bring these services to them PROMOTING SMALL SCALE AGRICULTURE Small businesses are an important ingredient for income generation in the rural economy. However, the ability of small businesses to grow and reach new markets is hampered by ageing infrastructures, low- and unskilled labour, lack of business knowledge and insufficient capital. Furthermore, transportation of goods in rural areas is a complex and costly business. Investment in agriculture requires investment in suitable agricultural technologies and infrastructure to increase farm production and employment, as well as non-farm production. 10

11 There is a need to develop the potential of small scale farmers through: emphasizing market orientation and easy access to funding, developing the capacity for participatory research and technology development, and improving the efficiency and effectiveness of government and the Agricultural Research Council to the benefit of all farmers Small scale farmers create job opportunities and provide products for the immediate local markets and for local agro-industries and are therefore a coherent part of an integrated strategy for LED PROMOTING TOURISM AND ECOTOURISM South Africa has a rich historical heritage and a wide variety of cultures, in addition to the wildlife, scenery and coasts for which it is better known amongst domestic and foreign tourists. In times of peace, these provide an immense potential for the development of a diverse tourism industry and South Africa's superiority in infrastructure development provides an advantage over other parts of Africa in the eyes of international tourists. However, tourist development has generally followed a narrow path, keeping within the apartheidestablished geographic parameters and providing incomes largely to the major hotel chains and transport companies. The best known example of the problems that arise is in attitudes towards the country s national parks. The majority of rural people lack the income and access which would enable them to visit the national parks. This causes a feeling of alienation and in some cases there is friction between the park and the surrounding community over land use. The community than has little reason to appreciate or protect wildlife or tourists PROMOTING LABOUR INTENSITY Rural communities in Emnambithi can lobby to ensure that all structures built with government funds use labour-intensive techniques, as these will then provide local employment. They can also apply to the Community Based Public Works Programme (CBPWP) at provincial level for funding for special employment projects for the poor. The CBPWP and the reorientation of building methods through public sector transformation fall under the National Public Works Programme. This programme aims to provide jobs and create infrastructure, to develop human resources through training programmes, and to empower communities. Other programmes such as ZIBAMBELE which is routine road maintenance programme using labour intensive methods. It encourages flexible hours on road maintenance activities to allow ZIBAMBELEcontracted households adequate time to deploy their labour on other activities. The households therefore earn extra income from the road maintenance programme whilst maintaining their agricultural interests. A ZIBAMBELE Contractor is the term used for a person contracted under the ZIBAMBELE programme to maintain a length of road. The length of road allocated to each household depends on the difficulty on the terrain, thus the more difficult the terrain the shorter the allocated road. The 11

12 contract requires a maximum of 60 hours of work per month to maintain the length of allocated road. A ZIBAMBELE household will: Maintain the road drainage system Ensure good roadside visibility Maintain the road surface in good condition Clear the road verges of litter and noxious weeds Another way of promoting labour-intensive projects is by empowering young people and women with skills. The skills base in rural areas is very low, consequently growth and development is constrained by the limited availability of scarce and critical skills. 2.4 THE COMPREHENSIVE RURAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME (CRDP) AND ITS IMPLEMENTATIONS In July 2009 the Minister of Rural Development and Land Reform was identified as the national champion of the CRDP, as mandated by the President. At provincial level the Premier is the CRDP champion. The Premier may appoint a Member of Executive Council (MEC) with a rural development function to be the driver of the CRDP in the province. District and Local Mayors will also form part of this political delegation during the scaling up of the CRDP. The importance of programme delivery structure that clarifies roles and responsibilities for all stakeholders cannot be over-emphasised. CRDP encompasses all aspects of rural life from rural housing to rural transport, local economic development, education, health, agriculture, social development, water and so on. It is clear that the new department of Rural Development and Land Reform (DRDLR) cannot operate alone in achieving the goals of the programme. To enable the Department to achieve all its objectives, a strategy based on the following three pillars has to be adapted: Agrarian transformation including increasing all types of agricultural production; optimal and sustainable use of natural resources; the use of appropriate technologies; food security; and improving the of life for each rural household. Rural development which includes improving economic and social infrastructure. Land reform including restitution, redistribution, land tenure reform AGRARIAN TRANSFORMATION Agrarian transformation means rapid and fundamental change in the power relations between land (as well as other natural resources, livestock and cropping) and the community. Transformation in the agrarian sector needs to take place in the following ways: 12

