Cape Town Clothing Workers’ Attitudes Towards Key Aspects of and Alternatives to Regulation by the Bargaining Council

The South African clothing industry has shed over 70 000 jobs in the last decade. This has given rise to huge debate about the role of the Bargaining Council and Minister of Labour in regulating wages and employment conditions. The Bargaining Council and Minister set minimum wages, differentiated by region, occupation and experience. However, they have not permitted full-scale productivity-related pay. The government has also moved to restrict cooperatives. The study set out to explore the attitudes of formal and informal clothing workers toward the wage-regulatory framework, and three alternatives to the current model of wage-regulation by the Bargaining Council and Minister: • Performance-based incentive pay • Home-based informal workshops • Worker co-operatives. Both formal and informal workers generally had a very poor understanding of the industry’s regulatory environment and required brief explanations. Attitudes to the alternatives varied between the two groups. All workers were generally against performance-based pay because they distrusted employers whom they thought would cheat them. Most formal workers regarded informal work as a viable alternative for retrenched workers although they themselves could not imagine working in informal workshops. Both sets of workers were positive towards worker co-operatives, which appear to have the advantage of changing the working relationship from manager and worker to one where the workers are owners. All workers demonstrated overall awareness of the pressures facing the clothing industry, such as those caused by cheap Chinese imports. The evidence in this study is not sufficient to arrive at a set of conclusions regarding alternatives to wage-regulation by the Bargaining Council and Minister. Instead, the findings reveal areas of further research and create a foundation to understand better the various dynamics in the industry

Youth Empowerment: A Criminological Approach to Crime Awareness and Prevention at North Malaysia

The study raised awareness on cyber-crime sexual offenses and drug abuse among the youth at Polytechnic Tuanku Sultanah Bahiyah The study also assessed how much knowledge and understanding this age group had on crime prevention and victimization Globally youth are the most perpetrators of crime Malaysia included yet this is the age group that mostly lacks knowledge and understanding of what is criminal or not The study took a seminar approach to address 100 participants using lecturing open discussions teaching aids and dramatization of concepts The study used a survey method using questions constructed by the seminar presenters to assess how much knowledge the youth had on crime The study gathered that 50 of male and 20 of female participants had general information about cyber-crime in the form of cyberbullying mainly from harassment of themselves and or peers on social media platforms On drug abuse 100 of the males and 90 of females knew about drug abuse generally and 60 of the males and 50 of females knew about the long and short-term effects of drug abuse On sexual offenses 60 of males and 80 of females generally knew about sexual abuse crimes Future studies are recommended to hold such crime awareness programs in other locations for this age group in Malaysi

A GENERAL REVIEW OF ZIMBABWE’S RESPONSE TO DRUG AND SUBSTANCE ABUSE AMONG THE YOUTH

Drug abuse among the youth in Zimbabwe has reached crisis levels, and the number of youths engaging in drug abuse is increasing yearly. The purpose of this study was analysing the response, and efforts made by the Government of Zimbabwe, and its stakeholders, civic organizations, and the Zimbabwean community to addressing the problem of drug abuse by the youth in the country. The study used a qualitative research method, in the form of desk research by analyzing secondary data in the form of books, peer-reviewed articles, and relevant websites. Findings from the study showed that the Zimbabwean Government, and its stakeholders, civic organizations, and the community have in place strategies for drug abuse rehabilitation, and prevention in Zimbabwe; however, the problem of drug abuse is recurring and increasing among the youth population. The study also found out that, though the church plays a significant role in addressing social issues, and a voice, listened to in the community; there is no Psycho- Christian based rehabilitation module for youth drug abusers in Zimbabwe. The study concluded that there is a need to widen intervention programs for youth drug abusers in Zimbabwe. The study recommends for future studies to look into the idea of establishing a Christian based rehabilitation module for youth drug abusers in Zimbabwe, to support the youth drug abusers in recovery and quitting

Free Movement of Persons as A Vehicle for Promoting Sustainable Development in Southern Africa: Challenges and Prospects for The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA)

