Poverty alleviation projects are interventions designed to assist the socio-economic conditions of poor communities. This is a case study on a skills development project that has been implemented with the aim of alleviating poverty through equipping people with productive skills. The study was conducted in Lephalale, Limpopo province. It was conducted during July and August 2011. The study focuses on skills development as a poverty alleviation strategy because developing skills is essential for building human capacity. The study evaluates the effectiveness of skills development within a community that is characterised by lack of education and skills. Many rural communities fail to apprehend education and skills as a result of their location and poverty. They are isolated from cities and towns and this has an impact on their surrounding conditions including the level of skills and education. The study found that the skills development project in Lephalale played a vital role of developing skills through training community members with the skills necessary to obtain jobs and be able to create self-employment. Creating self-employment is one way to address the challenges of unemployment and the lack of income. There research found that there are various job opportunities being created in the area, however the local community cannot participate due to lack of skills required in the labour market. The study revealed the majority of the people who joined the skills development project did not complete grade 12 and have never worked.

There are escalating levels of poverty and unemployment in the Eastern Cape, despite the poverty alleviation programmes that have been established since 1994. The overall aim of the research was to investigate the sustainability of poverty alleviation projects in Amatole District Municipality in the Eastern Cape at Ngqushwa Local Municipality. The study focused on the following aspects: project management, capacity building, monitoring and mentoring, the market and the views community members have on poverty alleviation projects. The research sought to find out what challenges have been encountered by Sipheleke Food Security Project that might lead to the project not being sustainable. The study concluded that poverty alleviation projects are not sustainable because of lack of commitment from project members, market, capacity, management skills and scarcity of water.

Poverty is generally acknowledged as one of the most serious problems facing post-apartheid South Africa. The biggest challenge facing South Africa localities today is their ability to cope with alarmingly high levels of unemployment that are severely retarding both economic growth and poverty. The growth of the poverty in South Africa increases the spread of poverty in communities in which the cycle of their poverty can be passed onto the next generation if not well addressed. South Africa is characterised by inequitable growth and development, a high degree of poverty, increasing demands and limited resources and challenge of integration. In order to fight poverty the South African government has introduced mechanisms and plans to alleviate poverty and to monitor and evaluate the impact of their policies and programmes on reduction of poverty, the government has prioritized poverty alleviation in its development agenda. To fight poverty the South African government introduced a well planned and coordinated programme known an Integrated and Development programme (IDP) with its main purpose that is to enhance service delivery and fight poverty through an integrated and aligned approach between different role players and stakeholders. The IDP seeks to promote integration by balancing the social, economic and ecological pillars of sustainability without compromising the institutional capacity required in the implementation.

South Africa‟s social, economic and political landscape was shaped by a long and bitter history of land reform and dispossession. It is against this background that the land reform policy was introduced. According to the Department of Land Affairs the objective of land reform was to alleviate poverty and improve the livelihoods of the poor. Since the introduction of the land reform policy in South Africa, there is no empirical evidence that land reform is improving the livelihoods of its beneficiaries and other affected groups such as farm workers. However government focus has been on how much land was redistributed to the previously disadvantaged and dispossessed. The study sought to assess the impact of land reform on the livelihoods of farm workers with specific reference to the Oaks/Willows Citrus farm in Maruleng Local Municipality, Limpopo Province. The study focussed on whether this land reform project achieved its intended objective of improving livelihoods and alleviating poverty. The following groups participated in the study: The farm workers, project committee members, representative of the traditional leader and a representative of the Department of Rural development. The study found that the livelihoods of the farm workers had not improved after the implementation of this land reform project. The study also revealed that government intervention with post settlement support programmes to monitor progress or offer assistance with regard to farm management and extension services, is very important to ensure that land reform projects achieve their intended objective of reducing poverty and improving the livelihoods of the poor.

After 18 years of democracy South African government is still faced with challenges such as high levels of unemployment, inequality and high levels of poverty. There have been various policies, poverty alleviation programmes and projects that have been established in an effort to eradicate poverty. According to Gathiram (2005: 123) despite these efforts, poverty in South Africa has worsened. The challenge has been that a number of such projects have not been properly implemented and as a result, they were not sustainable. This paper investigates the reasons for some of these poverty alleviation projects to be successful and others to be apparently unsustainable. The research focuses on two poverty alleviation projects in Chris Hani District Municipality. The research methodology used is descriptive study. The findings of this report revealed that some of poverty alleviation projects are sustainable and some are not sustainable. The study reveals factors contributing to sustainability of poverty alleviation projects. The study recommends the sustainable development approach as an approach that can assist in the sustainability of poverty alleviation projects.

