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Planners need to manage the plurality of everyday living conditions faced by monetary poor communities in South African cities. Here, we develop the concept of blended (in)formality to move beyond binary approaches which classify these communities as having either formal or informal status. Drawing on McFarlane's (2018, 2021) notion of fragments, we explore how formal planning and spontaneous unplanned urban interventions do not merely co-exist but work together. We formulate a public interest of fragments to demonstrate how communities can benefit from approaches to planning which employ a more fluid understanding of the interactions between the formal and informal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Over the past decade, implementation of multiple malaria control strategies in most countries has largely contributed to advance the global malaria elimination agenda. Nevertheless, in some regions, seasonal epidemics may adversely affect the health of local populations. In South Africa, Plasmodium falciparum malaria is still present, with the Vhembe District experiencing an incidence rate of 3.79 cases/1000 person-years in 2018, particularly in the Limpopo River Valley, bordering Zimbabwe. To elucidate the complexity of the mechanisms involved in local regular malaria outbreaks, a community-based survey was implemented in 2020 that focused on the relationship between housing conditions and malaria risky behaviours. Methods: The community-based cross-sectional survey was conducted among the population of three study sites in the Vhembe District, which were selected based on malaria incidence rate, social and health characteristics of inhabitants. The household survey used a random sampling strategy, where data were collected through face-to-face questionnaires and field notes; to described the housing conditions (housing questionnaire), and focus on individual behaviours of household members. Statistical analyses were performed combining hierarchical classifications and logistic regressions. Results: In this study, 398 households were described, covering a population of 1681 inhabitants of all ages, and 439 adults who participated in community-based survey. The analysis of situations at risk of malaria showed that the influence of contextual factors, particularly those defined by the type of habitat, was significant. Housing conditions and poor living environments were factors of malaria exposure and history, regardless of site of investigation, individual preventive behaviours and personal characteristics of inhabitants. Multivariate models showed that, considering all personal characteristics or behaviours of inhabitants, housing conditions such as overcrowding pressures were significantly associated with individual malaria risk. Conclusions: The results showed the overwhelming weight of social and contextual factors on risk situations. Considering the Fundamental Causes Theory, malaria control policies based on health behaviour prevention, should reinforce access to care or promoting health education actions. Overarching economic development interventions in targeted geographical areas and populations have to be implemented, so that malaria control and elimination strategies can be efficiently and effectively managed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

August 16th, 2022 marked the 10th anniversary of the Marikana Massacre in Rustenburg, South Africa. This was the worst incident of mass killing by police since the Sharpeville Massacre in 1960 in the heyday of the Apartheid regime. In the first days of August 2012, workers at Lonmin plc, a platinum group metals mining company, went on a wildcat strike demanding a minimum salary of 12500 Rand, circa 800 USD, per month and protesting against the poor living conditions they and their families where subjected to in the Marikana vicinity, an area 100 km north of Johannesburg where the mine is located. As days passed, tension escalated leading to the killing of ten people, including three non-striking workers, two security guards, three striking workers, and two police officers. Various attempts to facilitate negotiations with striking workers were turned down by Lonmin management. Instead, Lonmin managers actively engaged in communications with senior political leaders, police officers, and state mining officials to frame the situation as one that required strong and decisive police intervention.1 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

COVID-19 has a substantial and unexpected impact on individuals' daily life around the world. Unprecedented public health restrictions such as lockdowns have the potential to affect multiple dimensions of individuals' well-being, while the severity of such restrictions varies across countries. However, a holistic perspective comparing differences in and drivers of the different dimensions of well-being across countries differentially affected by COVID-19 is missing to date. We address this gap in the literature by examining the mental, social, functional, and financial well-being of 2,100 individuals across Australia, France, Germany, and South Africa by means of a survey administered during May of 2021. Supporting our holistic approach, we find that the different dimensions of well-being are correlated, with survey respondents from France reporting the lowest and those from Australia reporting the highest overall level of well-being. Respondents' subjective and objective evaluations of their living conditions during lockdowns as well as positive health and financial behaviors are positively associated with their well-being during the pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

