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When calamity hits humanity in the form of natural disasters, they appear unannounced. The same applies to the recent destructive and disruptive COVID-19 pandemic. During the early days of this pandemic, life activities were halted abruptly. Global education systems were not spared - most institutions were caught napping and forced to close. The educational development of children was adversely affected by the hard lockdown and stringent restrictions that followed the outbreak of the pandemic. The role that parents had to play in the education of their children needed to evolve to meet the new demands. The researchers approached this study from a qualitative interpretivist philosophical stance to interview principals, teachers, and parents. In addition, this paper was located within Coleman's social capital theory. Amongst the key findings that emerged from the study were serious challenges regarding parents' cooperation during the COVID-19 pandemic, namely, communication challenges between the school and home, increased learner absenteeism, and failure by learners to do schoolwork. Finally, the study also found that some parents were disinterested and disengaged from the schools. This study is significant because it provides epistemological insights and understanding of the challenges schools experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic. Without exception, all participants felt strongly that the involvement of parents in a child's education during a pandemic such as COVID-19 is significant. According to Durisic and Bunijevac (2017), the more actively parents are involved in their children's learning, the more benefits are achieved. In contrast, there often seems to be little to no collaboration between the school and the home in ensuring that their common goal of seeing the child succeed is achieved. This is in harmony with the findings of Porumbu and Necsoi (2013) who intimate that, sometimes, parents may feel like they are doing everything to help their children, but due to lack of communication between the parents and the school, the school may feel as though involvement is lacking. The study was limited to only three schools and only nine participants were subjected to semi-structured interviews. The study provided epistemological insights regarding the cooperation and involvement of parents during the trying circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic. This study provided the findings which are critical for theory, practice and policy to the education systems regarding future disasters.

South Africa faces an education crisis that has significant implications for the freedom of citizens and development of the country. A context of government incapacity necessitates that other modes of improving the education system be explored. This paper examines the Nine Tenths Mentoring Programme to gauge the potential of community-based efforts as a possible solution for education injustice in South Africa. Using social capital theory, the paper examines how this community engagement programme builds human capabilities. A brief analysis of the improvement in pass rates and reflection on the lessons from the intervention sheds light on the enormous strides made over five years. Despite some limitations to this approach, the paper provides a compelling narrative of the way in which mentoring programmes such as Nine Tenths nurture the necessary social capital to bring about social change, which in turn supports the development of human capabilities in local contexts.

Limited integrated data on the educational and professional accomplishments of the South African TVET sector make it difficult to confidently assess its efficacy. In particular, there is a need to identify the barriers both within and facing this post-school educational field. This conceptual paper therefore asks the question: What factors enable or block the TVET pipeline in South Africa? To derive these insights about the relationships between different elements of the sector, as understood through existing research, a Bourdieusian framework -- drawing on his concepts of field, "illusio," and institutionalized cultural capital -- is applied with the aim of constructing a representation of the field of publicly-funded TVET colleges in South Africa. While several recommendations are made in this paper, it is clear that the sector cannot solve these challenges by itself. Industry and universities have significant roles to play in ensuring a more inclusive, productive, and meaningful TVET sector.

Purpose: Scholarly studies on student engagement are mostly focused on the perceptions of students and academic staff of higher education institutions (HEIs) with a few studies concentrating on the perspectives of professional staff. To address this knowledge gap, this paper aims to examine how professional staff who are members of a professional community perceive their contributions to enhancing student engagement in a university. Design/methodology/approach: Data for the current study were gathered using semi-structured face-to-face interviews among 41 professional staff who were purposively sampled from a public university in South Africa. The data gathered were analysed using thematic analysis that involved a process of identifying, analysing, organising, describing and reporting the themes that emerged from the data set. Findings: An analysis of the narrative data revealed that when professional staff provide students with prompt feedback, support the development of their social and cultural capital and provide professional services in the area of teaching and learning, they foster student engagement in the university. However, the results showed that poor communication flow and delays in addressing students' concerns could lead to student disengagement. The study further argues that through continuous interaction and shared norms and values among members of a professional community, a service culture can be developed to address possible professional knowledge and skills gaps that constrain quality service delivery. Originality/value: The current paper contributes to the scholarly discourse on student engagement and professional community by showing that a service culture of engagement is developed among professional staff when they share ideas, collaborate and build competencies to enhance student engagement. Furthermore, the collaboration between professional staff and academics is important to addressing the academic issues that confront students in the university.

In order to understand how students from low-income rural backgrounds in South Africa experience higher education and the opportunities and obstacles they encounter, the paper draws on two waves of interviews with 30 students currently studying at three large urban universities. Using concepts of capabilities and functionings, monetary resources and 'capitals', the paper outlines common factors which shape rural students' well-being and their agency in accessing an urban university. Student voices indicate the particular importance of being able to exercise the functioning of navigating and manoeuvring through unfamiliar and often intimidating institutions. The discussion also indicates that it is the intersection of rurality and low income which shapes, even if it does not over-determine, their lives at university. It is suggested that universities could do more to support these students' well-being, and to recognise the agency and admirable determination which students bring to the challenges they face.

At a time when social, economic and political decisions, along with environmental events, challenge the viability of remote communities, educators need to better prepare young people in these communities to work towards sustainability. Remote locations can be defined by their inaccessibility rather than just distance from the nearest services, while the sustainability construct encapsulates a range of community needs: environmental, social, cultural and economic. This paper describes experiences that involve innovative approaches towards educating for sustainability in remote locations in six diverse countries: South Africa, Scotland, Canada, United States of America, Pacific Island Nations, and Australia. For each, the nature of what constitutes a "remote" location, as well as the detail and challenges of the innovation are presented. Readers should consider how they might more suitably educate the next generation to protect, showcase and learn from/with the local knowledges and capacities of the people and environments in remote locations.