13 Livestock farming & related value chain development (exploring all possible species for food & economic activity) Cropping & related value chain development (exploring all possible species, especially indigenous plants, for food & economic activity) RURAL DEVELOPMENT Rural development is about enabling rural people to take control of their destiny, thereby dealing effectively with rural poverty through the optimal use and management of natural resources. It is a participatory process through which rural people learn over time, through their own experiences and initiatives, how to adapt their indigenous knowledge to their changing world. Rural development can be achieved through self-help initiatives as well as through co-ordinated and integrated broad-based agrarian transformation, rural development and land reform. The establishment of business initiatives, agro-industries, cooperatives, cultural initiatives and vibrant local markets in rural settings; The empowerment of rural communities, especially women and the youth, which can be achieved by facilitating and mediating strong organisational and institutional capabilities and abilities to take full charge of their collective destiny; Capacity building initiatives, where rural communities are trained in technical skills which are combined with indigenous knowledge. This will mitigate a community s vulnerability to, especially climate change, soil erosion, adverse weather conditions and natural disasters, hunger and food insecurity; and Revitalisation and revamping of the old, and the creation of new economic, social and information communication infrastructure and public amenities and facilities in villages and small rural towns LAND REFORM Projects will be linked to the acquisition of and access to land through the three land reform programmes (redistribution, tenure and restitution). All projects within these three programmes will be implemented efficiently and in a sustainable manner and will be linked to the strategic objective of the CRDP. Some of the priorities include: Reviewing the land reform products and approaches Reviewing land acquisition models (including the Willing buyer-willing seller approach) Fast-tracking the settlement of labour tenancy claims Facilitating secure access to land by farm dwellers Protecting the land rights of farm workers 13

14 Increasing the pace of settling outstanding Land Restitution Claims by providing an analysis of outstanding claims and adopting a developmental approach to the settlement of restitution claims 2.5 THE AIM AND SCOPE OF CRDP The aim of a Comprehensive Rural Development Programme is to bring about a measurable increase in agricultural production by promoting the Ilima/Letseme campaign to enhance household food security. The government will work hard to protect the valuable agricultural land from encroachment by other developments. While the focus is on encouraging rural communities to grow their own food, measures will also be put in place to ensure access by poor households to basic food at affordable prices and generally to improve the logistics of food distribution. This can be done by government s 1 intensification in the implementation of the Rural Transport Development Programme whose objective is to promote rural transport infrastructure and services. The Comprehensive Rural Development Programme suggests that rural development includes, but is not limited to the following: Roads, railways, ports; Shearing sheds, Dipping tanks; Milk parlous; Community gardens; Production and marketing stalls; Fencing for agricultural purposes; Storage warehouses; Distribution and transport networks Electricity networks; Communication networks (land lines, cell phones, radio, television, etc) Irrigation schemes for small scale farmers; Water harvesting, water basin and water shed management systems (dams etc); Post office services and internet cafes Rural shopping malls; Establish savings clubs and cooperatives for economic activities,wealth creation and the productive use of assets 1 Department of Rural Development and Land Reform 14