From the analysis of the Wave 5 National Income Dynamics Study - Coronavirus Rapid Mobile Survey 2021 dataset, the study conducted in South Africa, we developed a model of analysis based on three dimensions, namely, subjective well-being, material living conditions, and importance attributed to education during the COVID-19 pandemic. A cross-sectional analysis of the data for Gauteng area indicates that the dimension of subjective well-being of families in South Africa--even in relation to the factors such as conditions of deprivation (e.g., hunger)--does not necessarily influence the importance the respondents attach to their children's education, this as reflected in whether or not they send them to school when COVID-19 restrictions allowed for schools to come back to face-to-face teaching. Subjective well-being of parents and guardians is, however, a predictor of concern about their children's education and future. Our working hypothesis is that, although there is little evidence that subjective wellbeing has a significant association with the respondents' willingness for their children to continue their schooling, there is a significant indirect effect of subjective wellbeing--which is especially determined by the gender as well as of the living material conditions--and the greater or lesser importance that the respondents attribute to their children's education. Likewise, and in more general terms, subjective well-being is clearly related to gender, with women having the lowest levels of subjective well-being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As policy and research institutes, think tanks have advisory and monitoring mandates that could be channelled towards consolidating democracy. Yet, although South Africa has some well-established think tanks (WETT), their presence has not translated into enhancing race relations and living conditions. There is therefore the need to explore why these institutions have been unable to sufficiently influence policy and practice, mainly in the area of social cohesion and socio-economic welfare. It is against this backdrop that the paper looks at the evolving nature and works of two WETTs. The paper considers their capacities and challenges in strengthening race relations and social protection. Proposing a persuasive argument for the creation of an enabling environment, the paper draws from political theories in suggesting ways of enhancing a vibrant think thank sector in contemporary South Africa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During her palaeoanthropological and ethnoarchaeological research at the University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa, between 2007 and 2014, Lucinda Backwell privately collected a significant amount of objects produced by the San communities who currently live in Kalahari reserves, assigned to them by the governments of Botswana and Namibia: the villages around Tsumkwe, in the Nyae Nyae Conservancy, the village of Kacgae in the district of Ghanzi and the Transfrontier Park on the border between Botswana and South Africa. Initially motivated by the desire to offer some economic support to the communities by purchasing some products of their craftsmanship, the author realized that it would be important to document the culture of the San and the elements in transition. With this in mind, she put together a collection of over 400 artifacts, which in 2018 she donated to the Natural History Museum of Florence. This work aims to document the collection and highlight its ethnographic meaning, considering the archaeological traces that attest to the antiquity of the San culture, and the evidence on the current living conditions of a people threatened in their survival. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The primary concern of the university applicants has always been to meet the entrance requirements and be accepted at the university. Once students are accepted another burden comes into their minds. The burden of a place to stay especially for those who are staying far from the university premises. Universities accept students from all over the country and even students from other countries as long as they meet the entrance requirements. The admission department is not concerned about whether the students have accommodation or not. Likewise, the lecturers in the lecture theatre do not care whether the students are staying in their homes or students' residences. The content and the lecturing model becomes the same for all students. Despite all of this, the institutions of higher learning expect all students to perform well regardless of their living conditions. The objective of this study was to compare the performance of students that are staying in accommodations provided by the universities and those that are staying in their homes or self-provided accommodations. The purpose of this study was to reach conclusions on what are the contributing factors to good performance or poor performance of students. The study found that the type of accommodation where the student stay is a factor but the biggest factor is the personal motivation of individual students. The university provided accommodation to make all necessary studying resources available for students such as wifi and other equipment but students' commitment contributes. The study applied a secondary research methodology to access the results and statistics of students from various