African Journals Online
AFRICANUS

Volume 32, Issue 2 2002
Abstracts

Social work research within the context of the new social welfare policy of South Africa
Van Delft, Wilfried

Abstract: The focus of this article is on the paradigm shifts that govern the new social welfare policy as proclaimed in the South African White Paper for Social Welfare, as well as the Financing Policy : Developmental Social Welfare Services document. These new policies changed the face of social welfare in South Africa. They emphasise the (cost) effective, outcome-based service delivery to the benefit of all South Africans, particularly the previously marginalised population. This requires social work to readdress its research focus and methodology in order to maintain its pivotal role in social welfare.

People, places and stories
Bridger, Jeffrey C.

Abstract: The struggle for control over the developmental trajectories of places often revolves around the appropriate identity of a place and its people and the legitimacy of different symbolic representations of place. These battles are often fierce because material consequences flow from the ways in which places are represented to residents, tourists and potential investors. Different images attract different forms of development, which, in turn, set the stage for future patterns of investment, growth and decline. In this article I examine place representation. I begin with a brief discussion of the social production of space. Following this, I focus on how the stories that are told about places affect patterns of development. I then draw on a case study of a rapidly growing region to illustrate this process. Finally, I suggest how an appreciation of the stories we tell about the places we live in can usefully inform community development policy.

Process is power in small, grassroots participatory development efforts 
Louw, Huma

Abstract: In small-scale participatory development efforts the process of change whereby a situation is improved creates power among the people. In this article, the process is described and illustrated utilising two stories which serve to remind that development must begin with, and within, the people themselves.

Establishment of a crèche in the Popo Molefe informal settlement using a people-centred participatory approach
Ox, ErikaO'Neil, Margaret

Abstract: This article describes the process of establishing a crèche in the informal settlement of Popo Molefe in the Hartbeespoort area of South Africa's Gauteng Province. Some of the obstacles to development in the area are highlighted. Erika Ox, a teacher by profession, was the facilitator of the community development process, which she undertook for her practical work for the Certificate Programme in Skills for People-centred Community Development under the supervision of the course leader, Dr Margaret O'Neil.

The narrative approach and community development : a practical illustration
Du Plessis, Retha

Abstract: This article illustrates the application of the narrative approach as formulated by Michael White to facilitate development processes in a rural community. Two of the many processes that were facilitated for the first 22 months are described. The processes are still continuing. It is made clear that the narrative approach can create sustainable development projects.

Learning through rediscovery and reclaiming local / indigenous knowledge and skills
Louw, HumaSchenck, Rinie

Abstract: In this article the authors explain some of the attempts they make to "indigenise'' the training of students in social work, paying special attention to community work to assist the students in discovering the richness of their own knowledge base and in integrating and symbolising the theories so that they learn from within - to grow their own horns because, as they say in Northern Sotho "Naka tsÏ a go rwesÏ wa ga di gomarele hlogo'' ("One cannot stick the horns of one cow on another. The horns have to grow from within'').