A First Look At Mobile Internet Use in Township Communities in South Africa

This paper presents a study of mobile data usage in South African townships. In contrast to previous studies, which have studied mobile data usage in developing regions (including South Africa), we focus our study on two townships in South Africa; the extremely resource-constrained nature of townships sheds light, for the first time, on how people in these communities use mobile data. We perform a mixed-methods study, combining quantitative network measurements of mobile app usage with qualitative survey data to gain insights about mobile data usage patterns and the underlying reasons for user behavior concerning mobile data usage. Due to the limited availability of public free Wi-Fi and despite the relatively high cost of mobile data, we find that a typical township user's median mobile data usage is significantly more than Wi-Fi usage. As expected, and consistent with observations of mobile data usage in parts of South Africa with better resources, users tend to favor using Wi-Fi for streaming video applications, such as YouTube. Interestingly, however, unlike users in less resource-constrained settings, township users also consume significant mobile data to update mobile applications, as opposed to relying on Wi-Fi networks for application updates. These behaviors suggest that network and mobile application designers must pay more attention to data usage patterns on cellular networks to provide mobile network architectures that provide more cost-effective mechanisms for tasks such as application update

ICT innovation and economic development: lessons from a tech start-up in Soweto

Research report presented for a Masters Degree in Development Planning in the Faculty of Engineering, School of Architecture and Planning, University of the Witwatersrand, December, 2017Twenty three years into democratic South Africa, the country’s largest and most famous township, Soweto, is still the unfortunate epitome of economic marginalisation and poverty; a reflection of the unrelenting effects of apartheid spatial planning and the exclusion of black people from mainstream economy. Contemporary development discourse centres on sustainability, innovation and smart city concepts, as some of the key influencers. Specifically ICTs are viewed as enablers of economic development, capable of disrupting entrenched systems and economies. This research explores the opportunities presented by ICT innovation for economic development amongst small businesses operating in Soweto, Johannesburg. The research hones in on ICT4D, a concept of development centred on ICTs to uncover development planning interventions and principles, applicable to the South African context. Using the experiences of a Soweto based Start-up Company, iTea; the research explores the diffusion of their Township Economy App, its rate of adoption by these businesses and its economic impact. Key lessons for local authorities such as Johannesburg is the need to harness local content and innovations, derived from tech start-ups and innovators who live in those communities in order to achieve local economic development.XL201

Factors associated with not testing for HIV and consistent condom use among men in Soweto, South Africa.

BackgroundBesides access to medical male circumcision, HIV testing, access to condoms and consistent condom use are additional strategies men can use to prevent HIV acquisition. We examine male behavior toward testing and condom use.ObjectiveTo determine factors associated with never testing for HIV and consistent condom use among men who never test in Soweto.MethodsA cross-sectional survey in Soweto was conducted in 1539 men aged 18-32 years in 2007. Data were collected on socio-demographic and behavioral characteristics to determine factors associated with not testing and consistent condom use.ResultsOver two thirds (71%) of men had not had an HIV test and the majority (55%, n = 602) were young (18-23). Of those not testing, condom use was poor (44%, n = 304). Men who were 18-23 years (aOR: 2.261, CI: 1.534-3.331), with primary (aOR: 2.096, CI: 1.058-4.153) or high school (aOR: 1.622, CI: 1.078-2.439) education, had sex in the last 6 months (aOR: 1.703, CI: 1.055-2.751), and had ≥1 sexual partner (aOR: 1.749, CI: 1.196-2.557) were more likely not to test. Of those reporting condom use (n = 1036, 67%), consistent condom use was 43% (n = 451). HIV testing did not correlate with condom use.ConclusionLow rates of both condom use and HIV testing among men in a high HIV prevalence setting are worrisome and indicate an urgent need to develop innovative behavioral strategies to address this shortfall. Condom use is poor in this population whether tested or not tested for HIV, indicating no association between condom use and HIV testing

