A dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Arts in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Masters of Education in the Department of Foundations of Education at the University of Zululand, South Africa, 2015 / The study set out to investigate the importance of co-operation in an evaluation of grants handling in schools. The following objectives were formulated: (a) To evaluate effectiveness of the current systems in handling grants in schools in Ilembe district, Lower Tugela circuit in uMhlali and kwaDukuza ward in KZN. (b) To propose effective strategies to improve partnership between Department of Social Development and Department of Basic Education in handling social grants in schools. In order to investigate the aims of the study of evaluation of handling grants, questionnaires were distributed to educators, social workers and parents. The instrument was administered to a sample of 90 respondents consisting of educators, social workers and parents in Groutville area, KwaDukuza ,in KwaZulu Natal. Data was analyzed and interpreted. The study came to the following conclusions: 1. The majority of educators feel that school grants handling is ineffective as learners on grants are not attending school satisfactorily 2. The study also concluded that caregivers are only interested in social grants and not in assisting learners with their school work. 3. The majority of learners on grants do not perform well in schoolwork because of conflict between the relatives, caregivers and learners, and as a consequence, their performances and progress in their schoolwork are affected. 4. Most parents that are caregivers lack support and assistance from the Department of Social Development with regard to the challenges that they face owing to lost or misplaced documents. 5. The study indicates that there are households that are unattended and where orphans suffer because it is not clear who is responsible for them. 6. The study also concludes that schools do not clearly provide support with regard to the learners and caregivers as far as grants are concerned. vi 7. Social development officials do not visit schools as required; they collect information about the learners by means of forms submitted by parents. 8. Learners who are mothers that are still attending school are left behind with schoolwork as they have to collect their grant payments during school time. 9. There is a need for improvement in the present handling mechanisms or systems of grants at schools. 10. It is necessary to develop close teamwork in handling these grants for the benefit of the learners 11. The current ways of handling grants in schools are not effective and efficient. 12. The Department of Home Affairs needs to work closely with Department of Social Development to find ways to improve accessibility to birth certificates in order to reduce delays in processing new registrations and renewal of grants.. Finally the study concluded that the service delivery rendered by the Department of Social Development in handling school grants needs improvement.

LLM in Human Rights Law / The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa shows a clear and unambiguous undertaking by the state to develop a comprehensive social security system. In terms of Section 27 of the Constitution, it is provided that everyone has the right to have access to social security, including, if they are unable to support themselves and their dependants, appropriate social assistance. The section also obliges the state to take reasonable legislative and other measures, within its available resources, to achieve the progressive realisation of each of these rights. Parts of the social assistance are, inter alia, child related social grants in terms of the Social Assistance Act. This research considers the question of statutory exclusion of children of asylum seekers from accessing and exercising their social security rights, in particular, social assistance grants relevant to the needs, assistance and protection of children. Such grants are already provided for by the law to the South African citizen, permanent resident and refugee children. The question which this study seeks to address is whether South African government is in compliance with its constitutional and international obligations in respect of the social security rights and social assistance for children of asylum seekers in South Africa. This would be carried out by reviewing and exploring relevant International, regional and national human rights instruments relevant and applicable to the social security rights and assistance to the children of asylum seekers.

Magister Commercii - MCom / In the past two decades of liberal transformation the post-apartheid Republic of South Africa has been well described as an upper middle-income economy. Despite the country’s strong political and economic affiliations with other developed countries, the nation remains till present faced with socioeconomic impediments deeply rooted within the presence of ceaseless impoverishment, unemployment and inequality. Likewise, there are various factors that explain the nature of deprivation. The application of both the money-metric and non-moneymetric approaches in the conceptualization and measurement of poverty provides an in-depth understanding of efforts (or lack thereof) to establish an equal standard of living for all.

