Browsing by Author "Netswera, Fulufhelo Godfrey"

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    The development of an instrument to determine the perceptions of Gauteng small business operators of their support systems
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 1999-12) Netswera, Fulufhelo Godfrey; Mouton, J.; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Sociology & Social Anthropology.
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The study has two main aims, first, the development and validation of a survey questionnaire in the field of small business support; second the determination of Gauteng small business operators' perceptions about their small business support. The importance of studying small businesses and small business support systems is realised through the background and literature of this study which suggests an enormous contribution of the small business industry towards the South African Gross Domestic Product (GOP) and towards the eradication of unemployment. The following research methodologies were used in achieving the above objectives: An exploratory descriptive survey was used. The purpose of the exploration was to gain new insight into the relatively unknown research area of instrument development in the areas of small business support. A probability sampling method, that is a systematic random sampling, was used in the selection of 60 participants who are small business operators. Sampling was done from a population frame presented in a directory of small businesses registered with the Gauteng Chamber of Businesses. Data collection was done through face-to-face interviews using the developed survey instrument. The developed instrument was intended to collect the following type of data: demographic data, data on small business activities and Likert scale data on small business support. The validation of the questionnaire items presented in the Likert scale format was done using factor analysis, a statistical procedure for synthesising large amounts of data. The results of the factor analysis scale revealed that finance and accessibility of information are the most important factors of small business support systems. Questionnaire validation through the use of factor analysis acknowledged the limitation of using a small sample, which renders factor analysis results not fully reliable. The determination of small business operators' perceptions on the importance of different support systems was done using Thurstone's Law of Comparative Judgement. The results of the Thurstone comparison are that access to information, training and skills development, are the most important support systems listed by the respondents. Findings on the majority of respondents about business activities are: • they sell their products in the local markets, were started before 1983, started their businesses with the intention of becoming their own bosses. • they operate within the inner cities and employ 1 to 49 employees. • they have not been trained on how to operate a small business but also do not think that training would enhance their managerial performance. The main Substantive findings of perceptions by the majority of operators about small business support are that: • they favour in-service/on hands training and business partnerships. • believe that finance is the biggest problem facing small businesses. • view most financial institutions as unsympathetic towards their needs. • consider independence as one of the most important activities within businesses. • view product marketing as beneficial, but consider advertising media costly.
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    Local government service provision and non-payment within underdeveloped communities of the Johannesburg Unicity : service providers' and consumers' perspective
    (Stellenbosch : University of Stellenbosch, 2005-04) Netswera, Fulufhelo Godfrey; Bekker, S. B.; University of Stellenbosch. Faculty of Arts and Social Science. Dept. of Sociology and Social Anthropology.
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: South African local government literature suggests a historical problem of municipal non-consultation in services identification and provision that goes hand-in-hand with community non-participation in municipal activities, coupled by a ‘culture of non-payment’ for these services. This research, which was conducted between 2002 and 2005 in the city of Johannesburg municipality, had the central purpose of ascertaining the manner and ways in which the city of Johannesburg provides its basic services to the Soweto communities and, in turn, of understanding if communities participate in municipal activities and hold possible attitudes of non-payment for municipal services. In order to attain the research purpose, six research questions were identified through local government theories and literature and advanced. The first set of four questions was aimed at the Soweto communities: How affordable are the basic municipal services to the Soweto communities? What are community’s perceptions of the importance of the various municipal services? Are the communities participating in the services identification and provision? How satisfied are the communities with the service delivery? The second set of two questions was aimed at service providers or the municipal services managers and councillors: What methods does the municipality use in identifying and delivering service? What does the municipality perceive to be their application and enforcement of service quality management standards? The original methodological intent was to interview the Soweto communities and the city of Johannesburg municipal services managers and councillors. 200 Soweto households were indeed interviewed from the eight townships of Chiawelo, Diepkloof, Dobsonville, Dube, Jabulani, Meadowlands, Naledi and Orlando, which were randomly selected. The survey amongst the heads of these 200 households was followed by four focus group meetings at Chiawelo, Dobsonville, Dube and Meadowlands and between five and eleven households participated in the discussions in clarifying survey outcomes. It was only possible, however, to interview three service managers from the city of Johannesburg services utilities Pikitup, Johannesburg Water and the Contract Management Unit. Frustrated attempts to interview municipal councillors in the city of Johannesburg led to obtaining permission for proxy interviews from the MEC of Local Government and Traffic Safety in Mpumalanga municipalities of Govan Mbeki and Emalahleni and the inclusion of the KwaZulu-Natal municipality of Emnambithi. The usage of proxy interviews is thought to be relevant since the perceptions on service provision relate to the application and implementation of the uniform countrywide local government structures and systems. A total of 24 interviews were conducted with the Mpumalanga MEC, the city of Johannesburg service managers (3), councillors (9) and senior municipal administrators (11). In order to confirm or repudiate service provider findings from the Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal municipalities, supplementary interviews were held with persons knowledgeable about service delivery in Soweto between 2002 and 2005. A total of four additional interviews were thus conducted. In the analysis of the community survey data, townships were classified as well-off and worse-off on the basis of household incomes and thus participation in municipal activities, payment of services and other attitudes were compared between the two strata. The findings of the research reveal low levels of ability to pay for municipal services by communities in terms of household incomes. However, the household possessions of the living standard measurement (LSM) utilities indicated otherwise. The use of income as a measure of affordability to pay is suspect in methodological reliability; hence income related findings should be interpreted with caution. The worse-off townships preferred state provision of the basic municipal services. There was less inclination to participate in municipal structures such as ward committees and Integrated Development Plans (IDP) processes by the well-off townships, although they were the least satisfied with service provision and municipal performance. The city of Johannesburg municipality was found to be addressing service backlogs as a method for service identification and prioritisation. The municipality has semi-privatised basic municipal services such as water, electricity and garbage collection through section 21 companies in order to overcome service provision inefficiencies and ineffectiveness. This has devastating effects in terms of the community’s inability to pay, leading to services disconnection. Communities in general, however, believed that service provision has improved through these utilities even though the municipality has not finalised its performance management contracts with the utilities. Whereas the service provider interviews were conducted in Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal, additional telephone interviews with service provision experts for Soweto agreed that municipal challenges throughout the country are generally the same since they operate within relatively new policy frameworks. It is acknowledged, however, that metropolitan municipalities and specifically the city of Johannesburg face some unique challenges too. It is concluded that the central role of the local government as the custodian of basic municipal services cannot be disputed; however, the inefficiencies and ineffectiveness of the market forces require private-public partnerships. It can also be concluded that non-participation is an outcome of, among other things, poor participative capacity within communities, apathy, feelings of distrust of both the municipal institutions and municipal councillors and the lack of information regarding community obligations to municipal institutions. The research recommends the use of similar service utilities in both townships and former white suburban areas in order to overcome the perceptions of the municipal services level disparities that are formed on the basis of townships versus white suburban areas; an overhaul of the municipality’s billing system to overcome its debt and service charges collection problems; ward committee participation capacity improvement for both the municipal councillors and communities and the development and communication of clear guidelines on the roles of regional services management centres. Further research is recommended on, among other things, whether privatisation of municipal services results in better access by all and improves efficiency and payments, and on the functionality and effectiveness of ward committees as vehicles for community participation and in developing new and more reliable socio-economic modelling for assessing community ability to pay for government services.