This paper explores ways in which pedagogy for an elaborated form of transformative learning can be a useful catalyst for the development of social capital in community and workplace groups and networks. I begin with an example and then explore ideas of learning challenges embedded in building and maintaining social capital. I consider the usefulness of a four-dimensional approach to transformative learning as a suitable pedagogy for its development and maintenance. The paper concludes with brief profiles of four educators whose work, in different ways, could be said to have promoted forms of social capital, directly or indirectly: Desmond Tutu, Anne Sullivan, Jesus and Socrates. Each of these educators, without excluding other approaches, tended to emphasise one of the four transformative pedagogies.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to provide a systematic review of studies on antecedents of the corporate reputation of higher education institutions (HEIs) from the perspectives of employees. Design/methodology/approach: The approach is an examination of previous literature on antecedents of corporate reputation in HEIs, published between 2010 and 2020. Findings: The findings show that general and specific factors of corporate reputation in HEIs are being employed as strategic tools to survive the competitive nature of the higher education landscape. Originality/value: Factors of corporate reputation in HEIs from the perspectives of employees are an understudied area with little academic literature available.

This paper provides a history of academic development by examining how a South African institution coped with the potent social forces confronting it before the collapse of apartheid. Theoretically, it draws on the framework of Pierre Bourdieu and engages with a paper written a decade ago by Naidoo, who also used Bourdieu to understand institutional change in South Africa in the late 1980s. Through contrasting the habitus of two professors, it is argued that academic development helps to preserve the autonomy of the university field by refracting forces impinging on it from the economic and political realms.

This paper reports on lessons learnt in the use of teachers' social capital as a resource for curriculum development, in the implementation of the Child-Friendly Schools (CFS) programme in South Africa. The researchers in this study were amongst the trainers. The study followed a qualitative research approach, where a descriptive research design was adopted. Twenty teachers (two groups, of ten each) were recruited to form part of the study through a purposive sampling strategy. Data was collected through two methods: interviews and observations. The data collected was explicated using Hycner's (1999) model of data analysis. Data transcripts were re-read until categories and themes emerged. The study found that teachers were enthusiastic about implementing the programme as they participated actively in it through the implementation of CFS principles in their Life Orientation (LO) classrooms. The findings of this study have at least two implications for policy makers and researchers. The first is that the one-day workshops that teachers attend over a weekend appear to be inadequate, and could be used to complement more structured interventions such as that described in this article. The second is that teachers' social capital is critical in the implementation of curriculum development processes for an intervention to be effective.

This paper describes the habitus and technological practices of a South African rural student in his first year at university. This student is one of five self-declared rural students, from a group of 23 first-years in four South African universities, whose access to, and use of, technologies in their learning and everyday lives was investigated in 2011 using a "digital ethnography" approach. Their digital practices, in the form of their activities in context, were collected through multiple strategies in order to provide a nuanced description of the role of technologies in their lives. The student reported on here came from a school and a community with very little access to information and communication technologies (ICTs). While the adjustment to first year can be challenging for all students, the findings show that this can be especially acute for students from rural backgrounds. The study provides an analysis of one student's negotiation of a range of technologies six to nine months into his first year at university. Earlier theoretical concepts provide a lens for describing his practices through a consideration of his habitus, and access to and use of various forms of capitals in relation to the fields--especially that of higher education--in which he was situated.

This paper argues that the linguistic struggles faced by the Southern African Development Community (the SADC) represent common linguistic struggles found in Africa and the world where some languages are accused of dominating, stifling and suppressing others. However, the language situation within the SADC is interesting because it offers us a rare opportunity in which we can observe two types or stages of a linguistic struggle at the same time; the first one involves a clash between European languages (English, French and Portuguese) that the SADC recognizes as its working languages and the second one involves a struggle between these European languages and the African languages spoken in the SADC region. But when all is said and done, linguistic struggles of this nature demonstrate to us that from a socio-political point of view, as opposed to a linguistic point of view, languages are not equal and they do not exist in a vacuum. Once placed next to each other, certain characteristics of each language (and its speakers) such as their economic, political or mobility power begin to emerge. The paper, therefore, sees the linguistic struggles within the SADC (the organization) and its region as all-encompassing and therefore in need of broad-based solutions that go beyond the SADC and Africa.

Research and pedagogy in the field of morality and moral education has long been dominated by philosophical and psychological disciplines. Although sociological studies and theorising in the field have not been absent, it has been limited and non-systematic. Drawing on a study that investigated the lived morality of a group of young South Africans growing up in the aftermath of Apartheid and in the townships of Cape Town, this paper surveys the historical contribution made by sociologists to the study of morality and introduces two sociological notions of importance to moral education research and practice: "moral ecology" and "moral capital". Employing Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems theory it describes the moral life as an ecology of interconnecting systems, complex antinomies, diverse codes, multiple positionings, discordant processes and competing influences, over time and on multiple levels. Moral capital, draws on Bourdieu's work on capitals and is described in two ways. First, as a dialectic, such that young people living in poverty identify how being "good" can be translated into economic capital, which in turn enables them to remain "good". Second, it asks, what are the necessary elements of moral capital that young people need in order to be good and so attain the economic future to which they aspire? The paper concludes by noting how a sociology of moral education contributes to understanding the relationship between poverty and morality, including the social reproduction of morality; and its relevance for moral education research and practice. (Contains 2 figures and 4 notes.)

