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Young black farmers and the economy: A South African perspective.
(University of the Western Cape, 2026) Magomane Rufolzer Megokgo; Johannes PS Sheefeni
With over 80% of its total land area classified as agricultural land, South Africa boasts the most per-country in Africa, and of that share, 12.5% is suitable for crop cultivation while the remainder is used for animal production. Given these numbers, one would expect agriculture to comprise a sizable portion of South Africa's GDP. Black farmers in South Africa account for roughly 5% to 10% of the whole commercial agricultural production, even though constituting most of the population. However, the Black population still shoulders the worst of the employment problem the nation faces. Absorption of Black young people into farming occupation in South Africa is a sustainable strategy to curb Black people's unemployment rate, food insecurity and redistribution of wealth, yet amongst the challenges faced by young farmers are unequal land distribution, inadequate financial accessibility for agriculture, poor agricultural skills, and global market accessibility restrictions. Against this background, this thesis examined Young Black Farmers and the Economy: A South African Perspective and addressed three main objectives. First, the study assessed agriculture’s potential to provide work opportunities for young individuals. Using data from the National Income Dynamics Study (NIDS), covering Waves 1 to 5 (2008–2016), the analysis employed Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) and robust random effects models. The results revealed that while commercial farming does not consistently create jobs, access to finance significantly enhances the likelihood of employment creation in agriculture. Nonetheless, small-scale farmers continue to face structural limitations that hinder long-term employment potential. Building on the employment analysis, the second objective evaluated the impact of rising young Black farmer participation on agricultural price growth and market dynamics. This objective utilised Producer Price Index (PPI) and Quarterly Labour Force Survey (QLFS) data from 2012 to 2023, analysed through a Bayesian Vector Autoregression (BVAR) model. The findings indicated that increased participation of young Black farmers positively influences long-term sectoral performance through agricultural price growth, thereby contributing to overall economic growth. Shocks to the agricultural labour force, however, exert a prolonged negative influence on agricultural price growth. The consequences of food price inflation and the population of young Black farmers, by comparison, are more moderate. Overall, the analysis highlights that agricultural price growth is largely self-reinforcing, driven by internal sector dynamics.
Institutional experiences, academic integration and student persistence in a management development programme at a University of the Western Cape
(University of the Western Cape, 2025) Saungweme, Percy W; Prinsloo, Nigel
Student persistence in higher education has become a critical issue as universities strive to enhance retention rates amidst increasing academic demands and diverse student bodies. Emerging discussions emphasise the need to understand both institutional support and academic integration, moving beyond traditional approaches to include personal motivations and specific student experiences. While existing research has extensively examined persistence, there remains limited qualitative insight into the lived experiences of students, particularly within management development programmes in developing country contexts. This study explores how institutional experiences influence student persistence in a management development programme at a selected university in the Western Cape. Guided by an interpretivist research philosophy, the study adopts a qualitative, exploratory design to examine the roles of academic and social integration in shaping persistence. A purposive sample of twelve part-time students was selected, and data were collected through semi-structured interviews. The data were analysed thematically using ATLAS.ti to identify patterns and derive key themes from participants’ narratives. The findings reveal that student persistence is shaped by a complex interplay of institutional, academic, and social factors. Academic integration is influenced by the accessibility and quality of academic support, lecturer engagement, and the functionality of digital learning platforms. Social integration emerges as a significant driver of persistence, with peer support networks, collaborative learning, and informal social interactions contributing to a sense of belonging and motivation. Institutional factors, including administrative efficiency, availability of support services, and financial assistance, further influence students’ ability to remain engaged in their studies.
Implications of diaspora voting on electoral democracy: The case of Mozambique’s diaspora voters in Zimbabwe
(University of the Western Cape, 2026) Matikiti , Samuel; Mngomezulu , Bheki
This study examined the implications of Mozambique’s diaspora voting system, focusing on its implementation in Zimbabwe. It investigated the rationale for its adoption, the underlying dynamics, and inherent challenges within Mozambique’s electoral processes. The research sought to deepen the understanding of alleged systematic election rigging and electoral fraud that have contributed to public distrust in the electoral system. Recurrent allegations of electoral malpractices have adversely affected electoral integrity and democratic consolidation in Mozambique. Theoretically, this thesis employed Diamond and Morlino’s quality-of-democracy framework, normative political theory, and the spatial model of party competition pioneered by Anthony Downs and Duncan Black. Methodologically, the study adopted a pragmatic epistemological paradigm and utilised a qualitative case study research design. Data were collected through FGDs, in-depth and semi-structured interviews, and document analysis. By addressing the current lack of empirical evidence on external voting and democracy in Mozambique, this research fills a significant gap in the literature.
Reimbursement models for community pharmacies under universal health coverage; lessons for the South African National Health Insurance
(University of the Western Cape, 2026) Matebese , Khanya; Okeyo , Ida
Universal Health Coverage (UHC) is a global strategy aimed at ensuring access to quality health services at no financial strain. Community pharmacies in many countries play an important role in improving access to medicines and primary care. However, community pharmacy integration within UHC is often hindered by unclear reimbursement processes. As South Africa moves closer to implementing its National Health Insurance (NHI), it is important to understand how reimbursement models impact community pharmacies in comparable low-and middle-income communities. This study aimed to explore commonly used reimbursement models (capitation, fee-for-service, and mixed method) reimbursement and their impact on community pharmacies in Low-Middle-Income-Countries (LMICs) with established UHC models.
Redefining retail efficiency: the role of artificial intelligence in article compliance classification systems
(University of the Western Cape, 2026) Temmers , Shaun; Breytenbach , Johan
While focusing on import product classification as it pertains to retailers in South Africa, this study considered how machine learning could redefine retail efficiency by automating the classification process as relates to imported products. The automated classification of a product using South African import compliance taxonomy is novel. The three dimensions of classification relevant to this study were HS Code, Compliance and Trade Agreement classification. As international sourcing has grown exponentially, the influence of the import supply chain has increased significantly and contributed to retailers being more competitive in their local markets. Thus, managing import product ranges and the relevant information systems meant to support this function has become more important than ever. Yet for many organisations classifying products remains a manual task with little system support and much reliance on human expert knowledge. To complete this study, import compliance classification data was collected from a South African retailer. This data was cleaned and statistically analysed and used to train various supervised machine learning models.