The South African government has introduced mechanisms and plans to alleviate poverty and to monitor and evaluate the impact of the policies and programmes to the reduction of poverty. In its quest to eradicate and alleviate poverty, the government has prioritized poverty alleviation in its development agenda. In efforts to fight poverty, the government has since 1994, implemented various programmes that are aimed at alleviating poverty through stimulating employment, developing skills and improving service delivery. The poverty alleviation programme is one of the strategies that was implemented by the government, as a means to eradicate poverty. At the community level, depending on the nature of the programme, efforts have been made to incorporate mechanisms which enable poor people to play an active role in deciding how the benefits from programmes are distributed. The study was based on the projects identified by the community of Amajuba district in Dannhauser area in KwaZulu Natal. The Dannhauser Municipality in partnership with the Department of Agriculture and Environmental affairs have played a vital role in this regard by supporting the establishment of the Thuthukani project in 2004. In an attempt to assess the impact of the poverty alleviation projects, this study investigated the role played by the Thuthukani project in local economic development of the Dannhauser community in the Dannhauser Municipality. Participants included the Thuthukani project members, and the extension officer from the Department of Agriculture and Environmental affairs. The study found that, indeed poverty alleviation projects play a role in local economic development since they contribute towards job creation and improvement of the socio-economic status of the local community.

We are living in a world where academics and politicians seek to define the problem of poverty and where a range of policies and programmes have been introduced in response to one or other version of the problem. Over the years, academics , politicians , sociologists, economists and anthropologists have not come to an agreement on what poverty is or what should be done about it. They often talk about cross-purposes, the size and the seriousness of the problem. However, they agree on one thing: that poverty, wherever it exists, is a complex problem that requires sustainable and integrated policy responses . Research of poverty in South Africa has traditionally been divided into a threestage process: facts, causes and strategies. It is no longer acceptable to confine poverty research to only collecting data or analysing causes. Research should focus on finding ways and initiating programmes to prevent and cure the symptoms. The poor must be uplifted from their situation and have hope in the future. This research adopts a different approach altogether. It draws on the theory of Systems Thinking to illuminate understanding of the different aspects of poverty in a holistic and integrated manner. A South African example is presented, which clearly shows the interrelationships between government departments and the gaps of the present poverty alleviation and eradication policies and programmes. It argues that for poverty to be understood and for proper measures to be put in place, one must understand the dynamics surrounding poverty, as well as the interconnections between them. / Thesis (M.Sc.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2007.

This thesis explores the multidimensional nature of poverty as well as the impact of units of analysis on the creation of poverty pictures. The multidimensional nature of poverty is explored through the comparison of income and an asset-based measure (Living Standard Measure) and is conducted across five South African Development Community countries. This is done via six main avenues of investigation: income and its predictors; the asset-based Living Standard Measure; the consistency of the Living Standard Measure; a comparison of income and the Living Standard Measure; a comparison at different units of analysis of poverty across the five countries; the multidimensional nature of poverty. Socio-economic and political secondary data obtained from the Human Sciences Research Council was used for the comparisons. In total, 5927 respondents were drawn from the five countries. Findings from this study indicate that there is a large degree of agreement and overlap as to the poverty pictures created by income and the Living Standard Measure. There also appears to be a convergence in poverty picture created at different levels of analysis as well as with different measures. Despite these similarities, and the fact that different dimensions and units of analysis do not alter the general poverty picture drastically, an argument is made that these two elements do have important roles in poverty measurement as they provide details to the general picture. These details have an impact on the success of the interventions chosen. In conclusion this thesis suggests that there is a possibility that the multidimensionality of poverty has been over-emphasised in recent literature. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2006.

Poverty alleviation is not only a South African problem; it is a global concern as well. After 16 years of democracy, poverty and unemployment are still major issues facing South Africa. Poverty is not evenly distributed in South Africa; it is largely concentrated among black Africans. This study examines the impact of income generating projects in alleviating poverty and sustaining livelihoods in Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality South Africa. The study also demonstrates the impact of income generating projects and challenges that face these projects and makes recommendations on identified challenges. The critical question is whether the income generated meets the needs of project members and their households. Qualitative and quantitative methods were used and a questionnaire was distributed in three projects. The research findings revealed that the projects are at the heart of alleviating poverty given the fact that these projects are formed by (a) marginalised community members, (b) very low income, (c) large family size, (d) widowed breadwinners and (e) ageing group. A limitation to the study is the fact that it was small scale; therefore findings cannot be generalized to the whole Eastern Cape and South Africa. Future aspects of the study include training of project members on marketing and project management skills.