A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Arts in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Masters Of Arts in the Department of Anthropology and Development Studies at the University of Zululand, 2018 / The main aim of this study was to establish an association between social grants and access to sufficient food within beneficiary households and how these households cope with food insecurity. A data set of 100 respondents from uMhlathuze city was used to determine the effectiveness of social grants. Firstly, the results of the regression analysis show the relationship between characteristics of the household caregiver such as gender, educational attainment, marital status and employment status, with food (in) security. The intention was to determine whether such features reduce or augment household access to adequate food, and it was discovered that most of these characteristics do not significantly affect food (in) security levels. Households running out of food, the skipping of meals and reasons for skipping meals were used as predictors of food insecurity. Also, other methods were utilised to comprehensively assess the significance of social grants, such as: reviewing how the households utilised the income from the grants, the percentage contribution of the grants to the general household income and what other sources of income the households had. It was evident that grant income was pooled amongst household members to support various household necessities other than food. When households received grants, they spent them on food, education, medical costs, clothes, payment of loans, water bills, starting a small business and building a home, and very few could afford to make savings or investments. The majority of households admitted that they would be incapable of surviving without the grants, as they were a necessary contribution towards food access. It had been fully established that households were food insecure and sometimes hungry; therefore, there was a necessity for assessing the types of adopted coping strategies. Unfortunately, many used mechanisms that were harmful to the households in the long run, such as taking loans, skipping meals and purchasing cheap food. To assess the importance of caregiver characteristics for food security, a simple correlation analysis was used. It was discovered that the progression of food insecurity does not subside or grow within the household on account of caregiver socio-demographic characteristics. They were ineffectual in sufficiently achieving food access. In conclusion, social grant beneficiary households at Umhlathuze are food insecure. This is an unfortunate state of affairs, as access to sufficient food is a basic human right, according to Section 27 of the South African Constitution.

Sin taxes have increased significantly during the past three years. There have been different opinions regarding the levying of sin taxes: in relation to whether it helps the government to raise revenue or reduces the consumption thereof. This study therefore investigates the actual purpose for these taxes by means of a literature and empirical review. An increase in sin taxes affects the poor more than the rich because such taxes are classified as a regressive type of tax. The primary research problem addressed by this literature study was to determine the percentage that the lower income earning group of South African citizens, who are funded by social grants, spend on sin taxed items. This study focused on two areas: the social grant system in conjunction with the Consumer Price Index (“CPI”) and the levying of sin taxes in South Africa. Over the years, South Africa has experienced an increase in its levels of poverty. There are eight types of social grants in South Africa, to which the lower income earning South African citizens, who live below the poverty line, are entitled, depending on their circumstances. This study discusses only seven of the eight social grants, by considering the purpose of the social grant, criteria, means testing requirements and the monthly amount available. These grants include the child support grant, old age grant, disability grant, foster care grant, care dependency grant, grant-in-aid and war veteran grant. The CPI of South Africa is briefly addressed in this study, followed by the increases over the past three years. The escalations of the social grants and that of the CPI of South Africa have been compared in order to determine whether the government remains concerned for their lower income earning citizens most of whom live below the poverty line. For purposes of this study, sin taxes have been narrowed down to include only alcoholic beverages and cigarettes. This study determined the increases of sin taxes on these substances over the past three years as well as the consumption thereof. Their consumption was determined by the sales volume. A comparison of the increases and consumption was made, the purpose of which was to determine government’s motivation for these increases. The empirical review of this study investigated the social grant recipients’ spending habits on these items. This was done by means of a self- developed questionnaire. The purpose of the questionnaire was to determine the percentage of their grant money that the social grant recipients spend on alcoholic beverages and cigarettes. The results and findings led to a conclusion which addressed the problem of this study. This study makes recommendations for further investigation of the sin tax implications for the lower income earning South African citizens, who are funded by social grants. / MCom (Accountancy)--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2015