This paper explores a multidimensional mentorship model implemented between lecturers from the foundation phase at the Wits School of Education and four master's students from the University of Limpopo, as part of the Departments of Education's research initiative to strengthen foundation phase teacher education. Using three critical incidents, we interrogate mentors' experiences of their mentoring practices. Two sets of literature, mentoring and social capital are used as a lens for analysing these incidents. Initial findings suggest the relationship has moved from the initiation to cultivation stage (Kram, 1985; Ragins & Kram, 2007). But, cultural preconceptions, implicit assumptions and institutional practices can impede or enhance information flows and trust. It is argued that weak ties characterised by mentors' heterogeneity is a strength that has resulted in growing professional development. Through a process of reflection-on-practice, we have begun to think of ourselves as a fledging community of practice. This opens up possibilities for the larger research project.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to focus on how two rural-based universities in South Africa can contribute towards sustainable development especially in their immediate rural communities. It addresses the following questions what conditions or policy frameworks exist that can engender a sustainable development trajectory? How can rural-based universities reconstitute themselves so they can become effective agents for sustainable rural development? Historically, because of apartheid policies, these and other black universities were on the margins of the knowledge production process and have not effectively engaged in real development activities that would meaningfully improve the livelihoods of rural dwellers. The research identified policy and legislative instruments and strategies that can promote a dynamic interaction with other institutions thus empowering and promoting sustainability. The aim of the paper is to raise awareness about existing possibilities at the disposal of these institutions. Design/methodology/approach: The paper is the outcome of two research initiatives: one was a doctoral study by one of the authors, and the other was a study conducted at both universities. Both studies involved extensive interviews with a wide spectrum of stakeholders (local and provincial authorities, members of the business and university communities). Both also involved document analyses. Findings: That rural-based universities are advantageously situated and possess a variety of characteristics that can enable them to effectively contribute to sustainable development. These include their strategic location within the rural communities; reinventing their mission orientation so as to enhance their research capacity; expanding their intellectual/entrepreneurial/social capital; and the establishment of strong collaborative relationships. Practical implications: The first aim of the paper is to raise the awareness of policy makers and other stakeholder about the strategic value of these institutions. The awareness should lead to a series of engagements with appropriate individuals with the view to develop appropriate strategies for application. Originality/value: The contribution of rural-based universities to sustainable development has not been sufficiently researched in South Africa and, therefore, the study fills the gap by adding valuable knowledge, new perspectives, and presents possibilities for consideration. (Contains 3 figures.)

Despite the huge potential of information and communication technology (ICT) to assist communities to increase their overall well-being through community development, there are relatively few examples of sustained community networks built around ICT when compared to commercial applications, even in the developed countries where the technology has been increasingly available for up to 20 years. Researchers report a wide range of potential success factors and impediments. Preeminent amongst these is that collaborative partnerships, social network strategies and the building of social capital at the local level are key issues for the successful adoption of ICT for development. In this paper, the authors describe two successful community ICT projects whose success depended on the use of a collaborative methodology involving universities, governments and communities. Central to this approach is the involvement of the community in all parts of the project. By using such an approach, we acknowledge the rich creativity that exists in each local community and that this creativity can be harnessed in the creation of a community network, which in turn empowers the community. Researchers in universities can play a crucial role in facilitating this collaborative approach.

The post-apartheid higher education transformation project is faced with the challenge of recruiting and retaining black academics and other senior staff. But when we shift the focus from participation rates to equality-inequality within historically white universities (HWUs), then the discourse changes from demographic equity and redress to institutional culture and diversity. HWUs invoke the need to maintain their position as leading higher education institutions globally, and notions of "quality" and "excellence" have emerged as discursive practices, which serve to perpetuate exclusion. The question then arises as to which forms of capital comprise the Gold Standard at HWUs? Several South African universities have responded to the challenge of recruiting and retaining black academics by initiating programmes for the "accelerated development" of these candidates. The Accelerated Development Programme (ADP) on which this investigation is based was located at one HWU. The paper draws on interviews with 18 black lecturers who entered the academic workforce through the university's ADP. Employing a theoretical framework of social and cultural reproduction, we examine how racialised, classed and gendered assumptions remain deeply entrenched in the values, norms and practices of historically white measured universities in South Africa. The findings suggest that it is difficult for even the most conscious and personally invested agents to interrupt the naturalised norms and values that form part of the existing institutional culture. Agents struggle to interrupt normalised practices because of the highly valued currency of capital possessed by dominant actors in the form of white-middle-class habitus, disguised as academic experience and "excellence."

Globally, climate change remains one of the most pressing challenges, and it is also an obstacle to the fundamental achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. The purpose of the study was to examine the determinants of small-scale farmers' participation in social capital networks to enhance adoption of climate change adaptation strategies. Multistage and purposive sampling were used to carry out the study. A cross-sectional research design was used to carry out the study and structured questionnaires were used as a data collection tool. The data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics, the Binary Logit model, and the Ordered Logit model. The findings of the study show that gender, household size, age, marital status, education, and employment status affect a farmer's participation in social capital networks. The results also show that household size, employment status, and income level affect the extent of participation in social networks. As the paper is the first to look at the determinants of the participation of farmers in social capital networks in Eastern Cape, the results are of paramount importance to policy formulators in order to formulate policies that will encourage farmers to join localized farmer-based social capital networks to adopt climate change adaption measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Against the background of vast changes in doctoral education and the emergence of non-traditional doctoral programmes, this paper investigates the habitus of non-traditional PhD students at a South African university. Bourdieu's conceptual tool of habitus informed the study. In-depth and open-ended interviews were conducted with 10 non-traditional students. Data analysis indicates non-traditional students' complex and multifaceted habitus. Non-traditional PhD students' dispositions and experiences include tenacious self-motivation and self-regulation in the face of severely constraining conditions, diverse epistemologies, hybrid goals, more communal orientations, perplexedness about "produce new knowledge" and other requirements of the PhD, vulnerability regarding funds, complex self-change ranging from elation and affirmation to humiliation and confusion and exclusion and non-recognition at the department and faculty levels. These findings indicate greater challenges for non-traditional doctoral programmes that would respond to the academic and social needs of non-traditional students.