universities in South Africa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change outcomes and their effects are inexorably visible in communities as they experience disasters. Arguably, municipalities take the lead in dealing with the effects. Usually, municipal officials are the first to deal with the aftermaths of disasters that impact negatively on the lives of people in their respective jurisdiction. Hence, the resilience of communities affected by disasters will ordinarily depend on the ability and capacity of municipalities to respond to such disasters efficiently. Adequate planning is one of the prerequisites for municipalities to effectively respond to climate change. The planning should be underpinned by an adequate understanding of the impact of disasters on the living conditions of communities in those municipalities. The article uses literature on the discourse of disaster management to examine issues and challenges of managing disasters in South African municipalities and to advocate for effective integration of disaster management within their development planning processes. To this end, the article argues that whereas disaster management is a legislative requirement and the responsibility of municipalities in South Africa, in terms of the Disaster Management Act 57 of 2002, some municipalities neglect or pay lip service to this important responsibility of securing safer and sustainable communities. The article concludes by proposing considerable measures for enhancing the capacities of municipalities in South Africa in managing and dealing with disasters meaningfully to empower and sustain communities they serve. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At the time of writing this article South Africa has entered yet another hard lockdown, casting darkening shadows over, if not a hopeful return to “normal”, then at least to the establishment of a “new normal”. Clearly, even amid the unpredictability and trauma of a virus which strikes in an undifferentiated way across race, class, age, and geopolitical contexts, there should be nagging suspicions about a forward-looking narrative which relies on a repeated reference to “a normal”. In the case of the educational institutions, a “new normal” is embodied in virtual spaces of teaching and learning. Seemingly, objectives of embarking on a “new normal” have scant regard for the myriad existing inequities, which continue to render South African educational institutions into categories of either historical advantage, or historical disadvantage. Seemingly too, a “new normal” chooses to disregard the reality that if educational institutions are not on an equal footing, then why is there an uncritical presumption that learners and students, or teachers, for that matter, are able to access and participate in virtual learning in parity? It is a big enough challenge for most learners and students to actively participate in educational settings, when one considers the dismal living conditions of the majority of South Africans. For many of these learners and students, educational settings, even in their poor infrastructural states, represent an escape and haven from the hardships of a life entrenched in poverty. What happens when the expectation of learning shifts entirely to the capacity of the home to become a space of learning? Can we, therefore, continue to speak of a “new normal” when it is evident that there is no “normal”, not in our educational institutions, and not in our citizenship [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The antiapartheid protests at George Washington University were the campus's largest student protests since the Vietnam War. As at other universities, students advocated divestment of university finances in businesses with operations in South Africa, including through the now-iconic "shantytown" protests, which symbolized South African living conditions on campus. Under pressure from a student group, GW Voices for a Free South Africa, university leadership under President Lloyd Elliott seriously considered moving the University's stock portfolio to a South Africa-free fund but ultimately decided such a fund was too risky. Unlike other universities of its size and prestige, GW never divested. The location of the University and the size of its South African-affected stock holdings hampered divestment efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tuberculosis (TB) remains a serious public health concern because it continues devastating communities. This survey was conducted in the sub-district 2 of the Tshwane health district, South Africa. It aimed at determining the influence of patients' living conditions on TB treatment outcomes. Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) status, food security and exposure to cigarette smoke were considered as living conditions; and cure, death, default, failure and relapse were considered TB treatment outcomes. Record review using the Aitahealth database, clinic registers as well as a piloted, structured and administered questionnaire. Convenience sampling applied; 180 respondents were obtained. Tuberculosis respondents with negative HIV status had a cure rate of 67.3% whilst those with positive HIV status had 37%. Tuberculosis respondents with good food security had 45.9% of cure rate. Tuberculosis respondents exposed to cigarette smoke had a death rate of 65.2%, while respondents not exposed to cigarette smoke showed 75% of cure rate. HIV status, food security and exposure to cigarette smoke, as components of living conditions, showed an association with TB treatment outcomes in the selected sample; in the sense HIV infection reduced the cure rate, increased the death and default rates of TB patients in the same sample. Good food security increased the cure rate of TB patients, but exposure to cigarette smoke decreased the cure rate and increased the death rate amongst respondents having TB treatment in the current survey. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Covid-19 pandemic has presented serious questions; not only of a medicalscientific nature, but of a deeply philosophical nature as well. Often, when faced with the unknown--whether in the form of an environmental catastrophe or a general health threat--finding effective ways to overcome our fear of the unknown yields important clues regarding not only the nature of our selfunderstanding as human beings, but also our all-too-human perceptions of Other(s). While the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic has been especially harsh on people living in conditions of extreme poverty and material deprivation, our collective response has (predictably) proceeded from a position that privileges the interests and lifestyles of the rich, the well-resourced and the politically connected, in a manner that sadly confirms the biblical prophecy: the poor will always be among you. This essay seeks to examine the impact of Covid-19 in South Africa. Its analytic focus proceeds from the perspective of Steve Biko's conception of Black Consciousness philosophy. It seeks to argue that Biko's humanist project of liberation offers important insights that can assist us in the normative quest for a society "with a more human face". [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

I contribute to the 'political CSR' debate on whether companies can or should fill public governance gaps by exploring how related business–government interactions may result in corporate social irresponsibility. I studied interactions between mining companies and the government in South Africa between 2002 and 2012, focusing on processes that contributed to the deterioration of living conditions in the Marikana area, site of an infamous massacre in 2012. The analysis resulted in a process model of dynamic de-responsibilization, in which business–government interactions progressively dissipate the adopted and enacted social responsibilities of both the government and business. This extends extant critiques of political CSR and elaborates CSiR as not only a systemic, but also a processual phenomenon, and it focuses related scholarly and practical attention on problematizing the government's role as custodian of democratic accountability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Marikana massacre of 16 August 2012 exposed significant fault-lines in South Africa’s platinum mining regime. However, existing published work sheds little light on the historical trajectory of platinum mining in South Africa, and posits various mono-causal explanations for the tragedy that took place. This article provides an historical account of worker organisation in South Africa’s platinum sector since the advent of democracy, and synthesises this story with the political and economic forces that have reshaped the sector over time. Platinum has been plagued by a highly volatile growth pattern, declining living conditions for its workers, and increasing labour segmentation since 1994. These issues posed unique challenges for organised labour, who became increasingly ineffective in the face of growing worker dissatisfaction. By highlighting the importance of these interlinked factors, the article offers important context to existing debates on Marikana. It does not delve into the violence and political upheavals that followed the massacre itself. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In this study, we compare subjective and money-metric measures of poverty in South Africa using data collected in the 2008/09 Living Conditions Survey (LCS). In addition to collecting detailed information on expenditure, the LCS asked respondents to provide an assessment of the economic status of their household, ranging from “very poor” to “wealthy”. We find considerable overlap between per-capita expenditure measures of poverty status and subjective poverty status among households. However, we also identify a number of significant characteristics that distinguish households where poverty measures do not overlap, including household size, the share of children and the elderly in the household, home ownership and housing type, access to piped water and electricity, and access to farming land. These characteristics suggest both that expenditure measures are not able to capture the multidimensional nature of economic well-being and that the level of expenditure in the household is underestimated. This underestimation may arise partly because poverty measures based on per-capita expenditure do not recognize scale economies in the household, and also because the value of small-scale economic activities can be difficult to measure, as in the case of subsistence farming. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The article comments on the article "Black living standards in South Africa before democracy," by B. Mpeta and colleagues which was published in this journal. The authors' observe that the article did not mention any study on secular trends that have previously been done in South Africa. They noted that the authors' have used incorrect biological data and the article's conclusions follow popular beliefs rather than scientific facts.

