There are a various competing and contradictory views on the relation between society and the environment. At least four narratives on the relationship between the society and the environment can be identified, namely: conservation view; economic view; non-state actor view; and the local community views.

The conservation view is the oldest narrative that rooted within the apartheid era. It is authoritarian when policy, practices and directives exclude people and remove their rights to land and lead to forced removals and resettlements. The economic narrative views the environment as a commodity not for the benefit of the locals but a selected privileged few. The involvement of the private sector is considered important because at some level the environment is regarded as the victim of extreme local poverty. The non-state actor view originates from external interested parties outside of the local government. It places its emphasis on the intrinsic value of the environment and that should be protected and respected, and it may exclude local community representation or inputs. The local community views are complex views that are highly differentiated because they are informed by time, place and individual characteristics and circumstances. This approach is motivated by the nature of the relationship with the environment as shaped by the socio-political context. It is a fact that local communities derive their livelihoods from a variety of sources other than directly from the environment.

The conservation view does not contribute to the South African environment context because it is criticized for excluding locals from decision making etc. The economic view contributes to the SA environment because there have been activities of exploiting underdeveloped nature areas just for companies to maximise profit(capitalism).

Sustainable development discourse was identified by the United Nations as goal for all nations globally. The sustainable development of South African government considers a few factors in the principles applied such as improving the quality of life. The basis of policy formation in South African context also ensures continued availability for current and future generations. Environmental and social justice discourse accounts for the equitable distribution and access to good quality environmental resources because they are narrowly linked to overcoming social problems such as poverty, poor quality education and unemployment. Environment justice is also linked to the uneven power relations and inequality if poor neighbourhoods are located close or in industrial areas.

The participatory development approach aims to involve the poor in initiatives and projects developed by external organizations in the hope that these projects will be more sustainable and successful.

The purpose of this approach is to ensure that attention is paid to the local population to maximize benefits and minimize negative impacts. For example, development projects in South Africa seek to involve the local population and introduce new technologies.

A participatory approach to development is one of the most important approaches in South Africa, as stakeholders collaborate and interact with community members to express their views on development and enhance those views to achieve community project goals and its sustainability.

South Africa is a land of diversity and culture. This approach allows foreign stakeholders to introduce foreign ideas and new technologies to suit social and cultural diversity and local communities, especially in provinces such as Limpopo, where a certain level of perception has not been developed.

There are many challenges to participatory development in both developed and developing countries. Problems resulting from the cycle of crime, despair, inequality, and poverty are at the heart of development challenges. These challenges are anti-participatory, and they hinder participatory development in South Africa.

Participatory development approach affirms that stimulating people's productive energy promotes greater participation of all people in productive processes and that the equitable distribution of their benefits becomes a central element of their development strategies.

The theory of modernization argues that development involves facilitating the post-colonial world on the path to progress towards modernity. This process involves social, economic, and cultural changes in which the country is "developed" from an industrialized or backward state to a modern society. The modernization theory has 5 stages.

1) Modernization theorists believed that traditional societies need the western strengths of modernization theory. for example, society suffered from a poor understanding of the possibilities of the environment and a lack of advanced technology and tools, resulting in limited production.

2) Second, this process can be scientifically observed and measured when social scientists had a historical pattern.

3) Third, while the "original transition" to modernization was seen primarily because of endocrine factors, the presence of prototypes may help promote growth and modernization through external support.

4) Fourth, this framework presented a "dual" historical model that measured the transition between the "ideal" poles of tradition and modernity.

5) It emphasizes how change in one part of the social structure affects the other. It is said that developmental change requires the simultaneous focus on political structures, technical, cultural institutions, and individual behaviour.

A more direct challenge to modernization theory arose in the 1960s and 1970s in the form of dependency theory. Dependency theory argues that all societies today are integrated into a single global economic system that is capitalist. Dependency theorists argue that Third World countries are poor because they were and are exploited by First World countries, and that exploitation arose from colonialism.

While both modernization theory and dependency theory have notable flaws, it should be noted that both assign a significant role to planning and coordinated assistance in a development project. Following the recipe of the addiction thesis for developmental disabilities in Africa and the South in general, the question arises: how, then, can this addiction situation be overcome?

Development 

Development is the process of changing and developing social and economic reality by combining physical, economic, environmental and social components. There are several factors that shape development in South Africa.

1.Growth and Structural change

Development requires growth and structural change. The main goal is to move from the primary sector, to the secondary sector and finally to the tertiary sector. South Africa has not made progress in changing the structure of its economy, but there are rapidly growing sectors such as trade, agriculture, telecommunications, and so on.

