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Terrorism financing poses a direct threat to South Africa's national security as well as the integrity and reputation of its financial system. Terrorism financing has the potential to finance and enable terrorist activities locally and abroad. Over and above posing a security threat, it also impacts the integrity of non-financial institutions such as charities and non-profit organizations which could be exploited, often unwittingly, for the financing of terrorism. Terrorist groups make use of multiple methods to raise move, store and/or use funds and exploit the inherent vulnerabilities of countries' regulatory, financial, law enforcement and security frameworks. Their techniques vary and depend on the sophistication and objectives of terrorists, terrorist organizations and their sympathizers. Terrorism financing investigations are usually extremely complex, particularly with regard to the identification of financiers and ultimate end-users of the generated funds. This is due to the myriad financial transaction mediums such as cash and crypto assets, the international nature of transfers between financial jurisdictions, the informal financial sector (e.g. Hawala), as well as the capacity and capability challenges faced by financial institutions, regulators, supervisory bodies and law enforcement agencies. Funds intended for terrorism related activities may be derived from legitimate as well as from illicit sources, making terrorism financing particularly difficult to detect, disrupt and prevent. The constant evolution of terrorism financing methods in response to new and increasingly sophisticated countermeasures remains a continual challenge locally and for international financial oversight bodies such as the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) and its regional-style bodies. This paper will investigate and assess South Africa's vulnerability to terrorism financing and the counter-terrorist financing framework to effectively combat terrorism financing. The key issues to be appraised include an assessment of factors that contribute to SA's vulnerability to terrorism financing. A counter-terrorist financing framework adopted by SA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In South Africa, the focus on the COVID-19 pandemic was primarily directed at establishing the detrimental effects on the economic sector, including how to contain the spread of the virus. Limited attention was paid to how the pandemic affected those who work in the informal sector, particularly the sex industry. This article rests on the premise that while sex work has not been legalized in South Africa, it is nonetheless a vital source of income for those who work in the industry. The article used humanitarianism as a lens to explain the exclusion of sex workers from government social support programs. The article found that there were no designated social and economic programs for sex workers due to their occupation falling outside the legal beneficiary framework. The criminalization of commercial sex work exacerbated poverty and socio-economic desperation during the pandemic and also exposed them to operational risks that included exposure to COVID-19 ailments. Going forward, this article argues for the need to decriminalize commercial sex and the introduction of safety net programs to restore the dignity of sex workers and their livelihoods in the event of crises. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Retirement planning is viewed as one of the cornerstones of long-term household financial security. The responsibility of retirement planning has now been shifted to the individual and is no longer the responsibility of the employer. This paper examines the link between financial literacy and retirement planning among informal sector traders in the Randburg area of Johannesburg, South Africa. A questionnaire approach was used to collect data from 269 randomly selected informal sector respondents. The data was analysed using ordinal regression. Robustness tests were executed using the Wald test. Findings reveal that financial literacy is linked to retirement planning, and especially with reference to informal sector workers. Additionally, education, income and the informal business sector were observed to have a positive and significant influence on retirement planning. The paper contributes to both theoretical and practical discourses on retirement planning for informal sector entrepreneurs which has not received much attention. These results are important for policy makers in retirement planning as well as curriculum development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the effect of foreign ownership on firm performance in the South African informal sector. Using the data of 1097 informal businesses sourced from the World Bank Enterprises Survey conducted in four Township provinces in South Africa (Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Eastern Cape and Western Cape) in 2020, the paper aims to address two issues: what is the effect of foreign ownership on performance in the South African informal sector and what factors drive foreign-ownership gap in the South African informal sector if it exists? The empirical analysis uses the multivariable decomposition technique and finds a performance gap between locally and foreign-owned businesses in the South African informal sector. A decomposition of factors shows that differences in endowments can explain the bulk of the gap. Discriminatory/unexplained factors, likely capturing the business culture, also play a significant role. Caution is given when seeking to curb foreign business participation in the informalsector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The benefit of digitalisation, including the use of information management systems and electronic databases, in improving the effectiveness of social protection programmes is acknowledged by researchers and practitioners. However, concerns about digital- and financial exclusion stemming from increased reliance on digital technologies have also surfaced in recent studies. This study uses official data from South Africa's General Household Survey and the Global Findex database to explore these concerns. The potential gains of expanding social protection programmes through digitalisation are tested with simulations and distinct levels of income shocks. Additionally, two logistic regressions are employed to analyse relevant demographic variables for digital and financial inclusion. In combination with the quantitative approach, qualitative interviews were conducted with social protection experts from the South African Social Security Agency to gain insights into the impact of the digitalisation of social protection programmes. The results suggest that digitalising identification and delivery mechanisms in social protection improves equality through increased income levels. Digital access is associated with education, income, gender, population group, family size, and participation in the formal or informal sector. Financial access is linked to education level and gender. The study also identified perceived opportunities, including enhanced verification and streamlined application processes, which can improve programme effectiveness. However, integration, coordination, limited digital infrastructure, and digital illiteracy challenges may increase both digital- and financial exclusion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 crisis has been one of the most significant events in recent history. Informal traders who depend on a thriving tourist market have been especially vulnerable to COVID-19. The resultant travel bans affected South Africa's tourism-related informal economic activities. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of the pandemic on informal traders' livelihoods and resilience in Cape Town, South Africa. Tourists have always constituted a large proportion of informal traders' customer base. They are often willing and able to spend more than locals. The impact of travel bans on traders' income, profit margins, and livelihoods has been disastrous. However, many traders have shown commendable resilience. There were obviously limits to the effectiveness of their mitigating strategies. There is an urgent need (from a social justice and a pure economic perspective) for further relief and assistance to supplement street traders' efforts to survive as international tourism recovers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

