THE ROLE OF VALUE-BASED LEADERSHIP ON LOCAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT: A CASE STUDY OF NYANDENI LOCAL MUNICIPALITY *

. This study aims to analyse how value-based leadership can lead to local economic development, especially in the current COVID-19 pandemic. The study traces how the vision of value-based leaders can empower young women to 1) get out of the unemployment bandwagon; 2) get affirmed as capable people; 3) get access to land; 4) get trained in agri-preneurship skills, and 5) be able to sustain themselves. To achieve this, respondents were administered a structured qualitative questionnaire with both closed and open-ended questions. The study employed a non-probability sampling technique through purposive sampling, which made it possible to access particular populations fitted well in the limited time within which this research was carried out. The data was read to present this study's results, followed by coding and categorization. Through coding, the researcher could identify themes by observing how they were related to the research questions. The next stage was the interpretation of data. The study's findings revealed that women are discriminated from men and are not given fair treatment, there is inequality, patriarchy, and women tend to be undermined in the workplace. Furthermore, the findings of this study revealed that the vision of value-based leaders could empower young women by equipping them to start their businesses. This study recommends implementing women empowerment programmes, whereby women will be trained, equipped with skills to start their businesses, motivated, and given financial support. The results of this study may lead to policy implications.


Introduction
According to Bank and Sharpley (2022), most black people live demeaning lives and only perceive dignity in death.According to the writers, most black people believe their true freedom will come in the afterlife, so they spend so much money organizing their funerals.Furthermore, the situation has not improved due to the COVID-19 pandemic's effects.Women of all ages, young and elderly, have experienced discrimination before the COVID-19 epidemic, as evidenced by the numerous instances of gender-based prejudice and inequality.In light

INSIGHTS INTO REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT
ISSN 2669-0195 (online) https://jssidoi.org/ird/2023 Volume 5 Number 3 (September) http://doi.org/10.9770/IRD.2023.5.3(2) 25 of how the Covid-19 pandemic has exposed and highlighted inequality in all corners of the world, Bapuji et al. (2020) urge organizations to take this crisis as a moment to hit the pause button, reflect on the consequences of organizational practices for societal inequality, and redesign their organizations to create more equal societies.
The authors support studies that concentrate on how organizational practices affect societal inequality.Tihanyi (2020) makes a similar appeal to academics, urging them to conduct essential research as opposed to merely interesting research, research that will help society advance in some way.This study's foundation critically examines how value-based leadership can promote local economic development, particularly in light of the current COVID-19 pandemic.The study traces how the vision of value-based leaders can empower young women to 1) get out of the unemployment bandwagon; 2) get affirmed as capable people; 3) get access to land; 4) get trained in agri-preneurship skills, and 5) be able to sustain themselves.

Theoretical framework
Entrepreneurial development aims to direct a business by considering various internal and external elements and instilling creativity and valuable ideas and resources into an existing enterprise.According to Akiri, Onoja and Kunanzang (2016), most economies comprise active and inactive populations."Economically active" refers to people who are able and eager to work.The unemployed and those actively involved in producing products and services are included in this category.According to Nkechi et al. (2012), the ability of a country to engage the economically active citizens of the population who have no jobs but are willing to work, those who lost their various jobs, and those who left their different places of employment voluntarily through a more reliable path called entrepreneurial development are what is meant by job creation.Job creation and employment are adversely correlated with unemployment because unemployment disappears when those who are able and willing to work can find paid employment (Nkechi et al., 2012).
It is possible to define entrepreneurial development and job creation as a situation in which individuals can launch successful enterprises and find and maintain well-paying employment.Idam (2014) argues that entrepreneurship development and job creation are crucial issues that every government should work to promote as much as they can because a higher unemployment rate can negatively impact poverty, a decline in the standard of living, a rise in social vices, etc. Local economic development in South Africa can be accomplished through the growth of the entrepreneurial sector, which might help the nation reach its objective of expanding employment creation in a profitable and advantageous way (Ikebujo, 2020).