The study strives to highlight the factors contributing to unemployment in South Africa, specifically economic factors. The primary focus of the study is to analyse the impact of unemployment within the economy. The core the underlying causes of unemployment within the economy are low standard of education, low standard of living, and ineffective macroeconomic policies such as Growth, Employment and Redistribution (GEAR). The assumption of the study is that unemployment is a socioeconomic issue which the government is struggling to address adequately. The study outlines the challenges faced by the government in tackling unemployment. It also uses the Kuyga Township as a case study, analysing the impact of unemployment and poverty within the community. The government has made efforts to address the aforementioned issue. It established specific macroeconomic policies to remedy the situation. However, these policies fell short and were ineffective. The apartheid system created an environment that continues to perpetuate both unemployment and poverty especially within poor communities. Kuyga Township has a high rate of unemployment which contributes to poverty. The study’s aim was to investigate the impact of unemployment in Nelson Mandela Bay area, determine the rate of unemployment, and compare strategies, projects and or programmes creating job opportunities in the area. It evaluated the success and failure of policies and strategies formulated to combat unemployment and alleviate poverty. The study also strived to determine the number of individuals affected by unemployment in Kuyga Township and the Nelson Mandela Bay area. The study makes recommendation and proposes plausible measures which the government could implement in order to manage and curtail the prevalence of unemployment and poverty within the Kuyga Township. It also highlights the role thatbusinesses can play in creating employment opportunities within the community.

The National School Nutrition Programme (NSNP) is a poverty alleviation strategy, which was introduced in 1994 by the Government of South Africa as part of the Reconstruction and Development Programme (RDP). Studies of the Food and Agriculture Organisation, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) and the World Health Organisation (WHO), show that hunger, nutrition, and poverty, are strongly correlated. The same studies note that in the world as a whole, hunger impacts negatively on Millennium Development Goals, namely universal primary education, gender equality, child mortality, maternal health, management of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS), Tuberculosis (TB) and malaria, and environmental stability. Hunger, specifically, has been shown to contribute to reduced school attendance, impaired cognitive capacity, high child mortality rates, high maternal death rates, increased migratory labour that increases the spread of HIV, and the unsustainable use of forest lands and resources (South African Department of Education, 2004: 3).” The National School Nutrition Programme aims at providing meals to mostly the needy learners, who come from poor families. Good food provides energy for the brain. The meals that are provided at schools are, therefore, intended to give energy for mental and physical activities for the body and brain to function, and to make learners alert and receptive during lessons (South African Province of the Eastern Cape Department of Education, 2008: 2). Currently, meals in South African Schools are provided to all learners in Quintile 1, 2 and 3 public primary schools from Grades R to 7. The programme was extended to Quintile 1 secondary schools in April 2009. All Quintile 2 and 3 public secondary schools will be included in 2010 and 2011 respectively (South African Eastern Cape Province Department of Education, 2008: 3). To collect information for research purposes, the researcher used a qualitative approach. This approach, which is used by the researcher, seeks to identify the impediments that pose challenges to effective and efficient implementation of the NSNP in the King William’s Town District of the Department of Education in Province of the Eastern Cape. The sample covers two rural schools participating in the NSNP in the King William’s Town District, namely Fort Murray Junior and Senior Primary School, and Qongqotha Junior and Senior Primary School. In each school, the principal, the chairperson of the School Governing Body, the teacher in charge of the NSNP, and Grade 7 learners, formed part of the sample of the study. Added to these participants have been the Service Provider and the District Coordinator of the NSNP in the King William’s Town District. The researcher chose these two schools that are locally based (within a 10km radius from the researcher’s place of residence) for convenience purposes, in terms of cutting down on travelling costs. The empirical findings were analysed and interpreted, and in presenting the findings, special reference to the research question is made, namely: “What are the challenges that impede the successful implementation of the National School Nutrition Programme in the King William’s Town District of the Eastern Cape Department of Education?” The recommendations reflected heavily on the purpose of the study, namely, that the Department of Education in the Eastern Cape has not managed the NSNP efficiently and effectively. The findings of this study reflect that there are still challenges that continue to plague the NSNP after seven years of the inception of the programme by Department of Education. The empirical findings of this study have revealed that the challenges confronting the implementation of the NSNP could be attributed to poor governance by the Department of Education officials. Some pockets of excellence of the NSNP are noted in the study. Recommendations are made to mitigate the problem situation.