Sin taxes have increased significantly during the past three years. There have been different opinions regarding the levying of sin taxes: in relation to whether it helps the government to raise revenue or reduces the consumption thereof. This study therefore investigates the actual purpose for these taxes by means of a literature and empirical review. An increase in sin taxes affects the poor more than the rich because such taxes are classified as a regressive type of tax. The primary research problem addressed by this literature study was to determine the percentage that the lower income earning group of South African citizens, who are funded by social grants, spend on sin taxed items. This study focused on two areas: the social grant system in conjunction with the Consumer Price Index (“CPI”) and the levying of sin taxes in South Africa. Over the years, South Africa has experienced an increase in its levels of poverty. There are eight types of social grants in South Africa, to which the lower income earning South African citizens, who live below the poverty line, are entitled, depending on their circumstances. This study discusses only seven of the eight social grants, by considering the purpose of the social grant, criteria, means testing requirements and the monthly amount available. These grants include the child support grant, old age grant, disability grant, foster care grant, care dependency grant, grant-in-aid and war veteran grant. The CPI of South Africa is briefly addressed in this study, followed by the increases over the past three years. The escalations of the social grants and that of the CPI of South Africa have been compared in order to determine whether the government remains concerned for their lower income earning citizens most of whom live below the poverty line. For purposes of this study, sin taxes have been narrowed down to include only alcoholic beverages and cigarettes. This study determined the increases of sin taxes on these substances over the past three years as well as the consumption thereof. Their consumption was determined by the sales volume. A comparison of the increases and consumption was made, the purpose of which was to determine government’s motivation for these increases. The empirical review of this study investigated the social grant recipients’ spending habits on these items. This was done by means of a self- developed questionnaire. The purpose of the questionnaire was to determine the percentage of their grant money that the social grant recipients spend on alcoholic beverages and cigarettes. The results and findings led to a conclusion which addressed the problem of this study. This study makes recommendations for further investigation of the sin tax implications for the lower income earning South African citizens, who are funded by social grants. / MCom (Accountancy)--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2015

No description available.

