M.Com. (Economics) / The aim of this study was to look at the economic survival problem that has been very much in appearance in South Africa, especially recently. This will translate into a study of poverty in South Africa. In the second chapter I tried to get a clearer definition of poverty by, firstly looking at some formal definitions relating to poverty and then to look more generally at other descriptions of poverty from a more economic point of view. In this chapter we also discuss the Lorenz curve and how that can be used to measure poverty using income and the consumption of the population. Following on from this, in the third chapter we look at some definitions and theories of income and consumption. The theories we look at are the following : The General Consumption theory of Keynes, the Relative Income Hypothesis, the Permanent Income Hypothesis and the Life Cycle Hypothesis. After narrowing down the main cause of poverty, in the next two chapters we look at some characteristics of the poor in the rural areas as well as in the urban and metropolitan areas. In the chapter concerning the poor in the rural areas, the characteristics we look at are among others, the income, climatic problems, educational problems and health problems of the poor communities in these areas. When we discuss the characteristics of the urban and metropolitan poor, we also discuss the occurrence of unemployment and some measures that can alleviate this problem. In the sixth chapter we look at a comparison of South Africa with other countries in the world regarding the poverty problem, mainly at where South Africa fits into the world picture. In the summary some possible solutions for the whole poverty problem is put forward.

Scholarship on youth in Africa has mostly focused on unemployed young people, portraying them as a lost generation and exploring how states have failed them. Literature on young employed Africans has been conspicuously absent. This research portrays how a group of young professional Rwandans who define themselves as “diaspora” living in post-genocide Kigali, are redefining national belonging in economic terms. Many young professionals have moved from the diaspora to Rwanda because the state offers them a platform where they can find employment or start their own business: an entrepreneurial citizenship. The city of Kigali is experiencing physical and social transformation, and these young professionals are driving such change. The young people in this study see Rwanda as a place where they can belong by being cosmopolitan, and especially by becoming entrepreneurs. They feel that in Rwanda they are able to be global citizens more easily than in the Diaspora. This feeling of global citizenship is, ironically, what inspires in them a sense of national identity. This research explores the youth in the broader sense of economic activity and time and their sense of belonging in everyday life, in the capital city of Kigali.

DISCOURSE submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree MASTER OF SCIENCE in Development Planning at the UNIVERSITY OF THE WITWATERSRAND / This discourse investigates nature and the needs of global city development. It does this, through both theoretical and empirical research into this phenomenon, peculiar to the late twentieth century. The first part of the work explores the theoretical underpinnings of 'global city thesis'. and its host dominant critique, the 'dual city thesis'. Following this, an empirical assessment of the concept's relevance to Southern Africa's development is performed. For this purpose, the most dominant locality in the region, Central Gauteng, is analysed in terms of its potential for, and the problems involved with global city development in a middle-income country. It is found that global city development here would be desirable for both Central Gauteng and the greater SADC. By establishing Central Gauteng as a global city, the region would be empowered to take greater control over its economic destiny. The path this development would, by necessity take, is the promotion of the locality as the 'Gateway to Africa'. Based on this orientation several development planning proposals are presented. / Andrew Chakane 2019

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Research submitted to the faculty of Humanities at the University of the Witwatersrand in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in International Relations, 2017 / Since the emergence of the global economic crisis the European Union has been confronted with many challenges. The European vision of stability, growth, prosperity and economic convergence is at stake as the mechanisms of European integration have been revolving around the influential theories of supranationalism and intergovernmentalism. Due to the economic crisis, European integration has turned out to be of interest in Europe therefore, an empirical analysis is important to identify the setbacks on collective action. A research method has been applied to present systematic and explanatory knowledge and track the decisions and resolutions from 2010 – 2015 made by the EU supranational body with respect to the impact this crisis had on the process of European integration. This research examines how effectively the EU responded to the Eurozone crisis, especially under its revised mechanisms outlined in the Lisbon treaty. The research looks at the EU’s decision making mechanisms in view of the crisis. Case specific expectations on the reactions to the Eurozone crisis were examined emphasising the Greek sovereign debt crisis to ascertain the weakness of governance in Greece and in the EU. / XL2018

