CHAPTER 3: STUDY AREA AND METHODOLOGY
3.2 Background to study area
The word Ndwedwe, translated into English means ridge and refers to the location of Ndwedwe in the peaceful setting in the Valley of a Thousand Hills (Raper, 1989). Ndwedwe along with KwaDukuza, Mandeni and Maphumulo Local Municipalities fall under the iLembe District Municipality, on the KwaZulu-Natal north coast. About 83% of Ndwedwe Local Municipality’s population is rural in nature while the remaining 17% is urban (Ximba, 2009). Nineteen municipal wards and 23 traditional areas constitute Ndwedwe, Cibane, the case study being one of them, falls under ward 16 (Ndwedwe Local Municipality 2014a; Ndwedwe Local Municipality, 2014b). The majority (68%) of traditional areas within the Ndwedwe Municipality are governed by traditional authorities excluding commercial farms (Ndwedwe Local Municipality, 2014b).
57 3.2.1 Site location
Figure 3.2.1.1: Location of the Cibane traditional area, within KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa (Source:
author)
3.2.2 Socio-economic characteristics
Ndwedwe Local Municipality’s population is approximately 140 820 (Stats S.A, 2012). There are about 7785 people in ward 16, less than six percent of Ndwedwe’s population (Stats S.A, 2012). Roughly 68%
of Ndwedwe’s population are persons between 0-29 years old (Ndwedwe Local Municipality, 2014a).
Cibane traditional area is a predominantly isiZulu speaking community with a strong hold of the Zulu culture and is dominated by the Cibane tribe. Ninety-nine percent of Ndwedwe’s population is categorized as black (Ndwedwe Local Municipality, 2014b). Women are the dominant sex (52.8% and 55%) in Ndwedwe and in ward 16 respectively (Ndwedwe Local Municipality, 2014a; Stats SA, 2012).
Males migrate to urban areas in search of employment opportunities leaving the women behind (Ndwedwe Local Municipality, 2014a). Consequently 60% of the homesteads under ward 16 are headed by women (Stats S.A, 2012).
58 The dependency ratio is estimated to be 56% (Ndwedwe Local Municipality, 2014a). According to Stats S.A (2012) the education level in Ndwedwe, particularly ward 16 is relatively low with only 13% of the population with a matric certificate and 26% of the population with no level of education. Ward 16 employment rate is 7.7% with an average monthly income of R1200 (Stats S.A, 2012). Socio-economic indicators of Ndwedwe are reflective of a community with low education levels, high unemployment and low income level. Ndwedwe remains underdeveloped, disadvantaged and poverty-stricken (Sotshongaye and Moller, 2000; Tuli, 2006) because of inequities established during the apartheid era and the slow rate of reform since 1994 (Tuli, 2006). Approximately 80% of the land within Ndwedwe’s boundary is registered under the Ingonyama Trust Board including 16 traditional areas (Ndwedwe Local Municipality, 2014a). Allocation of land registered under the Ingonyama Trust Board is influenced by the local traditional council including the tribal chief, headmen and sub-headmen (Tuli, 2006). In addition, the Ingonyama Trust Board can lease land for agricultural or development purposes (KwaZulu- Natal Planning and Development Commission, 2009). The Cibane traditional area falls under the jurisdiction of Chief Cibane and communal administration of land and resource use is practiced as per norm (Nene, 2002).
3.2.3 Environmental characteristics
According to Ximba (2009) Ndwedwe is characterized by steep, undulating hills with ridges, mountains and valleys separated by steep drainage lines. Mdloti, iNsuze and Umvoti Rivers run through the Ndwedwe municipality (Ximba, 2009). Between September and March (spring and summer months), Ndwedwe experiences the wet seasons, whilst April to August are considered autumn and winter months, the dry seasons (Ximba, 2009). Ndwedwe’s microclimate varies because of the orographic effect.
3.2.4 Livelihood strategies
Ndwedwe is characterized by high levels of unemployment, poverty and survivalist activities (plate 3.2.3.1) (Isibani planning consultants, 2013). To sustain their livelihoods dwellers heavily rely on agricultural production and other microenterprises such as block making and sewing (Sotshongaye and Moller, 2000). Statistics reveal that the majority (21%) of employees are in the agricultural sector, followed by wholesale and retail (18%), government (17%), community (14%) and construction (10%) (Ndwedwe Local Municipality, 2014a). Secondary agricultural land, the dominant land use/cover in Ndwedwe is used for subsistence farming (Ndwedwe Local Municipality, 2014a). Land with the highest agricultural potential is privately owned and used for commercial agriculture (Ndwedwe Local Municipality, 2014a). Abundance of land, subtropical climate and close proximity to the Hazelmere dam render Ndwedwe suitable to the above mentioned livelihood strategies (Ndwedwe Local Municipality,
59 2014a). As a result of the diverse environmental and cultural features Ndwedwe’s tourism potential is high but needs more attention.
Plate 3.2.3.1: Ndwedwe-Cibane (Source: unknown)
3.2.5 Infrastructure and service levels
There is a general backlog in basic services such as water, sanitation, electricity and housing in the municipality (Black Balance Project, 2014). Ndwedwe inhabitants live in remote areas, a distance from the few roads running across the municipality. There are only a few paved roads in the interior of Ndwedwe, most of the roads are gravel and as a consequent are frequently impassable (Monib, 2000).
Sixty-six percent of households within the municipality do not have access to potable water (Ndwedwe Local Municipality, 2014a). In ward 16, only 17.3% of household’s source water from service providers while 74% depends on the river for water supply (Stats S.A, 2012). Eighty percent of Ndwedwe’s inhabitants have no access to electricity (Ndwedwe Local Municipality, 2014b). In ward 16 only 12.5%
of households have access to electricity for cooking, heating or lighting (Stats S.A, 2012). According to Ndwedwe Local Municipality (2014a) wards 7, 8, 10, 11, 16, 18 and 19 require urgent electricity provision (Ndwedwe Local Municipality, 2014a). According to Black Balance Project (2014) service delivery is poor because of the relatively steep topography, low settlement density and high costs of service delivery.
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