M.Comm. / The agricultural sector is important in South Africa, because it contributes approximately 4 percent to the country’s Gross Domestic Product. Agriculture can contribute significantly to economic growth, by means of food production and job creation, and thereby it can play an important role in reducing poverty. This paper examines the contribution of agriculture to economic growth in South Africa, and its possible role in poverty alleviation. It begins by conducting a literature review of the contribution of agriculture to economic growth. In particular, it examines two stages of farming, namely, the subsistence and commercial stages, to determine how each of these contributes to economic growth and poverty alleviation. It finds that both of these stages have undergone little improvement over the years and have performed poorly. Next, the challenges that prevent the farming sector from performing better are described and investigated in detail. Importantly, unavailability of the data in the subsistence sector makes it harder to arrive at a conclusion as to whether agriculture contributes to poverty alleviation. Despite these challenges, the study finds that agriculture remains the key to survival for most of the rural poor. Finally the paper draws conclusions and makes recommendations for policy measures to increase growth in the agricultural sector based on the findings of the research. The key conclusion emanating from this study is that agriculture does not indeed contribute to economic growth and that it is able to alleviate poverty. However, resources such as land, skilled labour, machinery and capitals are a major limiting factor. As for recommendations, a critical strategy must be to recapitalise agriculture, investing more heavily in this sector and in programmes to develop rural economic and social infrastructure. Public investment needs to be directed in particular towards promoting agricultural research and extension, improving access to financial services, providing investment incentives, and increasing access of the poor to support services and productive resources. The study concludes that data and information should be separated between subsistence and commercial farmers to be able to determine whether agriculture contributes to poverty alleviation.

A research dissertation submitted in partial fulfilment of a Master of Management in Public Policy (MMPP) The University of Witwatersrand Wits School of Governance 26 February 2015 / This research dissertation investigates what factors drive poverty in South Africa using annual data from 1996 to 2013. In an attempt to contribute towards a better understanding of what contributes to poverty in South Africa, the researcher adopted three types of research questions: a contextual research question, a main research question and an applied research question. The central questions of this study was “what drives poverty in South Africa?” and “how do these drivers influence poverty trends in South Africa?” The study recognises poverty as a multi-dimensional phenomenon, in addition to the unidimensional money-metric definition of poverty for analysis purposes. Consequently although the study adopts the monetary definition of poverty as a framework to poverty analysis; it also incorporates other variables that capture the multi-dimensional nature of poverty relevant to the South African context. The study uses various data analysis tools including descriptive statistics, line graphs, bivariate analysis, and trend analysis to investigate the relationship between poverty and the variables in this study. Consistent with Klasen (2000) and Finn et al. (2013), the main findings were that there is a negative relationship between poverty and government expenditure on health, housing, energy, public order and safety, and access to credit in South Africa. On the contrary, government expenditure on education is found not to reduce poverty in South Africa, neither is unemployment found to increase poverty in South Africa. The research concluded that although certain variables are expected to reduce or increase poverty, remedial policy interventions by Government and country specific economic structure mitigate these a prior expectations. From these findings the researcher makes recommendations, contributing to how scholars (and government) can further their attempt to alleviate poverty in South Africa. / MT 2018

Thesis (MA(Sos.))--Universiteit van Pretoria, 2001. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 79-80).

This is an exploratory study, employing the livelihood approach as a tool to understand how the Zibambele programme approached rural poverty alleviation. The livelihood framework is used to understand the relationships between Zibambele workers’ and officials from the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Transport. The Vulindlela Area, one of the Zibambele sites, was chosen for assessment. The livelihood practices of Zibambele workers’ and attitudes of Zibambele officials towards the implementation the programme were sought out and captured. Qualitative methodology shaped the research design. Zibambele workers’ made up the main sample of this study, while officials from the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Transport were key informants of this study. Focus group interviews were conducted to capture data from the main sample and key informants. The grounded theory technique was used to analyse data. Data was analysed through identifying themes and building on the relationships between themes, to develop an explanation of how the Zibambele poverty alleviation programme is implemented. This study finds that the Zibambele programme is based on an economic approach to poverty alleviation due to the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Transport’s ‘top-down’ approach in implementing the Zibambele programme and Zibambele workers rising expectations of the programme. The study concluded that the livelihood approach was a valuable tool in understanding and explaining the Zibambele poverty alleviation programme. / Thesis (M.Soc.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2010.