Definition of Value-Based Leadership
The theory of VBL was created and further developed since conventional leadership theories, such as those that describe charismatic and transformational leadership, do not consider the traits of ethics and morality in leaders (Copeland, 2014).The literature usually refers to VBL as a leadership ideology that gives leadership an ethical and moral foundation (Bass & Avolio, 1993) and puts other people's needs ahead of one's own (Taylor, 2010).
According to published research, VBL research includes transformational leadership (Copeland, 2014).VBL prioritizes and reflects strong ideals while also enhancing people's lives.All nations' socio-political and economic well-being depends on this idea (Sumanasiri, 2020).Several leadership ideologies, including charismatic leadership, transactional leadership, transformational leadership, and contingency-based leadership, have been researched by academics in organizational leadership (Sumanasiri, 2020).In terms of generating jobs, money, and output growth, small enterprises contribute significantly to the South African economy.They are frequently the vehicle via which those with the lowest incomes can access economic possibilities, ultimately resolving economic difficulties.The NLM has acknowledged the need to promote and support the second economy to assist LED in the municipality.This initiative is seen as a test case for interacting with the sector, and it provides a valuable learning experience while identifying actions for future assistance and financing.
Youth is essential to transforming the rural economy.Compared to urban areas, young people in rural areas face special difficulties in terms of access to and availability of services and amenities, limiting their employment alternatives.As a result, the democratically-elected government of the Republic of South Africa has implemented several development programs to address the urgent need to permanently eradicate poverty by encouraging the expansion of companies that raise household incomes, produce jobs, promote saving, and improve the welfare of individuals.Cooperatives, small, medium, and micro-enterprises (SMMEs), and Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (BBBEE).
Internationally, various studies have shown that entrepreneurship, even at a survivalist level, assist in the economic development of nations and LED.Like most South African municipalities, the NLM is faced with unemployment.These challenges have been noted by (Gwena & Chinyamurindi, 2018), who relate them to other provinces.Thus, like with many other local cities, entrepreneurial development is being prioritized in the NLM.
The NLM has been and is continuing to support designated youth-owned projects.As part of Youth Month, the NLM Mayor, Mr Mesuli Ngqondwana, and the municipality's special programs unit (SPU) handed off equipment and components to five identified youth projects totalling R300 000."Through this commemoration, the municipality hopes to promote youth development by backing youth-led projects, increasing their capacity to own a lifetime asset, and unlocking their potential," said Ncebakazi Kolwane, communications manager for the NLM.

How the vision of value-based leadership can empower young women to get out of the unemployment bandwagon
One of South Africa's largest socioeconomic problems is youth unemployment (Shava & Maramura, 2016).In October 2020, Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) reported that young people without work increased from 53.22% in 1999 to 55. 75% (Statistics South Africa, 2020).The unemployment rate is high (Cilliers, 2017;Gobodo-Madikizela, 2014).The severity of the unemployment problem in South Africa is debilitating and disempowering.
According to Statistics South Africa's (2020) findings, the country's unemployment rate is currently 26.7%, and the Eastern Cape's unemployment rate has risen to 34%.In the Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality, there were 45 000 job losses from March 2017 to March 2018, and there was a 257 000 to 242 000 decline in the number of working persons, implying that 15,000 people lost their jobs solely between 2017 and 2018.(BCMM).In all these losses, black people, who make up 63,4% of all unemployed people and are disproportionately represented among young people (aged 15 to 34), suffer from the highest unemployment rate (Statistics South Africa, 2018).
One of the main goals of the South African government is to create jobs to battle youth unemployment and all its negative socioeconomic effects.For South Africa, youth unemployment is a major policy concern.Implementing and/or improving projects, programs, and policies that can encourage more people to choose entrepreneurship as a career is essential.Young people's skill development and the establishment of jobs in rural regions are projected ultimately to positively impact the sustainability and development of rural areas (Masha, 2020).
Women's empowerment is widely recognized as a worldwide policy goal and a critical component of global health and poverty-reduction measures.The Secretary-2020 General's Report states that although there have been some achievements in the workplace, gender inequities have come to a standstill.The allocation of unpaid caregiving responsibilities is uneven, and there are significant gender discrepancies in several sectors, including labour market participation, compensation for work of equal value, representation of women in high-paying occupations and managerial positions, and remuneration for work of similar value (International Labour Organisation, 2020).

