Case study of the Ivory Park Community Work Programme (CWP)

Ivory Park is a high-density residential area situated in the north-east of the City of Johannesburg, Region A. Most people live in a state of dire poverty. The area is geographically remote from stronger economic nodes in the city centre, and the settlement is plagued by myriad socio-economic challenges, including illiteracy, child-headed households and hopelessness. CWP participants design what work is to be done. A small stipend goes to those enrolled in the project. Through interviews with participants, it is learned that communication within and about the project, leadership issues, governance, and mistrust are the most problematic

NUMBERS THAT COUNT: National monitoring of police conduct

Publicly available data on police misconduct and the use of force has been found to be unreliable and inconsistent. Such information is important for public accountability, but also for police managers to monitor their staff and thereby improve performance and service delivery. Indicators of police use of lethal and nonlethal force, torture, public complaints and corruption must be developed and monitored by the police, and reported to the public via the SAPS annual report

TARGETING FOREIGNERS: Xenophobia among Johannesburg’s police

Several media and research studies have reported on police abuse and ill-treatment of undocumented foreigners in South Africa, concluding that xenophobia is a major problem in the SAPS. But how pervasive is xenophobia in the police? Where does it come from and what can be done about it? Based on a survey of police officials in the Johannesburg area, this article examines the phenomenon and attempts to provide some answers

Research on the community work programme (CWP) in Kagiso Impact of the CWP on Violence

Meeting: Feedback meeting, Chief MogaleHall, Kagiso, 3 March 2013PowerPoint presentationThe Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation (CSVR) is a non-governmental organization (NGO) that works to build reconciliation, democracy and human rights, and to prevent violence in South Africa and in other African countries. The presentation outlines research undertaken in Kagiso and finds that the Community Work Programme (CWP) was undertaken too quickly. It includes background information, images, benefits of CWP and programme challenges. Crime and drug abuse remain key concerns in the community. There is a need for communication to improve understanding about, cooperation with, and respect for the CWP

Role of ex-offenders in implementing the Community Work Programme as a crime and violence prevention initiative

The focus of this article is the role of ex-offenders in the Community Work Programme (CWP) towards implementation of crime and violence prevention initiatives in the townships of Ivory Park and Orange Farm, South Africa. CWP was designed to provide an employment safety net to eligible, unemployed people by offering them regular work two days per week. Ex-offenders’ involvement in the CWP may have crime and violence prevention benefits. Their CWP work involves working with other CWP participants, with community members and with youth-at-risk through soccer initiatives and public campaigns against substance abuse, while facilitating their re-integration into communities

Facilitating or hindering social cohesion? The impact of the Community Work Programme in selected South African townships

While social cohesion may be considered necessary to prevent violence, some studies show that the concept may also be a source of division, intolerance and violence. This article analyses tensions and contradictions within the Community Work Programme (CWP), and how the programme can facilitate, as well as hinder social cohesion in communities. The primary purpose of the CWP is to provide an employment safety net to unemployed people so they can obtain a basic stable income. However, if not implemented in a consultative participatory manner, the CWP may be a source of conflict rather than of social cohesion

Community Work Program in Kagiso

The report includes seven case studies, six dealing with informal settlements, townships or other localities affected by forms of collective violence, including service delivery protests and xenophobia. The seventh case study deals with the Bokfontein community work programme, where the absence of violence in the area has been linked to development initiatives, most notably the Community Work Programme (CWP). CWP provides regular and predictable work opportunities at the local level, and targets “the poorest areas ... where market-based jobs are unlikely to come any time soon.” The CWP initiative is reviewed in terms of the case studies