Investigating sustainable methods of alleviating unemployment in rural communities of the uMhlathuze municipality, KwaZulu-Natal

Abstract

Background: Unemployment has long been a problem facing the citizens of South Africa. Unemployment is a multidimensional social, political, and economic phenomenon. It is a complex concept to measure and define because it depends on the economy of areas, culture and education systems, and social settings. Furthermore, the problem of unemployment is seen to be more significant among the youth as opposed to the adult populations in both developing and developed countries. South Africa faces many socio-economic challenges, and unemployment is at the centre of most of these challenges. Therefore, it is essential to investigate some of the vulnerable parts of society, such as the rural areas which are most marginalized, to ascertain the type of government, business, and societal intervention required. Purpose: The primary objective of this study was to investigate sustainable methods of alleviating unemployment in rural communities of the City of uMhlathuze Municipality in KwaZulu Natal (South Africa), as well as the effect that being unemployed has on the lives and livelihoods of the people living in the CoU municipality. Furthermore, the study aimed to investigate the impact of the July 2021 unrest/looting in KZN on unemployment-alleviating methods. Research methodology: The study followed a qualitative research method and was underpinned by an inductive research approach. The study adopted a single case study. The data were collected via two interview schedules for the unemployed respondents and the other for the municipality employee respondents in the CoU. Key findings: The key findings were that the municipality has programmes in place; however, the majority of the unemployed respondents were not aware of these programmes, and the minority that were aware were also not happy with how these programmes are run; the unemployed respondents are negatively affected emotionally with some indicating that they have lost hope and some indicating that they become too emotional sometimes. Their lives and livelihoods are iii negatively impacted when they can't fulfil some basic needs such as building themselves houses and educating families and kids. Furthermore, both the unemployed and employee respondents agreed that the 2021 unrest/looting harmed employment opportunities. The unemployment alleviation methods, such as LED programmes, were also affected, where more people were getting assistance because of lost employment and are now taking part in the informal trading businesses. Contribution: The study contributes to the literature on unemployment alleviation methods for municipalities and other levels of government. It adds to the body of knowledge by offering several managerial implications and recommendations that the municipalities may consider, especially those with rural areas as part of their communities.