A dissertation presented in partial fulfilment of the requirement of the Master of Arts in Political Studies, Faculty of Humanities at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2016 / The governance of natural resources plays an important role in the distribution of resources in any state. The failure of a government to effectively administer natural resources will result in a country failing to benefit from the resources economically. This research paper explores how from 2006 to 2013 the Zimbabwean government handled the discovery of diamonds in the Marange area which is situated just outside Zimbabwe’s third largest city, Mutare. Zimbabwe has had a tumultuous millennium which has seen farm invasions, controversial elections and a crippled economy. The discovery of the diamonds was expected to aid the country’s faltering economy, but instead the diamonds only benefitted a close knit group of individuals who were aligned to the ruling party, ZANU PF. The ruling party in Zimbabwe has enjoyed a stranglehold on the Zimbabwean political landscape and the discovery of the Marange diamonds solidified this stranglehold. The diamonds helped ZANU PF revive its waning political fortunes after the party had joined a coalition government with MDC T after the controversial elections in 2008. The diamonds in Marange are an example of how ZANU PF has been able to use the country’s resources to prop up its waning influence on the Zimbabwean political landscape. The discovery of the diamonds in Zimbabwe mirrors other African countries where rather than being a blessing to local communities natural resources become a curse. / MT2017

A report on a research study presented to the Department of Social Work School of Human and Community Development, Faculty of Humanities University of the Witwatersrand in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree Master of Arts in Social Work in the Field of Social Development, March 2017 / Poverty is one of the biggest challenges that the global community is struggling with. In attempting to address poverty, there has been a tilt towards a microenterprise approach to social development mostly in the global South. The purpose of the study was to explore the role of microenterprises in poverty alleviation and how microenterprises can be optimised as a strategy for poverty alleviation. The primary aim of the study was to explore ways in which microenterprises are contributing to the reduction of household poverty in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. This was a qualitative study and a multiple case study design was employed. A semi-structured interview schedule was used during interviews with nine participants who had either gone through entrepreneurship or technical skills training and two key informants were selected based on their expertise in enterprise development. Purposive sampling was used to select the participants and thematic analysis was applied to analyse the collected data from all participants. The major findings of this study were that microenterprises have a pivotal role in ensuring basic sustenance, for example basic needs like rent, food, health care and education. All the participants had received business training, however, there still is a disjuncture between business knowledge and application. Challenges that affected participants in the study included lack of machinery, access to credit and lack of a market for their products as indicated in the findings of the study. The participants expressed that microenterprises are a step towards breaking the poverty cycle. The main findings of this study are that microenterprises as a tool in poverty alleviation manages only to afford people basic sustenance, however, it cannot alone be the panacea for poverty reduction, hence it should be seen amongst other interventions in social development. / XL2018

A research report submitted to the Faculty of Management, University of the Witwatersrand, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Management (in the field of Public and Development Management). / Many debates have been waged about the effect of the interest rate ceilings on the provision of financial services to small businesses. It has been considered as one of the major constraints in small business access to capital and it is also considered a major inhibitor of small business development. The present study attempted to determine whether interest rate ceilings should be undertaken or not, and how in a South African socio-political context this would help small business development. Concomitantly, it was considered how the interest rates affect small businesses according different purposes, size and terms of loans. A case study method was used to pursue this research. The case study of Mamelodi Township (Pretoria) and Kildare/Jonkllanqa village (Mhala District - Northern Province) were undertaken. Open-ended interviews with borrowers and financial institutions (providers) were conducted. The result of the interviews was analysed and reinforced with an analysis of national and international secondary literature. One of the main findings of the research was that interest rates ceiling are necessary and substantial in helping small business development. It was established that interest rate ceilings have to be considered in a flexible manner, accordlng specific conditions of small business activity. It was also concluded that interest rate ceilings have to be a consequence of a regulatory framework which enables small business access to capital, and, thus, development of their local community. The result of the research likewise, has indicated that for small, short term, working capital loans, the impact of interest rates on borrowers is smaller than for larger, longer term borrowers. The effect of the circulation of resources in a community in the case of a lower level interest rates deserves more investigation but there are primary indications of some positive impact on. / Andrew Chakane 2019