The period 1994 to 1999 saw the implementation of fundamental social and political change in South Africa. Social science literature suggests that such fundamental change increases the probability of civil conflict and strife, as some sectors of the population expect significant improvements in their position following the removal of economic and political barriers that previously inhibited their upward mobility. Other sectors are concerned about a possible decrease in their living standards of the erosion of their privileged position. Still others experience increased uncertainty, which in itself is associated with significant social change. It is significant to state that poverty in South Africa is intertwined with a host of social and economic issues. The burden of poverty is exacerbated by limited access to basic services, poor housing, limited employment opportunities and inadequate infrastructure, which are an outcome of the terrible legacies of apartheid. The South African government has set certain targets to reduce poverty by half by 2014, in line with its vision for 2014 and in line with its commitment to the Millennium Development Goals. In an endeavour to realise this commitment, the government has prioritised the improvement of service delivery as one of the indicators of progress. However, although the government has made improvements and attained some of its goals, it still needs to do more. With apartheid no longer in place as the system to blame for every grievance, other rifts may have developed in society and become grounds for mobilisation, Klandermans, B. et al. 2001. Mantsopa Local Municipality is not an exception to these developments and it faces a series of challenges. Despite nineteen years of democracy, poverty is still common in Mantsopa. Unemployment levels are high and many people depend on government old age pensions, seasonal farm work, minor-scale self-employment and part-time jobs for the survival of the entire household. These developments have led to the study of poverty alleviation programmes in selected towns of Thabo Mofutsanyane District Municipality. The researcher investigates these programmes through the analysis of secondary data.

The researcher is perturbed by the escalating levels of poverty and unemployment in Mbhashe Local Municipality (Integrated Development Plan, 2008/9) despite the poverty alleviation programmes that have been established since 1994. The main objective of this study is to identify the underlying factors and challenges faced by women of the Impumelelo Isezandleni Community Garden and Poultry Project in meeting the set objectives of the programme such as improving food security and job creation through sustainable agricultural development. This project falls under the Siyazondla Homestead Food Production Programme (SHFPP), which is one of the programmes developed under the Green Revolution strategy of the Department of Agriculture. SHFPP is proclaimed to be running successfully in improving food security in the Mbhashe Local Municipality (MECDoA: 2008/9). 7 ABSTRACT The researcher is perturbed by the escalating levels of poverty and unemployment in Mbhashe Local Municipality (Integrated Development Plan, 2008/9) despite the poverty alleviation programmes that have been established since 1994. The main objective of this study is to identify the underlying factors and challenges faced by women of the Impumelelo Isezandleni Community Garden and Poultry Project in meeting the set objectives of the programme such as improving food security and job creation through sustainable agricultural development. This project falls under the Siyazondla Homestead Food Production Programme (SHFPP), which is one of the programmes developed under the Green Revolution strategy of the Department of Agriculture. SHFPP is proclaimed to be running successfully in improving food security in the Mbhashe Local Municipality (MECDoA: 2008/9). The dissertation argues that women, the beneficiaries of the project, are faced with a variety of challenges which make it impossible to meet the set objectives. Using a qualitative research methodology where semi-structured interviews gather data from 15 respondents who are beneficiaries in the project, findings indicate that there are a number of challenges and constraints that are experienced by women in the project. These challenges amongst others range from gender equity, culture and tradition; lack of provisions for diverse women population in the project; violation of the people-centered approach; limited women empowerment; insufficient support and lack of capacity from the Department of Agriculture (DoA) officials, the non-existent Land Reform Programme etc. While women seem committed and want the project to grow to sustain them, this is not complemented with enough support by the DoA. The study anticipates that should these women find viable alternatives, they will soon abandon the project. To avoid a total anticipated collapse of the project in future, the study recommends that a serious intervention by the state should occur coupled with the revitalization of the programme and a paradigm shift towards an effective food security programme which emphasizes women and their important role in agriculture.

This study investigates the impact of informal cross border trading on poverty reduction in Zimbabwe. In the context of this study, the term Informal Cross Border Trade (ICBT), is used to describe the activities of small entrepreneurs who are involved in buying and selling across national borders. The study focuses on whether the stated activities are lifting those participating out of poverty. The research problem is examined through an assessment of the income levels, assets acquirement, expenditures patterns, food security and family relations. The hypotheses tested in the research are that, “The extent of ICBT is significant in Zimbabwe; ICBT in the Southern Africa region is mainly dominated by women; and that ICBT contributes positively to poverty reduction”. In this context, poverty reduction is said to have occurred when informal cross border trading would have resulted in an improvement in the socio-economic wellbeing of traders‟ households. The Poverty Datum Line (PDL) is used as the measure of households‟ well-being. To assess the impact of ICBT on well-being, a survey was conducted whereby in-depth interviews using the questionnaire method were used to collect primary data. Secondary information was obtained from documentary searches at institutions and also using internet searches. From this study it has been found that ICBT has both positive and negative impacts with regard to social welfare. With regard to economic welfare, based on poverty indicator measures used in the study, ICBT contributes positively to Poverty Reduction. Thus the analysis revealed that informal cross border trade plays an important role in alleviating economic hardships, reducing poverty and enhancing welfare and human development in Zimbabwe.