Persons with disabilities still experience challenges in obtaining employment even though obligations associated with their employment are in place in legislative frameworks that strive to support transformation within the labour market. This paper explores employers' perspectives on the employment of persons with disabilities in South Africa identified in a case study. The influence of social capital on disability inclusive employment was explored from the perspective of two employers who employed trainees who completed an auxiliary training programme for persons with disabilities, which provides opportunities to facilitate pathways to economic inclusion and/or employment. Findings reveal that despite the call for increased labour inclusivity, the development of social capital is not clearly apparent when persons with disabilities are considered for employment. Organisational attitudes and beliefs seem to stem from the obligatory standpoint of the organisations. The paper highlights the need for employers to look beyond impairments so that employment goals are shared and re-enforced by understanding and possibly re-evaluating their views on their organisation's obligations, norms, values and mission, and goals. Insights can guide employers to think more holistically about ways to facilitate the economic inclusion of persons with disabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper draws on fieldwork done in Greystone School in South Africa, a single sex girls' school. I explore how the legacy of coloniser and colonised is reconfigured through the history of the school and the particular racialised politics of South Africa, where race and class have always been imbricated in differently nuanced ways before, during and after apartheid. The young women have, for the most part, been produced and produced themselves as white young "ladies" -- with the politesse and habitus that this implies. Thus, despite the current intake of a significant number of black girls from further north in Africa, some local Indian (in South African terms) pupils and a very few local black (African) young women, the school continues to support the production of whiteness and (middle) class amongst their students. Throughout, I show how global colonial and postcolonial narratives of whiteness have (and have had) their own particular form and relationship to narratives of whiteness in the changing South African context.

This paper examines the declining levels of respect for teachers in two communities in Cape Town, South Africa. Education has been identified as a key area of reform and redress, but a critical skills shortage and under-resourced schools are hindering progress. Data from current and former teachers illustrate how the social and institutional capital of education is being replaced by a focus on economic capital, undermining the prestige of teaching as a career. These problems reflect trends elsewhere in the world and require action to prevent further shortages in education.

Critics of school governing bodies (SGBs)--both on the left and on the right--tend to rely upon arguments that ignore significant portions of the act that created SGBs--the South African Schools Act (SASA)--the exact nature of the changes to SGBs wrought by amendments to the act and the manner in which the courts, in interpreting the act, have both reinforced the autonomy of SGBs at the same time as they have set limits on those powers. The authors' reading takes seriously all of the provisions of SASA, its amendments and various court constructions of SASA's provisions. This close reading of the South African Constitution, SASA, SASA's amendments and the case law reveals the lineaments of a fourth level of democratic government. Even with their uneven success as a fourth tier of democratic government, SGBs reflect, in many respects, the most important interactions that citizens have with the state. The authors contend that SGBs provide a vehicle for popular political participation that is quite real, and that participation is made no less real by the strictures imposed upon them by South Africa's constitutional and regulatory order. Despite concerns about their lack of capacity, SGBs enjoy popular acceptance and participation across class and language divides. The legal status of SGBs does not merely enhance various forms of local democracy, SGBs also maintain and create effective social networks that generate new stores of social capital. The ability to provide new forms of democratic participation and to create new stores of social capital suggests that SGBs have the makings of a great, new and rather unique "South African" political institution. (Contains 70 notes.)

South Africa has a Gini co-efficient of 62, one of the world's highest (Finmark: Project FinScope 2004 and 2005, FinMark Trust, Johannesburg). Hence, measures of wealth are ubiquitous social indicators in South Africa. However, a growing emphasis in government towards measurable service delivery targets and remedial action to redress the inequalities of our past makes the reliable measurement of people's quality of life in greater depth in quantitative terms an imperative. We have developed a simple framework to measure people's quality of life in key domains that extend beyond that simply of wealth, using composite indices to allow progress to be tracked and to make valid comparisons across our diverse population. Termed the Everyday Quality of Life Index (EQLi), it comprises a suite of measures encompassing socio-economic status (with special reference to poverty), urbanisation, health (nutrition, exercise and fitness), stress/pressure, quality of the environment, satisfaction of human needs, connectivity, optimism, subjective well-being (happiness, after Diener and Lucas: 2000, in M. Lewis, J.M. Haviland (eds.), Handbook of Emotions. (2nd ed) (Guilford, New York)), and the overall measure of well-being, the EQLi itself. The initial framework was developed from a structured questionnaire administered to a probability sample of 2000 South African adults in 2002. From this, a 52-item shortlist was derived to create the series of measures. This has been tested and refined in three subsequent annual studies, each of 3500 people across urban and rural South Africa. In 2004, items involving work as well as determining the balance of skills and challenges at work using the concept of "flow" (Csikszentmihalyi: 1990, Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience (Harper and Row, New York)) were added. This paper outlines the rationale behind the selection and development of these measures, describes the EQL of South Africans using these and other key measures and concludes with implications for policy-makers and service providers in South Africa. Some marketing implications are also given: there is a growing emphasis worldwide on corporate social investment initiatives and, particularly in South Africa, on community upliftment and development--poverty alleviation and improving the lives of the disadvantaged ("people" rather than "consumers"). Further, people's well-being affects how they react to marketing activities.