During the 1990s, National Statistical Agencies (NSAs) experienced significant and rapid evolution in the collection, coordination and dissemination of statistics. In this regard, the field of crime statistics is considered as one of the statistical areas where NSAs have to increasingly play a leading role in coordinating the scope and quality of statistical collection and dissemination. In South Africa, safety and security has been identified as one of the strategic priorities of Government. Consequently this increases the importance of and need for more comprehensive statistics on the patterns of crime and victimisation in the country. The South African National Development Plan 2030 states that by 2030, people living in South Africa should feel safe and have no fear of crime. This paper examines the relationship between crime and victimisation statistics, and the impact it has on the daily activities of South Africans. Policies related to safety and security can only begin to improve the living conditions of ordinary citizens if they are based on evidence in this regard: comprehensive statistical databases that include information not only from administrative sources, but also from victimisation surveys. The results of the Victims of Crime Survey (VOCS) 2011 revealed that most South Africans fear becoming victims of housebreaking and robbery. Furthermore, many South Africans do not feel safe walking alone in their neighbourhood, and a significant proportion refraom from its daily activities as a result of a fear of victimisation. The paper explores how these statistics inform crime prevention policies and strategies and also establishes performance targets and indicators for the assessment of interventions and progress in relation to safety and security. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines ethnic variations in children's living arrangements among black South Africans. Using data from the 1996 South African population and housing census and descriptive and multivariate analyses, I explore if there are differences in children's residence patterns by ethnicity, identify the most common forms of household structure in which children live, and examine the role of various background factors in determining these living arrangements. Descriptive results show marked ethnic variations in the living arrangements of children, with more than 50 per cent of children living in extended households as opposed to living in a two-parent nuclear household or a single-parent nuclear household. Multinomial logistic regression results also show large differences in children's living arrangements across groups, underscoring the salience of ethnicity. Other individual and household-level factors that have significant effects on children's living arrangements include child's gender and schooling status, the head of household's level of schooling and gender, household size; standard of living and place of residence. For instance; children living in urban areas are more likely to live in extended households than those living in rural areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Conceptualisation of child residential mobility has been influenced by developed country contexts; however, trends and models for movement are likely to differ in transitional societies. This paper uses event-history analysis to model the residential movements of South African urban children in the Birth to Twenty cohort over their first 14 years of life. Associations with mobility of children are tested over a set of domains relating to the child, the child's primary caregiver, and the child's household. A methodological approach is proposed for analysing repeated moves using multi-level models, which are adapted to maximise information from children who dropped out of the study or who had long gaps in their residential histories. The results indicate mobility is associated with economic disadvantage with children whose primary caregivers had no formal education and who lived in households with fewer assets and less access to services being more likely to change residence. The study suggests potential risks for mobile children in urban environments who may be more likely to be exposed to disruption or compromised living conditions. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article statistically analyzes the importance of trustworthiness to the development of social norms in South Africa by utilizing the methodology of game theory. The authors use economic games and human behavioral models in order to measure South African trustworthiness uninfluenced by altruism. The effects of such social norms on South African household living standards are then examined in order to measure the economic effects of trustworthiness. More broadly, the authors are concerned with the effects of trustworthiness and altruism on individuals' living conditions in low-income economies.

Abstract: This paper provides an assessment on the structural living conditions of selected government-subsidized low-cost housing settlements in the City of Cape Town and the associated health conditions of the inhabitants. Almost all of these houses have one or more informal dwellings in the backyard. Four subsidized housing communities were selected within the City of Cape Town in this cross sectional survey. Structured interviews were administered in 336 dwellings on 173 plots. Data was obtained from 1080 persons with a response rate of 100%. The vast majority of the main houses had two (38%) or three (48%) structural problems and 99% of the home owners could not afford repairs to the home. The integrity of the walls of the dwelling structure was problematic, showing large visible cracks. None of the walls were plastered causing rainwater to penetrate during rainstorms. During an inspection of the sanitation facilities in the home, 58% of toilets were non-operational, 66% of the bathrooms did not have toilet paper but had a supply of old newspaper instead, while 82% of the bathrooms did not have soap available to wash hands. At present the design of these low-cost housing schemes contribute to an increased risk of communicable diseases, rather than an improvement. The recipients of these houses were previously disadvantaged and their sanitation behaviour is inter alia shaped by the amenities at their disposal. The designers of low-cost houses should take serious note of the pathways of disease created by the provision and layout of sanitation-associated structures. The design of low-cost housing should not force the inhabitants of such houses into unsafe habits because of poor provision or poor layout of basic amenities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article examines the livelihood strategies of the Ganspan community in northern Cape Province, South Africa using the agricultural research for development (ARD) approach. It explores the community's socio-economic dynamics and their impact on livelihoods. It also recommends the creation of an innovation platform with representatives of all stakeholders to implement integrated and inter-institutional development action plans to achieve better livelihoods.

