Francois Theron- Profile

Francois Theron joined the lecturing staff of the University of Stellenbosch in 1980 after completing at the University of Stellenbosch the BA (Hons) Anthropology cum laude, the BA (Hons) Public and Development Management, and a MA in Anthropology cum laude . Currently busy with a PhD.

Active in the development planning and management field, close links are maintained with numerous professional organizations, NGO's, local bodies and community organizations. Theron has numerous academic publications to his name. He was invited to various national conferences, workshops and two international academic exchange programmes, one of which he is the co-ordinator. In pursuit of his fields of interest he focusses inter alia on development planning and management; urbanisation, community development, environmental development; poverty; participation, capacity building, empowerment, indigenous knowledge, sustainable development; and anthropological/sociological theory, strategy and social research methodology.

Qualifications:

BA	1976	Public and Development Management; Social Anthropology; Geography; Indigenous Law; African Studies (US)
BA (Hons)	1977	Social Anthropology (cum laude) (US)
BA (Hons)	1978	Public and Development Management (US)
MA	1984	Social Anthropology (cum laude) (US)
PhD	2004-2007	Currently - Research Topic: Assessing public participation strategies for Local Government in South Africa

Experience:

Part-time lecturer (Public and Development Management)(1980)
Full-time lecturer (Public and Development Management)(1981 -)
External examiner/ moderator (UWC; UNISA; Cape Peninsula University of Technology; Namibia Polytechnic)
Co-ordinator of Risk Management (Faculties of Arts 1981-1993 and Economic and Business Management 2004-)
Chairperson of the Bellville Park Library User Committee (2002- )
Co-ordinator of international student exchange/mentorship programmes (France, Sweden and The Netherlands)
Co-ordinator of Development Action, SOPMP student society
Alfa 1 programme for Academic Guidance and Facilitation of Adaptation co-ordinator (Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences)

Membership of professional associations/societies

Anthropology Southern Africa
Association of Southern African Schools and Departments of Public Administration and Management (ASSADPAM)
Joint University Public Administration Education Trust (JUPMET)
Western Cape Public Administration Training Research Forum
South African Foundation for Public Management and Development
South African Management and Development Institute
South African Institute for Town Planners
South African Foundation of Public Management (SAFPUM)
Institute for Housing for South Africa
Development Policy Management Forum (DPMF) (Roster of African Experts)
South African Association for Public Administration and Management (SAAPAM)
Forum for Community Development

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Conferences, symposia, seminars, training & networks

Attended and participated in 70 development planning and management conferences/workshops/symposia and training and capacity-building interventions
Co-presenter of International Winelands Conferences and co-editor of four (4) Winelands Conference publications:
Public and Development Management for Africa (1993) (co-editor)
Challenges in change (1995) (co-editor)
Spanning the global divide: Networking for sustainable delivery (1997) (co-editor)
Good governance for people: Policy and management (1999) (co-editor)
Outcomes based governance: Assessing the results (2001)
Innovative service delivery in the context of change (2003)
Public management and development – illusion, delusion, illumination? (2006)

Uni-Ed lecturer training and capacity-building programmes (US)
Institutional linkages with inter alia HSRC; DBSA; NBI; UN; World Bank; Eldis; IMF; ILO; Transparency International; CIVICUS; Participation Toolbox; OEDC ; Rotterdam University (The Netherlands); Rennes 1 University (France); Leiden University (The Netherlands); Omea University (Sweden); Sussex University (England); Konstanz University (Germany); Utrecht University (The Netherlands); Leuven University (Belguim)
Editorial Board, Africanus (UNISA), Journal of Development Studies

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Departmental responsibilities at SOPMP

Marketing/career exhibits/open days
International academic exchange programmes/mentorship
Student registration and orientation
Bursary committee
Library co-ordination
Co-ordination of Development Action, student organisation
Assessment committee for MPA/MPhil research proposals
Co-ordinator, Risk Management Programme
MPhil Research Methods (co-ordinator)

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Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences administrative responsibilities

Chairperson of the Bellville Park Library Users Committee
Co-ordinator, Risk Management Programme
Student registration
Career exhibit co-ordinator
Alfa 1 programme co-ordinator for Academic Guidance and Facilitation of Adaptation
Faculty committee for Social Dynamics (BA- programme, Faculty of Arts)

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Community development and capacity-building projects; academic short course programmes, workshops, conferences, consultation and public lectures:

Managing Integrated Development for Service Delivery (JUPMET-project)
Management of development planning and implementation programme for the RDP (JUPMET-project)
Capacity-building programme for Laingsburg (Laingsburg project for Engen Petrol)
Stellenbosch RDP Forum -strategic planning for public participation and transformation
Breytenbach Centre Multi-cultural community project (Wellington)
Management Consultancy Programme: Consulting for a learning organization (Workshop presented on “The utilization of consultants in a development context”)
Leadership Development Programme for the SAPS (International programme)
RDP Community Capacity Building Programme (Bellville, Kimberley and De Aar)
Housing Policy and Management Programme (National training programme for Department of Housing)
Community Capacity Building Manual (Training guide project for the Centre for Local Government Training)
Presidential Review Commission on Transformation and Reform of the Public Sector (Departmental Structures and Functions -assessor) (PAWC)
Capacity-building programme for the Christian Student’s Association, Joshua Student Movement (Stellenbosch)
Report on the Conference of the Development Society of Southern Africa, “Development - the human challenge”, University of Durban-Westville, at the Forum for Community Development Annual meeting (Stellenbosch)
Community Development: Theory and practice in South Africa, Development Action (Stellenbosch)
Urbanization in the Third World – a critical discussion of selected aspects of the urbanization process, Stellenbosch Dagkring (Stellenbosch)
Future perspectives on community development in South Africa., Specialist group of community workers, PAWC (Franschhoek)
Programme for project management for Local Government. EDI and World Bank, University of the Western Cape (Bellville)
Selected focus on development initiatives, Forum for Community Development (Stellenbosch)
The role of community development as development strategy, Khayelitsha Civics (Bellville)
Friends of the Museum Project (Wellington)
Benchmarking impact of public sector initiatives on civil society: Governance for democracy (Project proposal for SANPAD)
Helderberg Project (Recruitment, assessment and appointment project for PAWC)
Tygerberg Project (Recruitment, assessment and appointment project for PAWC)
Rural-urban demarcation assessment project for PAWC (with Department of Sociology, US)
Personal skills for managers programme. A SAPS capacity-building project
Integrated Development Planning for Local Government (Partnership with the Foundation for Contemporary Research and PAWC)
Public participation/ PPP’s and LED for local government (Partnership with DBSA/ FCR/ NBI)
Leadership Development Programme for Mbombela Municipality (Nelspruit)
Public participation strategies in project management (PAWC)
IMFO Workshop (co-ordinator/facilitator)
Public participation strategies for Developmental Local Government (PAWC)(4 X)
Housing Standing Committee: The human interaction context of housing: Public participation, capacity building and empowerment (PAWC)
Department of Health: Capacity-building and training intervention regarding alcohol abuse in the Drakenstein District (Paarl/Wellington)(PAWC)
Child Welfare: Community development, project management training and capacity- building workshop (Athlone)
Rooting government amongst the people - Ministry of Local Government and Housing, Western Cape. Conference on Public Participation (Cape Town)

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• Francois Theron •

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Francois Theron joined the lecturing staff of the University of Stellenbosch in 1980 after completing at the University of Stellenbosch the BA (Hons) Anthropology cum laude, the BA (Hons) Public and Development Management, and a MA in Anthropology cum laude . Currently busy with a PhD.