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With the advent of democracy in South Africa, local government was targeted for transformation to be more representative of and responsive to local communities' needs. Boundaries were extended such that all areas in the country fell within a municipality. In addition to providing essential services such as water and sanitation, municipalities must promote social and economic development. They must also prepare an Integrated Development Plan that informs the municipality's activities, budget and should ensure focussed and coordinated delivery of services.
However, local government has been plagued with severe problems such as a lack of capacity and resources, poor governance and limited intergovernmental and intra-municipal coordination. President Ramaphosa (Current term 2018–2023) in his 2019 budget speech announced a District Development Model (DDM) intended to spatialise and coordinate government interventions and support municipalities in response to these issues. This paper describes the challenges facing local government and outlines the DDM concept and its rationale in the context of these challenges. We consider the potential of this model to improve the performance of local government, improve spatial governance and promote social and economic development. We conclude that the DDM may not be sucessful as it does not address the core problems of local government. A candid review of the current concept of local government, its powers, responsibilities, capacities and relationships is required.

AbstractThe lack of accessible and valuable public open spaces for socio-cultural activities is a concern in low-income urban areas. Through an indigenous knowledge systems (IKS) lens, we explored indigenous cultural open spaces (the olupale and omuvanda) of two communities in Namibia and their relevance to urban areas. This qualitative study included interviews, informal discussions, sharing circles (focus groups) storytelling, and participatory observation with the two rural communities. In the Havana low-income area in Windhoek, observations, semi-formal interviews and discussions were used. The study found, on the one hand, that planning practices excluded marginalised urban communities due to reliance on a single modernist rational problem-solving process. On the other hand, and through an indigenous knowledge paradigm, aspects such as community respect, well-being, cooperation, environmental respect, and care being taught, lived, and experienced at cultural open spaces, were mostly excluded. Planning in Windhoek overlooked these vital well-being components, to the detriment of the communities. Existing spatial IKS could help planning in addressing the well-being of low-income residential areas and their residents. This paper is therefore foregrounding IKS in planning and argues that such IKS integration will facilitate the improvement of diverse forms of living spaces, including poor and low-income spaces in urban areas.

Managing change is essential for human survival; thus, the importance of adapting to climate change has been increasingly recognised by researchers and governments alike. This is reflected in the growing literature on climate change and the imperative for action including building resilience in our socio-ecological systems. Despite the large body of research that now exists, few studies have considered the resilience of informal rural or peri-urban settlements in mountainous regions. This article considered the resilience of two rural settlements in mountainous areas, namely Konso, Ethiopia, and QwaQwa, South Africa, to the influences of climate change based on the assets available to them. The authors obtained the local communities' perception of their risks throsugh interviews with community leaders and a survey of 384 residents, divided equally between each settlement. Furthermore, the resilience of each community was assessed on the basis of their environmental, social, economic, human, institutional and physical capitals using a climate change resilience indicator. The findings showed that both communities faced major challenges because of climate change, particularly from drought and poverty. We found that both communities retained some forms of indigenous knowledge, but its greater application in Konso appeared to improve resilience to a greater extent than QwaQwa, where it played a lesser role and the community was more dependent on the government. However, indigenous knowledge alone is not sufficient to support these communities in the long term, given the growing aridity of the regions, and other approaches are also necessary, including government support, to enhance and grow their capitals.

Managing change is essential for human survival; thus, the importance of adapting to climate change has been increasingly recognised by researchers and governments alike. This is reflected in the growing literature on climate change and the imperative for action including building resilience in our socio-ecological systems. Despite the large body of research that now exists, few studies have considered the resilience of informal rural or peri-urban settlements in mountainous regions. This article considered the resilience of two rural settlements in mountainous areas, namely Konso, Ethiopia, and QwaQwa, South Africa, to the influences of climate change based on the assets available to them. The authors obtained the local communities' perception of their risks throsugh interviews with community leaders and a survey of 384 residents, divided equally between each settlement. Furthermore, the resilience of each community was assessed on the basis of their environmental, social, economic, human, institutional and physical capitals using a climate change resilience indicator. The findings showed that both communities faced major challenges because of climate change, particularly from drought and poverty. We found that both communities retained some forms of indigenous knowledge, but its greater application in Konso appeared to improve resilience to a greater extent than QwaQwa, where it played a lesser role and the community was more dependent on the government. However, indigenous knowledge alone is not sufficient to support these communities in the long term, given the growing aridity of the regions, and other approaches are also necessary, including government support, to enhance and grow their capitals.

