Articles on Poverty in South Africa
Displaying 1 - 20 of 22 articles.
South African president Cyril Ramaphosa aims for upbeat tone in annual address, but fails to impress a jaundiced electorate
Keith Gottschalk , University of the Western Cape
South Africa’s ageing population comes with new challenges. How best to adapt to them
Lauren Johnston , University of Sydney
The thorny issue of ‘race’ in South African politics: why it endures almost 30 years after apartheid ended
Roger Southall , University of the Witwatersrand
South Africa is failing to live up to its constitution. Gains made since democracy are being squandered – report
Marcel Nagar , University of Johannesburg
47% of South Africans rely on social grants - study reveals how they use them to generate more income
Leila Patel , University of Johannesburg
Hunger in South Africa: study shows one in five are at risk
Asanda Mtintsilana , University of the Witwatersrand
South Africa needs strategic leadership to weather its storms. Its presidents have not been up to the task
Richard Calland , University of Cape Town and Mabel Dzinouya Sithole , University of Cape Town
Johannesburg’s informal traders face abuse: the city’s ‘world class’ aspirations create hostility towards them
Mamokete Modiba , Gauteng City-Region Observatory
South Africa’s foreign policy: new paper sets the scene, but falls short on specifics
Abel Esterhuyse , Stellenbosch University
Study shows the power of networking in alleviating hardship during COVID-19
Naiema Taliep , University of South Africa and Ghouwa Ismail , University of South Africa
Race and capitalism: no easy answers, but posturing will get South Africa nowhere
Safety measures for kids in poor communities are often ignored: some reasons why
Ghouwa Ismail , University of South Africa
Unrest is being used to subvert South Africa’s democracy: giving in is not an option
Mcebisi Ndletyana , University of Johannesburg
Grants and family support programmes can change lives. A South African case study
Why South African opposition’s policy on racial inequality is out of sync with reality
Steven Friedman , University of Johannesburg
Pandemic underscores gross inequalities in South Africa, and the need to fix them
Lauren Graham , University of Johannesburg
What some entrepreneurial welfare beneficiaries do to improve their lives
Chibuikem Nnaeme , University of South Africa ; Leila Patel , University of Johannesburg , and Sophie Plagerson , University of Johannesburg
Spat over toll roads in South Africa shows poor people don’t count
How South Africa can do better at reversing apartheid’s legacies
Marius Oosthuizen , University of Pretoria
What we learnt from young South Africans about the minimum wage and employment
Related topics.
- Food insecurity
- inequality in South Africa
- Peacebuilding
- Social grants
- Social justice
- South African economy
- Unemployment
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Professor of Social Development Studies, University of Johannesburg
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Community Developments
The outreach blog : from the field.
Poverty in Africa: Real-Life Consequences & Sustainable Solutions
In this blog post, we’ll explore the underlying causes of poverty in Africa and their profound effects on families. We’ll note some research findings to shed light on why this issue is so persistent in this part of the world. And we’ll share the good news of the community-led programs facilitated by Outreach International and the sustainable solutions they can lead to.
A Closer Look at the Causes and Effects of Poverty in Africa
Economic challenges and unemployment.
In 2015 the United Nations committed itself to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in its efforts to end global poverty. Its goals include improvements in health, education, equality, economic development, and environmental improvement by 2030.
However, at this point in time, Africa is not on track to meet these goals. Africa has the highest extreme poverty rates globally , with 23 of the world’s 28 poorest countries, which have extreme poverty rates above 30%. Using the poverty line of $1.90 per day, Africa’s extreme poverty rate was recently estimated to be about 35.5% . This rate is 6.8 times higher than the average for the rest of the world.
One of the key factors contributing to poverty in Africa is economic instability. High rates of unemployment, income inequality, and economic policies that sometimes fail to prioritize the needs of the most vulnerable citizens of an African nation all play a role. For instance, in sub-Saharan Africa, youth unemployment rates are staggeringly high. This makes it difficult for young people to secure a stable livelihood. Income inequality adds to the issue, with an extremely uneven distribution of wealth leaving many struggling to meet even their most basic household needs. This issue of economic disparity not only affects individual families but spreads through entire communities, preventing progress and development.
Health Issues and Access to Medical Care
A person’s physical health is central to their overall well-being. But many communities within several African nations lack access to adequate healthcare. This puts them at unusually high risk of preventable illness and a lack of injury treatment. These issues not only result in a lower day-to-day quality of life but also have wider-ranging implications for stifling economic growth and development. This is especially true for communities in rural and remote areas.
