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In 1996, South Africa adopted the Growth, Employment, and Redistribution (GEAR) strategy. Twenty-seven years later, conclusive evidence suggests that GEAR was not a genuine strategy for growth, employment creation, and poverty reduction but a mere consolidation of neoliberalism in South Africa. This paper considers the key targets of GEAR and trend data from 1996 onward to explain the contributions and failures of GEAR in the development of South Africa. The paper is informed by secondary data, and desk-top research was conducted to elicit data. Drawing from the lenses of a people-centred development approach, this paper argues that future development policy formulation and implementation processes should be based on substantive participation. Despite the role of GEAR in reducing the national debt and stabilising the country’s inflation, its contribution to economic growth was insignificant and only benefited the few. In fact, GEAR contributed to social and economic problems, includingunemployment, poverty, poor education, health, and the welfare system in South Africa. This paper concludes that GEAR was simply a consolidation of neoliberalism, which benefited the few better-off minorities at the expense of the poor majority. Thus, this paper eventually draws key lessons and recommendations for future development policies in South Africa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The implementation of lockdown measures as a response to the spread of COVID-19 has increased the vulnerability of households to several human security issues. Using a desktop systematic review approach, the paper attempts an explanation of violence and unrest from the theoretical lens of the frustration-aggression theory. It discusses violence as a form of agency in South Africa and contextualises contemporary experiences in terms of the COVID-19 pandemic and the July 2021 protest, as well as the implication of such violence for the South African socio-political and economic sphere going forward. The paper argues that while South African history is bedevilled by violence, the vulnerability of the people due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic provided a breeding ground for frustration and the eventual violent unrest in many parts of South Africa. Therefore, the extensive looting of malls, warehouses, and distributors that greeted the July 2021 protest was only a product of South Africa's historical inequality and worsening state of affairs. The paper concludes that the unrest was mainly triggered by structural and historical socio-economic configurations rooted in extreme poverty and wide economic inequality. That becomes apparent in unemployment, deprivations, physical hardships, a failing or collapsing state, and state institutions and services underlined by neo-patrimonial practices and political failures, thereby leading to violence as a response. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has brought myriad challenges to South African public schools based in rural areas. The recurring concern is that those challenges might negatively impact the performance and progress of learners in rural areas. This should be understood within the context that most schools in rural areas are characterised by a lack of resources, such as modern technological resources. This paper aimed to find ways to enhance teaching practices during and after the COVID-19 crisis in a rural context. The objectives of the paper were to discover the impact of COVID-19 on learning and teaching practices and recommend ways to enhance such practices during and after the pandemic. Weiner's Attribution Theory of motivation and emotion was used to identify and address the underlying factors that may contribute to a learner's academic success and how they act or behave in certain ways towards the teaching practices. Methodologically, the study adopted a qualitative approach, and the purposive sampling technique was employed to draw data from participants through interviews and observations. The collected data was analyzed through thematic content analysis. The study found that psychosocial factors such as lack of positive mindset towards the curriculum, lack of motivation, family challenges, environmental challenges, and anxiety disorders such as generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), panic disorder and phobias caused by covid 19 pandemic, affect the cognition of learners and hinder the learning process. Therefore, it is recommended that the Department of Basic Education (DBE) consider implementing some psychological assessment programmes as a way to prepare learners and teachers for learning and teaching. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present time of technological development, entrepreneurship is becoming more advanced and innovative. Unlike in antiquity, indigenous entrepreneurship did not gain much prominence in terms of technology in rural areas. The purpose of this paper was to understand and analyse the relevance of indigenous entrepreneurship in the 4IR era. The paper argues that indigenous entrepreneurship has been muted and dysfunctional in most of the rural communities due to a lack of technological integration in their businesses. This is a conceptual paper that adopts a literature-based methodology to analyse the relevance of indigenous entrepreneurship in the epoch of the 4IR. This paper revealed that indigenous entrepreneurship is slowly losing its relevance in rural areas and is not profitable in the current state of technological development. It indicated that the indigenous entrepreneurs in rural areas are not acquainted with the current use of technology or how to capitalise on technology to keep their entrepreneurial activities productive. Hence, it recommended that indigenous entrepreneurs must be compatible and use the current technology to stay in the market in the long run and be more profitable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports one of the findings of a study that was conducted to determine strategies that can be used to promote the use of indigenous African languages as languages of teaching and learning in South African schools. The problem that I sought to address was the lack of or insufficient use of indigenous African languages for teaching and learning in the South African education system, despite these languages being constitutionally recognised as official languages in the country since 1994. The study was conducted against the background of existing research both locally and internationally, which highlights the negative effects of offering education in a language that is not the learner's first language or mother tongue. It was conducted in KwaZulu-Natal, one of the nine