(1) Background: Labor market outcomes can be directly or indirectly influenced by the health behavior patterns of the labor force. This study assesses the association between patterns of physical activity and smoking behavior maintenance (and their transitions) and the labor market outcomes of employment participation and formal employment participation. (2) Methods: The sample evaluated in this study comprises adult individuals aged 18 and above from wave 5 of the National Income Dynamics Study (NIDS) survey. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, a chi-square test, and bivariate probit regression techniques. (3) Results: The bivariate probit regression results regarding the impact of health behavior transition and maintenance patterns on labor market outcomes show that transitioning to physically active behavior or maintaining physically active behavior increases the likelihood of participating in the labor market and being employed in the formal sector compared to those ceasing to be physically active over time. Surprisingly, both the maintenance and uptake of smoking behavior increases the probability of the occurrence of both labor market outcome variables. (4) Conclusions: These findings have both explicit and implicit implications that can serve to increase labor force participation probability and to promote healthy behavior. There is a need for community-wide campaigns via promotions and media coverage to promote active physical activity among the labor force group. Also, interventions to support individuals who lack extensive social networks is necessary. The results further highlight the importance of education, rural economic development, and good health status for desirable labor market outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the effects of the Broad-based Black Economic Empowerment (BBBEE) policy on black entrepreneurship in South Africa. The BBBEE policy is a legal framework aimed at addressing historical inequalities by promoting equal opportunities and encouraging the participation of black individuals in the economy. The policy highlights include increased access to funding for previously marginalized groups to start and grow their businesses, improved market access to encourage large businesses to partner with small businesses owned by previously marginalized groups, and increased skills and development. Using the policy as a quasi-natural experiment, the study adopts a difference-in-difference estimation technique contrasting periods before and after implementation and measuring its effectiveness on black entrepreneurial entry. Results from the analysis indicate that the policy was ineffective in improving black entrepreneurship in South Africa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study aims to investigates the contribution of the informal sector towards secure livelihoods. Using a case study design, the study focusses on Mandela park, situated in Khayelitsha Township, Cape Town, in the Western Cape province of South Africa. Khayelitsha is predominantly an old township established by the apartheid government using unjust segregation laws to foster spatial planning that isolated people of colour in areas with insufficient infrastructure and informal economic activities. Therefore, informal trading became a survival strategy in Khayelitsha, attracting an increasing number of informal traders in public spaces within the township in pursuit of livelihoods. Informal activities are generally conducted to generate income and secure sustainable livelihoods. Design/methodology/approach: This study uses a qualitative research design, incorporating structured interviews instrumental in data collection and in-depth thematic analysis. Findings: The study findings reveal that the informal sector positively contributes to the sustainable livelihoods of those involved in the informal sector and the relatives of those through income generation, family support, wealth creation, source of employment, business incubation and innovation and creativity. Originality/value: The study concludes that given the increasing unemployment rate in South Africa, caused by the stagnant economic growth rate, policymakers should rethink their policies on the informal economy, acknowledge the sector's relevance and support the sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study seeks to examine the prosocial motives of solar energy entrepreneurs as they generate energy to combat energy poverty in South Africa. Using a qualitative research method, data, in words of survey participants, were collected from social purpose and profitable solar energy businesses using a semi‐structured interviews technique. These represent the reality of the interviewed Social Entrepreneurs because their societal world deals mainly with socially constructed issues. A pre‐developed "codebook" forms the basis to build categories of social issues and to consequently amalgamate codes into umbrella themes that enable researchers carry out structured and systematic contextual analysis. Motivated by innate feelings of compassion, empathy and extrinsic concerns for the environment, solar entrepreneurs embark on social venturing to collaborate with municipalities to deliver public services, to the group of vulnerable energy poor South Africans gain access to public benefits, like access to clean energy, which are frequently out of reach of township as well as slum dwellers operating mainly in the informal sector. This study contributes to our understanding of how solar energy entrepreneurs operate and adapt to the complexity of public energy service delivery venture in South Africa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scholarship on social entrepreneurship primarily reduces social enterprises in the Global South to geographic variations of an idealized concept of combining commercial imperatives with social missions. In the article, I see social enterprise practice in economies of the Global South, namely India and South Africa, as channels to engage in the ongoing theorization of the field. The article draws on the frame of actually existing neoliberalism, moving beyond macroperspectives and policy imperatives on social entrepreneurship to show how neoliberal rationalities are mobilized and regulated by emancipatory rationalities and agendas. The empirical focus is on social enterprises mediating enterprise formation to address employment concerns in the informal, noncapital domains of India and South Africa. I draw on data from the ethnographic fieldwork on mediating social enterprises collected during my doctoral research. The lived realities of practice of the two intermediaries considered in the article, Dhwani in India and EntShare in South Africa, show mediating social enterprises in ongoing negotiations with capital and noncapital domains. Understanding the negotiations explains the convergences and divergences in how neoliberal economic rationalities align with progressive and emancipatory agendas and values across India and South Africa. In doing so, the article provides an opportunity to enrich conceptual registers of postcolonial economic geography by tracing and articulating mediation processes between neoliberal and nonneoliberal rationalities not solely from one site but across contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The research analyses the precarious and non-precarious work practices within the informal sector. Labour in the informal sector and in regions without strong labour relations is not uniformly precarious but is categorised by a bimodality of incomes, citizenships and conducts. This creates opportunities for insurgent modes of counter-conduct in the interstices of regulations and social conventions, but has also resulted in exclusive local citizenships and revanchist strategies. From numerous in-depth interviews, the study found that the Covid-19 lockdown and economic recession led to a new dialectical relationship between long-term residents and a precariat in-group of non-propertied actors, recent migrants and immigrants in the informal sector. Long-term residents with local citizenship aggregated formal and informal incomes and secondary incomes within the household, elevating them out of precariousness, although primarily active in the informal sector. These included strategies of adverse incorporation and revanchist conducts to maintain incomes for non-precarious workers. Marginalised precarious workers shifted to modes of counter-conduct, hiding the true nature of the business, evading strict social conventions on local trade and pursuing new inter-ethnic citizenships based on strategic partnerships. