Development Studies Working Paper, no. 2

Early in 1981, Professor S. Bekker of Rhodes University was invited to attend a meeting of the Amatola Basin Steering Committee of the Agricultural and Rural Development Research Institute (ARDRI) at the University of Fort Hare. At this meeting, Professor Bekker was invited to undertake a socio-economic survey of the Amatola Basin. The Board of the Institute of Social and Economic Research at Rhodes University gave Professor Bekker permission in February 1981 to undertake the research project on condition that it was conducted in the fashion this Institute usually requires. It was subsequently agreed that the survey, known as 'Amatola Basin VII: Socio-economic survey', was to establish the basic demographic, kinship, consumption and employment patterns of the residents of the Amatola Basin. Practices and traditions related to dry land agriculture would also be identifiedDigitised by Rhodes University Library on behalf of the Institute of Social and Economic Research (ISER

Шестые Чупинские чтения. Предисловие

Quality-of-life studies are ideally suited to fulfilling the new international youth research agenda, which focuses on ‘positive youth development’ to make recommendations for policy and practice. The paper reports a South African case study conducted among disadvantaged youth for this purpose. A sample survey of close on 900 African youth, aged 15-24 years, sought to identify indicators of positive development to serve as goals of youth and community work in Grahamstown East/Rini, in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. The setting is unique. This mainly rural province is among the poorest, least developed, and has one of highest unemployment rates. Nevertheless, Grahamstown may offer special development opportunities for local youth due to the proximity of the city centre and diverse extension projects for youth. The survey found that development opportunities were unequally distributed with the materially advantaged youth being more exposed to development opportunities through their schools, spare time activities, and community contacts. They were more ambitious than others and more aware of risks facing contemporary youth. Advantaged youth also reported higher levels of subjective well-being and optimism, findings consistent with earlier studies conducted among adult populations, which report remarkable congruence between material and subjective well-being among South Africans. The analysis used overall life satisfaction as key indicator of successful youth development to learn more about major youth aspirations and goals. In conclusion, the study was able to identify a youth development initiative based on the aspirations of the youth, which might be pursued as a researcher-practitioner partnership project in line with the new international youth research agenda

The Bantustan State and the South African Transition: Militarisation, Patrimonialism and the Collapse of the Ciskei Regime, 1986-1994

This article examines the Ciskei bantustan and processes of state formation during the transition to democracy. In the Ciskei, the rule of Brigadier Gqozo rested on the continued support of the South African state: identified as the weakest link in the National Party’s conservative alliance, the Ciskei became the first target for the African National Congress’ mass action campaign of 1992. The struggle in the Ciskei thus had some significance for the shape of the transition. While at a constitutional level the National Party eventually conceded to the re-incorporation of the bantustans in late 1992, it continued to stall change and to bolster the bantustans through covert military operations and land transfers to bantustan elites. These dynamics of state formation are critical aspects of the history of the transition and were at the heart of the emerging political conflict in the Ciskei, which by mid-1992 was escalating into civil war. This article examines mass mobilisation, political repression and the consequences of the patrimonial militarisation of the Ciskei state in the Ciskei/ Border region. By focusing on processes of state formation and struggles over the fabric of the state, this article provides a corrective to the prevailing academic focus on the elite negotiations and argues for the value of social histories of the bantustan states for understanding the enduring legacies of these regimes

De-agrarianisation and the urbanisation of a rural economy: agrarian patterns in Melani village in the Eastern Cape

This working paper provides research findings emanating from the De-Agrarianisation and Rural Employment (DARE) Research Programme, coordinated by the African Studies Centre, Leiden. The aim of the Programme was to examine, from a multidisciplinary perspective, the changes in size and significance of the peasant population in sub-Saharan African countries and to draw attention to the new labour patterns and unfolding rural-urban relations now taking place. This paper focuses on South Africa and is concerned with the problem of rural livelihoods against the background of changes which have occurred in South Africa in recent years. It is based on research in Melani village, in the dry interior district of Alice in the former Ciskei, which began in 1996. The paper starts with a description of household structure and income, including pensions, wages, remittances and material benefits derived from informal economic activities as well as the occasional sale of stock and crops. Then it describes various types of rural-urban interaction and interaction between the rural households. The data illustrate the unsatisfactory conditions of rural dwellers who derive either very little or nothing from the land while there are also few employment opportunities locally.ASC – Publicaties niet-programma gebonde

Rural development in South Africa : a case-study of the Amatola Basin in the Ciskei

