scholarly journals HOW MINING IS THREATENING THE SUSTAINABILITY OF THE SOUTH AFRICAN NATURE TOURISM SECTOR AND CIVIL SOCIETY RESPONSE

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Llewellyn Leonard
Keyword(s):  
Civil Society ◽  
South African ◽  
The South ◽  
Nature Tourism ◽  
Tourism Sector

scholarly journals The effects of COVID-19 on vulnerable groups: A reflection on South African informal urban settlements

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Bethuel Ngcamu ◽  
Evangelos Mantzaris
Keyword(s):  
Civil Society ◽  
South African ◽  
Informal Settlements ◽  
Secondary Data ◽  
Humanitarian Assistance ◽  
Vulnerable Groups ◽  
The South ◽  
Response Strategies ◽  
Vulnerable Communities ◽  
Negative Effect

Background: The economically vulnerable population, mostly black, especially those who are residing in precarious informal settlements are most susceptible to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.Aim: To determine the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the socio-economic condition of the vulnerable groups in South Africa. It also attempts to reflect the government’s response strategies to provide help and services for the vulnerable communities who are considered to be most susceptible to the existing pandemic. Lastly, the response strategies of civil society groups and the challenges they are encountering in providing humanitarian assistance to indigent communities are explored.Setting: This is a reflective study where secondary data has been analysed and intertwined with the researchers’ experiences and insights of the South African informal settlements’ welfare.Methods: This article followed a reflective approach where the experiences of the vulnerable communities are strategically reflected upon.Results: This fascinating study unearthed the effects of the coronavirus disease on the socio-economic conditions of vulnerable communities, the economy of the informal sector, the brutal enforcement agencies during the lockdown period, criminality, the fragmented government response and the marginalisation and frustration of civil society groups in providing humanitarian assistance to those in need.Conclusion: The South African government’s fragmentations, bureaucratic, maladministration and corruption in public departments have adversely impacted the welfare of the vulnerable groups who are living in the informal settlements. The human rights violations by the security agencies which are directed to the indigent people, and the centralisation of the humanitarian efforts by government had a negative effect on their wellbeing.

scholarly journals Risk factors for failure in newly established small, micro and medium-sized enterprises in the tourism sector of Gauteng Province, South Africa

2015 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 8-18
Author(s):  
Zeleke Worku
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Geographical Location ◽  
Tourism Industry ◽  
The South ◽  
Gauteng Province ◽  
Entrepreneurial Skills ◽  
Tourism Sector ◽  
Networking Ability ◽  
Tourism Enterprises

The annual report issued for the financial year 2013/2014 by the South African Chamber of Commerce and Industry (2015) shows that the business confidence index of South Africa was equal to 89.3% in January 2015. According to the South African National Department of Tourism (2015), the tourism sector contributed 93 Billion Rand (3%) to the South African GDP in the year 2012. The contribution of the tourism sector was equal to 189.4 Billion Rand in the year 2009. This figure is projected to grow to 499 Billion Rand by the year 2020. According to the South African Small Enterprise Development Agency (2015), newly established and emerging business enterprises conducting business in the tourism sector of Gauteng Province are less viable and efficient in comparison with well-established tourism enterprises. The objective of this study was to identify and quantify risk factors for underperformance and bankruptcy in the tourism sector of Gauteng Province in South Africa. The study was based on data collected from a stratified random sample of size 311 tourism enterprises that operate in Gauteng Province, South Africa. Data was collected on a large number of socio-economic factors that adversely affect entrepreneurial activities in the tourism sector of Gauteng Province. A combination of quantitative and qualitative methods of data collection and analyses was used in the study. Examples of variables on which data was gathered was level of entrepreneurial skills, level of formal education, location of business, duration of experience, amount of capital, number of employees, ability to network with other tourist operators, degree of competition from rival operators, geographical location, category of business, category of entrepreneurial skills, average number of visitors per month, net profit, size of business, market share, access to finance, and degree of support from Government agencies. Results obtained from the study showed that the long-term survival and viability of African entrepreneurs in the tourism industry of Gauteng Province was significantly and adversely affected by the degree of competition from rival operators, poor networking ability, lack of entrepreneurial skills, low capital, and geographical location. The study found that African entrepreneurs in the tourism industry of Gauteng Province lagged behind their white counterparts significantly in terms of networking ability, capital and entrepreneurial skills. In addition, 82% of the 311 African entrepreneurs who participated in the study lacked suitable skills due to their poor and irrelevant academic and vocational background, and that 59% of entrepreneurs had received little or no assistance in terms of mentoring or training opportunities from South African Government agencies.