This paper explores the potency of rural cooperatives for the effective planning and implementation of rural strategies to address poverty. Rural cooperatives function as a participatory approach that provides the potential to equip and empower people in rural areas with various skills. Hence, rural cooperatives represent the means and strategies to unshackle rural people from the vicious circle of poverty. The contestation about a deadlock of rural development has become pertinent in the recent and ongoing political transformation in South Africa. This paper is grounded on the social capital theory and its ideals. As such, it depends on a literature review for its premise, argument, crux and purpose, as well as drawing up results and conclusions. The paper gathers information in respect of various scholars' notions on rural cooperatives and rural development from related articles, journals and books. The paper reveals that where the South African government is confronted and characterised by some form of upheaval and service delivery challenges, so rural cooperatives are fit to capacitate citizens to avoid depending on the government for scarce resources. The paper further reveals that rural cooperatives are deemed to ameliorate the long-standing patterns of developmental backlogs in almost all South African municipalities. The conclusion that can be made from this paper is that the authentic promotion of rural development in the formulation of a wellinformed legislative framework, that is clear and unambiguous, can deal effectively with the challenges of rural cooperatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the influence of social capital in the training of persons with disabilities. The expansion of social networks is regarded as a central principle of the rehabilitation agenda and thus is a central concept that may influence the training experiences of persons with disabilities. Absent from much of social capital research is its influence on skill development and employment opportunities for persons with disabilities. Social capital has the potential to play an important role in the livelihoods of persons with disabilities who are at high risk of being marginalised. The aim of this qualitative study was to explore and critically examine the experiences of persons with disabilities who participated in an auxiliary skill development programme, to determine whether and how it has strengthened and expanded their social capital to advance their opportunities for economic inclusion and/or employment. There is currently no convincing practice available, particularly in the South African employment landscape, around how social capital can be incorporated in the employment of persons with disabilities. An intrinsic case study approach was utilised as it allowed for the identification and description of an employability-related skill development programme for persons with disabilities. In this paper, we argue that the transfer of skills alone is not enough for persons with disabilities to gain employment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the political and historical roots of collective action problems around community policing in Hout Bay, South Africa. Utilizing a social capital approach, it argues that party politics has exacerbated a racialized politics of public goods provision in the community, with implications for the local governance of security. Using original data from semi-structured interviews and secondary sources, the paper analyzes the community's environment of social capital, the influence of local and provincial party agendas on inter-group relations there, and its ultimate impact on community policing in Hout Bay. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to present an innovative leadership development program, which forms part of a corporate social responsibility (CSR) outreach. The program aims to develop the leadership of school principals in under-resourced communities in South Africa, while simultaneously developing the business partners paired with these principals. Through creatively combining various leadership development interventions, the human and social capital of the school principals and collaborating leaders are expanded to prepare them for an uncertain, volatile environment. This paper focuses on the learning experiences of the business partners. The program exposes business leaders to scenarios that develop unique leadership skills. Design/methodology/approach: An empirical study was conducted with a purposive sample of 73 business leaders who completed the 12-month leadership development program. A qualitative approach was followed, consisting of an online survey that predominantly required a narrative description of leaders' perceptions and experiences. The qualitative feedback was thematically analyzed. Findings: The findings indicated that the use of combined leadership development interventions is important in adequately preparing leaders for the challenges of a changing and unpredictable environment. Research limitations/implications: The findings of the research are limited by the small sample of 73 business leaders from a population of 294. Inferential statistics could not be conducted and responses to the survey cannot be regarded as representative of the total population. Possible bias may exist through utilizing a purposive sampling technique; however, this was counteracted through rigorous research, cross-checking and quality assurance initiatives. Practical implications: The presented program innovatively combines the benefits of a CSR program with shared value in human and social capital. Business leaders are exposed to various leadership development interventions. This approach effectively prepares business leaders to deal with multifaceted contextual issues within a diverse, complex and volatile environment. The present paper shows that through successfully cultivating better leadership development initiatives and adopting appropriate and pertinent development programs, human and social capital available for economic progress are appropriately managed and channeled. Furthermore, resource exchange is enhanced through establishing strong interpersonal relations. This collaboration acts as a forerunner to business success. Hence, through adopting such intervention programs and teaching their processes and procedures, the development and implementation of positive public policy can be assisted. Social implications: The value of the current research on public attitude is that its results imply and create the belief and acceptance that uncertainty and disparity can be alleviated through developing strong interpersonal relations that improve the exchange of resources through the collaboration of public and business stakeholders. Originality/value: This paper introduces an innovative leadership development program, which, as part of a CSR initiative, aims to improve the leadership of school principals in under-resourced schools, while simultaneously developing the business leaders involved in the initiative. This is done through partnering a school principal with a business leader in a formal participatory leadership development program. Research shows that the unique combinations of leadership development interventions cultivate school principals and business leaders who are emotionally and culturally intelligent, resilient and well prepared to push willingly beyond and across boundaries in unfamiliar environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: South Africa has the highest burden of HIV in the world with over 8 million people living with HIV. Young women and girls account for a quarter of new HIV infections while making up only 10% of the population. A key driver of HIV incidence is transactional and survival sex between adolescent girls or young women and older men (the latter referred to as 'sugar-daddies' or 'blessers'). This paper expands on the existing literature on age-disparate and intergenerational relationships to provide social and behavioural interpretations of how young men, commonly omitted from studies on this topic, and women in concurrent relationships with both their peers and older partners perceive and navigate sexual risk. Method: We conducted a qualitative study in a rural setting of uMgungundlovu District, KwaZulu-Natal Province, with purposively selected male and female participants aged 18-24 years old in age-disparate relationships. Semistructured in-depth interviews (IDI) were conducted and analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) to explore existing information, motivations, and behavioural practices around relationships and sexual risk. Results: The themes and related sub-themes found through IPA included the following: (1) navigating dating: narratives that show a strong preference for being in an age-disparate relationship; the challenges that young people face when choosing an older person as a side partner; and social media applications seen as creating opportunities to meet side partners; and (2) the distribution of love and trust in a multi-party sexual network: condom (mis)use differentiates between straights--those in a serious relationship--and sides; and the power of eye-test seroguessing, the praxis of testing people visually for HIV in nullifying existing knowledge about sexual and reproductive health risk. Discussion: This research offers an understanding of how schemas of noncondom use are organised. We observed that while condom-less sex is often viewed as essential to building social capital in a serious relationship, it is not the only factor that determines sexual relationship power. Eye-test seroguessing not only develops consortium (trust, reciprocity, and solidarity), but it fulfils the psycho-social need to belong to a network of serious relationships. Moreover, it is critical to the enactment of masculinities because it consolidates femininity to keep men happy, i.e., by being passive in the sexual encounter, women constrain their self-efficacy to act contrary to the conventions of reputable women. Therefore, it is plausible that in the serosorting that occurs prior to unprotected sexual acts, the power of eye-test seroguessing limits the ability to engage in safe sexual practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