15 2.6 THE COMPREHENSIVE RURAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME S MANDATE The Comprehensive Rural Development Programme must emphasise sustainable development, and its release would not have come at a better time than now. It must: Create mechanisms that ensure real participation by rural women in all project components and subcomponents. Ensure that the services of its projects reach a significant number of poor rural women and improve the living conditions of women who are heads of households and rural women in general. Ensure equitable participation by rural men and women in technical assistance and technological transfer activities under agricultural and micro-enterprise projects. Guarantee equitable access to productive resources for both men and women Create an enabling climate for women to play an effective and broad role in all projectgenerated actions. Foster and ensure equitable access to credit for men and women in all projects. Introduce market information systems on the production and marketing of agricultural products, guaranteeing equal access for men and women. The Department of Rural Development and Land Reform must take the lead in the coordination and facilitation of an integrated implementation of the Comprehensive Rural Development Programme. In the medium to long term there is a need for a Rural Development Agency. The Rural Development Agency shall have, amongst its other responsibilities: Coordination to ensure the participation of relevant departments, municipalities, SOEs, NGOs, donors, financial institutions, etc. Planning and resource mobilisation: including land use planning, development of national rural development plans. Monitoring and evaluation: to ensure projects are developed in accordance to with plans 2 Reporting systems and accountability: feedback to communities and stakeholders; timely problem solving. 2.7 THE COMPREHENSIVE RURAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME PILOT PROJECT IN LIMPOPO PROVINCE AS A CASE STUDY This case study explores how the Comprehensive Rural Development Strategy has been implemented in Limpopo Province. It focuses on the pilot project that is located in Muyexe Village. The Emnambithi Local Municipality can adopt a more or less similar pilot project depending on the needs of the people living in the rural areas THE MUYEXE VILLAGE PROGRAMME AS KEY PILOT PROGRAMME 2 Department of Rural Development and Land Reform 15

16 The Muyexe community has been mobilised both socially and organisationally over the past 100 days. Household profiling formed the basis of the community mobilisation, and resulted in 21 projects being identified by the Muyexe community. The community mobilisation methodology is briefly described below under the following headings, social mobilisation; household mobilisation; community profiling; social organisation; institutional development and youth skills training COMMUNITY MOBILISATION a) Social Mobilisation The Comprehensive Rural Development Programme concept was introduced and its principles and processes were publicly discussed with the Muyexe community. b) Household Profiling Household level information was gathered for the 900 households. 70% of the households were identified as struggling with unemployment and various other poverty related challenges. c) Community Profiling Participatory research methods were applied to capture the community profile. The profile revealed a number of areas where the community could be supported for social development. Emanating from the community profiling twenty-one (21) community projects were identified. d) Social Organisation Households were grouped into Street Level Organisations (SLOs). These SLOs will form the core of the multi cooperatives that are being organised through the Office of the Premier in Limpopo. e) Institutional Development New democratically elected institutions were formed in the community, with the youth being identified as central to the development of Muyexe. The youth have been organised into sub committees that liaise with the relevant provincial sector departments in the province. The Community sub committees will be working under the guardianship of the Greater Giyani Ward Committee (Ward 18). f) Youth Skills Training Skills development training among the youth has commenced in various fields The South African National Defence Force has interviewed about 10 young people for training. The South African Police Service is also in the process of identifying youth suitable for entry into the police service. The DRD&LR will be training the sub-committee members in project management as they will be handling specific projects in the sector departments they have been attached to COMMUNITY FOOD SECURITY INITIATIVES 16

17 The objective of the initiatives is to improve food security, job creation and retention, skills development, household income generation and agricultural development. The initial projects revolve around the MACENA women s garden and household food security projects. The MACENA Women s group is an organised food producing group of 36 women that cultivate a variety of vegetables for the local community needs and also for sale to the Giyani Spar. The following projects designed to increase productivity and incomes have commenced through support of the IDT and the Department of Agriculture: Nursery construction Office and food storage facility Shade netting for crop production 3 Irrigation infrastructure improvement Through a public private partnership agreement the Independent Development Cooperation (IDC), Rotary Southern Africa and the DRD&LR will be supporting the women s group and 200 household gardens, for a period of 3 years. The agreement means that the women and household gardens will receive training, mentoring and support on traditional organic farming methods that are water efficient. The agreement will see a trainer on site daily for the next 36 months. The implementing agent will be the Organic Farms Group. b) Household Food Security Initiatives Vegetable garden and orchard layout design projects have commenced. Central to this project was the fencing of household gardens. The project incorporates the fencing of 300 households (average size 1000 square meters) for fruit trees orchard and the supply of JoJo water collection tanks. The first ten (10) households were identified to be completed within hundred days. A total number of 20 local people benefited from fencing projects including 11 females and 9 males. Seventeen (17) households and one (1) crèche were supplied with JoJo tanks as a system of water harvesting. In the process of installation of the system, 36 temporary jobs were created. Ten (10) households have received Food tower gardens supplied by the Department of Agriculture COMMUNITY FACILITIES: WARD COMMITTEE OFFICES & COMMUNITY HALL The objective of the project is to provide a service centre for the community to access government information and ICT services for development purposes. A total number of 20 jobs have been created during the construction phase. Of the 20 employees, 12 are from the local community. The benefits include, employment and skills transfer during construction EDUCATION a) Primary and High School Renovation 3 The Muyexe Village Pilot Project Progress Report 17

