Abstract
The study used the Sustainable Livelihood Approach (SLA) for Thabazimbi Local Municipality to encourage the town to become ecosystem service based. The SLA approach works as an integrated procedure for poverty alleviation by understanding different magnitudes of people’s livelihoods. The approach also offers strategies that limit constraints and maximizes available opportunities. The study’s three objectives are: 1) To assess the availability and usage of ecosystem services at Thabazimbi; 2) To evaluate the challenges faced by residents in achieving sustainable livelihoods in Thabazimbi’s, and; 3) To identify the impact of mining on the environment. Data was collected using questionnaires and Remote Sensing. The study used SPSS and GIS for analysing data. Before data was analyzed, it was subjected to a normality test and reliability test as a form of cleaning it. This was also a way of testing the reliability of variables to determine if they would produce accurate results through a 5 point Likert Scale. The variables were normal, indicating that they were excellently reliable and would show accurate results. Results showed the availability of Ecosystem Services. Using a compared means analysis based on the average amounts of ESS available per town within Thabazimbi Municipal jurisdiction it became clear that these services can grow the town’s economy. However, results showed that there is a huge gap between the policies that govern the municipality and the residents of Thabazimbi Local municipality. This is evidence of lack of integration with other divisions within the same municipality departments. Although residents are to create small businesses the processes they need to follow are too complex, lengthy and expensive for disadvantaged people...
M.Ing. (Sustainable Urban Planning and Development)