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Entrepreneurship is considered one of the key drivers of economic development. It is widely recognized that female entrepreneurs in formal and informal sectors play crucial roles in building and sustaining economic growth and development. In South Africa, however, women's participation in entrepreneurial activities remains on the periphery of formal government policy. This is despite formal pronouncements and recognition that women's integration and role in the economy is vital for both the economic and socio-political development of the country. Indeed, the South African government has introduced various policies and programmes in line with the Sustainable Development Goal 5 - achieve gender equality, social inclusion and human rights. Such programmes are aimed at generally empowering women. This paper examines various government programmes aimed at enhancing women's entrepreneurship in KwaZulu-Natal. It attempts to go beyond the rhetoric to assess the current position of women and to determine the extent to which policy prescriptions and initiatives have empowered women entrepreneurs in KwaZulu-Natal. The data is based on a wide range of existing literature and primary sources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article compares the real GDP per capita of the Cape Colony and Natal between 1861 and 1909 with that of Australia's two most developed colonies, Victoria and New South Wales. Estimates of European and non- European GDP per capita for both South African colonies are also provided. Together, this information allows for the first time an evaluation of the growth performance of these important parts of the South African economy in the colonial era. The article concludes that South African performance in this period was stronger than often assumed and that by the beginning of the twentieth century European South Africans, now more fully integrated into a British World economy, operated at a level of GDP per capita that matched and in some places may have exceeded that of Australians. Non- European South Africans, however, did not share in these same advances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We analyze funeral arrangements after the deaths of 3,751 people who died between January 2003 and December 2005 in the Africa Centre Demographic Surveillance Area. We find that, on average, households spend the equivalent of a year's income for an adult's funeral, measured at median per capita African (black) income. Approximately one-quarter of all individuals had some form of insurance, which helped surviving household members defray some fraction of funeral expenses. However, an equal fraction of households borrowed money to pay for the funeral. We develop a model, consistent with ethnographic work in this area, in which households respond to social pressure to bury their dead in a style consistent with the observed social status of the household and that of the deceased. Households that cannot afford a funeral commensurate with social expectations must borrow money to pay for the funeral. The model leads to empirical tests, and we find results consistent with our model of household decision making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Gijima Programme in one of KwaZulu-Natal's peripheral economic areas represents a fourth phase of local economic development (LED) approaches in South Africa. This paper assesses the programme by comparing it with international trends and recent developments in South Africa. Despite some noteworthy innovations, the overall programme reflects a supply-driven approach that seldom considers projects funded from the market side. This is evident from the overall approach and the quality of the plans, both of which tend to focus on ensuring legal compliance rather than on the quality of the end product. The sectoral distribution of projects seldom takes account of the latest knowledge economy requirements or the need for differentiated products and services that are appropriate for the poor. Partnership formation remains a major stumbling block. Consequently, projects are dominated by supply-driven approaches and their pro-poor nature is not well defined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses socio-economic conditions in six former American Board Mission Stations in southern KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, including the Adams, Amahlongwa, Ifafa, Mfume, Umthwalume and Umzumbe stations. It explores demographics and comments on unemployment, poverty, and education. The authors reflect on the populations' United Congregational Church (UCC) of Southern Africa membership and church attendance. Other topics include energy, electricity, and water sources. Agricultural activities, infrastructure, and development are considered. The article also explores residents' views on their churches becoming heritage sites.

This study identifies sources of risk that commercial sugarcane farmers in the province of KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), South Africa, presently perceive to pose the greatest threat to the viability of their businesses. Sugarcane contributes approximately 82% of the income from field crops in KZN, with 72% of the crop planted by large-scale growers. Data obtained in 2006 via structured personal interviews of 76 large-scale sugarcane farmers from a stratified random sample of 110 farmers in two separate mill-supply areas of KZN were used to elicit farmers' perceptions of various sources of risk. The most important risk sources were found to be the threat posed by land reform, minimum wage legislation and the variability of the sugar price, in that order. Land reform and minimum wage legislation did not feature prominently in past studies of KZN farmers during the 1990s. Factor analysis identified additional risk dimensions that exist within the remaining risk sources. Regional differences between the two study areas were also evident. Recommendations include that government improve accessibility to information regarding future plans for land and labour policies, and that farmers become more proactive in terms of obtaining information to reduce uncertainty and resultant efficiency barriers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the contemporary dynamics of industrial restructuring within Newcastle, a peripheral South African town that was, in many senses, a product of state industrial decentralisation and other apartheid policies. Processes of globalisation, and particularly the shift away from a regime of import substitution in the context of economic crisis, have been key to the form of restructuring that has occurred in Newcastle. But restructuring has also been shaped by local economic and political dynamics, as well as by South Africa's political transition. The paper explores the different ways in which globalisation has occurred in the main sectors: iron and steel, chemicals, and clothing, and their varying effects over time. It shows the limits of hypotheses assuming a recentralisation of production in the context of globalisation and the introduction of new technologies, but demonstrates nevertheless the vulnerability of towns such as Newcastle in the current era. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Focuses on an experience acquired during a creation of capacity project in rural communities in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) Province, for the National Government's Reconstruction and Development Programme in South Africa. Details on the project; Listings of challenges faced during the development of the community; Historical information on KZN; Conclusion of the project.

Presents information on study conducted to assess the historical components of the KwaZulu-Natal region in South Africa, highlighting the social and economic trends which have impact on this province. Circumstances surrounding the launch of the study; Estimated population of KwaZulu-Natal; Economic analysis of KwaZulu-Natal; How the province has integrated into the financial stability of South Africa's entire economy; Industrial and commercial status of KwaZulu-Natal.