How the vision of value-based leadership can empower young women to be affirmed as capable people
We believe that addressing the issue of the different discriminatory practices that restrict women from economic empowerment is necessary to empower women.When choosing this issue, consideration was given to the ongoing global struggle to end inequality, discrimination, and prejudice against women.Even though there has been a significant effort made in South Africa to reduce prejudice and progress toward a more egalitarian society (Banks et al., 2012;Steyn et al., 2018), discrimination based on gender is still well-documented (Kanze et al., 2018;Koburtay et al., 2020;Murray & Southey, 2020).In reality, gender inequality is observed in a variety of contexts and for a variety of subgroups within the general population, particularly how it negatively impacts women (Carnahan & Greenwood, 2018;Padavic et al., 2020), which exacerbates economic disparity (Bapuji et al., 2020).This has the consequence of preventing the young women who are the targets of such bias from realizing their full potential, which has repercussions in terms of unrealized potential within society.
Women from racial and ethnic minorities and other groups experience prejudice and numerous challenges and inequalities (WE EMPOWER G7, 2020) that perpetuate preconceptions about women's skills and goals (ILO, 2020) and make it difficult to participate in the mainstream economy.Evidence regarding discriminatory tendencies against women.These range from stereotyping (Warnich et al., 2022), gender-based violence (Smith, 2018), domestic abuse and inequality (Muralidharan & Prakash, 2017), strict societal standards restricting women's freedom of movement are motivated by concerns about the safety of women and girls (Anukriti et al., 2020), barriers to women's mobility limit their ability to network, poor access to healthcare and education (Anukriti et al., 2020), poor representation in politics and government (Miller et al., 2020), poor participation in the labour force (Jayachandran, 2015), poor representation in the political sphere in almost all countries (United Nations Statistics Division, 2021), women are less likely to pursue employment outside the home due to a lack of time (Revenga & Dooley, 2020), mobility issues (Maitra & Mani, 2017), and patriarchy (Bernhardt et al., 2018;Bursztyn et al., 2020).
According to the United Nations (2018), if rural women and girls of all ages are to be empowered via sustainable development, there must be more than a surface commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals.Instead, a concerted effort spanning all nations and groups is necessary.All phases of policy creation, implementation, monitoring, and accountability must take the intersectional issue of gender equality into account.Women and girls in rural regions make major contributions to carry out and gain from sustainable development.Their empowerment is necessary for the effective implementation of the 2030 Agenda.
Women and girls, who experience several injustices, make up most of those impoverished in rural areas.The continuous and ongoing underinvestment in gender equality has impeded women's empowerment.These mistakes must be avoided.Sustainable development initiatives must address the likelihood of rural women and girls falling behind.Goal 5 and other Sustainable Development Goals must be included in policy development, implementation, and monitoring, as well as the opinions and perspectives of rural women and girls.This plan would promote the involvement of women and girls as leaders and decision-makers.
To ascertain whether rural women and girls benefit from sustainable development initiatives, accurate and trustworthy information using qualitative and quantitative indicators, including data supplied by citizens and the commercial sector, is essential.To measure gender gaps at each stage of life and design development programs to address inequities, it is essential to collect gender-and age-specific statistics and indicators on a national, regional, and international level.Only then will the situation of rural women and girls be fully understood.Data should be broken down depending on age, sex, marital status, region, income, disability, race and ethnicity, and other factors relevant to monitoring disparities, as mentioned in Sustainable Development Goal 17.18 (Including multiple inequalities experienced by women and girls).
While unequal social norms affect women's access to employment opportunities, there is evidence that employment programs can overcome these constraints by designing programs that befit their environment.For example, a study in Nepal found positive impacts of technical, on-the-job, and life skills training intervention on young women's employment and earnings despite it being a setting with more restrictive norms about women working outside the house (Chakravarty et al., 2019).In the South African situation, it is hoped that through value-based leadership, women can set up NGOs and resort to agriculture as an income-generating activity.
If sustainable development principles are effectively applied to empower women and girls, NGOs, including women's groups, must be involved.Through NGOs, women and girls will have a voice as equal participants instead of being co-opted into a development strategy that does not consider their needs.

How the vision of value-based leadership can empower young women to practice agriculture
South Africa suffers from food insecurity, albeit at a lower level.It's through access to agricultural land that women can practice agriculture.The problem of land tenure must be resolved to have access to land.According to a widely accepted definition of food security, this condition is one in which everyone always has access to enough wholesome food to meet their nutritional needs and make the food choices they want to lead active, healthy lives (FAO, 2001).Food insecurity develops when people have only marginally adequate access to food and struggle to meet their fundamental needs, as opposed to severely inadequate access to food, which occurs when there is a significant lack of food.
A study by Kuweyi et al. (2014) in the Kingdom of Eswatini found that families led by women are more likely than households headed by men to face food insecurity.On the other hand, it has been demonstrated that a larger dietary diversity is highly connected with women's participation in household purchasing decision-making (Idowu & Olusayo, 2019).Women are considered producers, buyers, and processors of household food (Botreau & Cohen, 2020).Since South Africa's democratization in 1994, the government has given the battle against hunger and poverty an increasing priority.Policies and intervention programs have been developed and implemented to achieve this.Food security was particularly mentioned as a critical policy objective in the Reconstruction and Development Programme in 1994.Next, South Africa looked at its government's spending to increase food security for its formerly underprivileged citizens.Small-scale agriculture has also been selected as an instrument for rural area development and raising the living level for at least 370 000 residents there (Masuku et al., 2017).