Philippi Music Project

Philippi Music Project (PMP) is a social enterprise aimed at providing affordable music recording services to township artists by building a professional recording studio. We assisted PMP in re-evaluating its business model and exploring music distribution options. We updated the operational budget to be more realistic and sustainable, explored existing music distribution platforms and their applicability to PMP, and developed projection models. Based on consumer interviews and meetings with the PMP founder, we engaged in a participatory design process for a prototype Android mobile application for music distribution. Collectively, these efforts resulted in a more complete business plan and resources for PMP to be successful in its mission to serve and cultivate local music talent

Factors affecting how the youth in the townships use internet to seek employment: case of a township in Cape Town

Problem Statement: South Africa is currently facing a challenge of youth unemployment. The hardest hit are those from low income communities, as they in addition have limited access to information. The Internet has proven to be one of the ways in which recruitment is done and failure to access reduces the opportunities. The purpose of the research: The main objective of this study was to understand how the youth living in the townships use the Internet to seek for employment. The purpose of this study is to assess how the Internet use affect the youth when searching for employment. Design/methodology/ approach: An interpretivist approach was employed to understand how the youth seek employment. This study used a qualitative approach to collect the data. Interviews were done using semi-structured questions. Alampay (2006) Capability Approach (CA) was used as a guide to conceptualise how the youth from low-income communities use the Internet to find employment. Borrowing from the four main constructs (conversion factors, freedom, capabilities and functionings) employed by Alampay (2006) in his model, this study operationalised the Alampay (2006) CA model by adding the ICT commodities as the fifth construct. The CA was chosen as an appropriate framework for this study because the framework focuses on what humans are able to do and achieve when presented with the available ICT resources. Findings: The findings demonstrate that the lack of resources, income, information and digital skills affected the individual capabilities to effectively use the Internet when seeking employment. The success rate in finding a job using the Internet was low among job seekers. Commodities, individual differences, social and environmental factors affected how the youth (18-34 years) from low-income communities use the Internet to find employment. In addition, crime, poor network coverage, expensive data bundles and limited access to ICT resources were among the key factors that contributed to limited use of the Internet among job seekers. Research Contribution: This study seeks to close the gap in limited knowledge available in developing countries with regards to the use of the Internet among job seekers. Therefore, based on the study findings, this thesis has contributed towards adding value to the body of knowledge within the field of Information Systems. In addition, the findings can contribute towards assisting policy makers in solving challenges faced by the unemployment youth in developing countries when using technology to find employment

The Intsomi Ambassadors: using communicative ecologies to enhance home literacy practices amongst working class parents in Grahamstown

Utilising theories of Communication for Development, the research explores how literacy practices in the homes of a group of working class, English second language parents in Grahamstown are affected by the introduction of new literacy material and insights Furthermore, it discusses how, and through which forms of media, these observed dynamics and changes in practice are best communicated to similar households. The issue of children's literacy development in South Africa is of serious concern, in particular the role that parents play and the level of support they give through home literacy practices. The context is one in which South African children have performed very poorly with regard to literacy levels in international benchmark testing as well as in national assessments. The summary report on the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) found that some of the factors contributing to these poor results were the lack of reading resources in homes, as well as the lack of strong home-school partnerships in which parents took up the role of co-educators, or even of primary educators at the preschool stage. A group of parents employed by Rhodes University at the Grade 1 - 5 levels signed up to be the recipients of a programme supporting the literacy development of their primary and pre-primary school children. The Intsomi Project is run by the Rhodes Community Engagement Office as part of the Vice-Chancellor’s Education Initiative and provides close to 100 families with weekly reading material and educational games for their children, as well as workshops on the use of these materials and how they might benefit the children. Following a Participatory Action Research approach, a “vanguard” group of parent participants, known as the Intsomi Ambassadors, developed their role as literacy activists, becoming co-creators of media messages that utilised and built on the first stage of their communication within the group. The research explored how the principles and techniques of development support communication, and those of communicative ecologies, could be applied to explore, enhance and disseminate those qualitative changes in behaviour within households that positively affect children’s literacy development. In the process, it aimed to explore whether media representations that reflect the stories of parents trying out new literacy practices can create authentic, endogenous messages that resonate with people in similar circumstances, and can stimulate debate around the issue