Women, the Informal Economy and the State in Lesotho

Poor women in Lesotho endure a triple jeopardy of exploitation by patriarchy, capitalism and the state. To escape from this jeopardy increasing numbers of poor women are entering the informal economy, which is increasingly becoming the major dynamic and expanding sector of the economy. Becoming informal entrepreneurs has not only financially empowered women, but has also subverted traditional patriarchal gender power relations. This paper, based on a critical field survey, considers the experience of women in the informal sector, changes in gender and class relations and the contribution of the informal economy to national development. The paper shows that the informal economy is a contested terrain in which kinship values of the economy of affection coexist in dynamic tension with those of primitive capitalism, and that the patriarchal and weak state is the major obstacle to poor women’s emancipation. It concludes that, since the informal economy is the only vehicle for poor women’s empowerment, policy must optimize the benefits of the informal sector while limiting its excesses

Women, War and Peace in Mozambique: The Case of Manica Province

The Mozambican civil war, 1977–1992, left an ambiguous legacy for women. Whilst women were among the most vulnerable victims of the war, in some ways they were also its unintended beneficiaries. The civil war, by weakening both the state and the traditional family, offered unprecedented opportunities for women to break free from patriarchal control. Especially decisive were women’s own responses to the war, which in turn were a function of their pre-war situation, class, and personal history. Some women managed to see and seize opportunities in their predicament and prospered, especially as informal entrepreneurs, while many others succumbed to their fate. A few even engaged in civil society activism, for instance, setting up victim support networks and participating in peacebuilding. This paper shows that, while destroying society the war also catalysed the process of gender transformation, social fragmentation and civil society activism. It concludes that violent conflict is a moment of choice, in which individual and collective responses create opportunities and/or constraints.Keywords: Women, War Victims, Activism, Patriarchy, Emancipation, Mozambiqu

The quest for happiness as an underlying motive for violent conflict in Africa

Violent conflicts continue to be a major feature of much of Africa’s political landscape. Not only are Africa’s conflicts increasing, but they are also interpreted and theorised in varied ways, with irreducible discrepancies. In the dominant literature, ethnicity, religion, resources, territory, poor governance, and the struggle for power, among others, have been identified as the major causes of violent conflict on the continent. This paper, a broad brush that raises more questions than answers, argues that, underlying these apparent causes of violent conflict is the undying desire for happiness. It concludes by paraphrasing Von Clausewitz’s dictum that war in Africa is a pursuit of happiness by other means and, therefore, to prevent it, policy should promote popular happiness.Keywords: happiness/unhappiness, violent conflict, development, democratic governance, ethnic identity, Afric

Violent Conflicts in Africa: Towards a Holistic Understanding

Violent conflicts in Africa have claimed millions of lives, displaced many more and mortgaged the continent’s development. Yet, the study of their causes, dynamics and consequences is far from holistic and unified, but is instead fragmented, contested and divided along disciplines. Part of the problem is that, such complex conflicts are not amenable to mono-causal analysis and rigid theorization, but instead can only be better understood through multidisciplinary analyses of contested historical processes in which local and global forces interact to produce contingent, contradictory and ambiguous trajectories of violent change. This paper attempts to build a more holistic understanding of violent conflicts in Africa that transcends the limits of mono-causal and deterministic models of violence. Critically synthesizing competing perspectives, it highlights some of the many inextricably interlinked local and global causes and escalation factors of violence in Africa

Social and environmental impact for sustainable bio-gas production by the city of Johannesburg

Abstract: The growth of biofuels production and use in South Africa can play a major role in job creation and can help alleviate poverty, improving environmental protection and economic growth. Bio-fuels has the potential to contribute to job creation and skills development in both agricultural and production sectors. It can spur economic development in disadvantaged rural communities, provide energy security, assist to mitigate the shortage and high cost of energy and can contribute to reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The focus is mainly on the impact on workers and communities at large, where production and consumption generally takes place. This work is justified, mainly because there is growing customer/market pressure on the state of the social and economic circumstances of production and services for products like bio-fuel. Issues like corruption, unionization of workforce, policies and laws in the creation of bio-fuels and its by-products are increasingly being recognized. Outstanding social impacts where identified and authorities should strive to address

Study on regulations, policies and permits for implementation of bioenergy systems

Abstract: The popularity of the Organic Fuel comes mostly from its Economic and Environmental benefits, and it can be effortlessly changed over into vitality for direct warming applications or potentially power era frameworks. Bioenergy can possibly break the Cycles of Poverty by developing energy security, food security, work creation, wage diversification and rural advancement. Care is required in light of the fact that bioenergy could have both positive and negative effects on nearby nourishment security. The significance of building up the Renewable part is further underscored by its consideration as a coordinated vital venture in the National Infrastructure Plan. This is managed by the Presidential Infrastructure Coordinating Committee, and is done for catalyzing development and development in South Africa. Renewable energy is likewise deliberately seen as a road through which the South African Government can react to the test of environmental change, enhance vitality security by broadening wellsprings of vitality supply, and impel green development through localisation and strengthening (DME 2003).Objectives were to take part in a complete audit of the national legitimate structures for bioenergy in South Africa. Controls, approaches and allows fundamentally explored and these will be supplemented by direct meetings with related Stakeholders. Existing Feasibility concentrates on that were completed for bioenergy Development were inspected and heightening elements were utilized to overhaul the expenses to reflect current costs. South Africa's Bioenergy Framework Main occasions were outlined and investigated and summarised. Recommendations were suggested

Information technologies for humanitarian logistics and supply chain management in Zimbabwe