Participation of women in agriculture
The majority of women rely on smallholder agriculture for their livelihood.Women make up over 50% of the agricultural workforce and have greater employment opportunities there than in other industries (Gollin et al., 2014).In Africa, women make up over 80% of the smallholder farmers.Large, intricate homes are usually run by women, who also engage in various vocations.They labour in agriculture and other rural enterprises, prepare and process food, cultivate crops and raise livestock.Women still do not, however, have access to land or other productive resources or services due to gender inequities (UN, 2012).If women and men had equal access to productive resources, their production may rise by 20-30%.By doing this, 100-150 million people might be kept from going hungry and living in poverty (FAO, 2012a).To overcome the obstacles women experience, it is necessary to ensure gender equality (Garvelink et al., 2012).
Women held 8114 commercial farms in South Africa in 2018, or nearly one out of every five farmers.In contrast, they mostly originated from the Western Cape ( 1331) and the Free State ( 1594), where there are more female farmers than in other provinces (SS, 2020a).To increase their food security by growing crops, the South African government has established legislation supporting women's professional development and participation in the mainstream economy.Due to that, more women are participating in government-sponsored agricultural projects in South Africa geared toward smallholder farmers (Nesamvuni et al., 2016).For this to happen, there is a need for women to have access to land.

Land tenure
The land is regarded as a means for providing income and alleviating poverty for the poor.However, gender disadvantages in access to land are not usually addressed adequately at the conceptualization level and even at the implementation level.
Land tenure is primarily concerned with the conditions under which individuals hold and occupy land (Payne & Durand-Lasserve, 2012).Land tenure systems govern access to land (Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) 2002).The primary purpose of a land tenure arrangement is to reflect and even "formalize" people's relationships with (and behaviour toward) land (Payne et al., 2015).To put it in another manner, tenure arrangements are a group of customs, traditions, and institutions, both known and unknown, that control who has access to and control over land, housing, and natural resources and describe how property rights are dispersed in society.As a result, tenure regimes imply who can use what resources, for how long, and under what conditions (Council, 2017) is determined by the tenure regimes.There are many ways to create the right to tenure, including statutory, customary, religious, and informal laws.
These procedures impact how land and properties are used, transferred, and inherited.Some forms of tenure need to afford land users and holders formal documentation that guarantees their legal status.The assumption is that the formalization of tenure in the form of land titling can play a major role in eradicating poverty (Payne et al. 2015).In Global South, most conversations about women's access to land have focused on rural areas.However, the old liberal market for land management in this urbanizing sector has gradually given way to an almost entirely male-dominated market in the suburbs and pre-urban areas (Twum et al., 2020).As gender and land relations are complex, policies and programs aimed at promoting women's access and rights to land resources must be examined critically to ensure that they benefit women and challenge existing inequalities patterns (Bob 2008).But more than having land to cultivate for agricultural purposes is required.There is a need for women to be trained in agri-preneur skills to make use of the land effectively.
How the vision of value-based leadership can empower young women to be trained in agri-partnership skills (and eventually sustain themselves) Young people still do not engage in entrepreneurship, despite efforts by the South African government to address the issue of unemployment through measures supporting youth entrepreneurship (The World Bank, 2020).The National Youth Policy for 2020 states that many young people attempt to launch their own cooperative or enterprise; unfortunately, this is not well documented.The decision to launch firm results from an ongoing process in which attitudes and intentions change based on the growth of one's competence, experiences, and connections to the business environment (Davidsson, 1991).Young people in South Africa have a false impression that entrepreneurship needs to provide a reliable source of income (Dzomonda & Fatoki, 2019).Thus, just 10.9% of South African youngsters have declared an interest in starting their own business.
Increased attention is being paid to empirical issues that are thought to be crucial for economic growth both in South Africa (Govuzela & Mafini, 2019;Chimucheka et al., 2019) and internationally (Khan & Khan, 2019;Meyer & Peng, 2016;Pereira & Malik, 2018).According to research by Nwajiuba et al. (2020), South Africa continues to rank relatively severely in terms of start-ups when compared to other emerging market nations.But as many authors have noted including (Botha, 2019;Bugwandin & Bayat, 2022;Sonandi et al., 2021;Malgas & Zondi, 2021;Mmbengeni et al., 2021;Musara & Nieuwenhuizen, 2021;and Urban, 2016), entrepreneurship is the primary force behind economic growth and the creation of jobs in many countries.
A study conducted in Kosovo by Ramadani et al. (2015) highlighted several obstacles female business owners face in expanding their enterprises, including a lack of managerial skills, insufficient business acumen, constrained financial flow, a lack of technical expertise, and the inability to hire suitable workers.These women also need help to build long-lasting business networks and have limited access to appropriate technologies (Ramadani et al., 2015).
If these women were given access to entrepreneurship education, they might succeed as business owners.Due to socioeconomic issues, including poverty and socioeconomic instability (Conradie & Lamprecht, 2018;Maziriri & Chivandi, 2020), this becomes crucial (Dassah & Ngatse-Ipangui, 2019).This brings up the subject of entrepreneurial training.
Small businesses have been found to have a high failure rate while being recognized as a significant factor in South Africa's economic growth (Neneh & Van Zyl, 2012;Chinomona & Hove, 2015).Even though they have a significant impact on the socioeconomic development of South Africa, the majority of SMMEs fail within the first five years of operation due to the challenges they face (Bruwer, 2016).SMME failure rates in South Africa are still high even though many government programs and organizations have been established to help these businesses (Cant & Wild, 2015).One of the factors contributing to SMME failure is the need for entrepreneurship training.Entrepreneurship Education (EE) is described by Neck and Corbett (2018) as the process of developing the mentality, skill set, and practice required for founding new businesses while realizing the wide-ranging impacts of such education.One of the best methods for encouraging an entrepreneurial attitude is EE (Costa et al., 2018).
In the words of Barba-Sánchez & Atienza-Sahuquillo (2018), entrepreneurship can be learned and consequently taught.Understanding that EE affects how individuals think and feel about themselves is important.As a result, the value of EE in fostering rapid economic growth and a favourable environment has been acknowledged (Kassean et al., 2015).Numerous nations are coming to understand entrepreneurship as a powerful tool for generating jobs, boosting productivity and competitiveness, enhancing the quality of life, and achieving social objectives (Jena, 2020).
Through EE, entrepreneurial skills are developed, with this scenario developing entrepreneurial skills and knowledge (Jwara & Hoque, 2018), cultivating an entrepreneurial mindset, and influencing the performance of entrepreneurs by increasing their profitability, entrepreneurial spirit, entrepreneurial attitudes, and chances of survival (Ho et al., 2018).
This study adds new knowledge to the literature on how value-based leadership leads to women's economic development by using Nyandeni Local Municipality as a case study.Previous studies on value-based leadership have yet to address the issue of how VBL leads to economic development for women.This study's limitations include that it was more qualitative than quantitative, preventing the generalization of the findings, and it only looked at a small portion of the Eastern Cape Province.In the future, a mixed-method approach can be used to perform a study of this kind to acquire insight and a deeper understanding of the problem.The study can also be carried out over a larger area or multiple municipalities for better results.

