3. Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETDs) - All submissions
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Item Informal social security and its contributions towards meeting the needs of the poor : the case of stokvels in Soweto, Johannesburg(2018) Dube, NkosiyaziStokvels have been in existence for many years, and remain an important source of social protection for poor black South Africans. Prior to the democratic dispensation, for many black South Africans, stokvels were a means to save and access credit and, ultimately, served as a mechanism for alleviating poverty. In Post-Apartheid South Africa, social grants have emerged as a mechanism for alleviating poverty. However, not everyone is eligible for the social grants. It is not feasible to achieve a more inclusive social security system; thus, many of the country’s poor people will remain excluded. It is acknowledged though that an informal social security system provides rudimentary social protection. Unfortunately, informal social security has not been considered an important policy area, even though many people depend on it for their protection. Given the importance of informal social security in South Africa, there is a need to investigate the contributions of stokvels in meeting human needs, and how these can be strengthened in order for them to provide adequate social protection. The aim of the study was to explore the contributions of stokvels in meeting the social security needs of their members. The study was qualitative in nature, located within an interpretive paradigm in order to explore and describe the phenomenon. A multiple-case design was adopted for the study. Two different categories of stokvels were studied. The research population consisted of four categories of participants. The first category comprised stokvel members who held positions within the group, or those who were founders of the stokvel; the second category consisted of stokvel members who did not hold any position within the group; the third category comprised those members of a stokvel who had recently experienced an adversity and finally, the fourth category was that of key informant. Snowball sampling was utilised to select three stokvels for the study. A purposive, non-probability sampling technique was used to select three participants who were founders and executive members of their stokvels, 22 participants for the three focus group discussions, one participant who had recently experienced an adversity and the key informant who participated in the study. In-depth, individual, face-to-face interviews, in conjunction with focus group discussions were utilised as methods of data collection. A semi-structured interview schedule was employed as a research tool for the participants who were founding members of their stokvels, for the one who had experienced an adversity, and for the key informant. On the other hand, a focus group guide was used as a research tool for the participants who took part in the focus group discussions. Thematic analysis was employed to analyse data. The main findings that emanated from the study showed that the majority of the participants were of low socio-economic status and relied on their government pensions and informal trading to be able to pay their monthly stokvel contributions. Very few participants were formally employed and had regular income with which to pay their stokvel dues. Also, findings showed that very few participants were property or home owners, and this attests to the fact that most stokvel members are women who are poor and who do not own any property. This was also exacerbated by their low levels of education, as without a formal education, it is difficult for one to find a sustainable job that will bring in regular income. The study also showed that stokvels enabled their members to meet diverse needs. It was revealed that through stokvels, participants were able to address their income insecurity needs, provide for their children’s educational needs, have enhanced access to social capital and also strengthen their livelihoods. The findings also revealed linkages between stokvels and the formal systems, and that these linkages prevent stokvels from being victims of moral hazards, such as misuse of funds by other members. However, some stokvels do not use these linkages to their advantage. It also emerged that for stokvels to be strengthened so that they provide meaningful social protection, there was a need to regulate them and also integrate them with formal institutions; provide them with financial support through subsidies; train members in financial management skills; recognise them as a poverty alleviation strategy; encourage them to collaborate and partner with other stokvels and share best practice knowledge, through diversifying and increasing their membership and also by being flexible and open to new ideas and developments. The study concludes that as much as stokvels are viewed as an informal arrangement, they play an important role in contributing to the social protection needs of the poor, especially for their members and for those who have no formal means of social protection. Stokvels, through their developmental function, have empowered and linked their members to different opportunities and enhanced their livelihoods through the provision of short-term loans to their members. In addition, stokvels are used by the poor not only for financial benefits and risk protection, but it is clear that they are also a vehicle for social cohesion and social networking; thus, they need to be nurtured and supported to provide meaningful social protection. Again, findings from the study show that the provision of subsidies and financial support to stokvels can strengthen their social protection provision. Hence, it is suggested that if the current discourse on ‘radical economic transformation’ is to be implemented, informal arrangements such as stokvels need to be formally recognised, as they are instrumental in social protection provisioning for the poor. Key words: stokvels, social protection, social security, informal social security, formal social security, poverty, Soweto - JohannesburgItem The utilisation of child support grant by caregivers : the case of Ba-Phalaborwa sub-district in the Limpopo Province of South Africa.(2013-07-24) Khosa, PriscaliaChildren are part of the vulnerable population and mostly affected by poverty. The main policy response to children living in poverty in South Africa is the Child Support Grant (CSG). It is payable to a needy primary caregiver of a child for the benefit of that child. The aim of the CSG is to alleviate poverty among children. Although the grant is meant to benefit children, some of the caregivers misuse the grant resulting in children living in poverty. The study explored how caregivers in Ba-Phalaborwa sub-district in Limpopo Province utilise the CSG in the best interest of children. The researcher was motivated to conduct the study due to the reported cases of misuse of the CSG. It came to the researcher s attention that many caregivers do not utilise CSG in the best interest of children. Instead, caregivers use the grant for their own needs, leaving children s needs unmet. The study adopted a qualitative approach and it was exploratory in nature. The sample of the study was drawn from a population of 27 945 recipients of the CSG in the sub-district. A non-purposive sampling technique was used to select a sample of 20 caregivers aged between 21 and 50 who