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted that access to financial capital is a significant challenge for operators of informal income activities, exposing financial inequality. However, there is a need to understand why operators are not disposed to access loans even when offered. Drawing on qualitative research in Soweto, South Africa, beneficiaries of cash transfers who also engage in various income-generating activities were found to be sceptical of loans, even when the receipt of transfers in cash would allow them to borrow. This paper contributes to the debate about strengthening participation in the informal economy as a mechanism for dealing with poverty, unemployment, and inequality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper looks at the productive work of Black women when they became entrepreneurs in the informal sector to create sustainable livelihoods for themselves under precarious conditions. The urban setting of South Africa is the site of the study. The economy of this African country provides little hope for the working class to survive, and Black women are at the bottom of every human development index in this context. However, these working-class Black women have decided not to take these characterisations about themselves lying down. They have risen up and decided to become street vendors to make ends meet. We also show that this form of entrepreneurship is not only survivalist, as some scholarship tends to postulate, but it is also sustainable and investment-savvy. Stokvels, in this case, are one of the investment arms that these Black women street vendors have created to grow their collective earnings. We utilise a Marxist-Feminist framework as our eyepiece to look through the study, and the critical narrative interpretation approach helps us to elucidate our data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The deepening levels of poverty in Zimbabwe have resulted in high numbers of Zimbabwean women migrating to South Africa in the hopes of securing better wages and job security. Most of these migrants end up working in the informal sector with limited income, high levels of insecurity, and a lack of protection against gender-based violence and xenophobia. Regardless of the adversities that these women encounter, they often display resilience and adaptability. Based on semi-structured interviews with 22 Zimbabwean migrant women, this article documents how these migrant women navigated some of the vulnerabilities and challenges they encountered. Instead of always being constrained by different structures of violence, this article unpacks the women's strategies to ensure their survival. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigate how means-tested public pensions interact with the informal sector, by exploiting a reform in the noncontributory old-age pension system in South Africa, where the eligibility age was lowered from 65 to 60 for men. By employing a difference-in-discontinuities ("diff-in-disc") approach, we show that this reform triggered a large drop in elderly male employment. The response at the extensive margin comes from informal workers, who drop out of the labor force, while formal employment is mostly unaffected, despite the implicit incentive to draw benefits and simultaneously work informal jobs. This heterogeneity is not due to the lower earnings in informal jobs; at the same level of hourly earnings, informal workers drop out, while formal workers do not. Overall, we argue that this response is indicative of the "subsistence" nature of informal employment in South Africa, in particular, among the elderly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Small Business & Entrepreneurship is the property of Routledge and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the promotional activities embraced by informal clothing manufacturing micro-enterprises (CMMEs) in the informal economy of an emerging market. Informal micro-enterprises are both income and job-generating alternatives for unemployed people in South Africa's townships. Recent research has highlighted the need to develop unique marketing strategies to address challenges in emerging markets and help CMMEs realize their true potential. A qualitative case study, which included personal interviews with 13 CMME owners and observations at a workshop with five participating CMMEs, was undertaken at a business incubation hub. The findings from this study suggested the prevalence of opportunistic self-started promotional activities and assisted promotional activities. CMMEs selectively embrace some of the methods and activities contained in the conventional, innovational and fashion entrepreneur promotional mix strategies. The opportunistic use of promotional methods resulted in the survivalist promotional mix particular to the informal CMME in an African context. This paper makes a theoretical contribution to the knowledge base of marketing literature within the informal economy context, and literature about informal clothing micro businesses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

South Africa's major cities are periodically wracked by large-scale xenophobic violence directed at migrants and refugees from other countries. Informal sector businesses and their migrant owners and employees are particularly vulnerable targets during these attacks. Migrant-owned businesses are also targeted on a regular basis in smaller-scale looting and destruction of property. There is now a large literature on the characteristics and causes of xenophobic violence and attitudes in South Africa, most of it based on quantitative and qualitative research in the country's major metropolitan areas. One of the consequences of big-city xenophobia has been a search for alternative markets and safer spaces by migrants, including relocating to the country's many smaller urban centres. The question addressed in this paper is whether they are welcomed in these cities and towns or subject to the same kinds of victimization as in large cities. This paper is the first to systematically examine this question by focusing on a group of towns in Limpopo Province and the experiences of migrants in the informal sector there. Through survey evidence and in-depth interviews and focus groups with migrant and South African vendors, the paper demonstrates that xenophobia is also pervasive in these smaller centres, in ways that both echo and differ from that in the large cities. The findings in this paper have broader significance for other countries attempting to deal with the rise of xenophobia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The idea that (semi-)peripheral societies might follow developmental pathways distinct from those prescribed by globalization has been explored at length in the last twenty years by scholars such as G. G. Alcock, Rem Koolhaus, Jane Guyer, AbdouMaliq Simone, Achille Mbembe, and Sarah Nuttall. For scholars who have celebrated these kinds of sociality, the informal economy—as Keith Hart has called it—represents Gordimer's "space that lies between camps": an alternative social velocity to both the corrupt or "can't do" state and global capitalist modernization. But more and more South African writers are using their work to interrogate the idea that living in the interstices of institutions such as the state, traditional community, and capital is in fact liberatory or counter-hegemonic. In this article I argue that Masande Ntshanga's 2014 novel The Reactive is the paradigm of the "disaffection" of present fiction—as Ivan Vladislavić describes it—with contemporary South Africa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and related policy measures on livelihoods in urban South Africa. Using qualitative research methods, we analyse two