18 The project focuses on the renovation of classroom blocks and it includes the following: Painting Tiling Roofing The total number of 21 people was employed including 6 community members. b) Muyexe Early Childhood Development project This is a community-based crèche. The Department of Education supplied the crèche with a jungle gym. There are 131 children at the crèche. The project created 8 jobs, including 4 teachers, 2 cooks, 1 gardener and one cleaner. The 4 employees are paid by the Department of Education. The Department of Health assists the crèche with food for the children HEALTH FACILITIES The mobile clinic that used to visit the community weekly at the community visiting point has now been made permanent. The nurse is onsite 5 days a week and a vacant hall has been refurbished to provide consultation rooms for the clinic SANITATION PROJECTS Both the primary and high schools are being equipped with improved sanitation facilities by the Department of Water Affairs. Twenty-one community members are being temporarily employed during the construction of these facilities WATER The DWA appointed four teams of water experts to look into the most urgent problem in Muyexe: the availability of clean water. All 18 boreholes in the village are being tested and will be rectified if there are any faults. 2.8 CRDP PROGRESS SINCE APRIL 2009 The CRDP has been rolled out in 8 of the 9 provinces. Some key deliverables to date include social and economic infrastructure to support development. These include the establishment of community structures, the establishment of co-operatives and the establishment of the Council of Stakeholders (to promote integrated delivery with government and community). Spatial analyses have been completed at all 8 sites. Coordinating structures have been set up in all 8 provinces with MEC s nominated by the Premier to act as champions with the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform of the CRDP. 2.9 THE COMPREHENSIVE RURAL DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY IN KWAZULU NATAL 18

19 The section focuses on how is the Comprehensive Rural Development Strategy is going to be implemented in KwaZulu Natal. It also gives examples of industries or business opportunities that people living in rural areas can embark on in order to participate in building their own economy. The purpose is to get an idea on what KwaZulu Natal is doing as a province to implement the Comprehensive Rural Development Strategy. On September , Mike Mabuyakhulu, MEC for Economic Development and Tourism spoke on the policy platform of rural development in KZN. He stated that sustained rural development is a pre-requisite for the growth and reconstruction of South Africa. The recent Economic Recovery and Jobs Summit of August 2009 took a decision to develop strategies to resuscitate KwaZulu-Natal s ailing economy by selecting key economic sectors that have the potential to improve the economy in the province. Amongst other prioritised sectors were agribusiness and forestry, wood and wood pulp and paper which are all significant catalysts to the sustainable rural economic development. Agriculture and forestry related activity generates 77 percent of the primary sector output in KwaZulu-Natal. Nationally, primary forestry and forest products contribute about 5.62 percent to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). GDP increased from 4.5 in 1980 to 9.1 in The contribution of the forestry sector nationally and in KwaZulu-Natal has been driven by following indicators: Since 2007 the forestry industry has contributed about direct jobs in KwaZulu-Natal, in Mpumalanga, in Cape and in Limpopo. In 2007 the value of sales in primary processing plants totalled R18.5 billion. This was made up of 53.2 % pulp, 10.3% chips, 17.4% lumber, 12.9% panels, 1.2 % mining timber and 4.9% other Exporting in forestry increased from R4.6 billion in 1996 to R12.2 billion in Land use in KwaZulu-Natal is distributed amongst the following activities: grazing has taken most of the land to 58.3 percent, arable 12.8 percent, nature conversation 15.1 percent, forestry 5.3 percent ( ha) and others 8.5 percent. The total KwaZulu-Natal land area is 9.1 million ha. The economic performance of rural areas is lagging behind that of urban areas in many parts of the world. While there have been many efforts to foster economic development in rural areas involving substantial public and private investments, most have failed. There is a pressing and widely recognised need for new approaches to rural economic development, drawing on broader learning about the sources of competitiveness in the global economy. Merely attempting to mitigate the generic deficiencies of regions will not be sufficient. Instead, each rural region needs a distinctive strategy that reflects its unique strengths and its particular mix of clusters. The strategy must also integrate its economy with the closest urban centres. The recently released National Strategic Planning Green Paper prioritises the rural development objective for KZN s countryside and for the people who live and work there. Rural areas are a vital part of the country s composition and its identity. Many of rural areas face significant challenges. Some of the farming and forestry businesses still need to build their competitiveness. More generally, the average income per head is lower in rural regions than in towns and cities, while the skills base is narrower and the service sector is less developed. 19