South Africa continues to be marked by high youth unemployment. This paper investigates youth labor market perspectives in northern South Africa in the light of data from the Livelihoods, Religion and Youth Survey. In addition to standard explanatory variabless of labor market outcomes, it explores whether the 'soft' factors of social capital and religion might contribute to youth's labor market success. Methodologically, the study draws on descriptive statistics and the estimation of linear probability models. The results indicate that religious social capital goes along with improved labor market success, while there is no indication in the data that (non-religious) social capital or religiosity are positively correlated with labor market performance among the youth in the sample. The social capital created in religious communities seems to contribute to youth labor market success. Further research should investigate how these structures can serve as models for the improvement of government interventions aiming at improving youth labor market outcomes. Moreover, the results are in line with the findings of previous research on spatial mismatches in the labor market and highlight the need for job creation, particularly in rural areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

South Africa presents a unique case for mining development and impacts on sustainability because the lines between the mining industry and the state are unclear and due to the increasing inequality between citizens. This questions the potential for citizens to hold mining industries (and government) accountable for environmental abuse. This paper examines the ability of civil society actors to take action against (coal) mining development by way of social capital collective actions in the natural tourist destination in Dullstroom. Semistructured interviews were conducted with various social actors and are reported in this paper. The paper highlights that local responses to engage in social capital against mining development for local sustainability are best understood in relation to the socio‐economic and political positioning of individuals and ethnic groups. Overall, class and race differences, a tough farming environment, and perceptions and priorities of mining versus tourism jobs undermined capacity for social capital to act against mining risks. There is a need for social capital bridging and linking ties to protect the environment for tourism growth and long‐term human‐environment sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

South Africa faces an education crisis that has significant implications for the freedom of citizens and development of the country. A context of government incapacity necessitates that other modes of improving the education system be explored. This paper examines the Nine Tenths Mentoring Programme to gauge the potential of community-based efforts as a possible solution for education injustice in South Africa. Using social capital theory, the paper examines how this community engagement programme builds human capabilities. A brief analysis of the improvement in pass rates and reflection on the lessons from the intervention sheds light on the enormous strides made over five years. Despite some limitations to this approach, the paper provides a compelling narrative of the way in which mentoring programmes such as Nine Tenths nurture the necessary social capital to bring about social change, which in turn supports the development of human capabilities in local contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Iscor Vanderbijlpark, now ArcelorMittal South Africa (AMSA), is a former state-owned enterprise that was used by the Afrikaner nationalists to advance the political, economic and social interests of poor white Afrikaners. However, since 1994, there has been wide debate about why black empowerment has not happened under post-apartheid South Africa. This article compares the role of various types of social capital in the empowerment of poor whites during apartheid and black people under post-apartheid. The perceived relationship was measured by various networks, trust and the relationship between family members, neighbours and colleagues, as well as with governmental, private sector and civil society organisations (CSOs). The sample of 26 participants, comprising former and current employees of Iscor/AMSA, trade union representatives and members of the community, were assembled using purposive random sampling for the study. My doctoral study found that there was a strong connection and positive relationship between the state, business and CSOs under Afrikaner Economic Empowerment (AEE), and that social capital played a role of bonding and linking communities while under Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) the connection between the state and CSOs was weak and social capital did not contribute to empowerment. This paper attempts to address the current gap in the post-apartheid BEE literature—that is, the role of networks and CSOs in BEE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The relationship between social capital and self-rated health has been documented in many developed compared to developing countries. Because social capital and health play important roles in development, it may be valuable to study their relationship in the context of a developing country with poorer health status. Further, the role of social capital research for health policy has not received much attention. This paper therefore examines the relationship between social capital and health in South Africa, a country with the history of colonialism and apartheid that has contributed to the social disintegration and destruction of social capital. Methods: This study uses data from the National Income Dynamics Study (NIDS), the first nationally representative panel study in South Africa. Two waves of the NIDS were used in this paper - Wave 1 (2008) and Wave 2 (2010). Self-rated health, social capital (individual- and contextual-level), and other covariates related to the social determinants of health (SDH) were obtained from the NIDS. Individual-level social capital included group participation, personalised trust and generalised trust while contextual-level or neighbourhood-level social capital was obtained by aggregating from the individual-level and household-level social capital variables to the neighbourhood. Mixed effects models were fitted to predict self-rated health in Wave 2, using lagged covariates (from Wave 1). Results: Individual personalised trust, individual community service group membership and neighbourhood personalised trust were beneficial to self-rated health. Reciprocity, associational activity and other types of group memberships were not found to be significantly associated with self-rated health in South Africa. Results indicate that both individual- and contextual-level social capital are associated with self-rated health. Conclusion: Policy makers may want to consider policies that impact socioeconomic conditions as well as social capital. Some of these policies are linked to the SDH. We contend that the significant social capital including community service membership can be encouraged through policy in a way that is in line with the values of the people. This is likely to impact on health and quality of life generally and lead to a reduction in the burden of disease in South Africa considering the historic context of the country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