rounds of semi-structured phone interviews, conducted between June and September 2020 in the township of Khayelitsha, Cape Town. We contextualise these by presenting a snapshot of the nationwide dynamics using quantitative panel data. Our findings describe how the shock of the COVID-19 pandemic has deepened the economic vulnerability which preceded the crisis. Survivalist livelihood strategies were undermined by the economic disruption to the informal sector, while the co-variate nature of the shock rendered social networks and informal insurance mechanisms ineffective, causing households to liquidate savings, default on insurance payments, and deepen their reliance on government grants. In addition, the impact of the pandemic on schooling may deepen existing inequalities and constrain future upward mobility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The informal business sector in many developing economies is often seen as a driver of economic growth due to the role that this sector plays in the creation of employment opportunities, increasing the social activities of its communities, and providing business opportunities for rural entrepreneurs. The informal economy has been known to be insulated from macro-economic volatility in the global markets, but this could be an oversight on the part of the national government as they have not taken this sector into account when determining GDP or strategic imperatives to bolster the economy. The COVID-19 pandemic showcased how unprepared many economies were in the face of harsh government-imposed lockdowns and the resultant job losses that occurred due to individuals being unable to go to work. The South African government, whilst acknowledging the informal sector and the subsequent economic and social role it plays, lacks the necessary policy framework and enablement of this sector, as well as a platform that enables the continuation of business practices for informal traders that will protect them from the daunting impacts of a pandemic or another global catastrophe. The purpose of this study is to comprehend and analyse the socio-economic ramifications of the COVID-19 epidemic and its impact on the informal economy in South Africa. To do so, the study utilises discourse analysis and which is carried out using a secondary data collection approach. Theses for master's and doctoral degrees, papers presented at conferences, policy documents, government gazettes, statistical data from governments, and reports from international organizations are all taken into consideration. Articles published in scientific journals that have been subject to the process of peer review are also taken into account. According to the findings of the study, in order to protect the informal sector from unforeseen disasters in the future, it is recommended that policies and protection mechanisms be put into place. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Western-centric studies on opportunity-based entrepreneurship have dominated the literature on female entrepreneurs. Existing research has also tended to focus on the experiences of women in the formal rather than the informal sector. In this article, we examine female necessity entrepreneurs' experiences of learning financial and business skills in the informal street trade in South Africa. The theoretical framework for this research, which was located within a critical feminist paradigm and used a feminist phenomenological design, drew on African feminisms, resilience, and informal learning. Phenomenological, in-depth, face-to-face interviews were conducted with a convenience sample of twelve women in the informal street trade in the Durban area of KwaZulu-Natal, to capture the essence of their experiences of running their businesses. The main findings showed that poor black women, especially those trading without permits in the informal street trade, faced multiple challenges, but were able to learn some of the financial and business skills necessary for survival. However, this learning was reactive, problem-centred, observation based, imitative, and partial. These findings emphasised the need for these entrepreneurs to upgrade their financial and business skills in order for their businesses to remain sustainable. The study recommended various targeted policy initiatives to support female necessity entrepreneurs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Globally, the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown regulations caused enormous changes in all business sectors because many businesses were not allowed to operate. Only a few were regarded as essential businesses, such as pharmacies and grocery shops, and allowed to operate. Lockdown regulations negatively affected the South African informal sector. As a result, it is difficult to provide accurate statistics on the entrepreneurs affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. There are no official statistics from the informal sector. This paper aims to examine how the informal sector was affected by the lockdown down restrictions within South Africa. The paper adopts a systematic review methodology using Google Scholar and Web of Science or Scopes to search for articles on informal entrepreneurship, COVID-19, and South Africa to draw a conclusion from the analysed data. The findings indicated that most of the businesses in the informal sector were negatively affected, including workers because some of them lost their jobs and others did not receive their usual salaries due to limited working hours. There were disruptions in the supply chain and pricing of goods and services, and people could not have sustained their income during the lockdown in South Africa. In conclusion, the informal sector is one of the most vulnerable sectors that lacks access to appropriate risk management structures, and most people live on a hand to mouth basis. COVID-19 has negatively affected the informal sector, mainly through distribution and marketing systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Despite considerable efforts by the South African government, such as the Youth Employment Service (YES) programme, unemployment remains an enigma. Aim: The study seeks to explore the responsiveness of sectoral employment to changes in the sectoral output in South Africa. Setting: We focus on the agriculture and informal sectors, with the understanding that a large portion (93%) of South Africa's unemployed population does not have tertiary education qualifications. Thus, the current South Africa's unemployment phenomenon appears to necessitate the development of policies that will create inclusive skill-based jobs. The study's hypothesis is theoretically underpinned by Okun's law, according to which output growth is considered as a primary labour demand stimulus in the economy. When the labour demand function is co-integrated, Okun's law is assumed to hold; otherwise, 'jobless growth' applies. Method: The findings from the Engle-Granger two-step testing procedure on the double-log linear labour demand function over the 1993–2018 period show evidence of jobless growth in the formal agricultural sector, while the informal agriculture and informal non-agriculture sectors demonstrated features of Okun's law. Results: Notably, the authors found a fairly elastic (1.35%) employment intensity in output growth in the non-agriculture informal sector, with an equilibrium adjustment rate of 86% within a year, ceteris paribus. Conclusion: The findings suggest that, while South Africa's formal agriculture is no longer labour-intensive, due to agricultural mechanisation, economic policy consciousness in the informal sector, including agri-entrepreneurship, is necessary to create inclusive mass employment in South Africa. Contribution: This study delves into the informal sector, which has been frequently overlooked as a potential solution to South Africa's unemployment crisis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The South African street food industry is essential in elevating the socioeconomic standing of sellers. However, most studies on street food vending focused on perception, safety, consumption, and handling of street food. Therefore, it is necessary to fill this gap. The study explores street food vending contribution on poverty and unemployment in the Mahikeng Local