Thesis (MComm)--University of Stellenbosch, 2011. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Social assistance is a large and fiscally costly component of anti-poverty policy in South Africa and therefore lends to the questions: Are the grants effective tools for reducing poverty in South Africa and, moreover, how significant is their impact on poverty? As a measure of reducing poverty and improving the non-social indicators of the poor, the government has expanded the social grants since the advent of the new democracy. The country‟s social grant system is advanced and covers a broad range of individuals, as it is intended to cover vulnerable individuals over their life course from childhood to adulthood and into old age. Policy discourse surrounding the grants centres on the sustainability of the system and their implications for development. It is therefore important that their significance is shown and that their impact is illustrated by highlighting their reach into severely poor households. As a measure of poverty alleviation on their own, the grants are not enough and South Africa‟s poverty alleviation strategy has to rest primarily on economic growth and job creation. In addition, there are significant challenges in the system, such as the fact that there is no poverty grant targeted specifically at the unemployed; consequently, too much strain is placed on the resources of grant-receiving households that the whole household is plunged into poverty. Accordingly, the question this raises is: How can government solve the problem of the poor clustering around these grants? This dissertation will systematically show that the use of social security as a poverty-alleviating tool is effective given the extent of poverty in South Africa and the limitations on resources. It will also show that the decision-making structures in households influence the way grants affect the resource allocation needed for achieving lower levels of poverty. The extent to which the cash transferred to poor households via the grant programmes reduces poverty is likely to be influenced significantly by the decision-making structures in the grant-receiving households. There is evidence that grant money is shared in extended households, which suggests that decision making is broadly unitary or cooperative. However, we can only observe the outcomes and not the decision-making process in this regard and therefore can only draw tentative conclusions. Although there is cause for concern regarding the propensity of social grants to affect people‟s behaviour negatively, there is a case to be made for retaining grants as an important, though not the only, form of anti-poverty strategy. This highlights the need for continued research on the labour market and the social grants causal relationship. It also shows that research into the fertility effects of the grants is wanting, especially if there are speculative concerns that might inform policy on the impact of CSG on fertility. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Sosiale bystand is „n groot en duur fiskale komponent van anti-armoede verligtingsbeleid in Suid Afrika en lei daarom tot die vrae: Is die toelaes effektiewe instrumente om armoede te verlig in Suid Afrika, en nog meer, hoe noemenswaardig is hulle impak op armoede? As „n maatstaf om armoede te verlig en die nie-sosiale armoede- aanwysers te verbeter van die armes, het die regering die sosiale toelaes vermeerder sedert die aanvang van demokrasie. Die land se sosiale toelae stelsel is gevorderd en dek „n wye verskeidenheid groepe van individue, aangesien dit bedoel is om weerlose individue te dek vanaf kind tot volwassene deurlopend tot die bejaarde. Beleidsdiskoers om die toelaes fokus op die volhoubaarheid van die stelsel en die implikasies daarvan vir ontwikkeling. Dit is daarom van belang dat die belangrikheid hiervan uitgewys word en die impak daarvan geillustreer word, deur op hul trefkrag te fokus in die armste van huishoudings. As „n middel to armoedeverligting op sigself is toelaes nie voldoende nie, en Suid-Afrika se armoede verligtingstrategie moet hoofsaaklik lê in werkskepping en ekonomiese groei. Verder is daar belangrike uitdagings in die stelsel, soos byvoorbeeld die feit dat daar geen armoede toelaes spesifiek gemik op die werkloses is nie; „n gevolg hiervan is dat daar te veel druk geplaas word op die bronne van die huishoudings wat toelaes ontvang en dat die hele huishouding in armoede gedompel word. Gevolglik ontstaan die vraag: Hoe kan die regering die probleem oplos van konsentrering van die armes rondom die toelaes? Hierdie dissertasie sal sistematies wys dat die gebruik van sosiale sekuriteit as „n armoede- verligtingsbeleid is effektiek gegewe die omvangreikheid van armoede in Suid Afrika en die beperkings op bronne. Dit sal ook wys dat die besluitnemingstrukture in huishoudings beinvloed die manier waarop toelaes die bron-allokasie beinvloed om laer vlakke van armoede te bereik. Die vlak waartoe die kontant oordraging na die arm huishoudings via die toelaes die vlak van armoede verlig word in alle waarskynlikheid tot „n groot mate beinvloed deur die besluitnemingstrukture in sodanige huishoudings wat toelaes ontvang. Daar is bewyse dat die toelaes gedeel word in uitgebreide huishoudings, wat daarop aandui dat besluitneming breedweg unitêr geneem word of gesamentlik. Ons kan egter slegs die uitkomste en nie die besluitnemingsproses in die verband bespeur nie en kan daarom slegs tot tentatiewe gevolgtrekkings kom. Alhoewel daar wel rede to kommer is vir die geneigdheid van toelaes om mense se gedrag negatief te beinvloed, is waar wel „n saak om toelaes te behou, hoewel nie as die enigste, maar wel as „n belangrike vorm van armoedeverligting. Dit lê die klem op die nodigheid van deurlopende navorsing op die arbeidsmark en die toelae- oorsaaklikheidsverhouding. Dit wys ook dat navorsing op die vrugbaarheidseffek van die toelaes is nodig, veral as daar spekulatiewe besorgdheid is wat die beleid op die impak van kindertoelaes op fertiliteit mag beinvloed.

