African Journal of Hospitality, Tourism and Leisure - Vol. 5 (4) - (2016) ISSN: 2223-814X Copyright: © 2014 AJHTL - Open Access- Online @ http//: www.ajhtl.com 1 Social capital and the pursuit of ecotourism as a land-use option in land reformed communities: a study of Kwa-Zulu Natal’s tribal Areas, South Africa Regis Musavengane* Department of Geography and Environmental Studies, School of Geography, Archaeology and Environmental Studies, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa, P/B 3, Wits 2050. Email: regmuss2000@yahoo.com Professor Danny Simatele Centre for Water Research and Development (CiWaRD); Department of Geography and Environmental Studies, GAES, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa, Corresponding Author* Abstract Following decades of apartheid that manifested itself through oppression and racially-based land dispossessions; the democratic South African regime developed a platform for previously oppressed people to re-claim their land. Successful land claims on conservation areas by previously disenfranchised communities have often resulted into the co-management agreements with external actors, including conservation organisations in pursuit of both Community-Based Ecotourism (CBET) and enhancement of sustainable livelihoods. Using field-based data collected through methods inspired by the traditional of participatory research such as semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions, this paper explores the role of community participation in natural resources management. It specifically examines the extent to which social capital can be instrumental in promoting collaborative management of community based ecotourism (CBET) initiatives in tribal communities of Kwa-Zulu Natal, South Africa. It is argued in the paper that social capital is an indispensable tool for successful co-managing of CBET schemes in land reformed tribal communities and should be part of the integrated national development agenda and policy framework. Key Words: Community Based Ecotourism, Social Capital, Land claim and Collaborative environmental management Introduction Political transformations in most developing nations have been accompanied with vast land claims by indigenous communities who were forcibly detached from their traditional land during colonization and apartheid eras (Holden & Otsuka, 2014; Cundill et al., 2013). In the context of sub-Saharan African countries, the need for land-reform has been aggravated by the great scarcity of farmland (Headey & Jayne, 2014). However, most of the reclaimed land is being done in areas pursuing conservation activities (Cundill et al., 2013; Musavengane & Simatele, 2016). Caught between owning the land and pursuing conservation as a land use option and improving their livelihoods; local communities have tended to form collaborations with external stakeholders in managing communally owned natural resources (Morton et al., 2012; Cundill et al., 2013). Collaborative management (commonly known as co- management) is perceived as a sustainable route in governing common pool natural resources in re-claimed areas (Travers et al., 2015; Anaafo, 2015). Co-management