The Role Higher Education Plays towards the Development of Sustainable Socio-Economic Opportunities for Mapungubwe World Cultural Heritage Site Communities

Using Mapungubwe World Cultural Heritage Site as a case study, this paper investigates the role academics at Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) can play in facilitating the development of a more holistic approach to cultural heritage tourism (CHT). CHT is presented as a vehicle that can be utilised by higher education institutions within protected heritage areas towards mitigating poverty alleviation and socio-economic development, which contributes to addressing Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 1, 8 and 11. A sequential mixed method was adopted for this study. Focus groups were conducted with 15 participants using a semi-structured interview guide. The researcher also administered a survey of 100 questionnaires. Content analysis and SPSS were used to analyse the data. The key finding is that community engagement initiatives of HEIs could play an important role in socio-economic development. However, it is essential to involve different stakeholders in order to effectively identify socioeconomic opportunities aimed at addressing the primary needs of the communities. Stakeholders’ involvement in decision-making processes about community development projects is vital because imposing development upon communities could result in disputes and withdrawal of community support. In the Mapungubwe area, HEIs, through community education, engagement and involvement in socio-economic development projects from an initial stage, could contribute towards achieving sustainable socio-economic opportunities and in this way accelerate the implementation of SDGs. This study highlights the value of community engagement projects as potential drivers of a holistic approach to CHT and the drive towards more sustainable management of cultural heritage sites.