provinces of the Republic of South Africa, in which isiZulu is the predominant indigenous African language. Participants included a random sample of educators from primary schools and high schools, a random sample of language and education specialists in institutions of higher learning found in the province, as well as a random sample of learners in the Further Education and Training (FET) phase. Questionnaires, an observation schedule, and focus group interviews were used to collect data for the study. As part of the literature review, language policies formulated after the adoption of the new constitution in 1994, in particular the Language-in-Education Policy (LiEP) of 1997, were reviewed to determine their contribution to the language provision dilemmas suffered by indigenous African languages in teaching and learning. This paper reports on one of the effects that language provisions made in the LiEP seem to have had, which manifests as a lack of competence in both the language of teaching and learning and in the home (native) language among most black learners, a condition that has been termed "semilingualism" by some scholars. The implications of this phenomenon for language in teaching and learning are also highlighted. The paper concludes by making suggestions for a need to revise the LiEP to help overcome this emergent problem and improve the use of indigenous African languages in teaching and learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa (1996) provides a normative framework for upholding the fundamental human rights of its citizens, day labourers represent one of the most disenfranchised and marginalised sectors of the South African economy and remain entirely at the mercy of prevailing market forces. This paper is based on a qualitative study that was conducted in the city of East London in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa to develop a comprehensive understanding of the precarious circumstances in which day labourers are obliged to eke out a meagre subsistence through short-term employment. A person-in-environment framework was used to evaluate the findings from a thematic analysis of the data that was obtained from individual interviews with eighteen day labourers who had no other forms of income. The findings were used to formulate recommendations for social work practice, specifically with respect to the role of social workers in the formulation and implementation of policies to include day labourers among the vulnerable segments of the population whose well-being the profession is dedicated to improving. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Poverty is a multidimensional phenomenon hence it requires a multipronged approach in terms of analysis and solutions. This paper investigated the drivers of multidimensional poverty among households in rural Limpopo province, South Africa. Primary data were collected from a random sample of 407 households in Sekhukhune and Capricorn District Municipality of rural Limpopo Province, South Africa. The sampling methods used included purposive and simple random sampling. While descriptive statistics was used to profile households' socioeconomic characteristics, the Alkire-Foster methodology was employed to analyse multidimensional poverty. The logistic regression model was also used to analyse the drivers of multidimensional poverty in the study area. The results of data analysis revealed that the incidence of multidimensional poverty was high among the households. The results also indicated that employment, sanitation type, type of fuel for heat and cooking, and years of schooling contributed to the Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) in the study area. The results further revealed that the gender of the household head, years of schooling, association and cooperative membership, access to grants, and income influence the incidence of multidimensional poverty. The paper concluded that multidimensional poverty spread across both the income poor and non-income poor as the majority of them were deprived of sanitation, the type of fuel used for heating, and asset ownership. Improved sanitation system and electricity subsidies especially in the winter to access clean fuel for heat, could minimise multidimensional poverty in the study area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has spawned human rights challenges. This article recounted the experiences of the victims through anecdotal evidence and analysed them in the human rights context. The paper found that the victims of the disease are ostracised by their families and communities. The article also discussed the remedies available to the victims both by way of fundamental right enforcement and under general civil claims. The paper concluded that the exclusion of the victims from the benefits enjoyed by other members of the community on account of their health status amounts to discrimination which is prohibited under human rights precepts. Such conducts instil fear and anxiety and could deter the victims from voluntarily disclosing their health status, which would invariably aggravate the spread of the disease in the community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, following the dawn of democracy in South Africa, there has been a renewed thrust by civic organisations in matters of local-level service provision. The role of formal and informal organisations in highlighting inadequate provision of basic services by municipalities has attracted the attention of, first, the media, and now researchers and policymakers alike. The interest is mainly due to the abrupt and often violent nature of civic involvement in service delivery protests often directed at local municipalities in diverse and far-flung areas of the country. In this conceptual paper, a discussion of civic involvement in pre- and post-South Africa's democratic local government is advanced by exploring the historical development of civic organisations' role, notably how that role has been reconfigured since the dawn of South Africa's democracy. In the context of poorly resourced municipalities, a critique of collaborative ventures in developing and delivering essential water and sanitation services is provided while exploring the complexities of network governance arrangements and the opportunities they present for livelihoods. The paper then concludes by looking at prospects for the future and making recommendations on how poorly resourced municipalities could leverage civil society organisations' role through collaborative network governance for the greater good of promoting sustainable livelihoods in South Africa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper postulates that a child is a human being whose rights are guaranteed under the law, and