Reduction In South Africa Research Articles

Local governance and poverty reduction in South Africa II

Local governance and poverty reduction in South Africa II

Frequency, Quantity, and Contextual Use of Alcohol Among Sexually Transmitted Infection Clinic Patients in Cape Town, South Africa

Alcohol use is prevalent in South Africa and alcohol use may be associated with higher risk for HIV transmission. This article reports a study of the association between alcohol use and HIV risk-related behavior among 614 men and 157 women receiving sexually transmitted infection (STI) clinic services in Cape Town, South Africa. Participants completed anonymous surveys of demographic information, substance use, and sexual risk behaviors. Results for men showed that drinking in sexual contexts as well as their partner's drinking were related to higher rates of unprotected intercourse. However, the number of sex partners men reported was only associated with their own use of alcohol before sex. In contrast, women's partners drinking before sex was related to higher frequencies of unprotected intercourse, but it was their own drinking before sex that was related to women's number of sex partners. Results therefore suggest that the context of alcohol use is more closely related to sexual risks than are the quantity or frequency of use. Interventions are needed that integrate HIV risk reduction with alcohol risk reduction in South Africa.

Analysing scenarios for energy emissions reduction in South Africa

Global environmental pressure dictates that South Africa reduces its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, while national objectives focus on economic development. South Africa is faced with the dilemma of simultaneously alleviating poverty, reducing unemployment, growing the economy and responding to international pressure to reduce GHG emissions. As a result, policies that promote energy emissions reduction without being harmful to economic growth and national developmental priorities are needed. Environmental fiscal reform presents one such option. The impact of this is still unclear for South Africa, and this paper explores this issue. Energy balance data on energy consumption, energy emissions and input-output data for South Africa are used to assess the economic and environmental effects of environmental reform in the energy sector. Despite the high reduction in energy emissions, a tax on coal is not selected as the best alternative given the high negative impact on the economy. A tax on oil results in a low reduction in energy emissions, which limits its use as an environmental policy. The scenario using a petroleum products tax results in small decreases in economic growth but it has low energy emissions reduction, hence, this alternative is not selected as an option. Energy subsidy reform offers the second highest reduction in real energy emissions and a low decrease in economic growth, and this scenario is therefore recognised as the best option for carbon dioxide reduction in South Africa. The electricity tax offers moderate reductions in real energy emissions and a moderate decrease in economic growth, and therefore, it is deduced that the electricity tax option could be another option for carbon dioxide emissions reduction in South Africa.

Local governance and poverty reduction in South Africa (I)

Local governance and poverty reduction in South Africa (I)

Disaster risk reduction initiatives in South Africa

The field of disaster management in South Africa has developed dramatically over the past seven years. The paradigm shift from civil protection to disaster risk management brought with it the realisation that the management of disaster risk is paramount to reducing successfully the vulnerability of these communities most at risk. The resilience and coping mechanisms of communities affected by disasters have demonstrated the importance of local and traditional knowledge in the reduction of risk and the effects of hazards. This article aims to explore various initiatives for disaster risk reduction in South Africa undertaken by government departments and non-governmental organisations from 1994 to 2003. It describes the various methods and systems employed to reduce risk and vulnerability. A case study of the February 2000 floods in the Limpopo province of South Africa provides insight into local coping mechanisms and indigenous methods of risk reduction.

SAVINGS, INSURANCE AND DEBT OVER THE POST‐APARTHEID PERIOD: A REVIEW OF RECENT RESEARCH

Sustainable poverty reduction requires that poor households effectively manage risk. The absence of basic financial services is a major obstacle to poverty reduction in South Africa. This paper reviews available South African literature on utilisation of formal and informal risk management instruments. The centrality of income in accessing the complementary bundle of formal financial services excludes households in the lower deciles from formal financial services. Rural households and households without formally employed household members are also denied access. Strong complementarities with informal channels of finance mean that these same households have limited access to even informal financial services. Promoting the use of savings accounts in pension and social grant payouts and the growth of village banks have been suggested as means to increase formal access for the poor.