were also the beneficiaries of poor relief. A semi-structured interview schedule was used to collect data. The researcher conducted face-to-face individual interviews with 20 CSG recipients in Ba-Phalaborwa. The researcher also observed the participants home circumstances which further assisted her in data analysis. Thematic content analysis was used in analysing the data. The findings revealed that the CSG is mostly utilised to buy food, clothes and school necessities for children. This is a reflection that the grant does benefit children directly. Indirectly, the children benefit through contribution to burial societies with the grant. However, the findings further revealed that, there were perceptions that some recipients did not utilise the grant in the best interest of children. The misuse was through gambling and purchasing alcohol with grant. This disadvantages children. Suggestions were proposed on how those who misuse the grant can be dealt with. The suggestions included; initiating food vouchers, changing the recipient, monitoring, and punishing those who misuse the grant. In addition to the money being utilised to purchase food, clothes and school necessities for children, the findings also revealed that the participants were of the view that a slight amount of the grant need to be saved on a monthly basis so that it will help the children in future, especially when they go to tertiary institutions. However, participants complained about the inadequacy of the grant. VI Based on the research findings, it was recommended that if it is found that the recipients misuse the grant, someone should be appointed to receive the grant on behalf of the child and to use it for the benefit of that child. This should be done in collaboration with social workers and SASSA officials. Social workers should monitor the utilisation of CSG in order to ensure that the grant benefits children. Given the fact that the caseload for social workers is high, hiring other personnel (e.g. Auxiliary Social Workers) to deal specifically with the monitoring of the grant was recommended. The Auxiliary Social Workers can also assist families who are unable to manage their finances in drawing budgets with the CSG. It was further recommended that there is a need for South Africa to develop a comprehensive system of social protection which will enable caregivers to receive support in their own right. This would serve to ensure that the CSG is used specifically to meet the needs of children.Item Estimation of retirement adequacy targets for one- and two-adult households from official South African data(2012-02-23) Butler, MeganRetirement adequacy targets provide an indication as to how much wealth is needed at retirement to provide for an adequate retirement income. These targets have design and strategy implications for social security systems and retirement funds and can be used by individuals to assess their preparedness for retirement. The primary aim of this research was to estimate retirement adequacy targets for one- and two-adult households from Statistics South Africa’s Income and Expenditure Survey 2005/2006. Retirement adequacy targets were expressed as wealth-earnings ratios, defined as the multiple of salary at retirement required for a comfortably adequate retirement. The targets would be sufficient to provide for the higher of the preretirement lifestyle or subsistence living. An important subsidiary aim was to examine consumption behaviour at and in retirement. Non-healthcare consumption was not found to change at retirement if income levels remained at pre-retirement levels. For certain households, healthcare expenditure may increase on retirement and may be funded from the contributions to retirement savings that are no longer required in retirement. The retirement adequacy targets decreased with retirement age but there was not a clear relationship between retirement savings rates and the targets. Retirement adequacy targets decreased with income but were complex functions of household composition, sex of the head of the household, type of settlement, age, home ownership and the retirement savings rate. Where household members retired at different times, the earnings of the younger person during the semi-retirement phase reduced the targets substantially. The retirement adequacy targets estimated implied that the replacement ratio targets used by retirement funds and those suggested in the literature would not provide an adequate retirement income for most households. The results may thus have a significant impact on retirement planning in the future.Item Social protection arrangements for retired mineworkers with physical disabilities in Maseru urban, Lesotho.(2011-05-30) Tlhaole, ThusoSocial protection is a means of reducing vulnerability on individuals by protecting them against low or declining living standards. This study examines social protection arrangements for mineworkers who retired from the South African mines on account of disabling mine injuries. Over the years, the mining industry has been the source of employment for Lesotho men. Some of the workers have been exposed to occupational injuries that led to their disability and forced retirement. They are thus forced to return to Lesotho where they become dependent on the compensation that they receive from South Africa through Compensation for Occupational Injuries and Diseases Act. The study sought to determine the adequacy of compensation paid to Basotho mineworkers who retired because of disabling mine injuries in Maseru urban. It also investigated existence of complementary social support systems. A qualitative design was utilised in this study as the intention was to obtain in-depth information from the research participants concerning existing social protection arrangements. Semi-structured interview schedule were conducted with both mine workers who retired on account of disabling mine injuries and key informants. The research sample consisted of 47 mine workers who retired on account of disabling mine injuries and 4 key informants that were drawn from the Department of Social Welfare, Ministry of Labour, TEBA (The Employment Bureau of Africa) and National Union of Mine workers. The findings reveal that retired mine workers use most of their compensation income on household expenditures such as food, electricity and fuel. The compensation income ranges from M400 to M5, 000 per month. For the research participants who are at the lower range, the compensation is not adequate because they are below the poverty line. The findings established that the waiting period for compensation was long because only three research participants received their compensation after a waiting period of up to 5 months while the majority waited for more than 5 months. The findings also indicate that the payment of monthly compensation is consistent and paid timely. The results revealed that retired mine workers rely on alternative coping strategies like income generating projects and informal support from relatives and friends. The findings also reveal that the disability status makes it difficult for the beneficiaries to engage in income generating activities thereby exposing them to poverty and income insecurity. The study recommends that government support should be extended to retired mine workers with low compensation income. The study also suggests the introduction of reintegration programmes that would improve the quality of life for retired mineworkers with physical disabilities.