as such, the rights must be respected and promoted. Parents have moral and legal duties and obligations to provide their children with love and care, most importantly, to ensure their children's best interest. Under the law, the inherent rights of a child are not negotiable; hence they must be maintained by both parents depending on their financial circumstances. This responsibility needs to be discharged with love and care. However, it is unfortunate that some parents are not committed to discharging this responsibility without force; hence the Maintenance Act of 1998 was enacted to assist the system in managing and enforcing compliance by the parents toward their children. Consequently, the duty to support a child does not discriminate against an illegitimate child when maintenance issues are being processed. All children are eligible to be maintained regardless of their parent's marital status during birth. The courts must enforce compliance through maintenance orders to ensure that children are well taken care of until they are self-sufficient. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper adopts the Afrocentric theory to explore the concept of State Capture, outline its events which proceeded the 2016 State Capture report, and analyse the socio-economic challenges it brought until recently when the Zondo Commission of Inquiry was established. The aim of this paper is to give a broader analysis of State Capture in South Africa and interlink it with corruption which together played a big role in Jacob Zuma (Former South African President) being unaccountable and not transparent at all times. This paper argues that Zuma and his entire administration were responsible for all the activities that led to State Capture and should find it within their means to take accountability and be transparent when they appear in the Zondo Commission. Preliminary findings revealed that indeed Zuma (individually) was never open and honest at the Zondo Commission in July 2019 but instead played hide and seek1 to avoid accounting for what transpired during his administration. A qualitative research approach was adopted to achieve the aim of this paper and recommendations are also tabled, particularly for all South Africans and the current African National Congress led government. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This conceptual paper studies the relationship between unemployment and migration in some parts of Southern African Development Communities. The majority of the population that migrates are unemployed and want to improve their living standards and that of their family members. Human mobility is then regarded as means of improving the allocation of human resources. There are several characteristics that may encourage human mobility in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) but unemployment seems to be topping the list. Unemployment is one of the Push factors of human mobility; consequently, it is crucial to understand the relationship between the two. They are attached and this is another reason the global village will continually experience cross border movements. Occasionally, immigrants leave their place of residents because of the high unemployment rate and lack of economic growth. Family members of the unemployed household heads are also likely to migrate in search of greener pastures and better their lives and that of their siblings and dependents. The economic disparities between countries have a very strong influence in cross border movements and the deepening and widening inequality in incomes and opportunities within nations. The other contributing aspect which add pressure for people to cross the border is the increase in the number of people enduring poverty and extreme hardship. Cross border movement is also shaped by the location of employment and other opportunities. Consequently, the paper is conceptual as it relied on available literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The South African rural communities depend more on subsistence farming as a primary strategy to improve their livelihood. This livelihood strategy has the potential to eliminate poverty and hunger by means of ensuring food security. This paper critically assessed the contribution of subsistence farming to the livelihood of rural communities in South Africa. The Sustainable Livelihood Approach was used as a primary theory to assess the extent to which subsistence farming contributes to the livelihood of rural communities. The paper relied more on secondary data to collect relevant information and textual analysis was used as a tool for analysing reviewed literature that is relevant to subsistence farming as a strategy to improve the livelihood of rural communities. Through the use of the Sustainable Livelihood Approach, this paper identified the struggling state of subsistence farming in rescuing South African rural communities from risks and trends created by the poverty cycle. This is because the majority of South Africans are currently suffering from hunger and food insecurity. While this livelihood strategy is unsustainable to cope with the conditions of climate change, while rural communities are also lacking access to credits, low level of education, and lack of knowledge about innovative productions that are required to increase the productivity of farms and also the shortage of labour skills that are required for the sustainability and succession of subsistence farming. The paper recommends that the local institutions of development should provide training programmes pertaining to the use of livelihood strategies to develop skills to the rural communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Housing delivery in South Africa continues to dominate conversations on human rights and social development. Using a social development lens, this paper presents the findings of a qualitative study that aimed at exploring the housing experiences of social rental housing (SRH) beneficiaries and how this interlinked with human rights and social development in South Africa. Using the purposive sampling method, the study selected three social housing institutions (SHIs) in Gauteng and two in the Western Cape province. With each SHI, a focus group discussion was conducted with its tenants to establish if there are any linkages with human rights and social development. Participants shared positive sentiments relating to SRH. The authors of this article note that SRH is implemented from a rights-based perspective, in line with international law and the social development perspective. In concluding the article, the authors provide policy recommendations for government and civil society actors operating in the arena of SRH. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]