HIV/AIDS is a major driver of livelihood insecurity. The AIDS epidemic, through the death or disability of economically productive adults, destabilises and erodes the social networks which sustain the livelihoods of vulnerable households. This paper draws upon research with home-based care workers and family members of 14 households directly affected by HIV/AIDS in the rural district of Nkomazi, South Africa. Through a social capital framework this study reveals the fragile linkages between households and broader kin networks demonstrating the (in)ability of the households to adapt and manage the economic and social impact of the epidemic. The chronic financial burden of the epidemic on poor households compounded by HIV/AIDS-related stigma undermines kinship ties resulting in the extended family becoming more conditional, temporary and at times destructive. The extended family cannot be romanticised as a ‘safety net’ and instead needs to be problematised for its complexities, limitations and constraints while ensuring sufficient external support is provided to sustain the care and support provided by the family and local community. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper examines the ability of civil society actors to champion environmental justice in an industrial risk society in South Africa by way of mobilisation and protest action. This paper presents viewpoints from key stakeholders at the Durban city level and three local case study sites to examine social capital relations to achieve environmental justice. It explores how civil society engages in social capital for mobilisation with itself and subsequent protest actions to engage with government and industry. The paper highlights that social actor response to engage in social capital for mobilisation and protests is best understood in relation to the socio-economic and political positioning of individuals or organisations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the motivation that smallholders have for working and earning their livelihood is critical in enhancing the effectiveness of agricultural policies. This is especially important in a country like South Africa where social grant is an important source of unearned income. The study sought to find out what affects smallholders' motivation to work by assessing the relationship between earned income, psychological capital and social grant dependency. We use data from 458 smallholders in four irrigation communities in rural KwaZulu-Natal and employ a complementary loglog fractional response model to analyse the data. The study revealed that endowment with positive psychological capital, gender, membership to an irrigation scheme and land ownership positively affect smallholders' propensity to earn their livelihoods from farm and non-farm income. Social grant support and dependency ratio negatively affect the same. The findings support the thesis that, if not properly managed, social transfers can have a negative impact on smallholders' motivation to work and earn their livelihoods, resulting in a dependency syndrome. Depending on the context, spatial differences can either positively or negatively affect farmers' motivation to work. In conclusion, limited focus on the human and social capital development and hence psychological capital affect smallholders' propensity to work. Small-scale irrigation schemes remain a viable option for increasing employment and incomes in the sector, whilst social and cultural norms continue to reduce women's ability to engage in economic activities. The paper recommends the need to recognise the critical importance of psychological capital (mindset), streamline and improve targeting of social grant support, promote smallholder irrigation and invest in the infrastructure that enhances participation of women in economic activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Through the lens of new institutional economics, this paper provides exploratory analysis of the elements of social capital behind the success of self-organised collective action in a longstanding and effective community-based conservation and development project. Our qualitative institutional analysis suggests that critical elements of project-level structural social capital in the Umgano project case study include: forward-thinking and capable leadership; long-standing partnerships with external agencies; sound operational structures and management; and legitimate participation facilitated by forms of representation that are transparent and accountable to constituents. In accordance with the theory, insights from the study also indicate that successful collective action relies on processes of long-term and earnest trust building, within and across communities, and between communities and external agents. Such insights serve as a point of reference for role-players in similar community-based projects and have the potential to inform future research on resource governance in South Africa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social capital is regarded as a critical asset for attaining common goals that may otherwise be unattainable in community-based schemes. A better understanding of social capital dimensions influencing stakeholder participation in collaborative management of natural resources is vital to help policy-makers design programmes that would be more attractive to participants. This paper explores the role of community participation in natural resources management. It specifically examines the extent to which social capital can be instrumental in enhancing collaborative management of community conservation schemes in Sub-Saharan Africa. We adopted a systematic review of the literature on the role of participation in CBRM, which then forms the basis of a qualitative meta-analysis. The meta-analysis reveals several key social capital variables important for stakeholder participation in community-based resource management schemes including; fairness of rules, dispute resolution procedures, inclusivity, sociability and open dialogue. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Introduction: South Africa, grappling with the complexities of malnutrition, faces a dual challenge of undernutrition in children and overnutrition in adults, particularly among women. This situation is exacerbated by high rates of food insecurity, affecting nearly one-fourth of households. In this context, the role of Rotating Savings and Credit Associations (ROSCAs), locally known as stokvels, becomes increasingly significant. These informal, often women-led, savings and borrowing groups present a unique opportunity to address dietary challenges and promote healthier eating practices in urban, low-income settings. This study explores the potential of stokvels in mitigating the dual burden of malnutrition by facilitating access to healthy, affordable foods. Methods: We conducted stakeholder mapping to understand the roles and influences of various actors within South Africa's food system, particularly their interactions with stokvels. Our research focuses on how these groups, deeply embedded in the community fabric, can leverage their collective power to negotiate better access to nutritious food and influence healthier dietary choices. Stakeholders identified in the study span diverse sectors, including retail, agriculture, finance, and community organizations. Results: The research reveals that stokvels are perceived as vital social and economic entities capable of maximizing value through partnerships and networks. However, challenges such as the informal nature of stokvels and the lack of formal legal agreements often hinder their ability to form partnerships with formal institutions. The findings emphasize the importance of understanding and leveraging the social dynamics within stokvels, recognizing their role in enhancing food security and contributing to economic empowerment, especially for women. The study also identifies the need for formalizing stokvel structures to enhance their operational efficiency and increase their impact on food systems. Discussion: In conclusion, this research highlights the untapped potential of stokvels in addressing South Africa's nutritional challenges. By fostering stronger connections between stokvels and various food system actors, there is