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VISION STATEMENT
The Sandile Research and Development Consultancy strives to support knowledge production and shape policy dialogues in South Africa through research and development initiatives.

MISSION STATEMENT
To provide quality and scholarly research, as well as initiating and supporting development projects that are aimed at the betterment of particularly those previously disadvantaged communities and the South African communities at large.

AREAS OF WORK
The SRDC provides the following services in the areas of sociology, development, and education. These are:

Research and Consultancy

Research projects are both self-initiated (with funding sought from donors) and conducted on behalf of government and civil society organisations. We do this to generate and share knowledge related to social and economic development in South Africa and the whole of Africa.

Public Policy Analysis and Facilitating Policy Dialogues

Activities aimed at analysing policy are undertaken for local, national and provincial governments as well as organisations of civil society. Platforms are created on government request to facilitate healthy policy dialogues among different stakeholders.

Development
Small scale development initiatives are established in consultation with local government, traditional leadership in rural communities, and communities themselves as a way of promoting self-help activities.

Capacity Building and Supervision
The SRDC offer research internships to postgraduate students and assist with supervision of Masters Dissertation in consultation with relevant Higher Education institutions.

Rapporteuring  (Conference Reporting)
At Conferences, Indabas, workshops and seminars, the SRDC provides a secretariat service to various government departments and institutions. This service entails taking detailed notes during the sessions and develops a full report for the occasion.

EXPERIENCE

  • Under the auspices of the Dumisile Development Projects, the SRDC conducted research into the institutional linkages between Local Government and Traditional Leadership with reference to Planning. This study was commissioned by the KZN Planning and Development Commission between 2006 and 2007.

  • Commissioned by the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Local Government and Traditional Affairs to provide Rapporteuring service at the International Traditional Leadership Conference that was held on the 25 and 26 of October 2007 at ICC, Durban

  • Commissioned by the University of Natal’s College of Humanities to provide a Rapporteuring service at their Internationalisation Workshop held on the 06 November 2007 at EMakhosini, Durban.

  • Commissioned by the KwaZulu-Natal Local Government and Traditional Affairs to provide Rapporteuring service and write a comprehensive report on the Provincial Urban Renewal Open Day held on the 13-14 March 2008

  • Captured data and drafted report on Youth Profiling for Ugu Municipality and Ngome Household Survey for KZNDSD.

  • Commissioned by the KZNPDC to conduct research into planning in different socio-cultural contexts Dec 2008 - July 2009

  • Commissioned by the KZNPDC to facilitate a Conference on Planning in Rural Areas, which was held on 5th of March 2009

  • Edited the KZNDoE Annual Performance Plan for 2009/2010


PARTNERS

The SRDC works with a large range of different partners. Past and present partners include, inter alia, the following:

  • Governments: South African national Departments of Education; mostly KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng Departments of Education in South Africa; KZN Department of Local Government, Housing, and Traditional Affairs

  • Project Partners: Dumisile Development Projects cc, Geologic Solutions, In spite Of cc, Education Policy Consortium of South Africa; Centre for Development, Research and Facilitation; Centre for Education Policy Development.