Research question
This study's research question is: How does value-based leadership contribute to local economic development for young women?

Research Methodology
A qualitative research approach hinged on an interpretive paradigm was used in this study.The researcher used an interpretive approach because it is more closely related to the qualitative research paradigm and generally excludes statistics and numbers.The interpretive paradigm presupposes an inductive approach to social reality.This study's qualitative research site (Babajide, 2022) was Nyandeni Local Municipality.The researcher prerecorded a series of open-ended questions that were going to be asked of the participants using a structured interview methodology.14 ladies were picked at random as part of the sampling.Data were collected on the 1 st of September 2022.The sampled women provided useful information about the phenomenon being studied (Quinlan et al., 2019;Bertram & Christensen, 2021;Maxwell, 2021;Leedy & Ormrod, 2021;Rudansky-Kloppers, 2021;Tsang et al., 2019;Johnson & Christensen, 2020); they were also able to provide answers to the research questions (Tiel et al., 2019).
To present this study's results, the researcher first and foremost read the data, followed by coding, categorizing, and interpreting the data.(Teresa & Curtis, 2020).The researcher used the long data excerpt approach as a qualitative data presentation approach, which presents data in large text segments (Reay et al., 2019).This technique makes systematic analysis challenging, yet the facts help identify theoretical concepts.Thus, the lengthy data excerpt approach centres findings on the raw data.Before collecting data, we obtained the participants' informed consent (Hancock et al., 2020;Josephson & Smale, 2020;Trochin, 2020).The researchers gave the participants the freedom to select if they wanted to take part in the study (Okeke et al., 2022) and informed them that they could leave the study at any moment without incurring any fees (Badaru & Adu, 2020;Bouchrika, 2021;Coetzee & Schreuder, 2021).They also promised all participants in the study that their information would be kept private and anonymous (Alrehaili & Mutaha, 2020;Babbie, 2021;Bouchrika, 2021;Elman et al., 2020;Hoft, 2021).Using codes in the study is evidence of the efforts made towards anonymity.
to decide on and take responsibility for the roles they will play.Women must be independent, worldly-minded, and robust in the current era of globalization if they are to achieve recognition and equality in the family and society.So that women can play a stronger role in the family and society, they need to be supported and given economic and educational opportunities.

Question 3
The sum of 57.1% of respondents indicated that they are unemployed, while 42.9% indicated that they are employed (Figure 3).This shows that: Even though most young people are educated, as shown in Figure 3, they still find it hard to secure employment.This is also supported by Dagume, Agyapong, and Gyekye (2016), who states, "Despite the government's attempts to educate young people and connect them with employment, the youth unemployment rate in South Africa has risen substantially".