a significant opportunity to improve food security and promote healthier eating habits in low-income communities. Future research should aim to include unrepresented stakeholders and explore strategies to enhance the role of ROSCAs in promoting healthier food choices and addressing affordability and accessibility barriers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study analyses Zimbabwean migrants' strategies of survival in a largelyxenophobic environment. The paper argues that exclusion of Zimbabweans in the labour marketand other spheres of South Africa is largely a product of attempts by South African institutionsand officials to draw boundaries separating insiders from outsiders. This inevitably limits theopportunity structure of most Zimbabwean migrants, pushing them from the formal to informalsector and further underground. Zimbabwean migrants survive by mainly concealing their identity.They adopt South African languages, ways of dressing, bribe the police and some engage infriendships, relationships and marriages with locals. Migrants also engage in self-employment,crime and church activities. The study however reveals that migrants mainly use their ethnic andreligious networks, which largely promotes bonding rather than bridging social capital. Such socialcapital may not really help them to be integrated into the local South African community. Thisstudy is based on qualitative research conducted among Zimbabweans in the Kempton andTembisa areas of Johannesburg, South Africa in 2012. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Local economic development (LED) research and policy grapple with the informal economy and township transformation. While most current thinking centres on firms, this paper argues that non-firm worlds of work and their spatiality are not adequately understood. Representations of the places where poor people work remain abstract and incomplete. The paper reports on a survey of 320 low-income Sowetan residents and in-depth interviews with 20 workers about their work roles in the urban space economy. The findings, which show poor workers engaging with diverse sectors and locations in complex ways, challenge the dominant spatial narratives about isolated poor residential areas. Poor workers deliberately create their own social capital in work realms. This being the case, a more finely tuned conceptualisation of these workers and their roles in urban space is essential to sharpen LED discussions so that policies can be based more on real rather than imagined spatiality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In May 2008 South Africans made international headlines by embarking on a hitherto unprecedented campaign of violence against African migrants. This violence formed part of a wider pattern of intolerance and antagonism against African migrants in post-Apartheid South Africa. At the heart of this prejudice lies socio-economic deprivation, whilst the political context within which the attacks took place could explain its timing. Much of the work on South African xenophobia takes a citizenship approach, examining processes of nationhood, or focuses on post-Apartheid immigration policy. This paper contributes to the study of xenophobia in South Africa by analysing it in relation to social capital, which emphasises trust as crucial for social development. This article asks what xenophobia suggests about levels of trust in South Africa and argues that the events of May 2008 exposed the distrust—particularly amongst black Africans—that permeates post-Apartheid society. It starts by charting the recent development and causes of xenophobia in South Africa, its significance for trust and social capital, and finally proposes strategies for increasing trust between groups in the context of xenophobia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper uses two case studies drawn from in-depth ethnographic research in South Africa's Eastern Cape to interrogate and problematise the often simplistic or reductive ways in which the concept of social capital is used in debates about development and poverty alleviation. It argues that if the concept is to be useful at all, it needs to be used in ways that are sensitive to the fact that social capital inheres in social relations; that these social relations cannot be understood separately from the meaning-giving practices and discourses with which they are entangled; that the analysis of social capital requires an agent-centred approach that is alive to the way in which it is used, transformed, created, made and remade; and that such an analysis furthermore needs to be alive to the nature of power relations both on the micro-level and the macro-level of political economy. The analysis of social capital therefore should be linked to a careful account of the practices, networks, systems and processes that empower some and enable them to climb out of poverty, but which also marginalise and trap others in poverty that is deep-seated and chronic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper looks at the conceptual framework of social dialogue, investment in social capital and some international definitions of social dialogue as background to developments in this sphere in South Africa. Social dialogue is viewed as a mechanism for problem-solving and reducing transaction costs. The paper considers the ramifications of the 1979 Wiehahn Report on labour relations, as well as the nature of social dialogue in the apartheid era and its workplace origins. Institutionally, the stepping stones to the emergence of the NEF and Nedlac are discussed, together with some of the issues involved in, and formal outcomes of, Nedlac over the past eleven years in public policy choices. It closes with an evaluation of institutionalised social dialogue in South Africa and its future. “With the transition to non-racial democracy in 1994, it became the task of an ANC-led government to attempt to resolve the economic contradictions that apartheid had created. To achieve this requires massive economic and social changes, great programmes of investment and structural change. It is necessary to create the vital human capital needed at every level, from rudimentary literacy to the highest ranks of science and technology; to overcome enormous deficiencies in all forms of social infrastructure, including housing, schools, health, and transport; to return land to the black population and restore ravaged rural areas; to expand black ownership of mining, industry, commerce, and finance; and to diminish enormous inequalities in income and wealth. The new regime has made a promising start, but South Africa's past will exert a powerful influence on its present and future for a long time to come, and these huge tasks will not be swiftly or easily accomplished.” Charles Feinstein (2005 ) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent theoretical work hypothesises that a polarised society like South Africa will suffer a legacy of ineffective social capital and blocked pathways of upward mobility that leaves large numbers of people trapped in poverty. To explore these ideas, this paper employs a mix of quantitative and qualitative methods. Novel econometric analysis of asset dynamics over the 1993–98 period identifies a dynamic asset poverty threshold that signals that large numbers of South Africans are indeed trapped without a pathway out of poverty. Qualitative analysis of this period and the period 1998–2001 more deeply examines patterns of mobility, and confirms the continuation of this pattern of limited upward mobility and a low-level poverty trap. In addition, the qualitative data permit a closer look at the specific role played by social relationships. While finding ample evidence of active social capital and networks, these are more helpful for non-poor households. For the poor, social capital at best helps stabilise livelihoods at low levels and does little to promote upward mobility. While there is thus some economic sense to sociability in South Africa, elimination of the polarised economic legacy of apartheid will ultimately require more proactive efforts to assure that households have access to a minimum bundle of assets and to the markets needed to effectively build on those assets over time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]