In this study, I examine the process of public participation in the change of the name St. Lucia Wetland Park to Isimangaliso Wetland Park. I do this by investigating the extent and process of public participation in the decision-making process that changed the name of St. Lucia Wetland Park to Isimangaliso8 Wetland Park.
Key Themes and Concepts of This Study
A third factor, consisting of the powers, interests and strategies of the actors involved in the context, is also concerned with policy implementation. The third theme of this study is the process of conflict and negotiation in the implementation of public policy.
The Context of Name Changing
There are competing views within the ANC on the name change process as carried out in KwaZulu-Natal. In South Africa, the composition of the Renaming Task Team83 has been questioned.
Reflection on the Methodology of the Study
The timing of this study somewhat affected my access to the interviewees and the way the interviewees viewed me in the community where I did my fieldwork. In such cases, I continued to explain that I was a student in the public policy program at the University of KwaZulu-Natal doing a research project for my Masters degree and that I was not affiliated with a political party. As such, it was reasonably expected that they should play some role in the renaming process.
This further allowed rapport to be established during the interview and helped build trust between interviewer and interviewee. It was one of the ways I gained trust in the community and it helped facilitate access. No one in the community I contacted denied me access, except in the very rare cases where people were concerned about the proximity of the election (as mentioned earlier).
After each interview, I transcribed the material and reflected on the questions to be asked in the next interview. I also showed my student identity card to the participants and I had a letter from my supervisor (for those who could read) to prove that I was an authentic student in the Public Policy Program at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. In the text I was particularly careful not to reveal the identity of any member of the community through careful choice of text.
Chapter Two
The Historical and Policy Context of the Changing of the Name of St. Lucia Wetland Park to Isimangaliso Wetland Park
The Policy History of Name Changing
The first part of the policy aims to correct names that were previously misspelled. Responsible for advising local authorities and working with them to ensure that they apply the principles of the Geographical Names Council of South Africa for names under their jurisdiction; Makes recommendations to the Geographical Names Council of South Africa for names of geographical features that fall within its provincial boundaries. However, in March 2007, while the renaming process was supposedly on hold, some new names were still approved by the eThekwini Municipality Executive Committee.
In the context of renaming St. Lucia to Isimangaliso, it is clear that the choice of name correctly reflects the second part of the process, as mentioned above. However, they also show that there is dissatisfaction among parts of the public about the way the names have been changed98. In many cases, those who changed the street name have provided only a partial biography of the person whose name is used.
This consultation process consists of public hearings held throughout the country to test or receive the public's views regarding this process. The aim of the park authorities and the government was to combine development goals and nature conservation, especially development for the local population, while introducing an integrated management model in accordance with the law. So what does this mean for the longer-term sustainability of the name change project?
The Historical Problem of Participation in St Lucia
119 These were the findings of a research project carried out in 2007 by honors students studying in the core subject of the public policy program at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. 120 These were the findings of a research project conducted by honors students studying in the core course in the Public Policy program at the University of KwaZulu-Natal in 2007. 121 These were the findings of a research project conducted in 2007 by honors students studying in in the core subject of the public policy program at the University of KwaZulu-Natal.
123 These were the findings of a research project conducted by honors students studying a foundation course in the Public Policy Program at the University of KwaZulu-Natal in 2007. 124 These were the findings of a research project conducted by honors students who studying in a foundation course in the Public Policy Program at the University of KwaZulu-Natal in 2007. 128 These were the findings of a research project conducted by honors students studying in a foundation course in the Public Policy Program at the University of KwaZulu-Natal in 2007.
129 These were the findings of a research project carried out by honors students studying in a core course in the Public Policy Program at the University of KwaZulu-Natal in 2007. In the next chapter, I provide a discussion of the public participation process followed in renaming St. Public participation in the decision-making process to change the name of St.
The Debate Around Consultation
I asked a representative of the park authority how the community is involved in the park's affairs. He highlighted what he said was a complete exclusion of the community by the park authority. Contrary to the park authority's claims, community members I interviewed stated that there was no consultation process.
