Lochner Marais

Changing coutrysides, changing villages : second homes in Rhodes, South Africa

ABSTRACT Rural geographies have changed significantly over the past half century. These reconfigured geographies are increasingly denoted as evolving from a productivist to a post-productivist state and second home development has increasingly been implicated as contributing to such change. This paper considers this contention in the context of Rhodes, South Africa. It is argued that second home development is contributing towards an emerging post-productivist countryside. A broad analysis of the impact of second home ownership is given with reference to its economic influence. The paper concludes that coinciding with the post- productivist changes in the Rhodes countryside, second home ownership has contributed to employment creation and has had a varied tourism and regional impact which has added much needed support to the economy of the town.

Farm-Worker Housing in South Africa: An Evaluation of an Off-Farm Housing Project

Although farm-worker housing has been neglected in South Africa historically, new policy, tabled in 2004, specifically targets the constraints that have been hampering delivery in rural areas. While either on- or off-farm farm-worker housing is envisioned, constraints with regard to on-farm housing and service provision, such as the prerequisite of security of tenure, prevent generalised delivery to the rural population, despite the fact that ESTA provides for security of tenure under certain conditions. There is a need to upgrade the living conditions of people on farms where they are currently residing, in order to ensure the right to adequate shelter as envisioned by the Constitution. However, under current legislation tenure rights must first be secured before such action can be taken. Research on an off-farm housing project in Bothaville was conducted in order to determine the sustainability of this approach, while simultaneously assessing the broader housing policy context, with a view to making policy recommendations.

Who received what, where in the Free State? An assessment of post-apartheid housing delivery and policy (1994–98)

This article reflects on the differences and similarities between the housing policies of the World Bank and that of South Africa. It also focuses on the application of South African policy in the Free State and especially pays attention to who the end-beneficiaries are, what the end-product is and what the regional and locational priorities of housing investment are. Furthermore, this article assesses the spatial distribution of housing subsidies, the income levels of end-beneficiaries, and the type of end product that has been delivered. Among other things, it concludes that cities in the Free State have been neglected in terms of housing investment, that the majority of end-beneficiaries fall in the lowest income category, and that double subsidisation has been a common phenomenon in the Free State. A number of critical reflections are also made in terms of future housing policy.

The tourism potential of Beaufort West: a study based on visitor demand

Tourism is increasingly viewed as a key strategy for promoting local economic development. The integrated development planning (IDP) process of the Beaufort West municipality on the north-eastern border of the Western Cape identified tourism as a key to economic progress. Starting from this tourism-orientated approach to local economic development, a three-month survey of visitors examined the tourist potential of the town, a possible tourism product, and an approach to marketing the town as a destination. The findings suggested that Beaufort West should develop a ‘destination brand’, portraying the town as a ‘tourism gateway’ through which important sectors such as eco-tourism could be marketed. The profile of the survey participants revealed that tourist industries are not fully aware of their customer profile and should adjust their offerings to attract family visitors. The impact of the N1 route through town was also confirmed in the survey, which demonstrated that significant expenditure emanated from the high levels of traffic through the town.

The dangers of growing on gold: Lessons for mine downscaling from the Free State Goldfields, South Africa

The settlements that spring up around mines have huge environmental, social and economic consequences. The environmental consequences have been well studied, but less attention has been paid to the social and economic consequences, particularly the effects of mine closure on what are often significant urban settlements which grew up around them. This paper relates the history of the urban centers of the Free State Goldfields and draws lessons for questions of economic and social sustainability in mining settlements. We argue that the rushed way the mining settlements in the area established, the emphasis on modernity in their planning and the over-arching context of decentralized planning under apartheid did not lay the right foundations for dealing with the long-term effects of mine closure. We highlight the way that booming commodity prices can hinder economic diversification. The paper concludes with some recommendations for new mine settlements.

Community-based mental health support for orphans and vulnerable children in South Africa: a triangulation study

Community-based care is receiving increasing global attention as a way to support children who are orphaned or vulnerable due to the HIV/AIDS pandemic. Using both qualitative and quantitative methodology, this study assesses community-based responses to the well-being of orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) and compares these responses with the actual mental health of OVC in order to evaluate the South African government’s approach of funding community-based organisations (CBOs) that support and care for OVC. The study results show that the activities of CBOs mainly extend government services and address poverty. Although this should not be seen as insignificant, the paper argues that CBOs give very little attention to the mental health of OVC.

Housing conditions and mental health of orphans in South Africa

Literature from the developed world suggests that poor housing conditions and housing environments contribute to poor mental health outcomes, although research results are mixed. This study investigates the relationship between housing conditions and the socio-emotional health of orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) in South Africa. The results of the study are mainly inconclusive, although it is suggested that methodological considerations play a vital role in explaining the mixed results. However, a positive relationship was found between living in informal settlements and better socio-emotional health of the OVC. We speculate that the historical context of informal settlement formation in South Africa helps to explain this unexpected result.

TOWARDS A POLICY FRAMEWORK FOR POST-APARTHEID HOUSING INVESTMENT IN FORMER HOMELAND AREAS: EVIDENCE FROM THE FREE STATE

ABSTRACT This article reflects on the role of former homeland areas in a possible spatial development framework in the Free State with regard to housing investment. The paper starts with an analysis of the historical patterns of housing investment in former homeland areas. The spatial dimension of relevant post-apartheid policies is assessed, followed by an overview of the literature that presents a critical analysis of the spatial dimension of policy in a post-apartheid era. Post-apartheid housing delivery in the Free State is also assessed and is followed by an empirical assessment of post-apartheid demographic trends, the spatial dimension of housing needs as well as indicators of economic sustainability. Finally, the article reflects on the policy implications that follow from the assessment of the above aspects.

Social disruption, mine closure and housing policy: evidence from the Free State Goldfields, South Africa

The creation of mine settlements became a common practice between 1950 and 1980. These mining towns were seen as places of permanent settlement. This permanency, together with the privatisation of mine-owned houses (mid-1980s) increased place attachment. Mine decline thus brought with it some form of social disruption. Whereas mining companies in Australia have attempted to minimise the social disruption caused by mine closure by introducing fly-in-fly-out arrangements, the post-apartheid housing policy in South Africa has focused on asset building in mining areas. We completed 180 interviews with representatives of households. The survey formed part of a panel survey and further included a control group and 15 qualitative interviews. Our results indicate that though members of the mining community have housing units that are larger than those of the control group, incomes are lower in the mining community, real income is in decline, smaller numbers of household members are contributing to income, self-assessments of wealth are characterised by lower ratings, household assets increase at a slower pace, and there is a stronger preference to continue to reside in the area. All of the above serves to illustrate the consequences of the asset-based strategies embedded in South African housing policy. The social disruption associated with mine closure further tends to lock households into locations, and thus inhibits mobility.

Struggling in the shade of globalisation : economic trends and responses in the Free State since the 1990s

ABSTRACT This article comprises an attempt to provide an overview of the Free State economy against the background of national and international trends; to reflect on how the Free State has reacted to national and global stimuli; and to suggest reasons for the poor performance of the province. Against this background, the paper is structured around the following sections of analysis: it starts off with an overview of key themes in the South African economy, as encountered in the relevant literature. This overview of the South African economy provides the background for a discussion on the main trends in the Free State economy. After the overview of the Free State economic trends, the question is posed as to how well the Free State has responded to globalisation in respect of its mainstream economic policy and development approaches.