LACK OF REGULAR INCOME

It became clear during discussion sessions that the project members were desperate for a regular income. Respondents stated that lack of regular income was a major contributing factor to the dwindling numbers of project members. Project members stated that the income that they get from the project is not enough as they have to provide for their families.

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“I am widowed, my children are not working and I do not even have old age pension; social workers said I can get it when I am sixty years old. It would be better if we could get a regular income or whenever we sell we divide the profit and not wait until we have generated a lot of money”.

4.6.1.3 RESOURCES

The resources made available by the Department of Local Government and Traditional Affairs have been utilized effectively and efficiently to create income opportunities for members.

4.6.1.4 MARKETING

Project members indicated that when selling their produce they have to hire a vehicle to take their produce to town which costs them about R100, 00. The project members also stated that sometimes the extension officer assists them with transporting their produce to town but most of the time they transport it themselves.

The extension officer sometimes negotiates with the local supermarkets in Peddie to buy their produce. Project members stated that the prices that they sell their produce at local supermarkets are very low, because they tell them that they already have businesses that they buy from. It appears that project members feel exploited by these businesses. The project members‟ dissatisfaction at these low prices that they sell their produce at led to them selling their produce themselves in town and to their communities. Sometimes they get stuck with their produce and end up selling it on credit for community members. Project members also stated that it is difficult to collect these monies as people do not want to pay. It appears that the market for the project is limited .A limited market, according to Singwane (2001: 21) is one of the main contributing factors towards the failure of these types of projects. The chances of Sipheleke Food Security Project expanding and become a fully fledged small or medium enterprise is very slim.

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During discussions with project members one member stated that the project would do better if they had a business which they were sure would buy their produce at all times. This is a serious problem in that their produce gets spoilt in the storage container if it is kept for a long time, and as a result they have to lower their prices.

Most of the time they plant potatoes and when they are spoilt they do not throw them away; they use the spoilt potatoes as seeds. The observation is that access to market is a major constraint to performance of the project. It is not possible for the project to meet its primary objective if it fails to generate income. Therefore, access to market is central to the attainment of the objectives of the project. For project members this is a serious setback to their business and a threat towards the sustainability of their project.

It appears that the project members have no marketing strategy. Project members stated that they appreciate that the Department provided them with a storage container where they keep their equipment and produce safely. For the project to attain sustainability, the study believes that the project members should be trained in market research and developing a market strategy.

Figure 4: Sipheleke project members in front of the storage container

63 4.6.1.5 PROJECT MANAGEMENT

During the analysis of the financial records the researcher noticed that clear reporting was not done. Project members did not know how many bags of produce are sold and at what price. When they sell their produce on credit, it is not clear at what price the produce is sold and there is no recovery plan in place. It appears that project members do not have the capacity to manage the project‟s finances.

Sipheleke Food security Project is managed by a committee on a day to day basis and decisions are usually taken at meetings of the collective of members. The project is well constituted having an executive committee consisting of chairperson, secretary and treasurer. There is a constitution which governs the running of the project. Project members are all-rounders who rotate their duties. There is evidence of commitment from all project members. The project chairperson during the discussions stated that decisions as to what has to be done, when, how and by whom, were taken by the project members themselves.

There is conflict between project members and this is also contributing to poor project performance. Some project members expressed dissatisfaction at the manner in which they do their work. One member stated that she has no one to do household chores since they are expected to work in the project daily; she would appreciate if they could take turns in coming to the project. In the questionnaires, out of eight project members three indicated that they are not satisfied with the manner in which the project is managed, and this has resulted in conflict between the project members. It appears that project members who are females are not understood by their male counterparts, in that other than being project members they are also women who have to do household chores.

During the discussions it transpired that some members of the project seem to lack commitment, and this also created conflict between project members and the committee .One participant indicated that the committee that is managing the project practices favouritism; for example, one would apologise that he will join the project later and the apology would not be accepted, whereas with another it will be accepted. This demoralized some members and inevitably compelled them to resign from the project early.

64 4.6.1.6 MONITORING AND EVALUATION

Amongst other things that are important in the sustainability of projects is monitoring and evaluation. Project members indicated that the CDP from the Department of Local Government and Traditional Affairs rarely visits the project; at times she visits the project once a month or once in two months. Monthly visits and reports are meant to be carried out by the extension officer and the CDP. The CDP and the extension officer lacked the capacity to support the project to achieve the set goals.

There were poor facilitation skills in managing the project. There were no monitoring and evaluation systems in place, and as a result the CDP could not genuinely report on the progress of the project. There was a lack of transport to visit the project and to monitor progress. The Department of Local Government and Traditional Affairs only conducts monitoring, and this means that there is no clear assessment or measurement of the extent to which the project has addressed the problems confronting communities. With regards to the nutritional status of project members and community members and the availability of nutritious food, this appears to have been overlooked as it does not appear in reports submitted by the CDP.

Constant monitoring and support by the CDP would enhance project sustainability.

Molefe (2000: 21) advises that post-training and implementation follow-up should be conducted on a regular basis. He also says that evaluation should be carried out continuously in order to spot problems and bring about changes to further the cause of the projects. It became evident during the analysis exercise that unavailability of vehicle for the CDP has been a continuous hindrance to the project performance, management and sustainability