In this study, extending credit to the low-income and poor households in South Africa: a system of principles is analysed. Access to credit plays a major role in improving the living standards of the households that are plagued by financial shocks. Access to credit enables the low-income and poor households to bridge the effects of financial shocks and/or emergencies such as illness, funerals, fire and theft and to improve household conditions in general. Currently, the low-income and poor households in South Africa find it difficult to access credit from the formal financial sector. The fundamental problem underlying inaccessibility of credit is ascribed to uncertainty, which presents complications in the delivery of such credit to the households. Different theoretical aspects like fundamental uncertainty, incomplete (asymmetric) information, limits to perfect arbitrage, bounded rationality, and market microstructures, for example, give rise to the uncertainty problem which then makes it difficult for formal financial institutions (as lenders) and borrowers to conduct financial transactions and, therefore, limits the provision of credit, especially to the low-income and poor households. The uncertainty problem implies that the low-income and poor households remain deprived of need-based credit and are further marginalised. The main objective of the study is to derive a system of principles that can act as a first point of reference in dealing with the uncertainty problem, thereby assisting in improving access to credit by the low-income and poor households in South Africa. The study adopts both qualitative and quantitative methods of research which are clearly expressed and substantiated to validate the study. To overcome the problem of uncertainty, the study recommends the development of a system of principles as a strategic instrument of dealing with the problem and to improve access to credit by the low-income and poor households in South Africa. Such a system is based on the seven principles, namely, socialisation, collateral substitution, decentralisation, localisation, customisation, training and government/judicial policies as an important benchmark to initiate the transformation of the uncertainty problem associated with extending credit to the low-income and poor households. The importance of such a system is based on the fact that the principles are interrelated, for example, they use peer pressure and monitoring as substitutes for collateral in securing credit and also minimises the transaction and administrative costs of financial contracts. Lending and borrowing activities take place under perfect and certain environment. / Dr. C.H. Schoeman

Thesis -- Departmental honors in Economics. / Bibliography: ℓ. 90-96.

An in-depth study is conducted into ten female-headed households in the township of Rini, an underprivileged section of Grahamstown in the Eastem Cape region of South Africa. The study provides information on the way in which such households function in conditions of poverty and underemployment. The meaning of the term 'household' is clearly defined. A household consists of a group of people, who may or may not be kin-related, but who usually live under the same roof, eat together and share resources. Household members may be absent for varying periods of time, but are still considered to have rights in the household to which they belong. The female-headed household usually contains a core of adult women who are often uterine kin. Men are frequently members of these households and are usually related to the women who form the core. Their status and roles in such households are defined and intra-household relations between household members are discussed. In this study, female headship is observed to occur in conditions of poverty when an elderly woman is widowed, receives a regular income in the form of and old age pension, and when her status as the senior member of the household is acknowledged. The presence of men in female-headed households has not been widely emphasised in other studies, either of the female-headed household itself, or in research done in this area of South Africa. An attempt is therefore made to illustrate the way in which men function in these households and the varying roles they play. An attempt is also made to describe other structures and practices which support the female-headed household in a rapidly changing urban environment. These include church membership, burial society membership, the informal economy, wider kinship networks and, in the case of the men, the rite of circumcision.

A dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Humanities, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Johannesburg, March 2017 / This thesis focuses on group of poorer white South Africans who have settled, informally and illegally, in a former caravan park on the West Rand of Johannesburg, The King Edward Park. It is enthographic study that explores the socio-economic genealogies of the poorer white residents of the park, the everyday practices of making livelihoods, and attempt to produce ideologies of South African blackness. [Abbreviated Abstract. Open document to view full version] / MT 2018

This research report serves to explore how women living in Tembisa, the second largest township in Johannesburg, South Africa, create and maintain highly flexible and mobile personal networks, to maximize their access to financial and social capital in order to improve individual and household resilience to food insecurity. What are the strategies that are adopted, created and manipulated in the daily lives of the food insecure in an attempt to attain a semblance of food security for themselves, their households and their communities?

A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management, University of the Witwatersrand, in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Johannesburg, 2016. / The study articulates the key indicators that are drivers of poverty and inequality in the post-apartheid society. Historically, education, employment, household income and service delivery were not used as the foundation for measuring poverty and inequality in the country. Specific objectives for this study are to interrogate the key determinants that have influenced poverty and inequality in South Africa since 1994, and to investigate how the predictors of life circumstances and service delivery changed across the population over the period 1994–2007. Descriptive analysis was used on household surveys (General Household Survey (GHS) 2002–2011, Quarterly Labour Force Survey (QLFS) 2008–2011 and Living Conditions Survey (LCS) 2008 and 2011) to determine changes and trends in the living conditions of the population. Multivariate analytical approaches were applied on CS 2007 data with a sample of 360 000 households conducted by Statistics South Africa. Statistical regression models were developed for life circumstances and service delivery measures to explain poverty and inequality. Principal component analysis was applied on CS 2007 to promote multidimensional approaches for poverty and inequality measurement using development indicators as the components for life circumstances and service delivery. The main findings of the study show that low levels of education and high unemployment are the determinants of poverty and inequality. Positive linear relationships between educational attainment and age, employment and population group, age, sex and educational level of household head were established. Income disparities further perpetuate disparities in life circumstances and service delivery. Disparities service delivery are not the determinants but the consequences of poverty and inequality. Poverty and inequality in South Africa are structural showing that, while many people progressed in the last twenty-two years, many remained behind, and even progressed negatively as they remained worse off based on data since the 1996 census. While much work has been conducted on life circumstances such as education, employment and income, work on service delivery in relation to poverty is still limited and thus deserves more attention / GR2018