Municipality. The study's goal was accomplished by using a mixed research methodology. A sample size of 401 respondents were selected for the study and data was obtained using structured, semi-structured and unstructured questionnaires. The study found that street food vending creates jobs not only for the people involved in the trade, but also for people who would otherwise be unemployed, for example, those who are retrenched. In addition, street food distribution has become a cornerstone for vendors to generate income to supplement family income that improved the standard of living of the vendors. Additionally, some vendors were able to acquire assets such as livestock and landed property from the profit made from the business, contributing to reducing poverty incidence among traders in the area. The paper concludes that street food vending has contributed in creating jobs thus, reducing poverty incidence. However, the street food industry continues to confront obstacles such as lack of cash and credit and location-based business restrictions. Therefore, in order for SFV to be effective, steps must be taken to minimise the difficulties affecting the industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This chapter focuses on a pathway for the creation of a just and equitable food system in South Africa that contributes to achieving the right to food and livelihoods for all. It is based on years of ongoing research on food systems in South Africa and Tanzania as well as a current research project on the impact of COVID-19 regulations on food systems in South Africa, Ghana and Tanzania. The chapter starts with looking at the challenges of the food system in South Africa, the problematic approaches to addressing these challenges and how the situation has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 crisis. Then it explores a different way of looking at and transforming the food system that moves away from the focus on corporate driven solutions and applies a different lens to analysing who the stakeholders are. The argument is for the advancement of economic actors identified by where they sit on the intersecting continuums from more marketised to more socially embedded, from more elite to the subaltern, and from larger to smaller scale. This lens makes it clear which type of enterprises and economic actors need to be supported and the alliances that need to be built to create a pathway to a better food future in the urbanising South African society and perhaps elsewhere as well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined factors influencing income generated by 100 informal fresh produce traders in Polokwane Local Municipality during the COVID-19 pandemic in South Africa. An Ordered Probit Model was used to examine the extent to which several factors had affected traders' income, measured on a 5-Point Likert Scale ranging from "very low income" to "very high income". The descriptive results showed that none of the traders had generated "very high income", which is attributable to COVID-19 regulations and restrictions. The empirical results showed that age, education levels, other sources of income, government support, social relief grant, trading license, trading status, time period of contract, and trading stall, increased the probability of generating higher income. These results serve to inform policymakers on the policy strategies to pursue in order to improve the income generated by the informal fresh produce traders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Financial inclusion is a critical tool in the fight against poverty. This is especially important in economies where informal markets are prevalent due to the pervasion of market failures. Marginal identities such as gender, income and race are generally noted in the literature as factors influencing access to finance. However, these marginalities are often investigated linearly, with little attention paid to the fact that they interact to compound financial exclusion. Using a survey of informal traders, the paper investigates how having multiple marginalities influences the choice of start-up capital. A sample is drawn from three different provinces in South Africa. A multinomial logit model is estimated. Using a simulation of representative groups, the paper shows that multiple marginalities matter in accessing finance. Education emerges as the most important factor that can temper the effect of other marginalities in the financial sector. Both females and blacks with higher levels of education have better access to more stable sources of start-up capital. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the transformational and socio-economic development potential of the Informal Economy (sometimes referred to as the Second Economy) in South Africa through the use of a qualitative hypothesis. The article's interpretation of transformation and socio-economic development is heavily slanted towards addressing and understanding the problem of unemployment, as it is the largest lever for positive change in post-1994 South Africa. Therefore, this article's (null) hypothesis contends that the informal economy, though much researched, has an undefined role in the South African government's formal economic development planning processes; worse so, where youth is concerned. This hypothesis is tested using two analytical approaches. Firstly, an examination of the post-1994 South African government's public policies and legal environment and the role of youth within the informal sector was undertaken, and secondly, this was undertaken using data generated from fieldwork involving two informal networks. It is the considered view of this article that the null hypothesis is correct in its contention, based on these two analytical frameworks. Moreover, the collected data and tests performed accentuate the need for government policy makers to approach the informal sector differently. Furthermore, analysed data points to the fact that government policy makers and institutions need to start seeing the informal sector as a possible quasiminiaturised-private sector/ micro-incubator with the potential to absorb millions of unemployed youth. Therefore, this undeniable set of circumstances requires a re-orientated Public Administration operational model, particularly in how public policy is thought and practised. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The informal economy is very crucial when managing local economic growth but its effectivity seems to be reluctant in South Africa despite efforts from the locals. This study seeks to design a framework for the contributions and constraints of the informal economy on domestic economic growth in the Thembisile Hani local municipality in South Africa. The current study follows a quantitative approach to investigate on the research variables that impact the expansion of the domestic economic growth. It uses a Likert scale type of questionnaire for data assemblage. The SPSS version 22 was used for the statistical analysis of research data. The reliability and validity of the research variables and the used instrument were confirmed with a Cronbach's Alpha coefficient of .979. Research findings revealed that 96.1% of the domestic economic growth is explained by the behaviour of the employment opportunities, government support, convenient regulations and infrastructures, conducive local municipality and poverty solution. The correlation and the regression analysis showed that relationship between the domestic economic development and its variables was positive and significant with a P-value of .000 at the significance level of 1%. The study proposed an informal sector management framework that include constraints of the informal economy, the imperfectly defined guiding framework in addition to the indifferent state approach towards informal economy. Findings showed that constraints of the informal economy include the limited access to funding, trading infrastructure, skills development as well as the lack of state recognition besides the extension of shopping malls to the townships and villages. The revised framework comprises an additional section for the positive implications such as the employment creation, poverty reduction, investment prospects and a vibrant local economic development once the restrictions