scholarly journals Law and Mobilization against State Capture

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan Klaaren
Keyword(s):  
Civil Society ◽  
South African ◽  
Public Interest ◽  
Second Generation ◽  
The State ◽  
Legal Mobilization ◽  
The South ◽  
Public Interest Law ◽  
Mobilization Theory ◽  
State Capture

This paper examines an important feature of the night before the “New Dawn” – the phenomenon of state capture in South Africa. It is primarily interested in analyzing the civil society mobilization against such state capture, specifically the legal and organizational aspects. After exploring the phenomenon of state capture, this paper investigates the use of legal mobilization theory to describe and contextualize the organization of South African civil society against state capture, with attention to the more general phenomenon of corruption. Section One covers state capture, drawing on the 2017-2018 work of the academic network, the State Capacity Research Project, to analyze and attempt to give a definition of the term. It is argued here that the term serves to identify a particular political project, one extant during the Zuma administration and drawing a degree of its force from the apparent failure of black economic empowerment. Section Two outlines the civil society mobilization against the state capture project, noting two significant features of such mobilization: that it formed to a significant degree around legal actions and that these actions were undertaken by a second generation of post-apartheid public interest law organizations. Then, Section Three describes two significant and representative instances of such legal mobilization. The first consists of litigation engaged in by a second-generation South African public interest law organization, the Council for the Advancement of the South African Constitution (CASAC), in order to ensure the impartiality of the national prosecuting authority. The second instance of litigation took place from 2009 in the social grants payments sector, aiming at ensuring the provision of social assistance, a socio-economic rights benefiting nearly one-third of the South African population. Section Four uses legal mobilization theory from socio-legal studies to explore in further depth the mobilization of law against corruption in South African society. Here, it is significant to make the distinction between institutional anti-corruption mechanisms and impact litigation on the one hand and collective legal mobilization against state capture on the other. The Conclusion offers some reflections on topics for further research including the place of business in the mobilization against state capture and the emergence of new civil society actors.

scholarly journals Forecasting demand for qualified labour in the South African hotel industry

2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sandra Makumbirofa ◽  
Andrea Saayman
Keyword(s):  
Human Capital ◽  
South African ◽  
Hotel Industry ◽  
The South ◽  
Tourist Destination ◽  
Demand And Supply ◽  
Related Information ◽  
Global Workforce ◽  
Tourism Sector ◽  
Tourism And Hospitality

As South Africa’s popularity as a tourist destination increases, the need for skilled human capital also increases. The study of skills development and human capital in all sectors of the economy has long been topical as a means to support organisational progression that can eventually lead to economic growth. Estimates suggest that tourism and hospitality employ at least 10% of the global workforce and consequently prove to be a sector that cannot be readily ignored. However, because of the complex and consumption-based nature of the tourism sector, and the general scarcity of sector-related information, data on both demand and supply of skills are few and of a qualitative rather than a quantitative nature. This research addresses this gap and aims to forecast the demand for qualified labour in the South African hotel industry. The research methodology is twofold; firstly, hotel turnover is forecasted using univariate forecasting methods and data available from Statistics South Africa; secondly, employment elasticities were determined. Linking elasticity with turnover forecasts presents an estimate of the future demand for qualified labour in the hotel industry. In addition, the typical qualifications required are based on information obtained from CATHSSETA and a survey.

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