The objectives of this study were to explore adolescents’ perceptions and experiences of poverty and its associated stigma when at school and within their communities. The study attempted to do this by uncovering the effects of poverty on adolescents’ lives; exploring their understanding of the meaning of being poor; exploring how the poverty-related stigma impacted their self-esteem, identity and experiences of the world; and investigated the elements of stigma that maintain the social distance between adolescents from poverty-stricken households and their peers. The study employed a qualitative research design. It used a focus group approach in conjunction with participatory research techniques such as ranking exercises. The issues that the participants raised revolved around a lack of access to money and how this in turn resulted in a lack of access to many other things, which led to a low quality of life for poor children and youths. The definitions they gave of the concept of poverty made reference to a lack of access to things such as houses, food and money. Other indicators of poverty that were mentioned related to the physical and psychological manifestations of the problem. The causes of poverty identified by the participants could broadly be grouped into two groups, namely financial aspects, and personal and family aspects. The issues the participants raised relating to poverty indicated that many of the problems faced by communities, families and children affected by the AIDS pandemic are linked to poverty. Conclusions from the study demonstrated that poverty is multidimensional in nature and therefore affects children and their families in a multitude of ways. The results also showed that the issues mentioned by the participants were not just products of poverty but problems in their own right. / Thesis (M.Soc.Sc.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2011.

The full text of this thesis/dissertation is not available online. Please <a href="mailto:upetd@up.ac.za">contact us</a> if you need access. Read the abstract in the section 00front of this document. / Thesis (DPhil (Consumer Science))--University of Pretoria, 2006. / Consumer Science / unrestricted

The focus of this research was to establish how black primary school principals in some Port Elizabeth schools manage the problems of poverty, vandalism and non-payment of school fees. The aim of this research was to improve these burning issues at my own school, but also to assist other schools which are encountering similar problems with regard to these three issues. Qualitative research methods were used. Data was collected by studying relevant literature and conducting semi-structured interviews and participant observation. Composite case studies of the schools were compiled. Content analysis was used to analyse the data and recommendations for improvement were made. The results of the research indicate that since 1994, when democracy and equal human rights were declared, primary schools have actually been experiencing escalating problems in terms of poverty, vandalism and school fee payment. As the school system is closely intertwined with the socio-economic and political dimensions of society, these challenges can only be effectively addressed if all stakeholders in education collectively take up ownership of these problems and commit themselves to finding unique and effective solutions in the Port Elizabeth urban and rural areas.

Thesis (MA)--University of Stellenbosch, 2001. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The primary goal of this cross-cultural study was to determine how low-income female farm workers in the Western Cape of South Africa, describe their own coping mechanisms. Eight participants were asked to respond to an open-ended question on how they cope with life's difficulties. The current study formed part of a larger project entitled: "Forgotten women on farms". The psychological distress and resilience of female farm workers of colour in the Western Cape: exploring the possibilities for mental health support (Kruger, 1998). The coping interviews were analyzed by means of grounded theory. Analysis revealed that 28 coping mechanisms were identified by the participants themselves. A distinction was made between problem-focused coping mechanisms and emotion-focused coping mechanisms. Out of the 28 identified mechanisms, 8 were categorized as problem-focused coping mechanisms, while 20 were categorized as emotion-focused coping mechanisms, suggesting that the participants predominantly employ emotion-focused coping mechanisms. It was also found that the emotion-focused coping mechanisms employed by the participants often involved an avoidance of emotion. The findings were discussed by: (i) Critically discussing the way in which emotion-focused coping is traditionally defined within the coping literature. (ii) Comparing this to the conceptualization of the role of emotion by authors of trauma literature. Possible reasons for the prevalent use of emotion-focused coping mechanisms in this particular population were provided. The implications of these findings for assessment of coping strategies and for mental health care in this population were discussed. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Ole hoofdoeisteiling van hierdie kruis-kulturele studie was om vas te stel hoe laeinkomste vroueplaaswerkers in die Wes-Kaap van Suid-Afrika hulle eie streshanteringsmeganismes beskryf. Agt deelnemers is gevra om op "n oop vraag oor hoe hulle lewensmoeilikhede hanteer, te reageer. Hierdie studie vorm deel van "n groter projek getiteld "Forgotten women on farms". The psychological distress and resilience of female farm workers of colour in the Western Cape: exploring the possibilities for mental health support (Kruger, 1998). Hierdie onderhoude oor streshantering is ontleed m.b.v. "grounded theory". Analise het getoon dat 28 hanteringsmeganismes deur die deelnemers self ge"ldentifiseer is. Onderskeid is gemaak tussen probleem-gerigte hanteringsmeganismes en emosioneel-gerigte hanteringsmeganismes. Uit die 28 gerdentifiseerde meganismes, is 8 gekategoriseer as probleem-gerigte hanteringsmeganismes, terwyl 20 gekategoriseer is as emosioneel-gerigte hanteringsmeganismes, duidend daarop dat deelnemers grootliks van emosioneel-gerigte hanteringsmeganismes gebruik maak. Daar is ook gevind dat die emosioneel-gerigte hanteringmeganismes dikwels "n vermyding van emosie behels het. Hierdie bevindinge is bespreek deur: (i) Die manier waarop emosioneel-gerigte hanteringsmeganismes tradisioneel in die literatuur gedefinieer word krities te bespreek. (ii) "n Vergelyking te tref met die wyse waarop die rol van emosie deur die outeurs van trauma literatuur gekonseptualiseer word. Moontlike redes vir die groter gebruik van emosioneel-gerigte hanteringsmeganismes in hierdie spesifieke populasie is voorsien. Die implikasies van hierdie bevindinge vir die meting van hanteringsmeganismes en vir geestesgesondheidsdienste binne hierdie populasie is bespreek.