Professor Betty Mubangizi, National Research Foundation/South African Research Chairs Initiative (NRF/SARChI) Chair in Sustainable Rural Livelihoods, celebrated supervising three PhD candidates and two masters students’ great academic success, which was rewarded at UKZN’s 2023 Autumn Graduation ceremony.
They are Doctors of Administration graduates, Dr Lungisani Dladla, Dr Justice Maluleke and Dr Khulekani Ndabezitha and Master of Administration graduate Ms Moroesi Lebenya and Master of Public Administration graduate Mr Phumezile Garane.
Drawing on more than 15 years of experience at the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) – a countrywide initiative led by the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure – Dladla’s research expands knowledge in this field.
‘After securing a management position in 2007 that managed the same EPWP workers I used to work alongside, I knew that I had to use my PhD research to show how my career has come full circle. I joined EPWP as a volunteer in 2 000 after I had to drop out of university due to lack of finances,’ said Dladla.
Not willing to give up on his studies, Dladla worked in his community of Willowfontein, Pietermaritzburg, through the youth organisation he helped establish until 2003, when he decided to return to UKZN and pursue his BCom degree.
‘I returned during the University’s merger process in 2004 and discovered that I owed fees. I luckily got employed by EPWP in 2005, which made things easier. So, in a nutshell, my journey came full circle as I worked as a beneficiary of the programme, was later employed to manage the programme and then researched about the programme,’ said Dladla.
Dladla’s study explores the role and contribution of public employment programmes (PEPs) to service delivery and livelihoods of rural communities in South Africa. Its findings revealed that the programme positively impacts rural livelihoods but is plagued with challenges of inadequate planning, poor recruitment and unregulated wage rates.
Further, Dladla’s study recommends introducing a PEP national policy with enforcement mechanisms, scaling up existing programmes and improving public bodies’ implementation capacity. The theoretical contribution of Dladla’s study suggests the need for a built-in risk factor in the programmes for identification and mitigation, amongst other things. ‘This PhD journey was made possible through the generous financial support of the NRF through Professor Mubangizi’s Chair, and I am grateful for her guidance and wisdom during the research journey,’ says Dladla.
Maluleke, who has been a middle manager in the public sector for 16 years and contributed to food security policy implementation at that level, says he was motivated to pursue this qualification by gaining deeper insights into the process. ‘I wished to understand policy implementation’s effectiveness, efficiency, and responsiveness, and the qualification has enriched my confidence and research capability,’ said Maluleke.
Maluleke’s research focused on how state agencies implement food security policies. The findings contribute to a deeper understanding of policy implementation processes in rural areas within the South African context. ‘I stayed focused on the goal of achieving a PhD and thus increasing my research capability. I kept my faith and remained focused and inspired by those who had walked the road before! The support provided by my promoter Professor Mubangizi was priceless and made the study interesting, and the financial backing of the National Research Foundation was invaluable,’ said Maluleke.
Ndabezitha’s previous work experience as an emergency medical practitioner motivated his research project. In his work, Ndabezitha saw first-hand the hazardous environments that informal settlements residents live under. He then sought to explore possible solutions to improve the adaptive capacity to reduce disaster risks for the communities living in informal settlements.
‘I have 17 years of experience in the public sector, including seven years of working as an emergency medical practitioner at Piet Retief Hospital and 10 years of experience working as the programme co-ordinator: Disaster Management and Public Safety in the Nkangala District Municipality, Mpumalanga province,’ says Ndabezitha. Noting that informal settlements worldwide are here to stay, Ndabezitha questioned his contribution towards bettering the lives of communities living in unsafe conditions. ‘That question led me to research and present possible recommendations in this area,’ said Ndabezitha.
The findings of Ndabezitha’s study suggest that the municipality lacks practical strategies and administrative processes to build coping mechanisms for people living in informal settlements within its jurisdiction.
Ndabezitha believes his study can guide the review of the National Development Plan (NDP) 2030 and the Department of Human Settlement (DoHS) upgrade policy to incorporate the progression of safety and adaptive capacity to reduce disaster risks in informal settlements. ‘Overall, this qualification has improved my confidence and ability to research any task and has been a journey where I have learned to be a critical and independent thinker,’ he said.
As a native of Eastern Cape’s Matatiele and an Economic Development practitioner, Lebenya put on his social researcher hat to offer solutions to Matatiele Local Municipality (MLM) to efficiently communicate with its citizens and enhance service delivery.
‘The study also sought to evaluate how the identified participatory communication models influenced the development of sustainable livelihoods through service delivery, mainly as guided by the Integrated Development Plan (IDP). The study highlights how impactful and important participatory communication is to rural livelihoods,’ said Lebenya.
With this qualification, Lebenya aims to enhance her career by giving her an edge over her peers in the competitive yet limited economic development industry.
‘During this study, I got to engage with different stakeholders. To produce a complete thesis, I had to clearly understand and be able to design and apply appropriate development theories and research methods and produce quality work. Gathering data during the pandemic was tedious, and I had many sleepless nights. The support from family, friends and my supervisor motivated me to keep going. I am grateful to the NRF for the funding I received through my supervisor.’
For Garane, the public scrutiny on the public sector to deliver quality services motivated him to understand the prevailing challenges in policy formulation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation. His study utilised network governance and policy-cycle theories to interrogate the type of actors involved in smallholder farming, mostly their behaviour in the network.
‘The public sector is under immense pressure to deliver quality services to the citizens of this country and has been under public scrutiny for failing to offer such quality services. I, then, identified public administration as the right qualification for me to close the gap.’ The grassroots level has been identified as a critical point of entry in policy development to promote public ownership of services given to them. However, the top-down approach in the system limits local actors’ views and inputs in the policy development processes, citing a lack of participation,’ he said.
As a professional, Garane is very active in agriculture and public administration as he is the Vice-President of the South African Society for Agricultural Extension (SASAE), a society advocating for professionalism in the science of Agriculture Extension and Advisory Service in South Africa. As well as a registered Certified Naturalist with the Natural Scientific Professions called South African Council for Natural Scientific Professionals (SACNASP).
‘There is a lot one needs to do to change the status quo of our country, which is engulfed with fraud and corruption, not forgetting institutions that are servicing the same client with no holistic approach. Amazingly, I got promoted in the middle of my studies to the position of Deputy Director at the KwaZulu-Natal’s Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, UMzimkhulu Local Municipality, and had COVID-19 several times at the beginning of my studies which almost led to me quitting my studies. Special gratitude goes to Professor Mubangizi, who not only played the role of supervisor but is also a mentor, a parent and a coach.’
Commenting on this achievement, Mubangizi said that the corpus of knowledge produced by these graduates significantly contributes to the objectives set for the NRF/SARChI Chair in sustainable rural livelihoods.
‘The Chair has produced pioneering research that delves deep into the challenges facing rural communities in South Africa and provides practical solutions for sustainable rural livelihoods. Despite the difficulties of travelling to remote rural areas and the restrictions imposed by the pandemic, the Chair has remained committed to supporting its students and ensuring that their research is inclusive and mindful of the rural challenges. We look forward to seeing the impact these graduates will have on improving the lives of rural communities in South Africa and beyond.’
Words: Thandiwe Jumo
Photograph: Rajesh Jantilal