MAJOR HISTORICAL MOMENTS IN THE HISTORY OF GIYAN AND ITS INHABITANTS

Get Complete Project Material File(s) Now! »

PROLOGUE AND PROBLEM STATEMENT

There is a general perception that rural life is static, unchanging and predictable, and that for the people who live in the rural areas, time passes in an even flow, and all of people’s lives are predictable, from birth to death. However, in the Giyani area of the former Gazankulu homeland,1 where I conducted my research, the stories related to me by both men and women do not speak of predictability and tranquillity, but of alternating grief and happiness, of opportunities and constraints and of constant change and adaptation.

RESEARCH QUESTION, AIM AND OBJECTIVES

Small-scale development projects5 are not rational, neutral entities, but microcosms of the communities in which they are embedded (Rao & Kelleher, 2000:75). This means that the power, gender or status dynamics that are part of the daily lives of community members often also operate within the confines of such small-scale projects. However, such dynamics can be reduced if the leadership and members of organisations attempt to change and empower the members in fundamentally different ways. Thus small-scale projects may play a vital role in empowering participants to face challenges, to grasp opportunities and to change, even beyond project boundaries and even when such projects fail to meet their original goals. The question then arises to what extent small-scale development projects become ‘sanctuaries’ for people who have to deal with rapid change – spaces for reflection and action that enable the participants to survive the transitions that they are forced to make.

KEY CONCEPTS

Concepts in development literature are typically ill-defined and highly contested. To a large extent, the way concepts are defined depends on the perspective of the person who is writing about them. It is therefore important to clarify what I mean by the terms ‘community’, ‘development’, ‘family’ and ‘household’ for the purposes of the study. Moreover, this study deals with small-scale projects located in the domain referred to as civil society and hence ‘civil society’ and its associated concepts require clarification. The concept of civil society has converged with understandings about social capital and community (Pollard & Court, 2005:6) and these concepts are also discussed.

THE RESEARCH AREA: GIYANI TOWN AND ADJACENT VILLAGES

Giyani, which means ‘place of dancing’ in Xitsonga, is a small town in the north-eastern part of the Limpopo Province of South Africa at 23º South latitude (on the Tropic of Capricorn) and 30º43l East longitude. The road from Polokwane, the provincial capital of Limpopo, to Giyani winds along the Escarpment. Giyani is at a lower altitude than Polokwane. The altitude greatly affects the climate, and at 471 metres above sea level (810 metres lower than Polokwane), Giyani has very hot summer days (±36º C) and mild, frost-free winters, with an average maximum winter day temperature of 22º C. The area’s vegetation includes a variety of grasses and trees, such as the Mopani and Combretum (Bushwillow) and Acacia species. The town lies on the northern bank of the Klein Letaba River and to the west of the Kruger National Park.