Only twenty years ago it was widely assumed that religion had lost its previous place in western culture and that this pattern would spread throughout the world. Since then religion has become a renewed force, recognized as an important factor in the modern world in all aspects of life, cultural, economic and political. This is true not only of the Third World, but in Europe - East and West - and in North America. It is no longer a surprise to find a religious factor at work in areas of political tension. In South Africa, the researcher has determined that Christianity is not totally involved in the fundamental human needs of community. This is an urgent matter to address. As churches committed to social and economic justice we cannot stand by and observe. We need to fund answers to a number of important questions: What does poverty really means? What are its causes and its consequences to South African community. As churches we also have deeper roots in the struggle for justice and democracy in South Africa. What is the impact of poverty, if any, on democracy and human rights in our society? This research about such matters comes for the most part from three types of sources. The first is the newspaper which understandably tend to concentrate on newsworthy events, without taking the time to deal with the underlying issues of which they are but symptoms. The second source comprises studies by theologians and social scientists who often adopt a functionalist and reductionist view of the faith and beliefs which motivate those directly involved in such situations. Finally, there are the statements and writings of those committed to the religious or ideological movements themselves. The poor are the ones who suffer injustice through exploitation, oppression and bondage. The reality is that Christianity do not exist unaffected by social change which is taking place in our time. The winds of change are blowing at gale force in South Africa and we live in the midst of this change, we are affected by it and we are mutually responsible for it. Also, due to the fact that Christianity is placed in the larger human society, it is inevitable that it will be engaged in the problems affecting human society such as poverty, HIV/AIDS. As religious stewards we share responsibility for the co-existence of all humankind because God does not want to abandon the earth and its inhabitants to evil. It is Faith that commits churches and their members to be loyal to God, who through Jesus, has entered our human spirit as a human being. Through Jesus' death and resurrection we have overcome our captivity; and through the Spirit God is involved in the situation of people. Being committed to this faith churches cannot live in isolation from society. Churches need to be aware that they and their members encounter the living Christ with and among the discarbed people. These people are excluded from the material and spiritual resources they require for sustaining their lives. People's material living conditions impact on their spiritual life. Churches cannot exist in isolation from the society in which we live. Neither can churches ignore the plight under which people live. For religious tradition, it is our intention that an accurate and sensitive account of Christianity should be informed by an objective and sophisticated application of perspectives from the social sciences. Theologies of liberation, struggle and protest have made a major contribution to today's theological debate. They have had considerable impact in Latin America and many other parts of the Third World, and are by no means examples of armchair theology. But there comes a time when Christian theology must address a rather different agenda, not neglecting the concern of the poor in the biblical way as Jesus did. / Thesis (M.A)-University of Durban-Westville, 2004.

Many people and their communities, especially in rural Africa and other developing countries, battle to manage and reduce starvation, poverty and unemployment. Unfortunately, these problems cannot be left to governments, private enterprises and outside donor organizations to solve. Without the communities' involvement in and ownership of these processes, even sensible programmes will be unsustainable. One community that has been exploring and attempting to tackle these problems is the Royal Bafokeng Nation (RBN) in South Africa. Through their socio-economic development agency, the Royal Bafokeng Economic Board (RBEB), their infrastructure development agency, the Royal Bafokeng Administration (RBA), their investment development company, Royal Bafokeng Holdings (RBH), and their political support institution, the Supreme Council, the RBN is attempting to find new, innovative, and sustainable solutions to some of the most intractable problems in the developing world, taking into consideration the special issues that face all South Africans. This study therefore will analyse the ways in which the RBN are attempting to achieve sustainable socio-economic development, within their context. It will review the strategic formation and work done by the RBN, with special emphasis on the nexus of development "best practice" and the traditional Tswana, South African, African, and global contexts. The analysis will use systems thinking, chaos and complexity science, and strategic enactment approaches. Further analysis will focus on the lessons learnt from the structures of the RBN that might be applicable to other developing communities. This will be done using the concepts of business architecture, an organisational dynamics approach, leadership and sustainable development from a rural perspective. The study will make use of both primary and secondary research techniques, in order to identify current and potential issues and challenges that may help fast track the delivery mechanisms ofthe RBN: • Primary research comprises direct interviews with a wide range of stakeholders, both internal and external to the Bafokeng Nation. • Secondary research comprises archival research within the RBN and its associated organisations in the Bafokeng community, as well as related documents and literature emanating from other contexts around the world. The Bafokeng case highlights a local or indigenous approach to socio-econornic development that gives ownership of the development to the people being developed. By analysing the Bafokeng case, its successes and failures in socio-economic development, I will attempt to draw conclusions about the importance or role of indigenous values, practices and institutions in the development process. / Thesis (M.Sc.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2007.