Section B Question 1
Other issues experienced by women in the workplace, according to the majority of respondents, include gender and sexual assault.Most respondents (50 per cent) stated that discrimination is a challenge for women in the workplace.35.7% said it is subordination, and 14.3% indicated it is underpaid.At the same time, the rest of the respondents stated that it is extortion, exploitation, and other (figure 4).
The participants went on to explain other challenges experienced by women in the workplace; they stated that: P1: "Women are not regarded as leaders in most cases.Even if they are employed as leaders, they are sometimes disobeyed".P2: "Some senior staff in the working environment take advantage and exploit young females".P3: "Women always have to work harder to prove their knowledge and experiences in their respective sections.Many people, even females, when women lead, refuse to take orders from them".P4: "Women are seen as not fit enough to be managers in an organization".
According to other participants, one of the difficulties women face in the workplace is a lack of equality, genderbased violence, and sexual harassment.Question 2: What can be done to solve the difficulties faced by women in the workplace?

Aim of the question:
To examine what can be done to solve the difficulties faced by women in the workplace.
The responses were as follows: P1: Women should also be recognized whenever they have achieved something, and men should be educated not to see women as a threat or as people they compete with but as P2, P8: People should be treated equally in the workplace regarding positions.P3: They must be given an opportunity, as BBBEE states.P4, P5: To respect women and strengthen awareness about discrimination, the practice of human rights.P6: Employers must always conduct employee wellness campaigns and educate employees to respect each other regardless of gender.P7: Women must be given a chance and benefit from the doubt that they can lead and be successful like males.P9: To apply the code of conduct to everyone equally.
From the above responses, it is clear that women are not respected in the workplace, and they are not given fair treatment.
According to Bapuji et al. (2020), gender-based discrimination and inequality against young and older women were commonplace before the COVID-19 pandemic.
Question 3: Do women face similar working conditions as their male counterparts?Aim of the question: To ascertain if women face similar working conditions as their male counterparts.The responses were as follows: P1, P9: Not really, men are usually given high positions such as Chief Executive Office positions and other superior positions to women, and men are always treated and seen as superiors.P2, P8: No, women are treated differently in the working environment; they are seen as if they do not have the power to lead, and women are always looked down on in workplaces; they don't get the same treatment as men.P3: No, females are seen as sex objects and are underpaid.P4, P6: No, the priory is given to men; they do not consider us as females when they do the ergonomics for the workplace.
P5: No, in some cases, women are expected to play gender roles which may include making sure that the workplace is clean and tidy even if they are not cleaners.P7: No, women are often undermined and questioned if they are given a chance to lead.Sometimes I wonder when women are given significant positions to fill in a company, whether they are giving them these positions because they believe in them or want to be praised for progressing.
From the above responses, it is clear that men discriminate against women, and there is Patriarchy involved.It is challenging for women from ethnic minorities and other groups to participate in the mainstream economy due to discrimination, numerous barriers, and inequalities (WE EMPOWER G7, 2020).These issues also propagate stereotypes about women's abilities and aspirations (ILO, 2020).
Question 4: Are there any programs or strategies that aim to advance women in your community or municipality?Aim of the question: To ascertain if any programs or strategies seek to advance women in your community of municipality.
The responses were as follows: P1, P3, P5, P7: No, not sure, not yet revealed.P2: Yes, there are CPWP and women's development programs are being invested.P4: Yes, there are programs.However, they are closed only to certain people.P6: Yes.The Vukani maMpondo Craftwork in Nyandeni location is the program that aims at promoting women.Women craft beaded bracelets, necklaces, shoes, and traditional wear.
From the above responses, it is clear that there are minimal programs or strategies promoting women at Nyandeni Local Municipality.Chakravarty et al. (2019) state that while unequal social norms affect women's access to employment opportunities, there is evidence that employment programs can overcome these constraints by designing programs that befit their environment.For example, a study in Nepal found positive impacts of technical, on-the-job, and life skills training intervention on young women's employment and earnings despite it being a setting with more restrictive norms about women working outside the house.
If women and girls are to be empowered through the successful implementation of sustainable development concepts, NGOs, including women's groups, must be involved in the process.Through NGOs, women and girls will be given a voice as equal participants instead being co-opted into a development plan that does not consider their needs (UN, 2018).In the literature, VBL is frequently described as a leadership philosophy that infuses leadership with an ethical and moral framework, impacts the organization, its clients, suppliers, and its shareholders, and does not prioritize personal gain (Sumanasiri, 2020).

