Employment Profile
2.2 Spatial Context of eThekwini Municipality
2.2.6 EThekwini Rural and Traditional Authority Areas
75 eThekwini officials attended.The status quo was presented Tshani Consulting which is still in progress and further engagement is anticipated.
Both Umdoni and EM agreed to have ongoing engagements to discuss
development applications and proposals with specific reference to:
o Agricultural areas in decline- o Land reform issues
o Use of rail for commuting and tourism purposes
The Municipality has engaged neighbouring municipalities, other key government departmental sectors and parastatals. These include the Department of Water and Environment Affairs (DWEA), Umgeni Water, ESKOM, Department of Transport (DOT), Public Rail Association of South Africa (PRASA) as well as ILembe, KwaDukuza, Ndwedwe, UGu, UMkhambathini and UMsunduzi local and district municipalities.
In addition there is currently a demarcation process underway of which eThekwini Municipality is the recipient of four wards from Vulamehlo Municipality. As part of the process of incorporating these wards into the Municipality planning structures a study has been undertaken to determine the level of planning that has been done and to identify available information for further planning. The available information was insufficient; hence eThekwini Municipality and Umdoni Municipality through a number of engagements collaborated to have a detailed ward profiling project undertaken for the demarcation areas. The main aim of the survey is to gain an understanding of the status of each ward, so that eThekwini Municipality and Umdoni Municipality will have an understanding of the nature of the areas that they are inheriting, and be able to plan for those wards. COGTA is currently running with this initiative
A steering committee between eThekwini Municipality, Umdoni Municipality and Vulamehlo Municipality has been formulated where constant engagements, planning and decisions regarding the way forward are being taken.
76 the KZN Province as the highest contributor to the agriculture sector (58%) in the past 5years. Therefore the PGDS emphasises the need for municipalities in KZN to prioritise rural development in their areas of jurisdiction. The Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA) in the 2015/2016 SDF review comments also raised concerns that the eThekwini SDF does not adequately reflect its intentions to develop rural areas.
The eThekwini Municipality has also realised the need to pay more attention to planning for the rural areas due to a number of spatial challenges. The “rural” areas in eThekwini Municipality comprise approximately 68% of the municipality which largely falls beyond the 'urban development line with communal land tenure under the ownership of Ingonyama Trust Board and Traditional Authorities. There is a number of traditional Aiutorities represented in eThekwini Municipality and these area reflected in Figure 17 below. These areas are characterised by hilly, rugged terrain, varied settlement patterns, commercial farms and small holdings.
These areas support different lifestyles and densities as they encompass a number of areas that can be categorised as peri-urban. There is a lack of land use management in these areas which has resulted in some of the households in rural areas being located on environmentally sensitive land and within road reserves.
77 Figure 17: Traditional Authorities
78 Figure 18: Study Area
The rural areas in eThekwini Municipality are undergoing rapid change as the existing rural settlements are sprawling and transforming to peri-urban settlements which is attributed to the absence of land management and haphazard land allocation, which is flexible, context specific and not documented. In some areas these settlements have reached densities of up to 30 dwelling units per hectare which is similar to those of urban areas (eThekwini Draft Rural Development Strategy: 2016). The current level of services provided in rural areas is the urine diversion toilet, and the water supply is limited to a household standpipe which provides a maximum supply of 300 litres per day. This was in line with the conventional rural densities that allowed for large site size at a minimum of 1800 m².
The municipality has a mandate to do planning in “rural” areas but has no control over land management.
Housing provision is a challenge in that the nature of the subsidy dictates the type of housing to be provided.
This is problematic in the areas that are densifying outside of the urban development line as these are categorised as rural but have increased in densities and have a different character to the typical rural area.
Rural settlements within the study area are sprawling and becoming peri-urban in character and others have densified to the same levels as fully fledged urban areas. The servicing standards have remained
79 unchanged for a long time resulting in uninhabitable environments, especially in high density “rural”
settlements. Some settlements locate next to high mobility roads and illegally gain direct access from these roads; often resulting in road accidents and fatalities. There is therefore a need to redefine rural densities, boundaries and the role and structure of the rural areas of eThekwini Municipality to improve the social, spatial and economic contribution of rural areas in eThekwini municipality. To deal with the multi-dimensional issues of planning for these dynamic areas, the eThekwini Municipality has prepared a Rural Development Strategy.
2.2.6.1 Objectives of the Rural Development Strategy
To define “rural” and “rural boundaries” within the eThekwini Municipality taking into account the relationship between rural, peri -urban and urban areas and the eThekwini City Densification strategy (and other relevant spatial strategies such as the recently identified Integration Zone)
To prepare a rural framework that aligns with the City’s vision and develop rural strategies that promote sustainable economic development, protection of the environment, food security and sustainable settlement patterns with associated community facilities,
To examine the provision of appropriate services for the rural areas,
To understand the legal and land issues that affect land use management,
To develop institutional arrangements to ensure effective land management and service delivery,
To develop land use guidelines and identify priority areas to be further investigated for detailed planning,
To review the Hierarchy of Rural Nodes and identify an appropriate land use mix and densities to support rural nodal development.
