Faculty of Science (former Departments)

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Browsing Faculty of Science (former Departments) by browse.metadata.advisor "Van Wyk, A. S."

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    Housing knowledge of final year student teachers at Esikhawini College of Education : implications for the development of housing unit standards
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2003-03) Dlamini, Buyi P.; Van Wyk, A. S.; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Natural Sciences.
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The provision of housing in South Africa is a national priority. As many aspirant homeowners are first-time homeowners, they are not necessarily informed about the pitfalls of home ownership. Although the Government has attempted short-term solutions aimed at equipping these housing consumers with the necessary knowledge and skills to make informed and responsible housing-related decisions, research pointed to the need for a sustainable longterm solution in the form of education and training of the housing consumer. There must be a concentrated effort to provide housing education to consumers, since everyone has a constitutional right of access to adequate housing. Unless consumers are equipped with adequate knowledge and information to make informed choices, this right will not be realised and the housing market shall not function effectively. The main objective of the research study was to determine the basic housing knowledge of the senior student teachers of the Esikhawini College of Education in KwaZulu Natal. The second objective was to develop an illustrative Unit Standard for teacher qualification programmes on the fifth level of the National Oualificationa Framework (NOF). The sixteen housing education and training core concepts identified by Serfontein (2001 :120) namely Basic Housing Technology, Community, Cultural Aspects of Housing, Environment, Financial Aspects of Housing, Housing Consumerism, Housing Design and Decoration, Housing Market, Housing Needs, Housing Policy, Legal Aspects of Housing, Resource Management, Role-players in Housing, Sources of Housing Information, Tenure Options and Types of Housing were used to compile a questionnaire which was administered to the senior students of Esikhawini College of Education. The aim was to determine the basic knowledge that respondents possessed. The data collected formed the background for the illustrative Unit Standard for Housing Education that was developed in this research study. The development of Unit Standards for Housing Education is very necessary and timely as the Department of Housing, who seeks to develop a systematic housing consumer education framework for South Africa, have recommended that Housing Education should be included in the formal education curriculum. If the recommendations of the Department of Housing are implemented and housing education is included in the school curriculum, well-qualified and trained teachers would be needed to facilitate the learning of the content. Therefore housing education should be included in student teacher training programmes. The illustrative Unit Standard for Housing Education developed in this research study is ideally suited for this purpose.
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    Housing preferences of residents in Stellenbosch, South Africa. --- An application of the Hedonic Price Model
    (Stellenbosch : University of Stellenbosch, 2005-12) Shi, Lin; Van Wyk, A. S.; University of Stellenbosch. Faculty of Science. Dept. of Consumer Science.
    The issue of housing choice and preferences has been and still is the subject of much academic attention from researchers in many different disciplines. Stellenbosch, the oldest town in South Africa second to Cape Town, is undoubtedly the most scenic and historically well-preserved town in Southern Africa. With this plurality of attractive features, the housing market in Stellenbosch has become one of the most active and expensive housing markets in South Africa. In this specifically booming housing market, it is indispensable to conduct a housing preference and priorities study to determine residents’ tastes and preferences, in order to help those concerned, residents, real estate agents or people related to housing, to make better housing decision. At the same time, considering the affluent housing market in Stellenbosch, sellers and real estate agents are facing the problem of appraising the actual market value of houses. There is an apparent lack of a normative method to evaluate houses, and it is noteworthy that assessments almost always depend on the subjective experience of sellers and real estate agents.
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    Post-occupancy evaluation of state-subsidised housing units in Kayamandi, Stellenbosch
    (Stellenbosch : University of Stellenbosch, 2006-03) Darkwa, Irene; Botha, M. J.; Van Wyk, A. S.; University of Stellenbosch. Faculty of Science. Dept. of Consumer Science.