Despite the widely recognised benefits of migration, there is currently a multiplicity of administrative challenges as well as high levels of poverty which limit the number of potential voluntary legal migrants in Africa. Against this background, the paper assesses the Southern African Development Community’s (SADC) migration governance regime and discusses how member states can enhance the development prospects of their respective countries if they work towards the reduction and elimination of restrictions to movement of their populations within the framework the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). Qualitative methods are used in data collection and analysis. The paper relies on secondary sources of data such as published book chapters, journal articles and occasional reports. The data is analysed thematically. The findings reveal that despite the existence of AfCFTA, SADC and its member states have not utilised this initiative to encourage the free movement of goods and people and ultimately promote sustainable development in the region. The major regional economies such as South Africa, Botswana and Namibia are reluctant to promote free movement of people and goods in Africa and SADC. Despite having genuine concerns about migration, it is recommended that major regional economies should put regional interests ahead of national interests if the free movement of goods and people and sustainable development is to be achieved at both the continental and regional level

Zimbabwe’s Youth Empowerment Programme and Poverty Alleviation amongst Youths in Gweru Urban District

Zimbabwe’s youth empowerment programme was a public-private partnership between the Government of Zimbabwe and some Zimbabwean financial institutions. The aim of the programme was to alleviate poverty amongst youths through the provision of micro credit. Established in 2009 as the panacea for Zimbabwe’s youth empowerment challenges, there is very little credible data on the performance and effectiveness of this noble intervention that was criticised by some as partisan. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to evaluate the extent to which Zimbabwe’s youth empowerment programme was able to achieve its main objective of alleviating poverty amongst the youths in Zimbabwe’s Gweru Urban District. The paper adopts a qualitative case study research design utilising both primary and secondary sources of data. Primary data was collected through semi- structured interviews with key informants as well as researcher observation. Secondary data was mainly obtained through searches of both physical and online libraries and repositories. Qualitative content analysis is the method used to analyse the data. The research findings reveal that the objectives of the programme were indeed relevant to the current challenges being faced by the youth in Zimbabwe. However, the programme had very little effect on youth poverty and unemployment in Gweru Urban District which remains high. Possible reasons for the limited effectiveness could be the fact that few youth projects were funded as compared to the number of youths that were in need of funding. The high rate of collapse of the youth projects funded coupled with the failure to sustain production levels achieved after accessing the loans also meant that chances of employment creation were limited. There were however, a few success stories noted by the study. The study recommends more training for beneficiaries if such programmes are to be more effective in future. This study is of significance as it adds to the existing body of knowledge the effectiveness of micro credit as a poverty alleviation strategy. Moreover, the paper is of importance to the Zimbabwe government and other development agents as it provides credible and perhaps more reliable accounts on the performance and effectiveness of Zimbabwe’s youth empowerment programme

Real empowerment or mere political rhetoric: a formative evaluation of the youth empowerment facilities in Gweru district, Zimbabwe,

Zimbabwe embarked on a youth empowerment drive in 2009 through the setting up of Youth Empowerment Facilities. The Youth Empowerment Facilities are a partnership between the Government of Zimbabwe through the Ministry of Youth Indigenisation and Empowerment and various financial institutions that include CBZ Bank, Central African Building Society and Stanbic Bank. The Youth Empowerment Facilities are a micro credit scheme whose broad objective is to alleviate poverty amongst the youths in Zimbabwe through funding of income generating projects started by youths. It was hoped that the funded projects would result in employment creation and that technical entrepreneurial skills would be imparted to the youth through the programme. The study was a formative evaluation of the Youth Empowerment Facilities in Gweru District (Zimbabwe) which sought to determine how the programme was being implemented and the progress or lack of towards the achievement of the programme’s goals. The research established that some of the objectives of the programme were indeed relevant to the current challenges being faced by the youth in Zimbabwe. It was however suggested that other dimensions of empowerment such as the political and social empowerment be included in order for real youth empowerment to be achieved. The study noted that the implementation process was being hampered by inadequate funding, abuse of funds, non repayment of loans, high failure rate of the youth projects funded and the high rate of rejection of the youths’ project proposals by the financial institutions. There were however a few success stories noted by the study. In terms of progress made in achieving the objectives, the study noted that very little progress had been made so far. This was because very few youth projects had been funded as compared to the number of youths in the district that were in need of funding. The high rate of collapse of the youth projects funded coupled with the failure to sustain production levels achieved after accessing the loans have meant that chances of employment creation have been limited. The programme has so far had very little effect on youth poverty and unemployment in Gweru Urban District which remains high