20 Caring for the rural environment often carries a financial cost. On the other hand, the KZN countryside has a great deal to offer. It has many of the essential raw materials readily available and its value as a place of beauty, rest and recreation when it is looked after, is self-evident. The wide open spaces act as the lungs of the region, and are therefore the battleground for the fight against climate change. Many people are attracted by the idea of living and/or working in the rural areas, provided that they have access to adequate services and infrastructure. This province is already in the process of extending support to rural communities beyond agricultural interventions. This support has extended to broader development planning support. The best way to achieve rural development is through the community itself, not through market forces, but through accountability mechanisms which keep all service providers, including government, accountable to the community according to the principle of Batho Pele. Wider community participation is crucial for development to take place. Rural development initiatives should work in tandem and complement other development initiatives. Its central tenet is that, "problems facing rural communities-unemployment, poverty, job loss, environmental degradation and loss of community control-need to be addressed in a holistic and participatory way. KZN can achieve much by building social enterprises. Sometimes called cooperatives, these are community based social enterprises that can be ambassadors for rural development partnerships between government agencies, small to medium enterprises, large national or transitional corporations and the not-for-profit sector and aims for social, economic and/or environmental outcomes that none of these agencies could achieve for and by themselves. There is the need for an active rural development programme because this will help to achieve valuable goals for people who work and live in rural areas. At its core the rural development policy must be driven by the need to have all the partners, whether from government or the private sector, synchronising their activities in order to derive maximum returns. Perhaps the single most often missing factor in rural development endeavours has been lack of coordination and synchronisation of initiatives. There is no doubt that, when finalised, among other things, the policy on rural development, would have taken this need into account. Land legal issues, topography, a lack of basic infrastructure and many other factors must be dealt with. Many brilliant development ideas have stalled simply because of the bottlenecks they encountered. The Comprehensive Rural Development Strategy must emphasise sustainable development, and its release would not have come at any better time than now. As a matter of extreme importance, it must: Create mechanisms that ensure real participation by rural women in all project components and subcomponents. Ensure that project services reach a significant number of poor rural women to improve the living conditions of women who are heads of households and rural women in general. Ensure equitable participation by rural men and women in technical assistance and technological transfer activities under agricultural and micro-enterprise projects. 20

