Abstract
If you consult history with a sober mind, you’d easily realise that South Africa’s inequalities are inherently linked to its treacherous past. The country’s precarious juncture of landlessness emanates from colonisation and the apartheid regime introduced new other variants. Modern South Africa has inherited this grim and crude history. With transition to democracy, the government introduced several policies aimed at restoring land rights of the dispossessed. To this day, such efforts have been going at a sluggish pace. And now, a new philanthropic phenomenon to restore land rights of the dispossessed has emerged – land donation. A social justice initiative Earthrise Trust bought the Rustlers Valley Farm and legally committed to donate a portion of the land to the once landless community of Naledi in the Free State. This is a classic example of what’s possible when local communities are given back land and empowered to be at the centre of shaping their own economies and futures. This project investigates the role of communication between Earthrise and the Naledis in making the community self- sustaining. Secondly, it examines the extent to which Naledi village measures up to standards of what is considered self-sustainability so far as development communication is concerned. The nature of this enquiry warrants one to engage on qualitative approaches. Thus, the project employs semi-structured interviews and observations in pursuit of finding out the answers. The findings shed light that Naledi village has been self-reliant before Earthrise Trust purchased the farm in 2013. Before this, the farm had remained dormant. The development of Naledi village is primarily necessitated by the fact that Earthrise and the Naledis have embraced dialogical approaches in their pursuit of spurring new life in the valley. The findings reveal that the empowerment by Earthrise has armed the Naledis to tackle any encumbrances that are/will confront the community. They have learned the essence of teamwork, democracy from below and problem-solving skills. Another magnificent element which ensures Naledi village’s sustainability is its social fabric made up of close families. The villagers govern the village with love, respect, and humility. Keywords: Land reform; land dispossessions; self-reliance; sustainability; development communication.
M.A. (Communications Studies)