Section A: Article 1.Due to the increasing number of people being infected with or affected by HIV or AIDS, the need for home-based care services has increased. The psycho-social needs of families have also increased due to HIV infection resulting in a need for more extensive service rendering by relevant service providers. By exploring the role of Hospice T.L.C. caregivers in meeting these needs, recommendations could be made for service rendering to families infected with or affected by HIV or AIDS. Main focus areas for service rendering to these families were identified. / Section B, Article 1: In Kokstad, Kwazulu-Natal Hospice caregivers have been rendering services to families infected with and affected by HIV and AIDS. The role of these caregivers was explored by means of a qualitative study making use of focus groups. The focus of this article is the role that Hospice caregivers fulfil in meeting the needs of these families. Through their training and knowledge they obtain access to families infected with and affected by HIV and AIDS. From the study, certain recommendations could be made that could improve future service rendering, and assist the caregivers in meeting the needs of their patients more effectively. / Section B, Article 2: Literature indicates that people are widely affected by the presence of HIV or AIDS in their lives. The effects are of a physical, psychological, as well as a social nature. This has several implications for the affected families. In this study the bio-psychosocial needs, as identified by families themselves, receive attention. This qualitative study was conducted with the help of caregivers of Hospice T.L.C. operating in the Kokstad area, Kwazulu-Natal and involved home visits to affected families where an interview schedule guided the process of data collection. Material needs, as well as a need for emotional support were the most prevalent. The relationship between the caregivers and affected families are very positive, allowing an open door for further service rendering. / Section B, Article 3: Hospice T.L.C. is a non-profit organization (NPO) operating since 2006. They are rendering holistic, palliative and frail care services to ail patients in the Kokstad area, southern. KwaZulu-Natal. This qualitative study was aimed at exploring the extent of involvement of welfare organisations in meeting the bio-psychosocial needs of families infected with and affected by HIV or AIDS. This article deals with the stakeholders rendering services to these families and possible ways in which service rendering could be improved. Data was obtained during a focus group session with the caregivers and their supervisor. Interviews were conducted with members of the relevant resources that could meet the bio-psychosocial needs of families infected with or affected by HIV and AIDS. / Thesis (M.A. (MW))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2010.

Section A: Article 1.Due to the increasing number of people being infected with or affected by HIV or AIDS, the need for home-based care services has increased. The psycho-social needs of families have also increased due to HIV infection resulting in a need for more extensive service rendering by relevant service providers. By exploring the role of Hospice T.L.C. caregivers in meeting these needs, recommendations could be made for service rendering to families infected with or affected by HIV or AIDS. Main focus areas for service rendering to these families were identified. / Section B, Article 1: In Kokstad, Kwazulu-Natal Hospice caregivers have been rendering services to families infected with and affected by HIV and AIDS. The role of these caregivers was explored by means of a qualitative study making use of focus groups. The focus of this article is the role that Hospice caregivers fulfil in meeting the needs of these families. Through their training and knowledge they obtain access to families infected with and affected by HIV and AIDS. From the study, certain recommendations could be made that could improve future service rendering, and assist the caregivers in meeting the needs of their patients more effectively. / Section B, Article 2: Literature indicates that people are widely affected by the presence of HIV or AIDS in their lives. The effects are of a physical, psychological, as well as a social nature. This has several implications for the affected families. In this study the bio-psychosocial needs, as identified by families themselves, receive attention. This qualitative study was conducted with the help of caregivers of Hospice T.L.C. operating in the Kokstad area, Kwazulu-Natal and involved home visits to affected families where an interview schedule guided the process of data collection. Material needs, as well as a need for emotional support were the most prevalent. The relationship between the caregivers and affected families are very positive, allowing an open door for further service rendering. / Section B, Article 3: Hospice T.L.C. is a non-profit organization (NPO) operating since 2006. They are rendering holistic, palliative and frail care services to ail patients in the Kokstad area, southern. KwaZulu-Natal. This qualitative study was aimed at exploring the extent of involvement of welfare organisations in meeting the bio-psychosocial needs of families infected with and affected by HIV or AIDS. This article deals with the stakeholders rendering services to these families and possible ways in which service rendering could be improved. Data was obtained during a focus group session with the caregivers and their supervisor. Interviews were conducted with members of the relevant resources that could meet the bio-psychosocial needs of families infected with or affected by HIV and AIDS. / Thesis (M.A. (MW))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2010.