The article presents research on the realities relating to the living conditions of a sample of undergraduate students in University of South Africa (UNISA) in Pretoria, South Africa who reside in Sunnyside, Tshwane. It says that a qualitative research approach and interviews were made to investigate the living conditions of students. The results suggest that the students experienced diverse realities that could be classified as challenges including noisy condition, overcrowded place, and crime.

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Urban populations are growing rapidly in developing countries. As a result, challenges to the well-being of adolescents are increasing in priority. This paper describes the material and social living conditions of 5,367 young adolescents, in Johannesburg–Soweto, South Africa in 2002–2003. The majority of children in South Africa’s urban hub have adequate access to basic services. However, social conditions are a key concern—lack of financial support by parents; defaulting caregiver roles to grandparents; minimal or no contact with fathers; and poor school performance. Weakened levels of family support in urban environments may negatively impact on adolescent development. In the long term, family systems as well as other social networks and institutions need to be strengthened to improve adolescent outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Burns are a persisting public health problem in low- and middle-income countries; however, epidemiologic data for these settings is scarce. South Africa is no exception although there is an emerging knowledge base, especially for paediatric burns. The current study describes the epidemiology of burn mortality across the lifespan in Cape Town (2.9 million inhabitants in 2001), one of the six South African metropolitan centres. Methods: The distribution of burn mortality across socio-demographic groups and also their circumstances of occurrence were investigated using four year (2001 to 2004) surveillance data from the National Injury Mortality Surveillance System (n = 1024 cases). Results: Burn mortality occurred at a rate of 7.9 per 100 000 person-years (95% CI: 7.3-8.3). Males sustained fatal rates 2.2 times more than that for females (p < 0.001), with rates significantly higher in the 25 to 38 and 39 to 50 age groups than at other ages (p < 0.001). The greatest difference between male and female deaths was observed in the 25 to 38 year age group, when almost three male deaths occurred for every female one. The vast majority of fatal burns were registered as accidental and occurred in the home, either over the cold and wet months or during recreational periods over weekends and across the year. Alcohol intoxication was reported for the majority of those adults whose alcohol blood levels were tested (i.e. 52.6% of cases aged 16+ years). Conclusion: Besides paediatric burns, the high prevalence and circumstances of occurrence of burns among middle age men are a source of concern. There are reasons to believe that this overrepresentation is a reflection of detrimental living conditions, life-style and poor socio-economic status. It is recommended that there be greater prioritisation of prevention activities that involve the control or management of kerosene heat sources, the provision of alternatives to flammable housing materials, and the implementation of strategies to reduce harmful drinking practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The impact of disability on the living conditions of people living in specifically resource-poor areas in South Africa has not previously been addressed. This paper presents a comparison of people with a disability and their non-disabled peers with respect to some key poverty indicators among a sample of Xhosa speaking individuals in resource-poor areas of Eastern and Western Cape Provinces. A questionnaire on the level of living conditions (household composition and socio-economic characteristics) and a detailed disability questionnaire that captured more specific details of the disability experience of the individual with a disability were adapted to the South African context and utilised. Despite the improved situation of households with a disabled family member in terms of financial resources (due primarily to the allocation of disability grants), other measures of poverty (education and employment) remain divisive for those with disabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Access to adequate housing is one of the greatest challenges facing the South African government today. The country's housing situation is characterised by a severe housing shortage, a huge backlog in the provision of housing, provision of inadequate housing and severe overcrowding in existing dwellings. In addition, evictions that at times result in homelessness are a daily occurrence. The government has put in place a number of legislative and other measures aimed at realising the right to adequate housing. However, the difficulty that remains is translating these laws and policies into reality, resulting in safe, secure and affordable living conditions for the poor and vulnerable. This article examines how South African courts have sought to enforce the right to adequate housing of those faced with evictions through interpreting the constitutional provision on this right and the corresponding state duty, while at the same time, protecting the rights of landowners. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This contribution explores the relationship between gender, religion and the environment in terms of the perceptions of a group of first-year students registered for a course on Environmental Awareness Techniques and Training at the University of the Western Cape in South Africa. The empirical investigation indicates that there is a surprisingly high level of environmental awareness amongst this group, possibly reflecting their different living conditions, but that they were unable to recognize connections between their environmental commitment, their religious affiliation and gender consciousness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The majority of South Africa's older population is income poor and lives in multigeneration households. Since the first democratically elected government came into power in 1994, South Africans have been promised 'a better life for all'. A range of policies and programmes has been implemented to improve the living standards and quality of life of the poor. The article asks how the older poor have benefited from government interventions in the period 1995-8. Drawing on data compiled from Statistics South Africa's household surveys in 1995 and 1998 (n = 20 00030 000 households), a set of over 35 objective and subjective indicators broken down by income and younger and older households is reviewed. Older households include at least one member over 60 years of age. Results show that access to services and opportunities improves systematically from poor to rich households. Major material gains for the poor and older households during the review period include access to clean water, electricity and home ownership. Older poor households with better access to services and opportunities are more likely to express overall satisfaction with their living circumstances. The study concludes that the most effective mechanism for poverty alleviation appears to be the non-contributory, meanstested state old-age pension, which lifts some households out of the most disadvantaged bottom income group. Policies under discussion promise further opportunities for empowering poor households with older members. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The majority of studies on the relationship between cancer and well-being have been conducted in the United States and other Western countries. Consequently, a bias might exist that ignores the influence of cultural factors on perceptions of cancer, its etiology, and treatment. This investigation, a pilot study using African languages, attempted to explore the impacts of culture on health-related quality of life by using Cella's FACT-G scales to study rural Zulu, Pedi, and Tswana patients of extremely low socioeconomic status. Results suggest that cultural factors may exert a significant influence on the experience of FACT-G measured quality-of-life issues for cancer patients. Specifically, cultural attitudes toward accepting fate, a high level of trust and deference to healers, and a highly collectivistic orientation surrounding treatment decisions and procedures may have had an impact on the patient's scores on all four FACT-G subscales. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This quantitative exploratory baseline study aimed to investigate whether allergy among adolescents was associated with household living conditions, including living near gold mine tailing dumps in South Africa. A questionnaire based on the International Study of Asthma and Allergies was used to collect information on allergy and household risk factors among adolescents ( n = 5611). A chi-square test was applied to determine the relationship between community (exposed/unexposed) and confounding variables. Crude and adjusted odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated using univariate and multiple logistic regression analysis (LRA) to estimate the likelihood of having doctor-diagnosed allergies. The overall prevalence of doctor-diagnosed allergies was 25.5%. The exposed communities had a higher prevalence of doctor-diagnosed allergies (26.97%) compared with the unexposed (22.69%) communities. The study found an association between doctor-diagnosed allergy and having fungus in the house, being female, currently having pets in and around the house, residing in the community for more than three years and living in communities located close to gold mine tailing dumps. Actions to implement buffer zones between gold mine tailing dumps and communities would support Sustainable Development Goals 3 (health) and 11 (sustainable cities and communities), while failing to address the current potential identified risk factors may pose a significant public health challenge. Local policymakers should also apply the precautionary principle to protect the health of children, especially with the location of human settlements relative to air pollution sources.

The article reports that frustrations of immigrants over rising prices and poor living conditions have sparked mob violence in South Africa in which at least 20 people have been killed and hundreds wounded. Police fought running battles with protesters in townships and informal settlements east of Johannesburg's city center. Clashes which occurred on May 19, 2008 came in the wake of a series of brutal attacks on May 18, 2008 when at least two foreigners were burned alive.

The article offers information on the social unrest in South Africa. It is posed that one person perished during angry confrontation between police and protestors in Soweto on September 3, 2007. The protestors alleged that the government has failed in their initiative to uplift the living condition of the local population. Moreover, more than ten years after the fall of apartheid, many local residents in this country are still deprived of the basic necessities in life. These include water, electricity, or sewage provision.