Research Output Repository (HSRC)
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The pauperisation of Africa’s urban population: reflections on the causes of poverty and inequality in African metropolitan cities
No full textAs urban areas continued to attract African rural-to-urban migrant labor after the establishment of the colonial enterprise, and economic activities rapidly expanded with European colonial infrastructure development, several
large metropolitan cities were founded. This marked the beginning of urbanism in Africa. Today, with fast-growing economies and globalization, there is unprecedented migration from rural to urban areas. In most cases, the
opportunities in urban areas seem to pull people into the urban environment, rather than a strategic government plan pulling people out of rural areas for urbanization. These trends present new challenges to governments trying to break the cycle of poverty and build a secure tomorrow for the people of today. The chapter reflects on some of the causes of urban poverty and inequality in African metropolitan cities. It draws on secondary data to examine the main causes of urban poverty and propose how the challenges could be addressed. It is important to regard cities as human creations that are designed to meet human needs and aspirations, rather than just representing physical concentrations of urban hardware such as buildings and infrastructure. A critical reflection of cities as citadels of national and global importance is presented to provide new opportunities for human growth and development. The chapter concludes with some policy recommendations on how the challenges of urban development could be tackled in Africa.
Accelerating justice expanding prevention and strengthening accountability: the need for G20 action to end gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF)
No full textHSRC Policy Brief, OctoberGender-based violence and femicide (GBVF) are among the most widespread human rights violations, devastating lives across every country, culture, and class (UNICEF, n.d.). In 2023, it was estimated that approximately 51,000 women were killed by an intimate partner or a family member globally (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime & United Nations Women, 2024). Despite years of global commitments and progress, millions still live in fear – denied justice, safety, and dignity. GBVF is not only a personal tragedy; it also weakens the social fabric, impedes progress, and drains up to 3.7% of GDP in some countries (Ouedraogo & Stenzel, 2021). It is a collective crisis warranting urgent, united action. In recent times, regressive policies and a weakening global commitment to human rights have reinforced patriarchal power, inequality and unhealthy masculinities – while eroding protections for vulnerable groups. The escalation of all forms of GBVF reflects deeply interconnected systems of discrimination and oppression (CIVICUS, 2025; UNHCR n.d.). Addressing GBVF requires integrated and intersectional solutions rooted in women’s reproductive and mental health, justice, expanded prevention, and accountability. This policy brief calls for bold policy shifts and systemic, transformative change to support national, regional and international advocacy efforts aimed at ensuring the protection and safeguarding of women and girls against GBVF.N/
A virtual walkabout through the exhibition: aftermath: violence and wellbeing in the context of the student movement
No full textPaper presented at the Stellenbosch University Museum's series
The relationship between social grant dependence and on-farm entrepreneurial behaviour: evidence from smallholder farmers in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
No full textThis study aimed to investigate the relationship between social grant dependence and the on-farm entrepreneurial behavior of smallholder farmers. A sample of 175 farmers was obtained in and around two irrigation schemes, namely, Tugela Ferry and Bululwane, in the KwaZulu-Natal province, South Africa. Principal component analysis and a two-limit Tobit regression model were employed to analyze the data. The study found a positive relationship between social grant dependence and on-farm entrepreneurial behavior. This relationship implies that the prevailing low levels of entrepreneurial activity among smallholder farmers are not driven by their
dependence on social grants. Instead, they result from a lack of entrepreneurial knowledge and skills, limited access to opportunities (e.g., training and markets), inadequate access to productive resources such as irrigation water, and institutional barriers (e.g., restricted access to formal credit). For the social grants programme to remain effective, the policy should ensure that social grants benefit (directly or indirectly) the intended beneficiaries and their households. Based on the empirical evidence, this study recommends integrating the existing social grants selection criteria and means tests into agricultural input subsidy programmes. This can ensure that the farming inputs effectively reach the intended beneficiaries, thereby enhancing the programmes’
positive impact on rural on-farm entrepreneurship. This study also recommends the implementation and promotion of strategies that enhance the endowment of non-cognitive skills to improve on-farm entrepreneurial behavior among smallholder farmers. Moreover, extension officers’ active involvement in and outside small-scale irrigation schemes can positively contribute to rural on-farm entrepreneurship.