African Music

Instrumentation: mbir

Real empowerment or mere political rhetoric: a formative evaluation of the youth empowerment facilities in Gweru district, Zimbabwe,

Zimbabwe embarked on a youth empowerment drive in 2009 through the setting up of Youth Empowerment Facilities. The Youth Empowerment Facilities are a partnership between the Government of Zimbabwe through the Ministry of Youth Indigenisation and Empowerment and various financial institutions that include CBZ Bank, Central African Building Society and Stanbic Bank. The Youth Empowerment Facilities are a micro credit scheme whose broad objective is to alleviate poverty amongst the youths in Zimbabwe through funding of income generating projects started by youths. It was hoped that the funded projects would result in employment creation and that technical entrepreneurial skills would be imparted to the youth through the programme. The study was a formative evaluation of the Youth Empowerment Facilities in Gweru District (Zimbabwe) which sought to determine how the programme was being implemented and the progress or lack of towards the achievement of the programme’s goals. The research established that some of the objectives of the programme were indeed relevant to the current challenges being faced by the youth in Zimbabwe. It was however suggested that other dimensions of empowerment such as the political and social empowerment be included in order for real youth empowerment to be achieved. The study noted that the implementation process was being hampered by inadequate funding, abuse of funds, non repayment of loans, high failure rate of the youth projects funded and the high rate of rejection of the youths’ project proposals by the financial institutions. There were however a few success stories noted by the study. In terms of progress made in achieving the objectives, the study noted that very little progress had been made so far. This was because very few youth projects had been funded as compared to the number of youths in the district that were in need of funding. The high rate of collapse of the youth projects funded coupled with the failure to sustain production levels achieved after accessing the loans have meant that chances of employment creation have been limited. The programme has so far had very little effect on youth poverty and unemployment in Gweru Urban District which remains high

Changamire

Indigenous musi

Real empowerment or mere political rhetoric: a formative evaluation of the youth empowerment facilities in Gweru district, Zimbabwe,

Zimbabwe embarked on a youth empowerment drive in 2009 through the setting up of Youth Empowerment Facilities. The Youth Empowerment Facilities are a partnership between the Government of Zimbabwe through the Ministry of Youth Indigenisation and Empowerment and various financial institutions that include CBZ Bank, Central African Building Society and Stanbic Bank. The Youth Empowerment Facilities are a micro credit scheme whose broad objective is to alleviate poverty amongst the youths in Zimbabwe through funding of income generating projects started by youths. It was hoped that the funded projects would result in employment creation and that technical entrepreneurial skills would be imparted to the youth through the programme. The study was a formative evaluation of the Youth Empowerment Facilities in Gweru District (Zimbabwe) which sought to determine how the programme was being implemented and the progress or lack of towards the achievement of the programme’s goals. The research established that some of the objectives of the programme were indeed relevant to the current challenges being faced by the youth in Zimbabwe. It was however suggested that other dimensions of empowerment such as the political and social empowerment be included in order for real youth empowerment to be achieved. The study noted that the implementation process was being hampered by inadequate funding, abuse of funds, non repayment of loans, high failure rate of the youth projects funded and the high rate of rejection of the youths’ project proposals by the financial institutions. There were however a few success stories noted by the study. In terms of progress made in achieving the objectives, the study noted that very little progress had been made so far. This was because very few youth projects had been funded as compared to the number of youths in the district that were in need of funding. The high rate of collapse of the youth projects funded coupled with the failure to sustain production levels achieved after accessing the loans have meant that chances of employment creation have been limited. The programme has so far had very little effect on youth poverty and unemployment in Gweru Urban District which remains high