of the informal economy are relieved by the local municipality and the government. The revised framework therefore constitutes a legitimately defined tool for the effective implementation of the informal economy as foundation for a sustainable local economic development in the South African municipalities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The study explores growth barriers experienced by a sample of women subsistence entrepreneurs operating within the informal sector in South Africa. Design/methodology/approach: The paper utilizes a descriptive-exploratory research approach and design relying on semi-structured interviews. A purposive sample of 45 women subsistence entrepreneurs formed the participant pool. Findings: Three main narratives emerged. First, a sense of personal contentment existed as a potential barrier for women subsistence entrepreneurs. Second, the women subsistence entrepreneurs had no expansion strategy due to their circumstances. This served as a barrier to growth. Finally, challenges emanating from the home-front served as a limit to the growth of the informal sector business. Research limitations/implications: Based on the findings, strategies are offered to assist the women subsistence entrepreneurs in tackling the identified barriers to the growth of the informal sector business. A limitation of the research concerns issues that accompany qualitative research. Notably, these include sampling issues. Practical implications: Based on the findings, strategies are offered to assist women subsistence entrepreneurs in tackling the barriers that affect their businesses. Originality/value: Given the popularity of the informal sector in emerging nations such as South Africa, the study proffers suggestions that assist the advancement of subsistence entrepreneurship, especially within the informal sector. The role of women in all this is heightened. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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This qualitative research sought to explore sustainable livelihoods for the international female migrant youth in South Africa by using a narrative theory. South Africa has a number of the international female migrant youth coming from countries of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) who migrated to the country for better standards of living and sustainable livelihoods. Studies reveal that during their quest to seek a better life, female migrants face various challenges which impede their successful adaptation in South African communities. There are no studies specifically conducted in Musina to allow female migrant youth to narrate strategies for their sustainable livelihoods given the challenges they face. Thus, nine female refugees in a selected church in Musina were conveniently and purposefully selected as a case study to pursue the aim of the current research. Data was collected through semi-structured face to face interviews and were analysed thematically with the assistance of the Nvivo software. Findings reveal that female migrants find it difficult to secure jobs in South Africa because of their undocumented status. For their sustainable livelihoods, female migrant youth employ different strategies to mitigate hunger and unemployment which include street vending, setting up hair salons and doing menial jobs such as cleaning, washing for South African households. The study has also found that female migrant youth have an entrepreneurial mind as they have established certain strategies to survive under extreme hardships. It can thus be concluded from this study that female migrant youth in South Africa are faced with unpleasant challenges upon their arrival leading them to making tough decisions on how they are going to survive, hence their involvement in the informal sector. Skills based programmes to empower immigrants should be established in order to assist those who cannot find employment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The pre-Covid-19 world of work was rife with inequalities and difficulties, with more than 40 per cent of working-age South Africans unemployed. The majority of those in employment were barely able to eke out a living - between 20 per cent to 30 per cent were working in the informal economy, mostly without labour rights and social protection and earning low incomes that trapped them in poverty. The precarious nature of the South African labour market before the Covid-19 pandemic was characterised by casualisation, informalisation, and externalisation of work. This resulted in the reduction of the number of workers employed for definite periods and rising levels of precarious workers. This article investigates the precarious nature of work and the various work paradigms present in the South African labour market before the Covid-19 pandemic struck. New challenges arising from the Covid-19 pandemic and new forms of work in the South African labour market are also considered, together with measures taken to address precarity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

South African policy discourses about the feminisation of poverty have been dominated by the notion that poor women remain poor because they are trapped in the "second economy" disconnected from the mainstream first economy. Based on research conducted in Makhushane in rural Limpopo and in one lowincome community in Gauteng, I present compelling evidence for complex practices of reciprocity of informal economic activity and self-employment. The article examines women's agency in informal work with particular reference to the heterogeneous nature of the South African economy. This article profiles the lives of 16 single mothers who provide insights into the challenges they confront while working in the second economy. I argue that these forms of informal livelihood activities are economically invaluable and subsidiary and supplement the first economy in complex ways. By examining the lives of single mothers, this article attempts to testify to the persistence of gender inequalities and complex life choices and life chances that women confront in the second economy. This article seeks to contribute to the discourses on gender and economic development and calls for policymakers to support the livelihood strategies of women who are found at the margins of the first economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this paper was to establish challenges and benefits on formalisation in South Africa using a qualitative approach. To meet the objective, 15 interviews were carried out with owners of small businesses that had just formalized in Johannesburg and Pretoria. This study contributes to the existing knowledge on small business formalisation by bringing evidence from formalised businesses. The research does so through asking unique questions that cannot be answered quantitatively. Using themes for analysis, the study found conditional formalisation, high levels of bureaucracy, unsustainable fees, information asymmetry, credit or capital unavailability and corruption as key challenges being faced by emerging entrepreneurs. In addition, the study also identified increased chances to benefit from BEE, improved access to information to supply the public sector, improved chances of securing credit, increased credibility of the business and better access to markets as the benefits that entrepreneurs derive from formalisation. This study recommends that informal businesses be supported through skills training initiatives and expanded credit opportunities so that they can be of better size and capacity to formalise. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In South Africa, minibus taxis are a crucial mode of public transport for many commuters and a vital informal business sector with an estimated value of R90 billion. Concerns have been raised that the South African Revenue Service (SARS) is not collecting the optimal amount of tax revenue from this industry, with estimated tax collection at only R5 million in 2021. As a result of concerns that this industry might be involved in tax evasion or massive tax avoidance, this study investigates the taxation of minibus taxis in South Africa and explores alternative tax regimes that could be implemented to improve revenue collection. The study compares the current South African turnover tax system for minibus taxi operators to other African tax systems and evaluates a viable alternative tax regime or tax collection system. To improve tax collection from the industry, South Africa could consider a tax system tailored to the industry’s informal nature, utilising metrics such as vehicle seating capacity or distance travelled. A standardised tax system for small, medium, and micro enterprises may not be suitable. Consultation with industry stakeholders is essential for the proposed tax system to be acceptable. The study’s findings could inform South Africa’s National Treasury in creating a tax structure or collection scheme targeting the minibus taxi industry. This could increase tax revenue collection from the industry and support government expenditure, including income and wealth redistribution. This study distinguishes itself from prior publications on the South African minibus taxi industry by addressing tax compliance and collection challenges. It offers recommendations for alternative tax regimes to mitigate these challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Experience with urban social protection programmes is relatively limited in the Global South. Extensions or duplicates of rural social assistance programmes do not reflect the distinct vulnerabilities of the urban poor, who face higher living costs and more precarious employment, and are not reached by social insurance schemes that are designed for formally employed workers. Neither the Sustainable Development Goals nor the New Urban Agenda reflect a specific focus on urban social protection. COVID-19 has exposed this major gap in coverage, given the disproportionate impact of lockdowns on the livelihoods of the urban poor. To 'build back better' post COVID-19, we propose rights-based national social protection systems with two components: categorical social assistance for non-working vulnerable groups (children, older persons, persons with disability) and universal social insurance for all working adults (formal, informal or self-employed), financed out of general revenues rather than mandatory contributions by employees and employers. These ideas are explored in the case of South Africa, which has comprehensive social assistance but inadequate social insurance for urban informal workers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Young migrant street traders are often pulled to the informal economy in South African cities in pursuit of work opportunities and financial independence. However, they often have to work long hours and endure periods of uncertainty as they hope for better futures. This article highlights the way the concept of waithood emerges in the narratives of street trading work of seven migrant youth from The Gambia, Senegal, Nigeria and Malawi in Durban, South Africa. This paper focuses on the way in which "dual waithood" – the period of uncertainty that characterises both migrant and youthful life – intersect to orient these young migrant street traders to continually strategise and pass their time. The narratives shed light on the way hope emerges in the overlapping urban spaces of work in the informal economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Informal entrepreneurship is increasingly presented as the solution to youth unemployment in South Africa. This reflects a new development paradigm that views the informal economy as a space of entrepreneurship and economic inclusion. Despite the growing recognition of the informal economy to youth's livelihoods in South Africa, little attention has been paid to the everyday actions, practices and motivations of informal entrepreneurs. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork in an informal settlement in Johannesburg, this article focuses on an informal car wash venture to show the diversity and multiplicity of young people's livelihood practices and the social relations that structure them and give them meaning. It highlights the double-edged nature of the social embeddedness of informal livelihoods, showing how these social relationships involve both support and reciprocity and inequality and intimidation. Ultimately, the article challenges the optimism that surrounds informal entrepreneurship as a pathway to social inclusion while also illuminating the social and economic rationalities that make self-employment preferable to low-end jobs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Informal waste reclaimers are a key part of South Africa's recycling economy, being responsible for around 51% of all paper and packaging waste collected in South Africa in 2017. Active in the waste and recycling landscape for more than three decades, their activity predates the earliest voluntary paper and packaging Extended Producer Responsibility schemes. However, these voluntary schemes have been instrumental in scaling South Africa's recycling economy. Investment by brand owners, retailers, converters and recyclers has helped develop local end-use markets, creating a demand for paper and packaging recyclables and a resultant increase in their collection. An analysis of tonnage and price data shows that the mean estimate of money paid by the private sector to the informal waste sector through the purchase of recyclables at intermediaries such as buy-back centres, was ZAR625 million in 2012, increasing to ZAR872 million in 2017. This private sector 'investment' in the local recycling economy has led to direct and indirect job creation and improved livelihoods, particularly for a large, well-established and effective informal waste sector, and has indirectly funded municipal waste diversion strategies, saving municipalities in both the collection and disposal of waste. Significance: * Informal waste reclaimers make a significant contribution to the diversion of paper and packaging recyclables from landfill to recycling in South Africa. * Limited information exists on the earnings of informal reclaimers. * This paper provides new insights on the annual financial payments made by the private sector to informal reclaimers tor the collection of recyclables. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most of the evidence that has been documented on the impact of demographic factors on innovation has primarily focused on large businesses, and there has been little focus on small businesses. The literature continues to confirm that innovation is a key success factor for any type and size of business, especially for small businesses in emerging economies. This current research focuses on exploring the topic of small accommodation businesses (SABs) with evidence from two developing economies, the Free State province in South Africa and Manicaland in Zimbabwe. The research adopted a survey design where primary data were retrieved from a sample of 278 randomly selected individuals with origins in the two economies. The results of the study showed: (i) innovativeness in SABs is influenced by the age and experience of the managers or owners in one of the countries and when the scores of the two countries are aggregated; (ii) Younger owner and managers were found to be more creative and innovative than their older counterparts who were more experienced. It is, therefore, necessary that owners of SABs continue to employ and invest in young people. Their energy, education, and ability to innovate make them an invaluable investment to ensure the competitive advantage and long-term sustainability of SABs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