Cover -- Half Title -- Series -- Title -- Copyright -- Contents -- List of tables -- List of figures -- List of acronyms -- List of contributors -- 1 Understanding mine closure: global and national trends -- 2 A theoretical framework for understanding the social aspects of mine closure -- 3 Mine closure policies and strategies in South Africa: a critical review -- 4 A scoping review of the literature on mine closure -- 5 Miners' lives after retrenchment -- 6 West Rand: decline in South Africa's economic heartland -- 7 Matjhabeng: decline in the urban periphery -- 8 Kleinzee: looking for a new dawn amidst the diamond dust -- 9 Koffiefontein mine downscaling: socioeconomic and infrastructural consequences -- 10 Alexkor and the Richtersveld community: unlikely partners to mine diamonds together -- 11 Tshikondeni: mine closure in a deeply rural area -- 12 Emalahleni's just transition: from closure to collaboration? -- 13 Rustenburg: the struggle to go beyond mining -- 14 Rustenburg: coping despite mine decline -- 15 A framework for understanding the social aspects of mine closure in South Africa -- Index.

Intro -- Preface -- Acknowledgements -- Contents -- Editors and Contributors -- Abbreviations -- 1 Introduction to the Urban Geography Scape of Zimbabwe -- 1.1 Context and Background -- 1.2 Paradigms and Perspectives of Urban Geography in Zimbabwe -- 1.3 The Postcolonial Lens and Urban Geography of Zimbabwe -- 1.4 Aim of the Book -- 1.5 Structure of the Book -- References -- 2 Social Justice in Spatial Governance -- 2.1 Introduction -- 2.2 Literature Review -- 2.3 Spatial Governance in Zimbabwe -- 2.3.1 Current Legislation on Spatial Governance -- 2.3.2 Settlement Development and Forced Evictions -- 2.3.3 Slum Upgrading and Unjust Governance -- 2.3.4 Urban Informality and Small Businesses -- 2.4 Discussion and Concluding Remarks -- References -- 3 Urban Planning and Policy in Zimbabwe: Change with Continuity -- 3.1 Introduction -- 3.2 Conceptual Framework -- 3.3 African Literature Review -- 3.4 Research Methodology -- 3.5 Contextual Background -- 3.6 Results -- 3.6.1 Harare -- 3.6.2 Bulawayo -- 3.6.3 Gweru -- 3.6.4 Mutare -- 3.7 Discussion -- 3.8 Conclusion and Future Direction -- References -- 4 Studentification and Its Interplay on Urban Form and Urban Policy: Reflection from Bulawayo, Zimbabwe -- 4.1 Introduction -- 4.2 Studentification and University Towns: A Literature Review -- 4.3 Methodology -- 4.4 Contextualising Bulawayo -- 4.4.1 Evolution of Tertiary Institutions in Bulawayo -- 4.4.2 Role of Studentification on the Form and Function of the City -- 4.5 Conclusion -- References -- 5 Urban Governance and the Political Economy of Livelihoods and Poverty in Harare, Zimbabwe -- 5.1 Introduction -- 5.2 Conceptual Framework -- 5.3 Context of the Study -- 5.4 Specific Policies Affecting the Urban Poor in Harare -- 5.4.1 Access to Urban Land for the Poor -- 5.4.2 Mechanisms for Citizen Participation and Voice in Harare.