2.Distribution of Income

Income distribution in development is equity in which income is shared equitably. A more equitable distribution of income can help accelerate growth and promote economic and social development. South Africa is known for its extreme income and inequality, with public spending increasingly targeting poor South Africans.

3.Political Transformation

Political growth must go hand in hand with economic and socio-cultural growth. Social structure and economic development depend heavily on political change. The dynamics of social, economic, political and cultural process in South Africa is associated with the role of transformation in the transition from an old to a new society. Development in South Africa was not equated to freedom.

4.Improvements in Education and Health

Education and health care play a fundamental role in the development of a country, as they indicate the satisfaction of basic human needs. In South Africa, education improves people's lives because it frees them from poverty and society continues to grow and the environment supports activities and conditions for healthy living.

Poverty

Poverty is a deprivation of well-being and is generally related to whether individuals or communities have sufficient resources to meet their needs. Poverty can be considered a social exclusion, but it benefits both the individuals and communities. 

People below the minimum budget are considered to be living in poverty. The advantages of poverty for the people are that people that are below the minimum budget do a "dirty work", a low wage job is offered to people who are below the minimum budget. The unemployed contribute to recycling and help to keep the environment clean and help incompetent professionals. Welfare reform increases and pushes people into the labor market.

The benefits of poverty for the community is that domestic work in high income class gets done. Communities contribute to cultural activities such as music, dance and modeling benefits both the individual and community because of recognition in talent. The investment class performs well in helping communities facing poverty achieve their goals.

Two theoretical approaches to social problems

Structural Functionalist Perspective

A strong society requires social stability and social stability requires adequate socialization and social integration. Society's social organizations play important roles in helping to ensure social stability. Slow social change is desirable, but rapid social change threatens the social order. People may express social deviance. Social problems undermine the stability of society, but do not reflect fundamental shortcomings in the structure of society. Solutions to social problems must take the form of gradual social reform rather than sudden and sweeping changes. Despite their negative affects, social problems often play an important role in society. For example, crime is a huge social problem, but it is also good for the economy because it creates hundreds of thousands of jobs in law enforcement and reforms home security and other areas of the economy. The main role is dealing crime. If crime disappeared, many people would be out of work.

Conflict Perspective

Conflict theory sees social problems in its various forms as a result of inherent inequality in society. Depending on what version of conflict theory is being considered, the inequality that leads to the emergence of social problems is based on certain dimensions of social class, race and ethnicity, gender or hierarchy of society. Conflict theory suggests that because any of these inequalities have a fundamental flaw in society, radical social change is necessary to solve many of society's social problems. For example, the average woman is not given equal opportunities as the average man because gender inequality goes hand in hand with the widely held sexist belief that women are inferior to men.

Structural functionalist theory emphasizes that every aspect of society serves a function that is important for the survival of society whereas conflict theory states that society is in friction due to unequal distribution of resources. Both believe that society fulfils some basic functional role in human life.

WHAT IS A PROBLEM?

depression is more than just feeling sad, it can be hard for victims and their families. smash-and-grab is a major concern because victims lose their valuable belongings. rape is forced sexual intercourse on another person against their will. fast fool is linked to poor quality diet and can lead to serious health issues. people living with HIV/AIDS are more likely to serious health conditions.

WHAT MAKES A PROBLEM A SOCIAL PROBLEM?

depression causes relationship problems and other interpersonal relationships. smash-and-grab is a major social problem because many people are victims of it. rape does not only affect the victim, it affects family and friend because it is part of society and it leads to depression. the increase in the consumption of fast food has endangered a range of social impacts such as animal abuse and environmental degradation. HIV/AIDS presents serious social challenges for societies, such as earning income to support families and economic development.

WHAT CAUSES A SOCIAL PROBLEM?

depression is a life experience that exists in a society for generations and is has more weight because of conditions contributed by society or internal factors. poverty and unemployment are the causes of smash-and-grab because it is their only chance of survival. fast food can cause depression because of labelling and society. stigma and discrimination limits people with HIV/AIDS.

HOW CAN WE SOLVE SOCIAL PROBLEMS?

mental health education can improve the way we think about victims of depression. precautionary measures can reduce the rate of smash-and-grab crime and also job opportunities. rape cannot be prevented but victim support and constructive input can raise awareness. fast food intake can be controlled by educating the harm it causes the environment. people can learn about sex education and changes in sexual  conduct  since HIV/AIDS is untreatable.