The provision of recreation facilities for the youth in Umlazi township (A socio-spatial perspective):
1. INTRODUCTION
This paper is about the provision of recreation facilities for the youth in Umlazi township – KwaZulu-Natal - Durban. Its foundation among others is based on The Reconstruction and Development Programme (1994) and the South African White Paper on Sport and Recreation (1995 & 1998) that have placed emphasis on the involvement of youth in recreation related activities. Both the White Paper on Sport and Recreation (1995 & 1998) and the Reconstruction and Development Programme (1994) had in turn indirectly compelled various South African municipalities of townships to see to it that their areas of operation are provided with recreation facilities and relevant societal recreation programmes.
2. OBJECTIVES
The three objectives around which this revolves are:
• to establish the extent to which the youth in Umlazi Township are both exposed and involved in recreation activities.
• to determine the levels of recreation provision of facilities for the youth.
• to establish the perceptions of the youth towards policies related to the provision and management of recreation facilities and activities within the study area.
3. HYPOTHESES
The operational hypothesis upon which the paper based its findings was that:
3.1 The inadequate provision of recreation facilities and programmes for the youth in Umlazi township has a negative impact on their behaviour.
3.2 The lack of relevant recreation programmes for the youth in Umlazi leads to the youth neglecting the existing recreation facilities.
3.3 The youth in Umlazi Township are not adequately exposed to policies related to the provision and management of recreation facilities and activities within the study area.
4. THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK
The general theory that has been postulated by different authors including Voskanyan et al (2003) Kloep and Henry (2003) Siverberg et al...