The Impacts of Tourism Initiatives on Rural Livelihoods and Poverty Reduction in South Africa: Mathenjwa and Mqobela - Responsible Tourism: Critical Issues for Conservation and Development - page 227

Table 11.3a Positive and negative impacts of the tourism initiative on community and individual assets and livelihoods - financial

Financial Assets Negatives Positives

Mathenjwa Mqobela Mathenjwa Mqobela

Access to
investment
funds, loans

• No significant change since
opening of the lodge
• Loans not accessible for all
community members
• No record of any loans made to
community members living
adjacent to the lodge
• Loans being distributed by the
community trust to members of
Mathenjwa Inkosi's (chief 's) family
(no record of these loans being
repaid)

• Loans not accessible to all
community members
• No record of any loans made
to community members being
paid back to the Community
Trust, general acceptance that
they will never be repaid
• Loans given to staff by the tour
operator now ceased

• Bank accounts for some full-time
staff provide potential for loans
• Loans given by the tour
operator to staff in the past (now
ceased)
• Access to Mathenjwa
Community Trust money for
community members related to
Inkosi and directors of the trust
• Equity for the community trust in
the tourism initiative
• Loans given by the tour operator
to staff in the past
• Bank accounts for some full-time
staff provide potential for
loans

• Access to Mqobela Community
Trust money for some commu-
nity members in the form of
loans
• Equity for the community trust
in the tourism initiative
• Loans given by the tour opera-
tor to staff in the past
• Bank accounts for some full-time
staff provide potential for loans

Earnings • No significant change for

community as a whole
• Very few full-time employees
• Allegations of misuse and misap-
propriation of funds by the
Community Trust
• No accountability

• No significant change for the
community since 2000
• Very few full-time employees
• Allegations of misappropriation
of funds by the Community Trust

• Earnings for a small minority as
full-time employees (21 people
earning an average of ZAR 857
pcm affecting approximately 21
households (approx 2% of
households) average of 7.06
people per household)
• Approximately ZAR 1500pcm
given by the lodge to Mathenjwa
Community Trust as part of lease
• Some additional money derived
from initiative into community
trust account in the past (ceased
prior to study)

• Earnings for a minority as full-
time employees (23 people
earning an average of ZAR1340
pcm affecting approximately 23
households (approx 11% of
households) average of 5.09
people per household)
• Some seasonal casual work
(approximately 50 people
working 19 days per year on an
average wage of ZAR30 per day)
• Approximately ZAR2500 pcm
given by the lodge to Mqobela
Community Trust as part of lease
• Some additional money derived
from initiative into community
trust account in the past (e.g.
ZAR17,784 in 1998