21 Guarantee equitable access to productive resources for both men and women to create an enabling climate for women to play an effective and broad role in all projectgenerated actions. Foster and ensure equitable access to credit for men and women in all projects Introduce market information systems on the production and marketing of agricultural products, and guarantee equal access to them for men and women. In KwaZulu-Natal, we are on the move. In setting the development agenda for the province for the next five years, the province is driving a number of flagship programmes including agrarian transformation, rural development and land reform. In implementing the above programmes the province has identified three intervention strategies for agrarian transformation, namely: Food security programme Emergent farmer programme Commercial enterprise/farmer support programme 2.9.1: EMERGENT COMMUNAL FARMER PROGRAMME The emerging farmer programme is aimed at providing support to disadvantaged farmers to enable persons in this category to increase their contribution to agricultural production in KwaZulu-Natal. These farmers are landing a situation where the farming enterprise is not fully developed as a commercial operation and the farmer is not an experienced and trained commercial farmer. This category of farmers is primarily found on communal land and land reform projects where settlement and subsistence agriculture are dominant. They require support at a primary production level in the following areas: General farming support in mentorship and training. On-farm infrastructure support in the form of inputs, soil testing, fencing, mechanisation & machinery, irrigation. Off-farm infrastructure such as dip tanks and sale yards. Support in ploughing and other direct interventions. Crops are typically not specialised such as maize and dry beans. The Department of Agriculture, Environmental Affairs and Rural Development has developed a comprehensive support programme for this category of farmer. These are emerging farmers and tourism operators who have acquired developed agricultural and tourism enterprises. The access to these commercial enterprises has often been through the land reform programmes, and through development finance institutions like the Land Bank and Ithala. There are also an increasing number of Black persons who have managed to acquire commercial farms outside of the Land Reform Programme. The State is investing substantially in these enterprises and if the rural development benefits from these enterprises are to be realised, then there must be dedicated resources to provide appropriate support. These emerging farmers and tourism operators face a number of challenges, including the need for comprehensive training and capacity building, access to finance, access to markets and technical support. The Province and the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform have established 21

22 an institutional vehicle to provide these support services. The Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) will essentially be a one stop shop that will provide an envelope of resources and services that can be mobilised in the form of: Capacity building, training and mentoring in enterprise management, land care and land ownership, and technical training. Technical support in areas such as production and business support, access to information, empowerment in the broader value chain. On-farm support such as infrastructure, timeous delivery of inputs, and early warning systems for farmers. Access to resources and partnerships with development finance institutions, commodity organisations and other private players. The SPV is an inter-departmental initiative bringing together resources and capacity from the provincial Departments of Economic Development and Tourism, the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Development; and nationally the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform and the Department of Trade and Industry. A key development and delivery modality can be achieved through partnerships and relationships with the private sector and other civil society institutions. Challenges Facing Rural Areas Lessons from the CRDP sites or pilot projects indicate that the challenges of rural areas include the following: Under utilisation and /or unsustainable use of natural resources. Poor or lack of access to socio-economic infrastructure and services, public amenities and government services (e.g. there are industrial parks lying idle especially in the former homeland areas). Lack of access to water or lack of water resources for both household and agricultural development. Low literacy, skills levels and migratory labour practises. Decay of the social fabric (child/women headed households, crime, family disputes and lack of Ubuntu). Death of cultural progress. Unresolved restitution and land tenure issues. Townships not formally established thus hindering service provision and development. Dependence on social grants and other forms of social security. Unexploited opportunities in agriculture, tourism, mining and manufacturing. Dispersed houses which make it more expensive to provide public amenities. The Comprehensive Rural Development mandate was discussed and the critical stakeholders involved in implementing the programme were identified. The CRDP pilot programme that is currently being implemented in Limpopo, Muyexe Village, was discussed as a case study. The section gives an in-depth illustration on what happened as the project was being implemented, namely: A social mobilisation, household profiling and community profiling was conducted; 22