Abstract: The use of information technology (IT) is highlighted as vital in modern complex logistics and supply chains. It still remains that the number of studies on the relationship between IT and logistics is still quite limited. Based on empirical data from Humanitarian logistics organizations this research outlines a classification of the ways in which organizations use IT in Humanitarian Logistics, and also tries to explain the drivers for these different utilization types. Research findings highlighted that, the use of IT for Humanitarian Logistics matters can be separated into, transaction processing, supply chain planning and collaboration, and order tracking and delivery coordination. But the drivers for humanitarian technology logistics also differ from one matter to the next. The study mainly used primary data collection method including a survey and interview

The burden of poor mental health on parenting in mothers living with HIV in Zimbabwe

Background Mothers living with HIV are at increased risk of comorbidities, including mental health conditions. Mental health condition rates may be high yet often undiagnosed and untreated. This study aimed to assess the prevalence and factors associated with mental health conditions in mothers living with HIV and their association with parenting behaviour. Methods Firstly, the 8-item Shona Symptom Questionnaire (SSQ-8), which identifies the risk of common mental disorders (CMD), was validated in a sample of 264 primary care clinic attendees compared to a gold standard, using a receiver operating characteristic curve to identify the optimal cut point of 6. The next phase used data from 485 mothers living with HIV, participating in a cluster-randomised controlled trial evaluating parenting and income interventions, to explore the prevalence of and risk factors for CMD, defined as a 3-category ordinal variable (no CMD, CMD at one timepoint, CMD at both timepoints). I also investigated the association of CMD with parenting stress, parenting sense of competence and discipline. Lastly, a comprehensive parenting intervention was evaluated using mixed methods and guided by the MRC guidance to evaluate complex interventions. Results The SSQ-8 was found to have good validity when compared to the clinical assessments conducted by psychologists using the gold standard, Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-V (SCID). In the sample living with HIV, the optimal cut-off was ≥6 with an area under the curve of 89% (95% CI: 83%–93%). A quarter (N=127, 25.7%) of the 495 mothers in our sample experienced repeat CMD symptoms and a further 33.5% experienced CMD symptoms at one timepoint, with no difference by trial arm. Associated risk factors for CMD included food insecurity (aOR=2.23 (1.32, 3.78) p=0.003); domestic violence (aOR=3.12 (95% CI: 1.71, 5.70) p<0.001); mobility problems (aOR=2.71 (1.55, 4.72) p<0.001); increased pain and discomfort (aOR=1.61 (0.19, 2.43) p=0.015), low resilience (aOR=0.61 (0.42, 0.89) p=<0.010) and low postpartum bonding (aOR=3.13 (1.78, 5.52) p<0.001). CMD was associated with increased parenting stress. Mean parenting stress (total score) standard deviation scores (SD) were higher among mothers with repeat CMD symptoms (97.1, SD 15.0) compared to those with CMD symptoms at one timepoint (84.8, SD 14.8) and those without CMD symptoms (78.0, SD 12.8). Children of parents with repeat CMD were almost three times as likely to have been spanked >20 times as opposed to children with no CMD symptoms (14.2% vs 5.0%). A multivariate model found no association between repeat CMD symptoms and harsh discipline after adjusting for parenting stress. The process evaluation provided evidence that complex parenting interventions are feasible, but there is a need to foresee and address potential contextual and individual barriers to uptake. A major learning point was that future interventions targeting mothers living with HIV should consider lessons learnt from the CHIDO intervention and seek to comprehensively address risk factors not only affecting their parenting outcomes but their mental health. Conclusion The SSQ-8 has been shown to be valid for the use of screening common mental disorders in a population with high HIV prevalence. There is a high burden of mental health conditions in mothers living with HIV. These mothers have been shown to be at risk of experiencing depressive symptoms at different trajectories of their parenting journey, with several risk factors identified. Therefore, there is a need for interventions aimed at improving parenting and child outcomes and also to target addressing the risk factors associated with poor maternal mental health

Strengthening cooperatives development in South Africa : a case study of the Limpopo and Gauteng Provinces

Abstract: One of the great challenges facing the South African economy is to increase the number and variety of viable and sustainable economic enterprises, it is central to government’s economic policy that it promotes the development of emerging economic enterprises and diversifies the ownership, size and geographic location of those enterprises .Cooperative development is one of the interventions that the South African government can use, it can also uplift indigenous people who were neglected or excluded by the apartheid system to play a role in the economic development of the nation. Cooperatives have being receiving the support from government, but there is very little success. The study used qualitative research methods, data was gathered from 200 cooperative that were situated in Limpopo and Gauteng province, through focused group interview, one on one interviews and observations. Secondary data was gathered through an extensive literature review. The research recommends that responsible authorities need to engage in Continuous trainings, workshops and seminars for communities, cooperative members and government officials and also employ cooperative managers in order for them to strengthen cooperatives and also develop them successfully

Fire hazard modelling in Southern Africa

Abstract: In this study, we analysed fire occurrences in Southern Africa using point pattern analysis methods. The intensity of events varied vary across the region, events interacted across the region. The intensity plot showed that events are more concentrated at latitude -12.00 and longitude 35.00. Ripley’s k-function revealed that events are clustered up to a distance of 14 km. We tested hypothesis that Higher amounts of dry mass productivity (DMP) and the normalised difference vegetation index (NDVI) result in more fire occurrences and more biomass burning, we also hypothesised that dry woodlands in savannah ecosystems result in more fire occurrences as compared to other land cover types in MaxEnt. Results showed DMP, NDVI and land cover types can be used to model fire occurrences with an ACU of 0,760.It also showed that as DMP and NDVI increased fire occurrence probability also increased. More fires are concentrated (0.79) in crop land with woody vegetation and closed grass land cover types. All the countries in Southern Africa have a high fire risky