    The South African government drafted a national housing policy in 1994. This policy is being implemented in terms of seven strategies. One of the housing strategies is to provide subsidy assistance to low-income groups to enable them to become home owners and improve their quality of life. The delivery of state-subsidised housing will help to reduce the housing backlog and to reach the goal of eradicating informal settlements by 2014. The purpose of this study was to determine the levels of housing satisfaction of residents in state-subsidised housing units.
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    A post-occupancy evaluation of the Hope City Housing Complex of the Greater Middelburg Housing Association, Mpumalanga
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2004-03) Moja, Bontlefeela; Van Wyk, A. S.; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Science. Dept. of Consumer Science.
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The Housing White Paper (Department of Housing, 1994: 12) sets out the government's broad housing policy and the seven strategies undertaken in the implementation of the policy. One of the strategies is the mobilisation of housing credit through the establishment of the Social Housing Foundation (SHF). The SHF provides training, advice, and support to emerging and established social housing institutions. These housing institutions deliver high density subsidised rental or installment sale housing to the beneficiaries of the State housing subsidy scheme. The Greater Middelburg Housing Association (GMHA) is an example of such an institution. Social housing in South Africa aims at addressing the broader quality of life of their residents, beyond the physical dwelling in which they reside. Furthermore, the aim is to build rental housing, which adheres to suitable quality standards, and is located close to economic opportunities and amenities (Crofton & Venter, 2000:7). To determine the satisfaction levels experienced by residents with regard to different aspects of their housing situation, a Post- Occupancy Evaluation survey can be used to determine whether the objectives of the social housing institution have been met by the housing provided. The main objective of this research study was to determine the level of housing satisfaction experienced by residents of the Greater Middelburg Housing Association's Hope City Housing Complex. The secondary objectives of the study were derived from the main objective and were, firstly, to determine the residents' socio-demographic and socio-economic profiles, and secondly to determine the residents' satisfaction levels with regard to the housing unit, the housing complex and the management of the housing project. Thirdly the residents' overall satisfaction with their housing situation, were determined, and lastly recommendations were made for future developments and improvements of the Hope City Housing Complex. To achieve these objectives, a post-occupancy evaluation study was conducted among a randomly selected sample of 150 tenants residing in the complex. Data were obtained through a structured questionnaire, which entailed dichotomous, multiple choice, scaled, matrix-type and open-ended questions. The scaled questions were answered on a four-point scale, where the tenants' opinions on certain aspects of the housing unit, complex and management, were rated. The questionnaire was administered during individual interviews of 40 minutes each, with the head or the spouse of the head of the selected households. A document-study of the GMHA was conducted to gain insight into the organisation's background, aims and goals. The research results on the socio-demographic and socio-economic profile of the respondents indicated that the target market of the housing institution was mostly couples, between the ages of 21 and 40 years, who had dependants. The majority of the respondents indicated that they would prefer to own housing at this stage of their lives, but that they are satisfied with renting until they have the financial means to buy property. Most respondents had achieved grade 12 schooling and were formally employed, earning monthly household incomes between R2 000 and R3 500. Few respondents reported that they were saving regularly, and only a small number of tenants had been in arrears with their rental payment. The results indicated that the respondents were satisfied with their overall housing situation, but had complaints about specific aspects of the housing unit, the complex and the management. Statistically a negative correlation was found between the satisfaction levels with the unit, complex and management indicators and overall housing satisfaction. Concerning the unit, the respondents felt that the units, and especially the bedrooms, were too small. They felt that the complex did not provide facilities that are needed by the residents, such as play areas for children and a convenience store. Respondents were also dissatisfied with the way in which tenants, who have defaulted on their rental payments, were treated by management. Furthermore, respondents were dissatisfied with the relationship between the management of the housing complex and the residents. The main reason for their dissatisfaction was management's low response rate to maintenance complaints. The GMHA should encourage the tenants to attend the Tenant Training Programmes run by the management. These programmes should outline the responsibilities of the management and the responsibilities of the residents with regard to the maintenance of the housing units. The GMHA should also look into providing the installment sale option as a tenure option to the residents, as this would enable those tenants, who would like to buy property, to do so.