23 There is also Institutional Development and Youth Skills Training; Community food security initiatives and household food security initiatives were identified, developed and supported; Community facilities like, Ward committee offices and a community hall were established as a service centre where the community could access government information and ICT services for development purposes. There was also an intervention from the Department of Education, where a Primary School and High School were renovated. All the equipment needed for renovations were supplied by the Department. Furthermore, the Department supplied a jungle gym to a community based crèche to support Early Childhood Development. Health facilities were made available since the mobile clinic that used to visit the community weekly was made permanent. There were sanitation projects and water borehole projects developed with the help of the Department of Water Affairs. The case study above can be used as a model when implementing the CRDP programme in other Provinces and Emnambithi/Ladysmith in particular since it has with the Rural Development Strategy. There are also CRDP interventions in the umsinga and Vryheid area that are currently being implemented. About four local Wards were targeted and the unemployed youth of the umsinga area were chosen to conduct community profiling on the targeted wards. Currently, the spatial analysis has been completed and specifications for bulk water supply have been completed. Fencing infrastructure plans for umsinga have been completed and the electrification roll out plan is being finalised. Irrigation infrastructure plans are also being rolled out. The next section will focus on the status quos of Emnambithi/Ladysmith Local Municipality CONCLUSION This section first defined what is understood by the term rural development in a South African context and outlined the general characteristics of a rural area. It gave an overview of key factors needed in promoting rural development, these factors include: Local economic development; Promotion of local markets; Promotion of Small, Medium and Micro Enterprises; Promotion of small scale agriculture; Promotion of tourism and eco-tourism; and Promotion of labour intensity. All of the above key factors were discussed and named as part of the interventions that can help in developing and strengthening the economy of the people residing in the rural areas. The section further discussed the Comprehensive Rural Development Programme (CRDP) and its implementation as a government s new intervention in speeding up rural development. The three components of the CRDP programme were discussed, namely: Agrarian transformation; 23

24 Rural development ; and Land reform. SECTION 3 THE STATUS QUO OF RURAL EMNAMBITHI This section focuses on the socio-economic status of the population and economy of rural Emnambithi/Ladysmith Local Municipality. More specifically this section will entail the identification, profiling and analysis of the population and the socio-economic conditions that fall within rural areas of Emnambithi Local Municipality. The purpose of this section is to help in the Municipality identify the needs and constraints that tend to hinder rural development and eventually come up with solutions. It concludes by giving a summary of needs required in rural development in Emnambithi. 3.1 OVERVIEW OF RURAL WARDS 24

25 The Emnambithi / Ladysmith Local Municipality spans an area of 3020km and covers the following settlement areas: the former Ladysmith TLC area, including Steadville and Ezakheni, two settlements administered by Abantungwa-Kolwa Traditional Authority, other settlements and privately owned farmlands, including Roosboom, St Chads, Rantjiesvlakte, Roodpoort, Klienfontein, Klipfontein, Doornhoek, Emgazini, Mathondwane, Driefontein, Kirkitullock,Watersmeet, Mtateni, Burford, Watershed, Compensation, Hobsland, Matiwaneskop, Jononoskop, Besters, Bluebank, Elandlaagte, Van Reenen, St Joseph s Mission, Steincoalspruit, Fort Mistake, and Lusitania. Below, are types of settlements that are there in rural Emnambithi. Map 1: Emnambithi Ingonyama Trust land 25

26 Source: Emnambithi GIS Department Tribal areas The municipality has one tribal area, Abantungwa-Kolwa. This tribal area of the ELM covers a small geographic area within the municipality. However, it is characterised by the highest population densities in the municipality, with densities up to more than 500 people per square kilometre. It is also characterised by lack of social, economic and bulk infrastructure coupled with an extremely weak economy. 26

27 The area is classified as a secondary node in the municipal Spatial Development Framework that is Driefontein Complex. There are also other Secondary Nodes which includes Matiwaneskop Complex, Colenso Complex and Van Reenen. In the IDP the Driefontein Complex has been identified as an area of priority spending by the municipality. The high population density in this area provides an opportunity of infrastructure, rural development and social services. This predisposition of wards that have high population density provides good conditions of where the Comprehensive Rural Development Strategy can be implemented. 27

28 Source: Emnambithi GIS Department Farmlands The farmlands cover a large extent of the municipal geographic area. Population densities are low in the farmlands within up to 20 people per square kilometre ward 24,23,8.Parts of ward 7 and 13 have significantly low densities of less the 5 people per kilometre square. The Comprehensive Rural Development Strategy can also be implemented on such areas to help with poverty eradication and improve the economic situation in rural areas. Map 3: All the farmlands in Emnambithi 28

29 Source: Emnambithi GIS Department Urban areas The urban areas of Ladysmith geographically occupy a very small area of the municipality. These include the urban areas of Ladysmith, Ezakheni, Colenso, including inkanyezi. However, these areas are characterized by a high concentration of people as they provide high economic opportunities and social services. 29