South Africa lags behind among other developing and emerging market economies on business start-ups. Businesses that fail in a year is averaging between 50% and 60%, a figure quite high for a country struggling with achieving sustainable economic growth to reduce unemployment, inequality and poverty. This study identifies issues hurting SMMEs that need attention from both businesses themselves as well as from policymakers. The objective of this study is to identify key business success determinants using cross-sectional data that was randomly collected from informal businesses in Johannesburg/Pretoria in South Africa from 390 informal SMMEs. Using assets ownership as a yardstick for success in an ordered logistic regression, the study finds education status, income, employment growth, centre of operation, financial inclusion, experience, financial literacy and advertising budget were significant in explaining assets ownership (success) in South Africa. This study recommends that the government through its various institutions that deal specifically with small businesses come up with radical business training programmes so as to improve the finance literacy among small business. Also, small business owners should budget to fund their advertising budgets since it is found that advertising has a positive impact of firm success. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Poverty and unemployment are significant barriers to growth in South Africa and are reflected in low levels of income and high levels of unemployment and human deprivation. Rising unemployment is forcing the majority of deprived people to venture into a variety of survival activities such as day labouring in the informal sector of the South African economy, to eke out a meagre livelihood. As the vulnerability of day labourers in South Africa is socially and economically unjust, the main thrust of this article concerns the role of community development in an integrated approach to achieving sustainable livelihoods for South African day labourers. This article takes the form of a review of relevant available literature to provide a coherent account of the vulnerable circumstances of day labourers in South Africa. The inevitable conclusion that can be drawn from the review is that the hardships to which day labourers and their families are subjected, as a consequence of the nature of their work and the poor remuneration that it generates, when they are able to secure a day's work, effectively condemn them to being obliged to cope in circumstances that could best be described as untenable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Africa is rapidly urbanising and urban food systems are being transformed. Some have argued that this transformation is driven by a supermarket revolution akin to that in North America, Europe and Latin America. Others suggest that the supermarket revolution model oversimplifies complex African realities and that urban food systems are experiencing uneven supermarket penetration in the face of resilient informal food sectors. This paper focuses on Windhoek, Namibia, showing that the city's food system is dominated by South African and local supermarket chains. Since the end of apartheid, South African supermarket chains have expanded their operations into Namibia. Supermarket domination of Windhoek's urban food system is a function of proximity of South Africa and integration into South African supply chains. In other African countries, supermarket penetration has been much slower and is even being reversed. Explanations for uneven penetration in different countries require greater contextualisation and more case study research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a growing pool of evidence showing that cash transfers can promote livelihood activities. Yet there has been limited empirical studies that explore how financial support influences beneficiaries' decision-making in the construction and operation of livelihood activities in an urban context. This study presents findings from qualitative research conducted in a poor urban community in South Africa. Structuration theory provides an analytical tool to understand how cash transfers enable decision-making of beneficiaries in livelihood activities. The study finds that beneficiaries make different types of initial and ongoing decisions to improve their socio-economic condition. Among the contributions of this paper is that it counters the cynicism that is usually attached to cash transfers. The study's implications include the incorporation of both social and economic goals in the design of social protection policies as well as the need for greater recognition of the role of the informal economy in eradicating poverty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the first reported case of a novel corona (COVID-19) outbreak in Hubei province, China, in December 2019, the COVID-19 cases have since then escalated in China and distributed to all the five continents, posing serious health burden and economic challenges to the global world. Consequently, the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared it a global pandemic. The South Africa government, therefore, implemented a nationwide lockdown which was subsequently extended to curb the spread of the virus. However, due to the strict measures restricting human movements and economic activities, this poses serious economic challenges because most of the local businesses were closed down, which greatly reduced the GDP contribution of the local market. The impact of the closed down as a result of the lockdown especially affected the informal sector and unregistered businesses. In light of this, this study tries to understand the challenging impact of Covid-19 on South Africa's economy and government's response as well as to examine the survival level of small businesses in line with the unemployment rate. This paper is qualitative and data were primarily collected through secondary sources. Findings show that only corporate business owned by the rich and privileged remained open under the banner of offering essential services while informal small businesses were forced to shut down. It also finds that the measures to help chocking firms and informal businesses (both registered and unregistered businesses) were not part of the scheduled beneficiaries from the government rescue package. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Street vending is one of the main sources of living for a lot of people in our society. Likewise, it is one of the surviving options to tackle the high level of poverty and geometric progression of unemployment in Mahikeng Local Municipality. The main focus of this paper is to discuss the economic contribution of street vending and to proffer solutions by which street vending can operate successfully. A conceptual approach is used in this paper. This paper pursues a critique of the strong confrontation strategy that is used by Mahikeng Local Municipality. The paper reveals that widely in South Africa, street vendors are not recognised as legitimate businesses that can contribute to the economy. This paper concludes that street vending (informal business) contributes to the local economic development of South African municipalities. However, there is a need for comprehensive planning and the creation of a conducive working environment for the informal businesses. It is recommended that, in order to ensure sustainability, there is a need to provide necessary training and orientation programmes to promote growth of street vendors within the city of Mahikeng. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The existing innovation models assume an established innovation system and do not provide direct support on a practical level on what activities should be carried out in each basic innovation phase. Thus, this study sought to design a tailored creative innovation framework that can serve as a guide for informal micro-enterprises to engage in radical and incremental innovation with their imperfections. Through the application of sequential explanatory mixed-methods research, both quantitative and qualitative data were collected from 400 informal micro-enterprises in the Gauteng Province, South Africa. The data were analysed using descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, factor analysis, thematic, and constant comparison methods. The results reveal that informal micro-enterprises require guidance on how to engage in innovation activities throughout all basic innovation phases, which is from discovery to launch. Thus, there is a great deal of innovation-related support required in the informal sector. The study concludes that with proper guidance more informal micro-enterprises will engage in innovation activity and become sustainable. Sustainable informal micro-enterprises can create jobs and some of them will register to become formal businesses, thereby increasing the government's tax base. A flourishing informal sector will aid in resolving South African and other developing countries' economic challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]