Measuring service delivery in southern Africa project: statistical bulletin: Botswana: education
No full textCommissioned by Southern Africa Trust, Augus
Perceived patterns and drivers of deagrarianization: a case study of Ambros and Maramanzhi villages, South Africa
Get PDFAccess to arable land has the potential to address the challenges of poverty, unemployment and household food insecurity in South Africa. Despite these opportunities and limited income sources, particularly in former homelands of the country, smallholder farmers have progressively disengaged from field cultivation. The aim of this study is to examine cultivation trends to understand the patterns and drivers of deagrarianization in Ambros village, Eastern Cape province and Maramanzhi village, Limpopo province, South Africa. A purposive sampling approach was used to select four key informants and four transect walk participants. Meanwhile, simple random sampling was conducted to select 106 household heads. Semi-structured questionnaires consisting of open-ended and close-ended questions were used to collect data for this study.
Industrialisation and decolonization of the western development paradigm in Africa
No full textIndustrialisation in Africa began during the colonial period. It was further driven by Africa’s natural resources, investments from European and Asian countries. It has shaped Africa’s social, economic and political affairs to such an extent that decades after gaining independence, African countries are still dependent on their ex-colonisers. The effects of the uneven and exploitative nature of colonialism exhausted many African economies and are largely the function of colonial history. Africa’s current economic structures are connected to the economies of their ex-colonisers, and the new world powerhouses, namely China and India, through a range of trade, monetary investment, and infrastructure policies. Regardless of its rich mineral resources ranging from diamond, gold, copper, and platinum among others, many African countries are the least developed and under-industrialised nations in the world. Poverty, inequality, and unemployment are on the rise, as well as the threat of terrorism in some African countries, particularly the countries in Sahel region. Efforts to decolonise Africa date as far as the 1930s, but it has not proved successful, largely, because the ex-colonisers’ influences and controls are still in place. This chapter traces the history and politics of industrialisation and the decolonisation of the western paradigm in Africa.
Regulating political finance in South Africa: perspectives on the Political Funding Act and its implementation
Get PDFCommissioned by the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC), MarchThe Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) was commissioned by the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) to conduct a research study that examines the country’s evolving political funding framework considering the Political Funding Act (PFA) No. 6 of 2018. The PFA was enacted to promote transparency, accountability, and fair competition in the financing of political parties and independent candidates and representatives. The legislation makes the disclosure of large donations mandatory, regulates both public and private funding, and
established mechanisms such as the Multi-Party Democracy Fund (MPDF). With implementation beginning in 2021 and amendments made in 2024, the Act is aligned with constitutional imperative to support a multiparty democracy. The study, overseen by the Commission’s Political Funding Unit (PFU) and the Research and Knowledge Management (RKM) Unit, explores the effectiveness of the current regime and identifies areas for potential policy improvement.N/
Learning for livelihoods in the global South: theoretical and methodological lenses on skills and the informal sector
No full textThis edited volume explores how youth and informal sector workers in the Global South are pioneering learning and livelihoods that exist at the intersections of, and beyond, the boundaries of the state, market, and other formal institutions. Underpinned by research undertaken in the Global South, this book discusses how we might better theorize, conceptualize, and critique what skills and vocational education and training mean for young people with diverse livelihoods - people who rely substantially on the informal and social economy. Rather than envisioning education and skills as oriented towards profit-making or increased productivity, chapters offer fresh perspectives that move beyond the dominant neoliberal and human capital orthodoxies. This book features chapters that are global in approach, uses case studies from contexts as diverse as India, South Africa, West Africa, and Colombia, and focuses on how education can be used to empower people, strengthen livelihoods, and expand human agency, skills, personal growth, and the capability for voice.