Chapter 1: Introduction, (Matamanda et al.) -- Chapter 2: Rapid Urbanisation and Urban Governance Responses in Chitungwiza, Zimbabwe (Tazviona Richman Gambe) -- Chapter 3: Exploring Nelspruit as a Historical Spatial Jigsaw Corridor Based Secondary City: A Spatial Governance Geographical Perspective (James Chakwizira) -- Chapter 4: Governance in South African Secondary Cities (Marais and Nel) -- Chapter 5: Transactional And Supplementary Strategies For Accessing Land Among Migrants On The Margins: An Ethnographic Study Among Malawian Migrants At Lydiate Informal Settlement, Zimbabwe (Bhanye et al) -- Chapter 6: Public Land Management, Corruption and the Quest for Sustainable Secondary Cities in Zimbabwe (Chavunduka and Tsikira) -- Chapter 7: Emaciated Potential: Reflecting on How War and Natural Disasters Stunt Beira's National-Regional Importance and What Could be Done About it (Chatiza and Nyevera) -- Chapter 8: Land-Use Planning for Climate Change Adaptation in Secondary Cities: Insights From Chinhoyi, Zimbabwe (Matamanda et al) -- Chapter 9: The Intricacy of Water and Sanitation Management in Masvingo City, Zimbabwe (Gambe and Karakadzai) -- Chapter 10: Governing Urban Food Systems in Secondary Cities: Contestations and Struggles From Chitungwiza, Zimbabwe (Mugumbate et al) -- Chapter 11: Changing Centre-Local Relations and The Financing of Urban Development in Secondary Cities: A Comparative Study of Zimbabwe and South Africa (Chavunduka et al) -- Chapter 12: Sasolburg: A Town Built Around the Chemical Industry Suffering Under Poor Governance and Its Environmental Legacy (Nel et al) -- Chapter 13: De-Industrialisation, Urban Governance Challenges and Deteriorating Urban Infrastructure in Norton, Zimbabwe: Is the Town Ruralising? (Martin Magidi) -- Chapter 14: Genius Loci: Unlocking the Particularities and Potentialities of Beitbridge in Zimbabwe to Enhance Public Place Quality (Nicholas Muleya)- Chapter 15:From A Pre-Colonial Dzimbabwe Capital to a Colonial Fort And Beyond: Understanding Masvingo City's Governance Traditions and Growth Patterns (Kudzai Chatiza and Tariro Nyevera) -- Chapter 16: The Future of Secondary Cities in (Southern) Africa: Concluding Remarks And Research Agenda (Chakwizira et al).

Pandemics are deemed accidents of history. Their control and impacts span over economic, social, geopolitical and ideological considerations. This paper attempts to answer how Lesotho responded to the COVID-19 pandemic, which factors hindered local-level implementation of COVID-19 response and mitigation, and how the kingdom's local government disaster preparedness can be improved. A desktop study supported by virtual consultations with relevant players was conducted to gain insight for this study. Content and thematic analysis established a lack of administrative and financial decentralization in Lesotho, which had detrimental implications for COVID-19 response and mitigation.

Many South African secondary cities depend on a single economic sector, often mining or manufacturing. This makes them vulnerable to economic change and national decision-making. We describe change in three secondary cities—Emalahleni, Matjhabeng and Newcastle—all at different phases of economic transition due to imminent mine closure. We investigate the way local governance and planning are dealing with the change. We draw on concepts from institutional economics and evolutionary governance theory, material from strategic planning documents, and approximately 50 key informant interviews. We show how difficult it is to steer economic planning during economic transitions, and we demonstrate how both economic change and governance are path-dependent. Path dependency in South Africa's mining towns has several causes: the colonial influence, which emphasised extraction and neglected beneficiation; the dominance of a single sector; the long-term problems created by mining; and the lack of the skills needed to bring about economic change. The local governments' continuing reliance on the New Public Management paradigm, which focuses on steering as opposed to building networks, compounds the problem, along with poor governance, inadequate local capacity and inappropriate intergovernmental relations. Of the three towns, only Newcastle has shown signs of taking a new path.

Many South African secondary cities depend on a single economic sector, often mining or manufacturing. This makes them vulnerable to economic change and national decision-making. We describe change in three secondary cities—Emalahleni, Matjhabeng and Newcastle—all at different phases of economic transition due to imminent mine closure. We investigate the way local governance and planning are dealing with the change. We draw on concepts from institutional economics and evolutionary governance theory, material from strategic planning documents, and approximately 50 key informant interviews. We show how difficult it is to steer economic planning during economic transitions, and we demonstrate how both economic change and governance are path-dependent. Path dependency in South Africa's mining towns has several causes: the colonial influence, which emphasised extraction and neglected beneficiation; the dominance of a single sector; the long-term problems created by mining; and the lack of the skills needed to bring about economic change. The local governments' continuing reliance on the New Public Management paradigm, which focuses on steering as opposed to building networks, compounds the problem, along with poor governance, inadequate local capacity and inappropriate intergovernmental relations. Of the three towns, only Newcastle has shown signs of taking a new path.