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the magisterial districts of Umlalazi, Le. Eshowe, Amatikulu,
Gigindlovu and MtunzinL By using the snowball sampling technique,
female respondents directly and indirectly connected to one another
were identified and consequently interviewed.
A few major recommendations stemming from the study include the
need for: women to be involved in deciding which lCTs would directly
and immediately benefit their lives; sensitization and training in the
use of lCTS before project implementation; resource centers with
skilled human resources and technological capacities to train
communities about ICTs; more enhanced collaboration with rural
women by being flexible and aware of their needs and requirements;
collaborative efforts with other stakeholders at community level; the
establishment of intermediary working committees at community level
for enhanced communication processes; and a feasibility study that
assesses the physical infrastructure and needs assessment survey
before project implementation.
The study concluded that there is a strong co-relation between the
levels of education of a community, types of lCTs used, information
seeking behavior, and the socio-economic landscape/environment. It
was also established that the enactment of a National Policy on ICT
development does not guarantee the efficient and effective use of
ICTs, especially by marginalized rural communities. Special efforts
must be made to involve rural communities. These efforts would
require policies that: encourage competition between various
stakeholders in the telecommunications industry, govern the costs of
ICTs, and govern connectivity in areas that are not commercially
viable. As women form the majority of most rural households, special
efforts need to be made in order to involve women in development
initiatives such as skills enhancement initiatives, participatory
mechanisms and follow-up programs.
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