And the COVID-19 pandemic only made matters more difficult for many of these communities. The Institute for Security Studies states that about 30 million more Africans fell into extreme poverty (living on less than US $1.90 a day) when COVID-19 broke out in 2020. Health problems can lead to reduced productivity and increased healthcare expenses. These factors perpetuate an unending cycle of chronic poverty. When people are too ill or injured to work or attend school, they cannot make strides toward prosperity. Addressing these health challenges is essential to breaking this cycle.
The community of Boyole, Malawi, was dealing with the most serious issue of a high mortality rate for children under five. The community-led organization in Boyole, the Tithandizane Organization, realized that children and young mothers lacked adequate access to the healthcare necessary to solve this problem. The organization submitted a proposal to Outreach International, which approved the project. Now, families in Boyole have a permanent clinic with a dedicated healthcare professional that is managed by the government health department. This successful project has led to adequate healthcare for 1,800 young children and their mothers, and is a shining example of the effectiveness of the community-led development process. (Read more about the Boyole children’s clinic.)
Impact on Education
Education is the surest way to escape poverty. But in Africa, it’s not uncommon for children to face barriers to accessing quality education. Geographic distance from adequate schools and inadequate resources in existing schools create significant hurdles for students. Also, children in impoverished families must often contribute to the necessary work of subsistence living, such as fetching water from a distant source and irrigating crops by hand. These time-consuming tasks can prevent a child from finding the time to attend school. This perpetuates the cycle of poverty into the next generation.
Also, the role of education in empowering adults cannot be overstated. Job skills training, literacy, and community development project competency all equip people with the skills and knowledge they need to improve their lives. But the lack of educational opportunities in impoverished areas hinders progress even for adults.
But Outreach-affiliated communities always seem to find a way to overcome their poverty-related issues, even under the most difficult of circumstances. During the COVID-19 pandemic, while poverty rates were spiking throughout Africa, our community groups got to work. They set up training sessions where community members learned how to make masks . They sourced their own supplies, created a source of income, and protected their communities in the process.
Environmental Factors and Resource Scarcity
Africa’s current environmental challenges also create poverty-related issues. Drought, deforestation, and resource scarcity are all contributing factors. And there’s abundant evidence that climate change is exacerbating these problems. These environmental factors often lead to serious poverty-related issues, including food insecurity, the hardship of displacement, and increased competition for limited resources.
Access to clean water, arable land, and other natural resources is essential for sustainable development. When these resources are scarce or mismanaged, it perpetuates extreme poverty in vulnerable communities. Addressing these environmental issues is not only a matter of ecological stability but also a pathway to economic growth and sustainable development.
Unequal Distribution of Wealth and Resources
Wealth and resources in Africa are often not evenly distributed in a way that includes remote areas. Some regions and communities have abundant access to natural and government resources and the opportunities they provide, while others do not. This unequal distribution perpetuates disparities in living standards and equal access to essential services.
For instance, in some African countries, like many places in the world, a small percentage of the population controls a significant portion of the nation’s wealth. This leaves the majority of people struggling to meet their needs. According to the United Nations, the poverty rate in rural areas in Africa is 17.2%, which is more than three times higher than in urban areas, at 5.3%. This unequal distribution of wealth in Africa can lead to social unrest and instability, making poverty alleviation even more challenging.
Outreach International’s Impact: Community-Led Solutions to Build a Better Future
Outreach International is making a tangible difference in the lives of communities in several African countries. We’re dedicated to empowering local communities through innovative solutions and sustainable development projects. Our goal is to demonstrate to people who live in even the most extreme poverty that they have the power within themselves to improve their own lives.
Innovative Approaches and Sustainable Development
Outreach International is working with communities in the African countries of DR Congo, Zambia, and Malawi. We help communities solve their poverty-related issues with the methodology of community-led development . This work is based on the idea that improvements are most likely to be sustained if the people who benefit from the solution are involved in the process. Every community has a unique set of issues that keep it in a state of chronic poverty. This is why the people who live with these issues are the ones who are most qualified to identify and solve them. By involving community members in development projects, we empower them to learn, lead, and begin to solve issues on their own.
Poverty in Africa is a complex issue with deep-seated causes, but it’s not insurmountable. Outreach International is creating positive change , and community-led organizations are making strides every day to lift themselves out of poverty and into a life filled with prosperity and hope that can last for generations.
