Your search found 4 records
1 Sigwela, A.; Elbakidze, M.; Powell, M.; Angelstam, P. 2017. Defining core areas of ecological infrastructure to secure rural livelihoods in South Africa. Ecosystem Services, 27(Part B):272-280. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoser.2017.07.010]
Ecosystem services ; Living standards ; Ecological factors ; Land cover ; Common lands ; Spatial distribution ; Rural communities ; Indigenous peoples ; Urban areas ; Social structure ; Apartheid ; Strategies / South Africa / Tsitsa River Catchment
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H048528)
(1.82 MB)
Indigenous communities in South Africa are severely affected by land degradation and global climate change, which lead to decline in the provision of multiple ecosystem services (ES) important for rural livelihoods. Spatial planning towards functional ecological infrastructure (EI) for sustainable rural livelihoods requires evidence-based knowledge about what land covers are of most importance, why, and where they are located. This study identifies potential core areas of EI that deliver ES necessary for livelihoods of rural communities, as well as those land covers that provide disservices using the Tsitsa catchment in Eastern Cape, South Africa as a case study. Face-to-face structured interviews (n=308) were conducted to define rural and urban people's desired ES in the catchment's 23 land covers and the most unwanted land covers. Both urban and rural respondents from indigenous communities view rivers, grasslands and forest plantations as the most wanted land covers that provide multiple ES important for their livelihoods. The most unwanted are dongas, grasslands in poor condition, and barren rocks. We discuss the need for landscape restoration in order to sustain the provision of ES important for livelihoods of rural communities and develop strategies for EI management in communal lands.
2 Yerema, C. T.; Wakamatsu, M.; Islam, M.; Fukai, H.; Managi, S.; Zhang, B. 2020. Differences in water policy efficacy across South African water management areas. Ecological Economics, 175:106707. (Online first) [doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolecon.2020.106707]
Water policy ; Water management ; Water pollution ; Water quality ; Land use ; Economic development ; Economic growth ; Apartheid ; Sanitation ; Infrastructure ; Spatial analysis ; Models / South Africa
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H049752)
(1.87 MB)
The legacy of the inequitable water policy under apartheid continues to impact water services in economically less developed and rural areas in South Africa. Previous studies typically examine this relationship either by using aggregated data at the national level for large-scale research or by using data collected at the provincial or municipal level only for a specific locality. This study attempts to perform nationwide analysis using fine-scale data to give a spatial representation of the efficacy of water policies in South Africa. We used satellite night-time light data as a proxy of economic development and surface water quality at a quaternary water area level to investigate any income or racial inequality regarding water pollution, controlling for the spatial dependency of the observations. We found a spatial discrepancy in the relationship between water quality and economic development: economic development improves water quality in western provinces and in former white-dominated areas, whereas it generally degrades water quality in other regions of the country. These results suggest the inability of the government to equitably provide the same standards of water policies nationwide and the presence of inequitable policies as legacies of apartheid at the lowest level of water policy implementation.
3 Dube, B. 2020. Deficit thinking in South Africa's water allocation reform discourses: a cultural discourse perspective. Journal of Multicultural Discourses, 21p. (Online first) [doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/17447143.2020.1835926]
Water allocation ; Reforms ; Water resources ; Cultural factors ; Social aspects ; Apartheid ; Colonialism ; Water use ; Education ; Agriculture ; Legislation ; Policies ; Communities / South Africa
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H050025)
(1.45 MB)
The article focuses on how deficit thinking emerges from the statements made by some of the participants of a study on water allocation reform in South Africa. It draws from interviews and focus group discussions from a select few participants of the qualitative study. The application of the deconstructive strategy to analyse data revealed perceptions of deficiencies in the capacities of Black people in agriculture as well as in government offices. The study found that expressions of concern regarding threats on the environment when and if water is allocated to Black communities were based on assumptions of inherent deficiencies within the Black communities. This article characterises this perception as ‘deficit thinking’. The article provides the basis for such characterisation by explaining the origins and meaning of the concept of deficit thinking. It argues for the need to consider the impact of social forces such as apartheid discriminatory practices on the socio-economic constitution of the Black person. The article concludes that deficit thinking needs to be considered and confronted as a challenge trumping water reform. It warns of the implicitness and covertness of deficit thinking and recommends that discourses reflect the realities of post-1994 South Africa which emerged from colonial and apartheid rule.
4 Okem, Andrew Emmanuel. 2023. Assessing the performance of cooperatives in post-apartheid South Africa: evidence from the literature. Development Southern Africa, 40(6):1200-1213. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/0376835X.2023.2212705]
Cooperatives ; Performance assessment ; Apartheid ; Economic aspects ; Financing ; Indicators ; Government ; State intervention / South Africa
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H052031)
(1.83 MB)
While there is growing interest in the literature and policy circles regarding the performance of cooperatives in South Africa, no study has yet synthesised the body of knowledge on how to assess cooperative performance in the country. This paper aims to fill this gap by examining the literature on the performance of cooperatives in post-apartheid South Africa, based on a scoping review of 20 studies published between 1994 and 2021. Most of the reviewed studies adopted a qualitative approach, lacked a clear definition of cooperative performance and standardised metrics/criteria for assessing cooperative performance. The studies often relied on view of study participants to determine the performance of cooperatives. Moreover, the reviewed studies often framed the performance of cooperatives from an economic viewpoint. Clear definition of cooperatives, the development of robust indicators for assessing their performance and greater emphasis on quantitative studies on the performance of cooperatives in South Africa beyond economic and financial indicators is needed.
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