An appraisal of RDP housing quality in sustaining the needs of the inhabitants: a case of Mount Ayliff, Chithwa Village in Umzimvubu Local Municipality
- Authors: Mbuzane, Mandlakazi Berlina
- Date: 2023-04
- Subjects: Housing , Sustainable architecture , Public housing--Resident satisfaction in Mount Ayliff, Umzimvubu Local Municipality (Eastern Cape)
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , Thesis
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/66323 , vital:74554
- Description: When the South African democratic government gained power in 1994, its focus was on improving the lives of all the citizens, especially the ones who were the victims of apartheid laws. Providing adequate housing and proper access to government goods and services to poor citizens were perceived as an excellent initiative to better the quality of life of the previously disadvantaged people. This initiative gave birth to essential programmes such as the Reconstruction and Development Programme (RDP). The South African government embarked on an RDP housing programme to address the imbalances of apartheid spatial planning and unequal access to government goods and services. However, many studies have criticised this housing programme, stating that the government prioritised quantity over quality when constructing the subsidy houses. The purpose of the study was to appraise the quality of the RDP housing programme in sustaining the needs of the inhabitants in Mount Ayliff, Chithwa village, in Umzimvubu Local Municipality. The study employed a qualitative research method and used an interview guide to collect data from ten study participants. The findings show that the RDP housing programme has assisted many individuals in the community of Chithwa village in Mount Ayliff to get out of shacks and own proper houses. However, due to the cheap materials used and poor workmanship, the RDP houses in Mount Ayliff, Chithwa village are defective. Corruption and inconsistencies in the municipality's allocation of RDP houses have left people furious and disappointed in the RDP housing programme, as they believe their municipality is cheating them out of RDP houses. The RDP beneficiaries of Chithwa village in Mount Ayliff do not have title deeds even though they have occupied their houses for more than two decades. Lastly, the RDP beneficiaries had huge expectations about their RDP houses. However, they were disappointed when the houses they received did not meet their expectations. The study concludes by suggesting the actions the Department of Human Settlements and Umzimvubu Local Municipality could take in resolving challenges relating to the quality of RDP houses in Mount Ayliff, Chithwa village. , Thesis (MSc) -- Faculty of Engineering, the Built Environment and Technology, School of Built Environment/Construction Management, 2023
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- Date Issued: 2023-04
Strategic architecture for quantity surveying Firms in South Africa
- Authors: Mokonenyane, Mofumahatsana Dibuseng
- Date: 2022-12
- Subjects: Sustainable architecture , Quantity surveyors
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/59521 , vital:62149
- Description: Quantity surveying firms are a crucial part of the construction industry because they are involved in the financial aspects of the projects, and their role and benefits have been documented across various studies. Furthermore, they provide services such as estimating, cost control and feasibility studies in numerous industries and these services are not limited to the construction industry. They are crucial in ensuring that the project proceeds according to budget, quality and time. Despite the noted benefits of quantity surveying firms, there has been a noticeable decline in the survival rate of the firms over the past ten years. It has been documented that several external and internal environmental factors affect the firms and thus have caused a decline in the survival rate. The volatility of internal and external forces that affect the industry has formed the basis of this study. Previous studies have failed to highlight the strategies to reduce threats and utilise opportunities. This study aims to establish common internal and external environmental factors affecting quantity surveying firms and determine these firms’ strategic architecture. A qualitative study was conducted using semi-structured interviews to assess the internal and external environment and strategic nature of Quantity surveying firms. In addition, a thematic analysis was administered to identify themes. The themes that arose from the external business environment were technology, political instability, tendering irregularities, lack of availability of work and the practice of green building. The technology theme highlighted the respondents’ views of the technological environment and the role of BIM and other software. Tendering irregularities threatened prospective tenderpreneurs as the respondents viewed the process as flawed and requiring better regulation. Lack of work was highlighted as a further factor. Although not many respondents mentioned this theme, green building is an emerging theme within the South African market. Two main themes were identified in the internal business environment: fee discounting and human resources. Fee discounting refers to the reduction of fees to secure work, while human resources were highlighted as an important factor and are regarded as the fuel that keeps the organisation running. Owing to the varying nature of factors within the external and internal business environment, it was concluded that there is no formal generic strategy that can be utilised to mitigate internal and external environmental factors. The client relationships were highlighted as an important factor, while client relationships were discussed under the balanced scorecard section of the study. The two main themes derived from the balanced scorecard were the financial perspective and client relationships under customer. Increased revenue per customer and venturing into new markets were the main themes mentioned within the financial perspective. The importance of nurturing client relationships was identified as an important factor under the customer section of the balanced scorecard. iii | P a g e The findings of this study will assist the stakeholders within the built environment in determining common internal and external environmental issues facing the industry. The recommendation will assist stakeholders in establishing probable solutions that can be implemented to overcome these challenges. , Thesis (MA) -- Faculty of Engineering, the Built Environment, and Technology, 2022
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- Date Issued: 2022-12