How to Help
The fight against poverty in Africa is not one that can be waged by organizations alone; it requires the collective efforts of individuals like you. You can contribute to alleviating poverty in Africa through Outreach International with your donations.
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The Problem of Poverty in Africa Essay
Introduction, background of the study, problem statement, research questions, hypotheses and variables, theoretical framework, works cited.
The paper is a proposal on how the problem of poverty in Africa can be solved. The study will use a mixed research approach in attaining its goals (Creswell, 2009). The major aim of the study is to identify the causes of poverty and propose best strategies that can help Africans come out of poverty.
Africa has long been known to suffer from a number of calamities such as floods, drought among others; however the issue of poverty seems to have brushed the continents the wrong way leaving thousands of individuals dead. According to Adato et al., 2006 Currently poverty is seen as a long problem that will continue to be with us, as long as the world remains. Mahatma Gandhi had some of the most creative insights into this problem with regards to India. Mao Tse Tung was similarly quite creative on this issue in China, as was John Kenneth Galbraith with regards to affluent society. There are numerous people who have lost many a night’s sleep on this matter in Africa.
[Poverty is relative, not absolute. It is about getting basic needs, not huge material surpluses. It is about having enough resources for meeting basic needs for tomorrow and the day after tomorrow. It is about none material satisfaction not excess material goods of little intrinsic value] (Adato et al., 2006: 23).
There is no doubt that there exist large volumes of material regarding poverty in Africa. With this there are a number of solutions that have been brought forth with the aim of curbing poverty in the continent. Despite the fact that the majority of the authors have tried to address the causes so that they can develop best strategies, their is a gap in trying to establish how best the proposed strategies will be implemented based on the variation in a number of issues such as population, policies in each and every country. The study will thus seek not only to bring out the causes of poverty and how to curb it but propose how to implement the strategies based on the country’s needs.
The research question that will guide the study is what the major ways of curbing poverty in Africa are. From this, the three main objectives of the study are:
- To find out how prevalent is poverty in Africa
- To establish the major causes of poverty in Africa
- To find out the best strategies to curb the issue of poverty in Africa.
The hypotheses for the study are:
- H o There is a significant difference in causes of poverty.
- H o There is a significance difference in strategies used in curbing poverty in Africa and its reduction
- H o There is significant difference in the prevalence of poverty in Africa.
The dependent variable in the study is poverty. It is worth noting that this is the variable the research will try to predict its variation in presence of certain variable known to be independent is important. The independent variable will include all the causes of poverty and the strategies used to curb the same (Reynolds, 2007).
It has been argued that the world food production is enough to feed the world populations. The major problem associated with poverty has been deemed to be unequal distribution of wealth and the natural resources plus the opportunity to access financial resources for investments (Creswell, 2009).
It is human understanding that wealth is generated by labour upon acting on natural resources. From this notion it is evident that if the same is made available to each and everyone and the individuals are encouraged, able and at will to work tirelessly, then poverty could be history. Nonetheless, this is not the case as this vital resource lies in the hands of a few individuals who exercise monopoly over them. Another problem that has caused poverty is the unfair market prices of goods and services from the continent. It is postulated that equal distribution of natural resources and fair market policies will help the poor in Africa to have enough to eat, shelter, clothing and education (Adato et al., 2006.).
Adato, M., Carter, M. & May, J. 2006. Exploring poverty traps and social exclusion in South Africa using qualitative and quantitative data. Journal of Development Studies , 42(1): 226 – 247.
Creswell, J. 2009. Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches . Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
Reynolds, P. 2007. A primer in theory construction. Boston: Pearson Education.
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IvyPanda. (2022, January 11). The Problem of Poverty in Africa. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-problem-of-poverty-in-africa/
"The Problem of Poverty in Africa." IvyPanda , 11 Jan. 2022, ivypanda.com/essays/the-problem-of-poverty-in-africa/.
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Bibliography
IvyPanda . "The Problem of Poverty in Africa." January 11, 2022. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-problem-of-poverty-in-africa/.
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This is according to the upper-bound poverty line of R992 per person per month, in 2015 prices (Statistics South Africa, 2017 ). Worryingly, poverty is highest among young people, with 63.7% of children under 17 years and 58.6% of 18-24 year-olds living in poverty, compared to 40.4% of 45-54 year-olds.
