Research Output Repository (HSRC)
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Knowledge of tuberculosis among South Africans aged 15 years and older: findings from HIV surveys 2017 and 2022
No full textPaper presented at the 6th South African TB Conference, HSRC Seminar, 4-7 JuneN/
Rapid assessment of the implementation of the Ward-based Primary Health Care Outreach Team (WBPHCOT) policy framework and strategy, 2023
Get PDFPaper presented to the National Department of Health Community Health Worker Expert Working Group, 22 AugustN/
Policymaking in favour of women: learning from the gendered impact of COVID-19, with a focus on South Africa
No full textRealisation of women’s full participation in all spheres of society remains inconsistent and progress towards gender equality is slow. The COVID-19 pandemic laid bare existing and deeply entrenched gender inequalities. In this article, we draw on multiple HSRC-led studies conducted between 2020 and 2022 that explored the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown on the psychosocial and economic wellbeing of women and their families. We show that many women at the community and household level took up the majority share of unpaid household and childcare duties, and faced persistent socio-economic threats, gender-based violence and increased mental health concerns compared to their male counterparts – all of which impeded their ability to lead productive and fulfilling lives. Insights are offered for intersectional gender-responsive policy responses that favour women as central role players in families and the economy.
Household food security contextualised: a comparison of Ambros and Maramanzhi Villages, South Africa
No full textSmallholder agriculture plays a crucial role in achieving food security, particularly at the household level. However, fallow fields are progressively increasing in former homelands of South Africa. While substantial efforts have been devoted towards addressing food insecurity, access to arable land has not translated to sustainable crop production for smallholder farmers in former homelands of the country. This paper analyses household food security in the context of deagrarianization in two villages, Ambros (Eastern Cape) and Maramanzhi (Limpopo). Using a mixed-method approach, a total of 106 semi-structured questionnaires were administered through face-to-face interviews with household heads. Descriptive statistics were analysed using the IBM SPSS Statistics 27.0 computer program. Meanwhile, qualitative data was coded and content analysis was conducted on NVivo 12 software. The key findings revealed that the primary household income in the study area was earned from social grants. Furthermore, home gardens, with an average size of 4100m2 in Ambros and 4400m2 in Maramanzhi village, played a crucial role in supporting household crop production. However, food insecurity threatened the sustainability of rural livelihoods because the Household Food Insecurity Access Scale (HFIAS) indicator highlighted that a majority of 54% of households in Ambros and 69% in Maramanzhi were mildly food insecure. Food insecurity challenges varied between the two villages but these were mainly perpetuated by food shortages caused by insufficient monthly income and waning household crop production. Although acquiring food was rated as a very important reason for cultivating in both villages, deagrarianization eroded opportunities for increased crop production. Among other solutions, this study recommends that the government improve the delivery of basic services such as water to promote household crop production and the revitalization of fallow fields. These transformations can potentially enhance food security, income and employment opportunities for rural households, contributing to the sustainability of rural livelihoods.
The distribution of work-related musculoskeletal disorders among nurses in sub-Saharan Africa: a scoping review
No full textMusculoskeletal injuries are noticeably high among the nursing fraternity, with lower back pain (LBP) being the most prevalent. Therefore, this study aimed to map evidence on the burden of occupational musculoskeletal disorders (MSD) among nurses in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). This scoping review was guided by Arksey and O’Malley’s framework. We conducted a comprehensive literature search with no date limit from the following databases: Science Direct, PubMed, Sabinet (SA ePublications), EBSCOhost platform, World Health Organization (WHO) Library, Google Scholar, SCOPUS, Taylor and Francis, and WorldCat Academic Search with full text for published studies. The search took place from May 2022 to December 2022. Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) was used for reporting the search results, and a thematic content analysis was used to present the emerging themes from the included studies. A total of 16,714 studies were identified after the database search. Only 29 studies met the inclusion criteria after full-article screening and were included for data extraction. The studies reported a total of 6343 participants from different regions in SSA. The 29 included studies showed evidence on the prevalence of MSD, associated risk factors of MSD and LBP among nurses in SSA with some recommendations on how to reduce the prevalence of MSD among nurses. The study findings reveal that there is a high prevalence of MSD among nurses, especially LBP. The etiology of MSD among nurses is multifactorial, and multifaceted strategies to address MSD are recommended. Further research is recommended to explore strategies that can be used to curb the high prevalence of MSD among nurses.
