MAP: LOCATIO. OF STUDY AREA
7.3. The beneficiaries' satisfaction on housing project implementation
The main objective was to research the effectiveness of the housing projects in the field, to assess residents opinions regarding the provision of housing commonly used in urban areas in their existing homesteads. This was done so as to establish whether, despite providing urban design for residents, housing was satisfying people's needs as well as to research whether there was a need for the more holistic options to suit the rural structure.
The beneficiaries from Mpukunyoni area were interviewed usmg questionnaires with open-ended and closed questions, since they were involved in the implementation process of the Mpukunyoni Housing Project. The researcher spent days staying in the area so as to get to know the place, people and important leaders from the community like Inkosi Mkhwanazi, who IS also the chairperson of the Mpukunyoni Development Committee and other role players.
This section looks at the responses to the questionnaires set by the researcher. The questionnaires are categorised and analysed per category. Thereafter, general and specific conclusions are drawn. The questionnaires were administered with 60 beneficiaries from Engqopheni and Nkombose area that have benefited from the rural housing subsidies and are currently occupying houses. The beneficiaries were randomly selected. The researcher chose 60 beneficiaries from 600 households since the main aim was to take 10
%( ratio) of the whole population to gather as much information as possible to ensure accuracy.
There were 600 houses that were built during the housing project implementation for the Mpukunyoni community. The researcher visited each household and interviewed them personally in their homesteads. This enabled the researcher to clarify some questions that were not understood. The researcher communicated well with the respondents since they spoke the same language, Zulu. The researcher was also well informed and knew the norms and values since she was familiar with rural areas where customs are regarded as a way of life. The interview schedule for the focus groups discussion was modified during the data collection process. The researcher was assisted by the fieldworker to introduce her to the beneficiaries since she was not from the area during data collection.
The researcher planned to use a tape recorder with all the respondents. It must be mentioned that other respondents were suspicious when the tape was used. When they were asked about how they feel about using the recorder, most of them said they were not comfortable because they suspected that their responses would be broadcasted somewhere without their knowledge. Therefore, the researcher decided to stop using a tape recorder so as to enable the respondents to express themselves freely. The researcher was also cautious about the influence of the background and traditional beliefs.
The responses were analysed in accordance with the categories, which allowed for the general and specific conclusions to be drawn. The background information entails a brief profile of the respondents that participated in answering the questionnaires.
The findings indicated that the majority of the respondents were from the age of 30 years old and above. This could be attributed to the fact that in rural areas old people are usually found at home since they are involved in the informal sector. Table 4 below show the exact numbers for the age group of respondents interviewed.
Age No. of respondents Percentage
0-19 5 8.3
20-29 10 16.7
30-39 15 25
40-49 15 25
50+ 15 25
Total 60 100
Table 4: Age Group of the Respondents
Table 5 below indicates that the majority of the respondents were women. This is caused by the fact that most women are heading their households in the absence of their husbands .Most men were not in their homes due to the lack of employment opportunities that have forced them to leave their homes and migrate to urban areas.
Gender NO. of Respondents Percentage
Male 20 33
Female 40 67
Total 60 100
Table 5: Respondent's gender
The researcher was interested In finding out the period the respondents have lived at Mpukunyoni area. This was important for the researcher to have a clear understanding of the commitment of inhabitants, given the rate of hardships they encounter. The majority
of the residents were born in the area and do not planning to leave the place even in future.
Length of stay
6+ Years 80%
\- 3-5 Years 15%I 01-2Years 5%
FIGURE 7: Length of Stay
Figure 7 revealed that the majority of the respondents have lived in the community for all their lives. 15% of the respondents came to live in the area because of marital relationships with the people from Mpukunyoni. Most respondents lived in extended families, where elders own the house living with their children and their grandchildren and the relatives too. Therefore, this indicates that families are large in terms of membership. Most family members were more than six in each household. In this case, the extended families were caused by children of the unmarried daughters. Overcrowding is then experienced if one compares the number of household members and the number of houses available. Rural areas consist of houses that are scattered around the yard and each one of them has its own function. For instance, in most cases rondavel is mostly used as a kitchen (ixhiba).
The respondents were qUite happy with their houses because that had no intention of leaving the area where their forefathers and
parents lived and were buried. Those who work in urban areas still maintain ties with their families. Consequently, these people still find themselves connected to their ancestors and leaving the place would be like deserting them. That is why you find rondavels in most homesteads, which they commonly use for ritual practices. Even the traditional authority also confirmed that the main reason they build houses from the existing homesteads it due to the ancestral and, people solidly cannot be separated from their loved ones. This then is an important indicator of why indigenous architecture should be considered for rural areas. The respondents also reported that they depend on their child support grant and agricultural produce.
In Mpukunyoni, about 57% houses were plastered and made of mud.
12% of both traditional and urban housing used corrugated iron on the roof and 10% of the respondents still use thatched grass. The different building materials used for construction and maintaining the house is shown by figure 7 below. The figure shows the need for the rural development to make use of durable material types. This then challenges the developers to either make use of modern material that is a bit expensive, but durable to improve the traditional material that is easily accessible and affordable.
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