SMALL TOWN REVITALISATION IN INTSIKA YETHU MUNICIPALITY: COFIMVABA AND TSOMO By SIYABULELA KOYO Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree MASTER OF ARTS (DEVELOPMENT STUDIES) in the Faculty of Business and Economic Sciences at the Nelson Mandela University November 2017 SUPERVISOR: Ms Elizabeth Saunders DECLARATION NAME: Siyabulela Koyo STUDENT NUMBER: 20616471 QUALIFICATION: MASTER OF ARTS Development Studies (Coursework) TITLE OF PROJECT: SMALL TOWN REVITALISATION IN INTSIKA YETHU MUNICIPALITY: COFIMVABA AND TSOMO In accordance with Rule G5.6.3, I hereby declare that the above-mentioned thesis is my own work and that it has not previously been submitted for assessment to another University or for another qualification. ……………………………………….. SIGNATURE DATE: 29 November 2017 i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank Lord Almighty for granting me an opportunity and the strength to write and complete this research report, for by His Grace I can do all things. Great gratitude goes to my supervisor, Ms Elizabeth Saunders for her guidance, interest, time and patience during the development and writing of this research report. Without her guidance and support, this research report would never have materialised. I would like to extend my great gratitude to the officials from the Town Planning & Land Use Unit, Infrastructure Planning and Development Department: Cofimvaba that aided the process of data collection. I would also like to thank Mr A Makhanya, head of Town Planning & Land Use Unit, and colleagues for their support and their willingness to help. I also extend my appreciation to my family whose unwavering support made this research project a success. ii EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Bernstein (2000) defines small towns in South Africa as settlements in commercial farming areas as well as former or dense homeland towns. These settlements are usually said to lack higher-level services and facilities, which usually leads to their decline (Donaldson & Marais, 2012). The above is likely due to the experiences of rapid urbanisation, which facilitated the decline of the agricultural sector and rural jobs. The research examined the challenges facing small towns in South Africa and sought possible solutions to address issues relating particularly to infrastructure, public and social amenities as well as institutional arrangements and socio-economic growth through small towns revitalisation. The case study for the purposes of the research focuses on two major towns in the Intsika Yethu Municipality in the Eastern Cape Province, namely Cofimvaba and Tsomo. Research questions relate to the policy frameworks, institutional arrangements and funding that are able to guide revitalization efforts in rural municipalities to enhance an environment that fosters socio-economic development. Ultimately the research attempted to establish whether the revitalisation efforts have resulted in discernible improvements across the challenges that have been identified in Cofimvaba and Tsomo, the two principle towns in the Intsika Yethu Municipality in the Eastern Cape Province. The overall aim of the research is to assess the impacts of efforts by the various spheres of government to revitalize Cofimvaba and Tsomo. Several specific objectives were identified. These include a literature review on challenges facing small towns, particularly in developing countries such as South Africa, and strategies to address their revitalization; an assessment of the socio- economic status of a sample of residents in the two towns; to conduct research in Cofimvaba and Tsomo to review government strategies and interventions to revitalize these towns; an opinion survey among formal businesses and business structures to assess the impacts of the revitalization efforts on the business sector; and, finally, to use the findings of the research to make recommendations to the various stakeholder iii groups in Cofimvaba and Tsomo in order to support the efforts of government to revitalize the towns. The methodology adopted for the purposes of the research, is a mixed approach making use of qualitative and qualitative approaches. Quantitative data was gathered from the municipal Integrated Development Plan (IDP) and the government departments’ implementation plans. Qualitative data was gathered by focussing on interviews with people living within the towns of Cofimvaba and Tsomo, the business community and municipal officials. Findings related to improved livelihoods show that most interviewed individuals are middle to lower income earners, meaning that there is a high proportion of people who are likely to be dependent on the state for assistance. Challenges that have been noted by municipal officials, range from issues relating to illegal building constructions to invasion of land earmarked for development and funding for development initiatives. It became apparent that there is limited knowledge of small town revitalisation from both the municipal officials and the citizens that were interviewed. In light of the above findings there are a number of recommendations which range from firstly a better application of the Back-to-basics approach, to the idea of better service delivery that has been introduced in all local municipalities. This calls for local government to serve their communities better by being responsive and accountable during the delivery of any service. Secondly, improved institutional collaborations are the key to small town revitalisation, through knowledge sharing and funding provision. Thirdly, by-laws and developmental plans are to be formulated in collaboration with the key role players, as they are paramount in attracting prospective inward investments to the towns. Lastly any revitalisation efforts are to incorporate the town’s culture and diversity. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS DECLARATION .......................................................................................................... i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .......................................................................................... ii EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .......................................................................................... iii LIST OF ANNEXURES ............................................................................................. ix LIST OF FIGURES..................................................................................................... x LIST OF TABLES ..................................................................................................... xi ABBREVIATIONS.................................................................................................... xii CHAPTER ONE ......................................................................................................... 1 INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................ 1 1.1 BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY .................................................................... 1 1.2 STUDY AREA .................................................................................................. 2 1.3 PROBLEM STATEMENT ................................................................................ 3 1.4 RESEARCH QUESTIONS ............................................................................... 5 1.5 AIM OF THE STUDY ....................................................................................... 5 1.6 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY ....................................................................... 6 1.7 METHODOLOGY ............................................................................................ 6 1.8 ORGANISATION OF THE REPORT ............................................................... 7 1.9 ANTICIPATED LIMITATIONS.......................................................................... 8 1.10 CONCLUSION ................................................................................................. 8 CHAPTER TWO......................................................................................................... 9 LITERATURE REVIEW ............................................................................................. 9 2.1 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................. 9 2.2 SMALL TOWN IN FOCUS ............................................................................. 11 2.3 OVERVIEW OF SMALL TOWNS IN DEVELOPED COUNTRIES ................. 11 2.4 REVITALISATION EFFORT IN DEVELOPED COUNTRIES ......................... 13 v 2.5 OVERVIEW OF SMALL TOWNS IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES ................ 13 2.6 CHALLENGES OF SMALL TOWNS IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES ........... 15 2.7 REVITALISATION EFFORTS IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES ..................... 15 2.8 SMALL TOWNS IN SOUTH AFRICA ............................................................ 16 2.8.1 Challenges of Small Towns in South Africa ...................................... 17 2.8.1.1 Urbanisation ....................................................................... 17 2.8.1.1.1 Access to Health Services ................................. 18 2.8.1.1.2 Access to Social Services ................................. 18 2.8.1.1.3 Spatial and Economic Development Contexts ... 19 2.8.1.1.4 Local Economic Development in Municipalities . 19 2.8.1.1.5 Revitalisation Efforts in South Africa ................. 20 2.9 AN OVERVIEW OF THE CASE STUDY ....................................................... 22 2.10 SUMMARY ...................................................................................................