This monograph considers the circumstances of a rural Ciskei community, and the prospects for their improvement. It results from a co-operative research venture between the Agricultural and Rural Development Research Institute (ARDRI) at the University of Fort Hare and the Institute of Social and Economic Research (ISER) at Rhodes University. In 1981 ARDRI approached ISER and asked it to undertake a socio-economic survey in the Amatola Basin area of Ciskei near Alice. As a result of the socio-economic survey conducted in mid-1981, it became clear that further research would be necessary. The overall organization of this monograph is thus based on two sets of interrelated assumptions, viz. that the Amatola Basin's relationship of dependency on the wider South African society is largely responsible for both the low level of opportunity and the wide range of effective constraints on the development of a stronger local economy and infrastructure, and of effective administration. This relationship of dependency is part of an on-going historical process and appears to have been cumulative; and that the fields selected for more detailed study, viz. education, health, cultivation, local government and externally-initiated development projects constitute perhaps the key areas in which people's chances of improvement historically have been and are currently being held back. With these two assumptions operating as broad guidelines, the authors have each pursued their own research, having freedom to cast their findings in comparative and interpretative contexts of their own choice. While ideas and data have been shared, the authors each accept responsibility for the content of their own chapters.Boo

Research report, no. 6

[From the preface]: The ‘Living in Grahamstown East/Rini’ project takes its title from a series of reports on social indicators initiated by Statistics South Africa. The popular series aims to communicate to ordinary people the statistics on living conditions in various parts of the country. The first two booklets in the series, Living in South Africa and Living in Gauteng, were based on survey data for South Africa and Gauteng Province (CSS: 1996; 1997). In similar vein, this booklet presents statistics on living conditions in Grahamstown East/Rini for ready reference by community organisations, local planning and policy-makers, scholars, and the general public. [From the introduction]: This report is intended to serve the needs of information users. The source of information is a representative sample survey of 862 Grahamstown East/Rini households conducted in May 1999. The report serves as a reference work for municipal planners and policymakers, community organisations, and interested citizens. It is hoped that the reported social indicators will be useful for drawing up business plans for community development projects. The information in this report is mainly factual. It is based on self-reports collected from households in Grahamstown East/Rini. In time, the facts contained in this report will date. They will then gain historical value for scholars with an interest in learning "how things were" to compare the situation in Grahamstown East/Rini in 1999 with later developments and changes in living conditions and lifestylesThis was edited by Valerie Møller, with contributions by Cecil W. Manona, Charlotte van Hees, Edmund Pillay and Andile TobiDigitised by Rhodes University Library on behalf of the Institute of Social and Economic Research (ISER

Research report, no. 6

[From the preface]: The ‘Living in Grahamstown East/Rini’ project takes its title from a series of reports on social indicators initiated by Statistics South Africa. The popular series aims to communicate to ordinary people the statistics on living conditions in various parts of the country. The first two booklets in the series, Living in South Africa and Living in Gauteng, were based on survey data for South Africa and Gauteng Province (CSS: 1996; 1997). In similar vein, this booklet presents statistics on living conditions in Grahamstown East/Rini for ready reference by community organisations, local planning and policy-makers, scholars, and the general public. [From the introduction]: This report is intended to serve the needs of information users. The source of information is a representative sample survey of 862 Grahamstown East/Rini households conducted in May 1999. The report serves as a reference work for municipal planners and policymakers, community organisations, and interested citizens. It is hoped that the reported social indicators will be useful for drawing up business plans for community development projects. The information in this report is mainly factual. It is based on self-reports collected from households in Grahamstown East/Rini. In time, the facts contained in this report will date. They will then gain historical value for scholars with an interest in learning "how things were" to compare the situation in Grahamstown East/Rini in 1999 with later developments and changes in living conditions and lifestylesThis was edited by Valerie Møller, with contributions by Cecil W. Manona, Charlotte van Hees, Edmund Pillay and Andile TobiDigitised by Rhodes University Library on behalf of the Institute of Social and Economic Research (ISER

Development Studies Working Paper, no. 11

Communities which have been characterised by migrancy for a long period of time, such as the Xhosa and the Italians considered in this paper, develop sets 6f terms which describe migrants. The Xhosa have varied criteria for their categories, e.g. amajoyini - those on contract to mainly the mining and construction industries; abafuduga - those who deliberately sell up and go elsewhere; amagoduka - those who intend to return home; imfiki - impoverished migrants from white owned farms. Italians tend to view the crossing of international boundaries as the essence of migration and classify their migrants by the state in which they work e.g. Inglesi, Americani, rather than by the more complex terminology of the Xhosa. Some terms are simply descriptions, others are categories with wider connotations, into which people place others and themselves. As far as possible we shall use the peoples' own categories, which define their relationships to "home", the region to which they migrate and to migrancy as a way of life, as these have important implications for what happens at home.Digitised by Rhodes University Library on behalf of the Institute of Social and Economic Research (ISER

Africa Insight

Africa Insight (incorporating the AI Bulletin) is published quarterly by the Africa Institute of South Africa, an independent study centre concerned with African affairs.This journal focuses on contemporary issues of Afric