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Homelessness on the streets has been of concern to governments and civil society for hundreds of years, and the number of homeless tends to rise when economic conditions take an adverse turn. Laying stress on questions of access to housing, livelihoods and services, this paper compares the historical causes of homelessness in Britain and Europe, India, the US and South Africa, in order to approach a better understanding of South Africa's own homelessness situation. Internationally, the key debate is whether homelessness is due to simple lack of affordable housing, or to a range of complex factors involving poverty and unemployment. The paper argues that spatial access to street livelihoods and access to the metro core zones are critical factors linking housing access to poverty economics, and it questions whether in South Africa's situation street homelessness can be eliminated in the foreseeable future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The so-called 'temporary' minimum sentencing legislation introduced into South African law in 1998 is still in place. The legislation was passed largely in response to high crime rates at the time and the perceived leniency of the courts, and prescribes minimum sentences ranging from five years' to life imprisonment for a variety of offences (including murder and rape and a range of other crimes, some of which are non-violent). Given the current furore over crime, it is highly likely that in April this year the legislation will be renewed for another year. But what has the impact of the legislation been and what legislative changes should be considered? [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]