Question 2 Aim of the question:
To ascertain how value-based leadership can contribute to local economic development.
The responses were as follows: P1: If leaders possess values when leading, that will result in them treating everyone equally and working hard to create employment for unemployed youth.This kind of leadership ensures that the community is developed by creating opportunities to benefit everyone and promoting Batho Pele principles.P2: It can contribute to positive outcomes since leaders will do things according to established values and beliefs.P3, P4: One of the local government objectives is to promote social and economic development in their communities, if the leaders are being taught value-based leadership, they can perform better in their duties, and that can promote local economic development.
From the above responses, participants stated that the vision of value-based leadership would promote social cohesion and create opportunities that will benefit everyone equally, leading to local economic development.Be able to sustain themselves and improve their livelihood.
The responses were as follows: P1, P3, P5, P6: Young women would benefit if the leaders were accountable.They will get motivated to start their businesses and seek funds from the leaders.To generate opportunities for other individuals to find work, the young ladies must be equipped to launch their enterprises.P2, P8: The invention of new programs for women can be very helpful.Where women gather in a conference for key ideas to beat unemployment.The community and economy gain when we give women more control over leadership and decision-making.Unemployment would be reduced by implementing agricultural programs where women raise chickens, till the soil, and sell the produce.P4: It can enable young women to understand that their work or jobs add value to the organization and are crucial to attaining organizational goals.P7: If people leading us had values, we wouldn't have many unemployed people, especially graduates at home.The vision of value-based leadership would be a good idea because those in power can check what they are doing poorly and how to change it instead of sitting and watching while the country is going down.Most participants indicated that the value-based leadership vision might empower young women by giving them the tools they need to launch their enterprises, allowing them to create jobs for themselves and others.
According to other emerging market economies, South Africa continues to rank very poorly in start-ups, according to research by Nwajiuba et al. (2020).However, as stated by several authors (Botha, 2021;Bugwandin & Bayat, 2022;Malgas & Zondi, 2021;Mmbengeni, Mavhungu & John, 2021;Musara and Nieuwenhuizen, 2021;Urban, 2021;World Bank, 2021) entrepreneurship is the primary driver of economic growth and the creation of jobs in the majority of nations.

Question 4 Aim of the question:
To identify the tactics that can be advised to enhance gender emancipation in local governments.
The responses were as follows: P1, P4: Local governments should ensure that people are given equal opportunities regardless of gender and that their work is recognized.P2: Removal of the bad stereotype that women cannot lead.Offer equal opportunities for all.P3, P7, P8: Empowerment of women in leadership roles and mentorship by giving females a chance to lead and must be respected like males, paying females the same as males, women must not be questioned when given a chance to lead, END PATRIARCHY.Females must support and respect female leaders.P5, P6: Providing equal job opportunities and career development opportunities can enhance gender emancipation.Implementing a good code of conduct that does not leave room for gender discrimination is critical to promote gender emancipation.
The above responses indicate that women are not treated equally as men, and they are not seen as fit to lead nor given opportunities or empowerment to leadership roles.The respondents suggested that women must be given fair treatment and equal opportunities, stereotypes and patriarchy must be ended, and women must be given access to leadership roles to enhance gender emancipation in local governments.Occupation-related gender stereotypes lead women to sort into a low-return sector (Bernhardt et al., 2019) by hindering their participation in male-dominated sectors or large-scale entrepreneurship (Marcus & Harper, 2014).
Women in leadership positions are negatively impacted by norms surrounding women's standing in comparison to men in public (BenYishay et al., 2020;Jayachandran, 2015).
Question 5: Is there any information that you can add as valuable for this study?Aim of the question: To ascertain if any information you add is valuable for this study.The responses were as follows: P1: Women should always strive for success, work hard to improve their communities, and create opportunities that will benefit people around them and even the next generation.
P2: I can say women must be treated equally with men.P3: Women are very much fruitful and powerful when they are given an opportunity.Let them rule to change the stubborn situations.P4: Yes, women need to be equipped for leadership, and they must be encouraged to start their businesses.P5: Yes, the study will shed light on women who are still disadvantaged and enlighten them.Most respondents recommend that women must be allowed to lead and be equipped to start their businesses.
In reality, gender inequality is observed across a wide range of contexts and for a wide range of subgroups within the general population, particularly how it negatively impacts women (Carnahan & Greenwood, 2018;Padavic, Ely, & Reid, 2020), which in turn contributes to economic inequality (Bapuji, Patel, Ertug, & Allen, 2020).This has the consequence of preventing the young women who are the targets of such bias from realizing their full potential, which has repercussions in terms of unrealized potential within society.

Recommendations
According to Enslin (2021), there are two distinct types of recommendations: recommendations for further study and for practice.These are explained below.

