In South Africa, different spheres of government (national, provincial and municipal) have different responsibilities with respect to rural planning and development. Rural development strategies, however, are predominately developed by national and provincial government (centralised planning) such as, for example, the 2009 Comprehensive Rural Development Programme (CRDP) and the 2018 draft National Spatial Development Framework (NSDF). These efforts from different spheres of the South African government are nevertheless still not having the desired effect in the development of sustainable rural livelihoods, according to the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform, similar to policies and efforts to implement them elsewhere in Africa. In addition to the appropriate planning and implementation scale, the spatial dimension of rural livelihood within the South African context also requires a specific understanding of the extreme differentiation of areas within 'rural South Africa'. Research regarding the impact of planning at village level (micro-level), as presented in this article, may provide valuable insights for realising sustainable rural livelihoods. This article aims, through an analysis of relevant literature, to examine the sustainable development discourse, in general, while addressing sustainable rural livelihoods and micro-level planning, in particular. The main research question concerns the way in which micro-level planning can contribute to ensuring sustainable rural livelihoods in South Africa. The article also discusses the complexity of 'rural' space and its understanding in the development planning framework of South Africa, providing the spatial context for sustainable rural livelihoods. Examples of micro-level planning approaches in Africa and South Africa are discussed to elucidate their applicability to sustainable rural livelihood development in South Africa. In conclusion, the analysis reveals that, while centralist policies are pursued in South Africa to support sustainable rural development, the actual realisation of sustainable rural livelihoods may well require micro-level development planning strategies. The implication for academics, planning professionals and politicians is that the support and development of microlevel sustainable rural livelihood planning should be pursued to attain the goals of the National Development Plan (2012) of eliminating poverty and to encourage citizens to be active in their own development.

While it may be argued that worldwide women in rural areas are more likely to experience poverty than rural men and urban men and women, it is an even greater challenge for Africa. The impoverishment experienced by the communities in predominately rural areas of Africa, especially the more vulnerable segments of the population such as women, pose a significant challenge to the ensuring of their livelihoods. Furthermore, in South Africa rural women must also contend with the legacy of apartheid policies, which for instance had significant socioeconomic impacts such as the disruption of the familial support structures, in addition to bearing the brunt of poverty. The aim of this research is to emphasise the significant contribution that the development of sustainable rural livelihoods could have, as well as the necessity of engendering rural development approaches in South Africa, in effectively addressing rural poverty. It also creates the opportunity of promoting gender equity, through the incorporation of the perspectives, needs and interests of women (which are different from men and moreover reflect the needs of children and families) in decision making. This article investigates the contribution that sustainable livelihood development has in alleviating poverty in rural areas and the contextual gendered realities attendant to rural livelihoods in South Africa. The result of this study indicates that although there are several ways in which the gender dimension can be incorporated in the development of sustainable rural livelihoods, there are certain fundamental aspects that are required in a South African context. These are strategies related to the specific contextual empowerment of women, the resources that women in rural areas have access to and an appropriate scale of intervention. The central role of women in sustainable rural livelihoods, both as the most deprived grouping as well as most vigorous drivers of development, should form the crux of sustainable rural livelihood development initiatives.

No abstract

The focus of this paper is to outline a sustainable livelihood development paradigm which could assist in addressing the challenges currently faced by the communities in urban transitional areas of South Africa, with specific attention to the contribution that the traditional community environment can make. The reasoning behind the development of such a paradigm is to enrich the sustainable development discourse by exploring place identities, the resilience of community tradition and cultural precepts, particularly in the developing world. This should assist in providing a viable self-reliance livelihood option (especially in urban transitional zones) for communities to survive and thrive in the face of the pressures of urban growth, the deteriorating quality of life and the homogenisation of urban form and design in the developing world. The key concepts, from which this paradigm is developed, are collaborative leadership, community-based systems, the importance of land (environment), economy of affection and agriculture. These concepts are crucial in the current approach to planning, where the relevance of the traditional community environment (predominantly as it applies in Africa) supports the contention that implementation of communitybased planning should evolve beyond planning for a community to planning by a community for itself. The proposed outcome of this process is a sustainable livelihood paradigm incorporating traditional community concepts, which supports self-reliant development.

No abstract