Factors Limiting Women’s Involvement in Development: Lesson from Ithuseng, South Africa

This study investigates factors influencing limited involvement indevelopment process by women in South Africa’s semi and rural areas. Theinfluence of government development policy, education and cultural valueson rural women was also investigated. The results suggest that the majority of the women in rural areas are illiterate. These women have been involved in development related work without knowing it, because they lack initiatives, innovations, self-reliance attitudes and they are isolated, not exposed to information and are marginalized through the non-interactive government development policies. These symptoms reflect a lack of structured development strategy to create needed opportunities for women. All these are a result of high rate of illiteracy, unemployment, poverty andmalnutrition. In other words, the development approach itself has failed them by not being able to enhance their welfare

Women in Poverty: Experience from Limpopo Province, South Africa

This study focuses on the extent of African women poverty level includingpoverty reduction strategies used in South Africa. The scope of the study wasbroadened to include poverty –related issues focusing on the current patternsof poverty and inequality affecting African women. African women relatedpoverty problems in the study area, was documented in a comprehensivemanner from thepoint of view of financial, human, institutional,administrative and resource constraints on the part of governmental andnon-governmental organizations. The findings suggested that past, currentand planned policies could serve as lessons in dealing with exacerbatedAfrican women overall poverty in the province.Key Words: Children poverty, poverty denial, high incidence ofunemployment, vulnerable people, poverty strategy

Women and Informal Credit: Lessons From Moretele, South Africa

Informal credit plays an important role in the development of rural and urban areas in South Africa. It is about giving the disadvantaged poor people and women access to needed financial services to increase their earning opportunities, to meet their needs and to deal with emergencies. The findings suggest that informal credit impacts positively on the lives of the majority of women in the study area, to the extent of enabling them to become self-employed through self-chosen economic activities. It has also assisted them both in accumulating resources and protecting them from further lack of incomes in times of stress

Has Affirmative Action Reached South African Women?

South Africa has unfortunately inherited a work environment based on an economic system characterised by deprivation, political instability, adversarial labour relations, cheap migrant labour, and massive income and wealth disparities. The world of work is also characterised by an appalling systematic discrimination against Blacks, women, and people with disabilities. Affirmative action has been the only policy instrument used by the Democratic South Africa to redress the past imbalances. In line with the Employment Equity Act No. 55 of 1998, the beneficiaries of this action are mainly African women (Blacks, Coloured, and Indians including disabled people). This has been justified by the fact that they were subjected to innumerable forms of discrimination and bias in the past. The policies of Affirmative Action are a system of political tools used to level the playing field. They focus on policies and strategies needed to redress past racial imbalances in the workplace, education, gender equality, and the like. This paper examines the strategy of Affirmative Action in South Africa harnessed to redress past wrongs and its effectiveness in so doing

Contribution of Rural Schools to Socioeconomic Development in Swaziland’s Rural Areas

This paper examines the contribution of rural schools to economic development in Swaziland. The important linkage between rural schools and their communities is also outlined. The paper shows that successful socioeconomic development should focus on harnessing the resources already in the community to find solution to community problems. The paper is based on secondary information using document methods study. The results suggest that not only do rural schools educate learners, but they also perform a myriad of other functions within their communities from providing physical resources and facilities, involving community members in activities, sporting and cultural activities of the schools, encouraging learners and community members to work together to develop a greater understanding of their communities.Key words: rural schools, contribution, socioeconomic development, community leaders, rural areas, Swaziland

Participation of Rural Women in Development: A Case Study of Tsheseng, Thintwa, and Makhalaneng Villages, South Africa

This study investigates factors which influence limited participation in the development process by women in South Africa’s rural areas. The influence of government development policy, education and cultural values on rural women was sought and investigated in this study. The results suggest that most women in rural areas are illiterate. They lack initiatives, innovations and self-reliance attitudes. Women in rural areas are isolated, confined and marginalized through the non-interactive government policies on rural areas. These symptoms reflect a lack of structured development strategy to create needed opportunities in these areas. As a result, there is a high rate of unemployment, because the present development policy clearly has failed to enhance the welfare of most rural women in the country