Recommendation for future studies
This was a qualitative study that focused on Nyandeni Local Municipality.In the future, a study of this nature could be done across multiple municipalities using a mixed methods approach that would result in a deeper understanding of the issue.This study was confined to women; in the future, a comparison could be made between men and women to establish their different roles in LED.

Recommendations for practice
This study recommends women be equally treated as men; there are no sectors where they cannot be placed with the claim that it is men's job, women are as equally strong as men, and there is nothing they cannot handle.This mindset of discrimination and undermining amongst women should end.Women should not only be placed in less physical environments.They must be thought to do the work that men do.Furthermore, this study recommends implementing women empowerment programmes, whereby women will be trained, equipped with skills to start their businesses, motivated, and given financial support.Lastly, this study recommends that women be encouraged to participate in rural development, and the government should strongly emphasize women's empowerment through agriculture.The local economic development in South Africa can be achieved through entrepreneurial development, and this could help the country achieve its goal of increasing job generation and can do so in a way that is both profitable and beneficial.This is highlighted by the Entrepreneurial Development and Job Creation theory, which is the foundation of this study.

Conclusions
This study analyzed how the vision of value-based leadership can contribute to local economic development at Nyandeni local municipality.The study ascertained that young and old women have been victims of discrimination before the COVID-19 pandemic and up to now, as seen in the numerous cases of gender-based discrimination and inequality.Women still struggle to be involved in entrepreneurship because of the lack of skills, support, and programmes or strategies to empower women.Despite being the most educated category, young women still find it hard to secure employment.Women are discriminated from men and are not given fair treatment.
Furthermore, there is a lot of inequality, patriarchy, and women tend to be undermined in the workplace.The study also found that women are not allowed to be involved in leadership positions; they must be seen as fit or capable of holding leadership positions.According to the study's objectives, the vision of value-based leaders may empower young women by giving them the tools they need to launch their enterprises, allowing them to create jobs for themselves and others.The invention of new programs for women can be beneficial, where women gather in a conference for critical ideas to beat unemployment.Society and economy gain when women are empowered to take on leadership and decision-making roles.Introducing agricultural programs where women plough and sell veg or raise chickens would decrease unemployment, enabling women to get out of employment and make opportunities for themselves and their communities, which will contribute to local economic development.
Since most of the participants complained about being discriminated against, not treated equally, not represented in leadership positions, and not given fair treatment as men in the workplace, it is recommended that the government strengthen the equality law and ensure that every department complies with this law.The department needs to maintain a balance between the number of men and women in charge of the highest-paying and lowestpaying positions.

C Question 1 :
What do you understand about value-based leadership?Aim of the question: To ascertain your understanding of value-based leadership.The responses were as follows: P1, P3: Leadership is based on values, and it is a principle of sustaining values and doing things accordingly.P2, P6: is the notion that for inspiration and guidance, leaders should look to their values and those of others, particularly those set forth by their organization.P4: Good leadership skills, integrity, communication, honesty, practising Batho-pele principles in a workplace.P5, P7: by establishing a set of core principles that all employees at all levels can follow, value-based leadership establishes the direction of the business.The above responses indicate that participants had a clear understanding of what value-based leadership is.

Question 3 :
How can the vision of value-based leadership can empower young women to: sustain themselves and improve their livelihoods Aim of the question: To ascertain how the vision of value-based leadership can empower young women to (a) Get out of unemployment (b) Get affirmed as capable people (c) Get trained and involved in entrepreneurship (d) economic growth in the country, including local authorities and the Nyandeni district.As a result, it provides local governments with practical steps for enhancing all aspects of local economic growth, including SMME development.Based on the present National LED Framework Directive, the LED Strategy for the NLM concentrate on the following areas: Promoting Radical Economic Transformation; Accelerating Economic and Spatial Transformation; Plan Implementation; Monitoring Information Quality; and building on and utilizing the Back-to-Basics Programme, IUDF, CWP, and MIG.Putting more of an emphasis on leadership collaboration, integrating the youth and unorganized sector, creating an environment that supports small enterprises, emphasizing research, technology, and the green economy, and investing in inclusive economic growth.The National LED Framework outlines a vision for how LED will be planned and implemented in South Africa.It provides a roadmap to various industries on how they might contribute to innovation-driven LED.The framework is based on six Core Policy Pillars that will have an impact on LED design, development, and implementation: This has resulted in an abundance of research on leadership in which the development of various leadership styles characterized by different definitions and attributes of leadership includes well-established styles such as transformational leadership.Value-based leadership has a major contribution to the LED policy of the NLM.This is based on the national economic development framework.This strategy is important for Nyandeni SMMEs since it directs local creating varied and innovative local economies; creating inclusive economies; creating learning and skilled economies; Enterprise development and assistance; Economic governance and infrastructure; and increasing the effectiveness of local innovation systems.