The study traces and explains reformulation of ANC nationalisation policy between 1990 and early 1994. In doing so it develops the sociology of nationalisation. It argues that nationalisation is a nexus of particular social relations. (Abbreviation abstract) / AC2017

Thesis submitted in fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Management in Finance & Investment in the Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management Wits business school at the University of the Witwatersrand, 2016 / Zimbabwe as a country went through severe economic crisis between the years 2000 and 2008. Hyperinflation, ill conception of policies by a desperate government that was in panic because of the shock that the crisis had on the economy, a declining exchange rate were among the serious challenges that were facing the economy. As investors and ordinary citizens scrambled for ways to store the value of their wealth, they all trooped to the Zimbabwe Stock Exchange (ZSE) to buy shares. As the demand of shares increased, so did share prices. Share prices had stopped to reflect economic fundamentals as the stock exchange became a mere market place of raising money. Stock markets have several functions which are crucial to an economy among them giving support to and facilitation of the growth of key sectors as well as provide accurate signals for resource allocation (Aurangzeb, 2012). Darskuviene (2010) says stock markets act as barometers of economies; in particular stock market movements tend to be leading indicators which means that they provide indications of likely future changes in the level of activity in the economy as a whole. Contrary to these crucial functions, the Zimbabwe Sock Exchange had become a repository of trapped local savings as Zimbabwean citizens scrambled for shares. The scrambling for shares was either for speculative purposes, store of wealth or just a place of raising fast cash as hyperinflation became a daily phenomenon. The prices of shares are supposed to reflect economic fundamentals, all things being equal but for the case of Zimbabwe, the stock prices were now reflecting activities of the ‘black market”. Money has several characteristics that it carries among them durability, hard to counterfeit, and stability in value and one of its major function is to act as a store of value. The Zimbabwean dollar had seized to serve any of the above mentioned functions as hyperinflation corroded the value of the currency. In 2009 Zimbabwean government adopted full dollarization as the Zimbabwean dollar had become useless as a medium of exchange. This saw the Zimbabwe Stock Exchange start to quote prices of shares in the United States Dollar (USD). This research examined the effect of dollarization on the performance of the Zimbabwe Stock Exchange. It attempts to measure and iv assess using empirical models the extent to which the adoption of dollarization enhanced the performance of the bourse. The study uses two sample periods namely the pre-dollarization era and the post dollarization era representing the years 2003 to 2008 and 2009 to 2014 respectively. The sample is made up of sixty two listed companies that make up the Zimbabwe stock Exchange industrial index, which is used as the benchmark index. Two soft wares have been used in carry out this research namely Eviews 8 and SPSS. These were used to in trend analysis, mean difference analysis and regression or correlation analysis. The analysis was carried out using these three techniques in order to assess the effect of dollarization on the performance of the ZSE. The results gathered from this research shows that dollarization has enhanced the performance of the ZSE. Shares prices have stabilized as compared to the pre-dollarization era where they would change a number of times in one day. This stability in share prices was brought about by the use of the US dollar to quote shares because the dollar is a more stable currency. It was found that market capitalization has significantly improved in the dollarization era. There is also strong evidence showing that Price Earnings ratio has decreased significantly which is a good for the Zimbabwean stock market. Turnover ratio did not show any statistical significance in terms of performance. Its correlation with dollarization was negative. This is due to the liquidity challenges that the country is experiencing as well as political uncertainty which is making the stock market unattractive to foreign investors. Therefore, I recommend further research on alternative ways of solving the problems that the country is facing for example de-dollarization and strategies that bring about monetary policy freedom. / GR2018