The Economic Freedom Fighters: stagnant or resurgent?
No full textSouth Africa’s general election of 2024 saw the African National Congress losing its majority at the national level for the first time since the arrival of democracy in 1994. To maintain its rule, President Cyril Ramaphosa led his party into a Government of National Unity (GNU) centered around a hitherto unlikely coalition with the opposition Democratic Alliance. Election 2024, South Africa: Countdown to Coalition presents the first comprehensive analysis of this historic process. It outlines the extensive social and economic crisis that preceded the election; provides detailed analyses of the election campaigns of the political parties; highlights the dramatic rise Jacob Zuma’s uMkhonto we Sizwe Party; places the GNU against the recent experiences of coalition formation at provincial and local level; offers comprehensive summaries of voter participation and both the national and provincial results; and discusses prospects for the GNU’s survival and its possible long-term consequences.
Editorial: Building social equity and person-centered innovation into the end TB response
No full textReducing systemic inequities in testing, access to care, social protection – and in the scientific process – is essential to end TB. Incorporating social science methods and expertise on inequity into the mainstream TB response would help ensure that political commitments to equity move beyond symbolic gestures. We convened a meeting between TB social scientists, people with lived experience, civil society and community members to discuss equity within the global TB response. Here, we propose five means by which a social science lens can strengthen equitable, person-centred responses and reconcile the public health significance of TB with the principles of social justice.
Electronic voting: is this the way to go for future elections?
No full textElectronic voting (e-voting) is seen as a way of solving some of the challenges associated with traditional, paper-based voting, such as providing fast and seamless ballot tabulation and fewer unintentionally spoilt ballots. It is argued that e-voting could mitigate low voter turnout and low participation by young people, who tend to find paper-based voting tedious and prefer much shorter voting systems such as e-voting. The present study draws on desktop research, findings from the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) Voter Participation Survey (VPS), and key informant interview data to assess whether e-voting may be a viable option for use in electoral processes in Africa, and in South Africa in particular. The research concludes that if e-voting were to be implemented by countries across Africa, including South Africa, the transition process would take several years, and would require careful planning and testing.
Bridging past and present: Gqoba 'Great Discussion' and the pursuit of an Afrocentric university
No full textPaper presented at the ACUSA Conference, Makerere University, Uganda, 17 October
Exploring perceptions of gender roles amongst sexually active adolescents in rural KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
Get PDFTraditional gender and social norms reinforce asymmetrical power relations, increase the risk of experiencing gender-based violence and mediate poor engagement with sexual and reproductive health services. This study explored gender norms and expectations amongst cisgender adolescents in rural KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. A purposive sample of 29 adolescents aged 16-19 years old were enrolled as part of a longitudinal qualitative study. The current analysis reports on the first round of in-depth interviews, which focused on the role of men and women in their community. A theoretically informed thematic analysis identified three broad themes: 1) Adolescent interpretation and understanding of gender identity, 2) Gendered essentialism and Gender roles (two sub-themes: Young men: Power through providing, and young women: The domestication process which highlighted that gender roles
were defined by being the provider for men, and the successful fulfilment of traditional domestic behaviours amongst women), 3) Gender and fertility highlighted how participants highly valued fertility as affirming of manhood/womanhood. These norms reinforce gender roles that maintain asymmetrical power relations, carrying them over into adulthood. The subtle social pressure to prove fertility could have unintended consequences for driving teenage pregnancy. Structural, gender-based interventions emphasizing positive gender role development in early childhood are needed.