Despite gains made in the first 15 years of democracy, 55.5% of South Africans lived below the poverty line as of 2015. Coupled with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, household food insecurity ...
highest in the world. South Africa has made progress in reducing poverty over the past two decades, but high inequality acts as a brake on poverty reduction, and poverty rates remain high. South Africans remain sharply divided along racial and socioeconomic lines, even though discriminatory laws have been abolished (David et al., 2018).
T el: +2711717 1790. Abstract. The study of inequality in South Africa presents something of a paradox. Post-apartheid South Africa is one of the most unequal countries in the. world in terms of ...
Pp. xvi + 527. £37.50 (isbn 978-1869-140-229). keywords: South Africa, apartheid, class, economic, inequality, poverty, social. Both books under review are large tomes that assess inequality and the causes of. poverty in South Africa from a vantage point several years into South Africa's post-apartheid development.
Using a national poverty line of R(2000) 322 per person per month around 58 percent of South Africa's population were categorised as being poor in 1995, a situation that had not changed by 2000 ...
July 27, 2023. South Africa is failing to live up to its constitution. Gains made since democracy are being squandered - report. Marcel Nagar, University of Johannesburg. On the positive side ...
Economic Papers A journal of applied economics and policy Economic Papers(3):pp. 307-315 ... Second, the risks and consequences of major external ... root causes of poverty in South Africa and is ...
Poverty in South African households has been reported [17, 79], especially in settings with poor infrastructure like rural and informal settlements [27,31]. Worth noting, is that South Africa has ...
However, at this point in time, Africa is not on track to meet these goals. Africa has the highest extreme poverty rates globally, with 23 of the world's 28 poorest countries, which have extreme poverty rates above 30%. Using the poverty line of $1.90 per day, Africa's extreme poverty rate was recently estimated to be about 35.5%. This rate ...
PRETORIA, 15 June 2021 - More than 55 per cent of young people are most anxious due to the impact of COVID-19 on levels of violence and poverty, according to a new UNICEF South Africa U-Report survey , released ahead of Youth Day on 16 June. Illness, death among family members and disrupted education follow as having the biggest impact on ...
these poverty estimates have helped countries in targeting poverty, many critics have come along in the poverty discourse. The major problem being that poverty estimates are problematic, hence, making it hard for developing countries to fight poverty. The first article in this thesis focuses on the effects of culture on poverty reduction ...
Introduction. The paper is a proposal on how the problem of poverty in Africa can be solved. The study will use a mixed research approach in attaining its goals (Creswell, 2009). The major aim of the study is to identify the causes of poverty and propose best strategies that can help Africans come out of poverty.
policies to address it. In South Africa the Government has not yet adopted a comprehensive defi nition of poverty (Open Society Foundation for South Africa 2009:8). The conceptual understanding of poverty could be conceived in three main categories: absolute poverty, relative poverty and capabilities poverty. Absolute poverty means that
Growth Initiative of South Africa (ASGISA), The National Development Plan (NDP) and the Social Assistance System. From this critical review it becomes evident that the main limitation in these strategies is that they do little to tackle the main cause of poverty, especially unemployment. They have instead focused more on providing social welfare to
This is according to the upper-bound poverty line of R992 per person per month, in 2015 prices (Statistics South Africa, 2017). Worryingly, poverty is highest among young people, with 63.7% of children under 17 years and 58.6% of 18 -24 year-olds living in poverty, compared to 40.4% of 45 -54 year-olds.
1.. IntroductionPoverty eradication is a long-term project that in South Africa began in earnest only eight years ago. Following the first racially inclusive democratic elections in 1994, the government's efforts to eliminate poverty have been frustrated by the continued shedding of jobs from the formal economy, as well as by the fact that successful poverty eradication measures are hugely ...
The study analysed and reviewed the causes of poverty in Africa. The study found that poverty in Africa is caused by a number of factors including corruption and poor governance, limited employment opportunities, poor infrastructure, poor resource usage, wars and unending conflicts, poor World Bank and IMF policies, among others. Poverty the study revealed is also caused by cultural and ...
Abstract. Unemployment is the number one leader of poverty and the large inequality in this country. In this essay, I will look at the impact of unemployment and how it is linked to poverty and ...
Despite South Africa being ranked 38th in the "ranking of the richest countries with net financial assets per capita of $8,385 (R140,200)", the causes of poverty in South Africa are multi-faceted. Major causes of poverty, precipitated by a history of apartheid, involve disparities in the distribution of resources, coupled with poor educational ...