2.2.6.2 Defining Rural areas
Many definitions of rural and urban have been developed over the years. Whilst there is no one agreed-upon definition for what constitutes "rural," most methods of classifying territory along an urban-rural continuum make reference to population size and density, level of urbanization, and/or the relationship to urbanized areas in terms of economic activity, commuting patterns, lifestyle , and so on. From the explored definitions of “rural” we could develop a study specific characterization of rural which looks at areas outside of city limits, sparse population using population formula per square kilometre, population densities less than 150 people / km², dwelling densities less than 1du/ hectares, primary economic activity being agriculture and generally located in the countryside.
Apart from commercial farming areas, which are very limited within the eThekwini municipal area of jurisdiction, there are very few rural areas that align strictly to the definition and concepts considered for a
“rural” setting. However, caution must be exercised in saying this, knowing that there have been some adjustments to the municipal boundaries with the incorporation of new areas in the south (portion of Vulamehlo) that may meet the definition parameters of “rural”. The “limited rural” areas noted above are observed on the peripheries like Cele, Nkomokazi, etc and these are largely the outskirts that form the boundaries with the adjoining municipalities. However the rate of densification and urbanisation of these remaining rural areas is such that they are likely to lose the rural character within the next 5 to 10 years, based on the rate of comparable transformation of areas observed within the municipality. This is exacerbated by the fact that eThekwini is a Metro, a Provincial node and gateway to Africa.
80 Figure 17: Rural Development Plan
In the eThekwini Municipality, it is noted that some areas have been viewed as rural because they fall within Ingonyama Trust and Traditional Authority jurisdiction. It must be noted that within eThekwini, these areas are no longer sparsely populated and have very limited vacant spaces. The large part of this land is practically peri-urban. Having said this about the rural character there are also practical linkages and service issues that will need to be reviewed.
• Large sections of outlying areas of eThekwini are still located further than 15 kilometres from a Rural Investment Node;
• Some outlying areas, specifically in the western parts, are still located more than 30 kilometres (at least 1-hour travel time) from a Rural Investment Node or an urban retail node; and
• The majority of the Rural Investment Nodes are still underdeveloped, with only Umbumbulu offering a limited range of retail and social services. This is due to the unavailability of bulk infrastructure to attract commercial activities.
2.2.6.3. Approach towards a Rural Development Strategy
81 Rural areas are sparsely settled and generally make good use of subsistence agricultural activities to sustain their livelihood. Owing to the sparse settlement, these areas usually lack formal infrastructure and services.
Smallholdings- these are to a large extent privately owned farms used for commercial productive purposes.
Some of these private farms accommodate isolated pockets of settlements, accommodating farm tenants and labourers. Peri urban areas are characterized by relatively high densities of settlements with a lot of retail activities accommodated within the centres of these areas. Most of these are under the traditional land ownership which adds to the ambiguity of servicing these areas, an issue that this strategy intends to address. Current infrastructure in the peri urban areas is generally not at par with the existing densities.
Based on the settlement typologies observed within the study area there are four bands of densities that guide the strategy.
• High density areas above 20 dwelling units per hectare,
• Medium density areas of 7 – 20 dwelling units per hectare,
• Rural areas of 4-7 dwelling units per hectare and,
• Commercial agriculture land of less than 4 dwelling units
Peri urban areas are shown as yellow and pink in the figure below:
Figure 20: Settlement Density Map Source: Draft eThekwini Rural Development Strategy: 2016
82 The table below represents refined densities in relation to infrastructure provision
AREA DENSITIES DESCRIPTIONS EXAMPLE: LEVEL OF
SERVICE
EXAMPLE: ECONOMIC CONSIDERATIONS
A High
density informal settlements (above 20 du /ha
These are typically high density areas within the study area where development has already taken place at a rapid rate.
To a large degree the location of these areas is strongly influenced by a good road network system linking such areas with neighbouring amenities.
The development and provision of services in these areas needs to follow fully serviced high density sites.
These should provide the following services:
Water borne sanitation
Water to each site
Storm water measures
Business activities at nodal points and other designated areas
B Medium
density homesteads (7-20 du / ha)
These areas are typically medium density that could still use some form of on-site sanitation
They are also influenced by a good road network system linking with adjoining communities
The following services are to be provided:
On site sanitation
Individual to communal water
Business activity at nodal points
Subsistence
agriculture around homesteads as well as communal urban agriculture.