DECLARATION
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
ABSTRACT
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION
1.1 PROLOGUE AND PROBLEM STATEMENT
1.2 RESEARCH QUESTION, AIM AND OBJECTIVES
1.3 KEY CONCEPTS
1.4 THE RESEARCH AREA: GIYANI TOWN AND ADJACENT VILLAGES
1.5 THE INHABITANTS OF THE RESEARCH AREA
1.6 THE RESEARCHED PROJECTS AND THE PROJECT PARTICIPANTS
1.7 RESEARCH METHODS
1.7.1 A journey through the literature
1.7.2 Field research method
1.8 CHAPTER OUTLINE
CHAPTER 2: MAJOR HISTORICAL MOMENTS IN THE HISTORY OF GIYAN AND ITS INHABITANTS
2.1 INTRODUCTION
2.2 THE HOMELAND ERA
2.3 THE TURMOIL OF THE EARLY 1990S
2.4 THE POST-HOMELAND ERA
2.5 GIYANI TODAY
CHAPTER 3: DISCOURSES, POLICIES AND PRACTICES: THE CHANGING DEVELOPMENT LANDSCAPE
3.1 INTRODUCTION
3.2 DEVELOPMENT DISCOURSES: AN OVERVIEW
3.2.1 The global context during the homeland epoch
3.2.2 Changes in development discourses in the early 1990s
3.2.3 Development policies in South Africa after 1994
3.2.4 The present development landscape
3.3 THE SELECTED PROJECTS IN A HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE
3.3.1 Avelanani crèche: homeland policies & practices
3.3.2 Post-apartheid projects in Giyani
CHAPTER 4: PROJECTS AS SITES OF LEARNING AND EMPOWERMENT
4.1 INTRODUCTION
4.2 RECOLLECTIONS FROM THE FIELD
4.3 GROWING AND NURTURING SELFHOOD
4.4 ACCUMULATING CAPITAL THROUGH PROJECT PARTICIPATION
4.5 EMPOWERMENT THROUGH PERSONAL NEEDS SATISFACTION
4.6 PROJECT GOVERNANCE THAT ENPOWERS PARTICIPANTS
4.7 PROJECT LEADERSHIP THAT FACILITATES EMPOWERMNENT
4.7.1 Leadership qualities
4.7.2 Analysing leadership from a capital perspective
4.7.3 Leaders’ ability to secure funding
4.8 HOUSEHOLD INCOME: ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT
CHAPTER 5: PLACES TO DEAL WITH COUNTERCYCLICAL CHANGE
5.1 INTRODUCTION
5.2 RECOLLECTIONS FROM THE FIELD: A SNAPSHOT FROM 2003
5.3 COUNTERCYCLICAL CHANGE AND GLOBALISATION
5.3.1 Globalisation and the flow of resources
5.3.2 The unimpeded flow of foreign aid
5.3.3 Debt and structural adjustment: consequences of foreign aid
5.4 THE IMPACT OF GLOBALISATION ON SOUTH AFRICA
5.5 THE EDUCATED UNEMPLOYED
5.6 ECONOMIC IMPROVEMENT THROUGH DECREASED EMPLOYMENT
5.6.1 A polarised labour force: secure versus insecure employment
5.6.2 The poor became poorer
5.6.3 Heirs of a lesser economy
5.7 TWO DIFFERING RESPONSES TO HARDSHIP
5.8 HARDSHIPS CAN SCULPT AN EXCEPTIONAL WOMAN
5.9 HI HLURILE: REDEFINING PROJECT THINKING
CHAPTER 6: PROJECTS AS SITES FOR COPING WITH CHANGING LEGISLATION AND PERSISTENT TRADITIONS
6.1 INTRODUCTION
6.2 RECOLLECTIONS FROM THE FIELD
6.3 TRADITIONAL LEADERS IN THE NEW SOUTH AFRICA
6.3.1 The global revival of tradition and culture
6.3.2 The role of chiefs in South Africa: past and present
6.3.3 Traditional leaders in Giyani
6.3.4 Opposing principles of democracy and tradition
6.4 CHANGES TO CUSTOMARY MARRIAGE LAW
6.4.1 Giyani women’s differing views on polygyny
6.4.2 The contradictory legal framework governing customary law
6.5 MARRIED LIFE FOR VILLAGE WOMEN
6.6 MEN’S RESPONSES TO CHANGES IN THE HOME
6.6.1 Young men’s views on changing gender relations
6.6.2 Understanding the historical context of power and masculinity
6.2.3 Support groups for men
CHAPTER 7: A PLACE OF SOLIDARITY FOR THE ELDERLY
7.1 INTRODUCTION
7.2 THE HISTORY OF THE GIYANI AGED GARDEN PROJECT
7.3 THE GIYANI AGED GARDEN PROJECT SITE
7.4 REASONS FOR INVOLVEMENT IN PROJECTS
7.5 THE GIYANI AGED GARDEN IN THE LIVES OF ITS MEMBERS
7.6 MR GAMANE AND THE AGED GARDEN
7.7 THE AGED AND THE YOUTH IN GIYANI
7.8 THE TAKEOVER
CHAPTER 8: SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS
8.1 INTRODUCTION
8.2 A BRIEF OVERVIEW OF THE STUDY
8.3 CHAPTER SUMMARIES AND CONCLUSIONS
8.4 THE MAIN FINDINGS OF THE STUDY
8.5 IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS FOR DEVELOPMENT
8.5.1 Lessons for development in South Africa
8.5.2 Lessons for development in general

GET THE COMPLETE PROJECT
SURVIVING TRANSITION IN THE GIYANI DISTRICT: THE ROLE OF SMALL-SCALE RURAL DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS IN A PERIOD OF RAPID SOCIO-POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC CHANGE