We just accepted it and I'm not even aware that the community was consulted about the name change. I think the municipality's role is between the two [the community and the park]. Perhaps the park authority did not think that the name change had any relevance for the municipality and that they were therefore not consulted about it.
Finally, the representative of the municipality expressed his disappointment at the lack of consultation in which the process of changing the name of the park took place. Unlike local municipalities, traditional leaders were consulted about the park's name change. This is in accordance with the claims of the representative of the park administration.
The Perceptions of the Public on the Re-Naming of the Park
Indeed, community members knew the name of the person calling meetings they were attending. An additional 13% of the community members interviewed indicated that they did not know if the inkosi had ever called a meeting regarding the renaming of the park. In contrast, 21% of community members interviewed said that the inkosi did call a meeting about renaming the park.
Not all community members I interviewed knew that the name St. Nor is illustrated in Chart 9, there were different ways in which the community learned that the park's name had changed. Most of the community knew the name had been changed and they knew about the new name after it was officially launched.
However, the majority of the community did not know why the name was changed. As illustrated in the graph, 61% of community members interviewed did not know why the name of the park was changed. As shown in graph 16, 70% of the community members surveyed did not know who participated in discussions to change the name or to choose the new name.
Chapter Four-
The Implications of the Process of Public Participation in this Case Study for the Process of Name-Changing in South Africa
Therefore, in this case study, there was a great lack of public participation in the decision to change the name of the park. Substantive cooperation would mean that the opinions and preferences of the public would be reflected in the process and decisions of public policy. The community did not question the process or the decisions that were made in renaming the park.
They also had no doubts about the choice of who participated in the renaming of the park. Renaming the park followed the same process: the decision was made for the community (by including a name they can associate with), but not for them (by involving them in the process of making that decision) . In this case study, ordinary community members were not consulted on this matter.
As in other parts of South Africa, the political objectives were not taken into account in the implementation of the policy. Despite the lack of consultation, the community living near the park accepts the new name. -dress and dignity depend on a consultation process -absent in the implementation of the name change process in 1995).
Conclusion and Further Recommendations
Secondary Sources 1 Books
- Chapters in Books
- Journal Articles
- Newspaper Articles
The Process of Government: A Case Study of Social Pressures (Evanston, IL: The Principia Press of Illinois) Oorspronklik The politics and government of social policy', Social Policy: Issues and Developments (Pearson Education Limited). eds) (2000). 1980) Politiek en beleidsimplementering in die derde wêreld (Princeton University Press, New Jersey). 2004) Vergelykende regering en politiek (Palgrave Macmillan, Basingstoke). 1995) "Participation in Context: Key Questions", Power, Process and Participation - Tools for Change (Intermediate Technology Publications Ltd).
The New Edition for the 1990s (Clarendon Press, Oxford) Truman, D. 1971) The Governmental Process: Political Interests and Public Opinion (Knopf, New York). The 2009 South African election (Jacana, Johannesburg). 1991) 'Elites and Democratic Theory: Insights from the Self-Organizing Model', The Review of Politics, 53 (Spring). Department of Environment Affairs and Tourism: notes', South African Law Journal, 122:4, pp Public participation in Lower and Higher socio-economic areas in South Africa', Acta Structilia: Journal for the Physical and. 2006) 'Ideological objectives underlying imbizo as a model of communication and management: research article', Communicare: Journal of Communication Sciences in Southern Africa, 25:2, pp. 2003).
"A New Approach to Managing Community Participation and Stakeholder Negotiation in South African Local Government", South African Journal of Economic and Management Sciences, 6:1, p. 1966). City of Joburg extends deadline for renaming policy, South African Cities Network, 24 January 2008, available online at http://www.sacities.net/2008/ian24 jhb.stm, accessed on. City of Joburg extends deadline for renaming policy, South African Cities Networks, 24 Jan. 2008, available online at http://www.sacities.net/2008/ian24_ihb.stm, at.