C Low density residential settlements (1-7 du/ha )
These are low density areas of a rural setting. Households here also depend on what is offered by nature for living e.g forestry, rivers,
The following services are to be provided:
On site / homestead based sanitation
Individual to communal water
Use of Natural River streams, springs and boreholes.
Use of wood and other traditional forms for energy generation.
Subsistence to commercial agriculture involving livestock farming, plantations, gardens Herbs and medicinal plants
D Commercial /farming areas\
Less than 4 du/ha
Largely commercial farms Primary economic
activity agriculture,
Commercial agriculture
(Source: Draft eThekwini Rural Development Strategy: 2016)
There are typically high density areas above 20 du/ha within the study area where development has already taken place at a rapid rate (figure: ). To a large degree the location of these areas is strongly influenced by a good road network system linking such areas with neighbouring amenities. The development and provision of services in these areas needs to follow fully serviced high density sites. These should provide the following services, water borne sanitation, water to each site; storm water measures, business activities at nodal points and other designated areas
There are typically medium density areas of 7-20 du/ha that could still use some form of on-site sanitation.
These are also influenced by good road network system linking with adjoining communities. The following services are to be provided: on site sanitation, individual to communal water, business activity at nodal points, subsistence agriculture around homesteads as well as communal urban agriculture. There are also low density areas of rural setting with densities of 1-7 du/ha. The low density rural areas can be serviced by on site / homestead based sanitation, individual to communal water, subsistence to commercial agriculture involving livestock farming, plantations and gardens. Commercial /farming areas are characterised by less than 4 du/ha and the primary economic activity is agriculture. Commercial farms are privately owned.
83 2.2.6.4. An institutional framework
A number of stakeholders need to be involved in order to realise the intentions of the strategy. These include Amakhosi, eThekwini leadership, Ingonyama Trust Board and COGTA. In terms of the strategy it is argued that there are three institutional scenarios (detailed in the report) that can be formulated to prioritise key elements as starting points to the strategy to regulate rural development in eThekwini. It must be made clear that the history of alienated relations between formal government structures and institutional arrangements in rural areas require a specific focus. Therefore amongst these starting points is the primary issue of creating an institutional framework as a basis for forging working relationships between stakeholders associated with rural governance and government. This is why the institutional framework features in all scenarios.
2.2.6.5 Developing strategies
STRATEGY 1: Detailed plans that can be surveyed
This is perhaps the most obvious starting point in addressing the challenges associated with densities. This intervention will ensure that all the land spaces vacant and settled are properly accounted for through planning and meeting requirements of SPLUMA for wall to wall schemes. This process should take into account institutional strategies as the engagement of all stakeholders is crucial. The composition of teams should be such that the team undertaking the planning tasks includes social and GIS or surveyor skills who will account for all existing structures and the communities’ perceived boundaries. The settlement layout plan should clearly indicate the proposed densities from design point of view.
STRATEGY 2: Servicing the areas based on the area character rather than tenure character
The municipality should ensure that services in denser areas are at appropriate levels so that such areas are sustainable. Prevalent tenure arrangement should not be a consideration in the servicing of areas.
Discussions and investigations are underway by servicing Departments to look for sustainable solutions to realise this.
STRATEGY 3 – Capacitating local stakeholders to manage land effectively
This strategy seeks to address the anomalies created by the different roles and responsibilities within land management. It is suggested that training programmes be developed in conjuction with COGTA to ensure that the traditional authorities are kept abreast of land management techniques. The training should include land restrictions e.g. servitudes, road reserves, environmental zones etc. Possible programmes will include training of ward committees, amakhosi, izinduna on environmental issues and road safety amongst other things.
2.2.6.6. Existing Hierarchy of nodes
Development nodes are largely centres of activity (albeit at different scales) which are linked to development corridors in terms of people and physical thresholds. Nodes are important points providing concentration of different activities. Again nodal points have a potential to expand in size based on different uses.
Nodal areas can be used to concentrate specific activities which could have a multiplier effect to a broader municipal area. Apart from this it can yield economic benefits to promote certain land uses clustered for both
84 the supplier and the user in that other associated services could be found within a short radius. There are four identifiable tiers of Nodes; Rural Investment Nodes, Rural Service Nodes, Rural Tourism and Recreational Nodes and Agriculture Nodes but key to the SDF are Rural Investment Nodes. Rural Investment Nodes have potential for Support Services such as Business, Agriculture, Tourism and Environmental opportunities for local economic development. The Rural Investment Nodes includeuMgababa/ uMnini, Umbumbulu, Inchanga, uMzinyathi and KwaXimba
Figure 21: Proposed Nodes
The most significant finding and recommendation from the strategy is that the so called “rural areas” can no longer be classified and developed as such. From an economic perspective these areas should be viewed as transitional in nature, transitioning from rural to urban. From a servicing point of view these areas need to be serviced based on their character and there is a strong need for a strengthened institutional arrangement.