A Survey of Job Loss in Selected Communities around Johannesburg, South Africa

This paper reported on a survey of job loss in selected communities around Johannesburg, South Africa. Six communities were purposively selected to participate in this study on the basis of a perceived high incidence of job losses among them as a result of retrenchments, downsizing and plant closures. In each community questionnaires were distributed to, and interviews held with, a sample of residents. Overall, the respondents stressed the hardships caused by joblessness. The findings further showed that most of the respondents were anxious and worried about both the present and the future, and urged community leaders to intervene. The findings also showed that a significant number of residents did not have satisfactory support structures after becoming jobless, a situation that induced serious anxieties. They experienced a feeling of lowered self-esteem. However, although seriously afflicted by the ravages of job loss within their communities, the majority of the respondents did not express a desire to relocate to other places

Empirical Assessment of Agricultural Development in Manzini Region, Swaziland

Agricultural development strategy should be directed towards the shaping of the agricultural sector, by increasing the number of both small-scale andlarge farmers, adoption of incentives and increased yield/ha. The aim of this study was to assess the performance of both small-scale and large scale maize farmers in Manzini region, Swaziland. Both secondary and primary data sources were used from a sample of 170 farmers. Two Ordinary Least Square regression models (OLS) were used to analyse both farmers’ characteristics influencing maize outputs, based on cross-sectional data collected in the study area. The model predicted about 71.17% of the sample. The results suggested that small scale farmers maize output differed from that of large farmers’ maize output. In fact, the estimated coefficients of yield/ha, input price, area of land and rainfall were the significant determinants of small-scale farmers’ maize output, while the coefficients of area of land, fertilizer, input price, labour, yield/ha, as well as technology and rainfall were the significant determinants of maize output of the large farmers. The difference in maize production was mainly caused by technology of production and know-how

Riding on the Coat-Tails of Traditional Cultural Expressions

Matters related to the protection of traditional cultural expressions (‘TCEs’) or expressions of folklore (‘EoFs’) are sensitive and intricate as a blend of legal, economic, philosophical and anthropological considerations jostle to capture their core features. This results in disparate views surrounding what should qualify as TCEs or EoFs, who should be considered their ‘owner’ (assuming that ownership per se is conceptually compatible with these items), which is the most appropriate legal protection regime and how broad their scope of protection should be. Drawing from these various accounts on TCEs, this article focuses on the interaction between TCEs and EoFs originating on the European continent and the European Union (‘EU’) trade mark legislation. Specifically, this article examines whether the limitations of the effects of trade mark rights and of the absolute grounds of refusal, as developed by the case law of the Court of Justice of the European Union, are effective in preserving the cohesion of TCEs. This article advances the thesis that registration of TCEs and EoFs as trade marks generates an imbalance between the rights of the trade mark owner and the defences available to others under the EU trade mark law framework. Furthermore, such an imbalance is likely to hinder the unfettered circulation of TCEs and undermine their original meaning. Lastly, in some cases, trade mark registration of TCEs contributes to their appropriation and misappropriation. The article concludes that, de lege ferenda, the direct exclusion of TCEs as eligible subject matter for trade mark registration is preferable to seeking a post factum remedy

The experience of cash transfers in alleviating childhood poverty in South Africa: Mothers’ experiences of the Child Support Grant

Cash transfer (CT) programmes are increasingly being used as policy instruments to address child poverty and child health outcomes in developing countries. As the largest cash-transfer programme in Africa, the South African Child Support Grant (CSG) provides an important opportunity to further understand how a CT of its kind works in a developing country context. We explored the experiences and views of CSG recipients and non-recipients from four diverse settings in South Africa. Four major themes emerged from the data: barriers to accessing the CSG; how the CSG is utilised and the ways in which it makes a difference; the mechanisms for supplementing the CSG; and the impact of not receiving the grant. Findings show that administrative factors continue to be the greatest barrier to CSG receipt, pointing to the need for further improvements in managing queues, waiting times and coordination between departments for applicants trying to submit their applications. Many recipients, especially those where the grant was the only source of income, acknowledged the importance of the CSG, while also emphasising its inadequacy. To maximise their impact, CT programmes such as the CSG need to be fully funded and form part of a broader basket of poverty alleviation strategies