Browsing by Author "Tavener-Smith, Lauren"

Now showing 1 - 4 of 4
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    Collective action among female street traders: A case study of a street trader organisation in the City of Cape Town CBD
    (University of Western Cape, 2021) Xego, Kumbula Koliseka; Tavener-Smith, Lauren
    Street trading is a highly contested activity in South Africa because of the different interests held by the government, other stakeholders and street traders. The contradictory nature of the relationship between government and street traders has led to exclusionary policies and practices put in place by the government to regulate street trading. These exclusionary practices have negative effects on the livelihoods of street traders. Female traders are more vulnerable and at greater risk than their male counterparts. Organised labour movements have largely focused on formal sector workers, leaving the rights of informal workers largely unregulated. In recent years there has been an emergence of informal sector organisations seeking to protect the interests of street traders and influence informal trading policy. Although seldom researched, a number of informal sector organisations have emerged in South African cities.
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    The role of churches as social protection actors: The case of Rwandan refugee migrants in Cape Town
    (University of Western Cape, 2021) Mukafuku, Clementine; Tavener-Smith, Lauren
    Migrants and refugees are mostly excluded from the public sector, marginalised from economic activities and threatened by recurrent risks, including unemployment and lack of income. These problems cause vulnerability to economic shocks and deepening poverty. Churches and religious organisations assist migrants through activities that enhance social protection by means of informal coping mechanisms. The study examined factors that contribute towards informal social protection through church activities that facilitate Rwandan refugees and asylum seekers’ lives in Cape Town, South Africa. The literature reviewed in this study reveals that church initiatives and activities contributed significantly towards the reduction of challenges faced by refugees and asylum-seekers.
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    Seasonal food insecurity among farm workers in the Northern Cape, South Africa
    (MPDI, 2019) Devereux, Stephen; Tavener-Smith, Lauren
    Very little is known about seasonal hunger in South Africa, or about the food security and nutritional status of farm workers. This article identifies a pathway to seasonal hunger—through intra-annual fluctuations in agricultural employment and income—that is underanalyzed in the literature. We report on findings from a year-long data collection process, comprising baseline and endline surveys and monthly monitoring of three food security indicators, with a sample of 195 female farm workers in the Northern Cape province in South Africa. The three monthly monitoring indicators—the Household Food Insecurity Access Scale (HFIAS), Dietary Diversity Score (DDS), and Coping Strategies Index (CSI)—which measure different aspects of food insecurity, are analyzed to determine whether and to what extent food security fluctuates seasonally in our sample. HFIAS results show unambiguous evidence of seasonal food insecurity, with the highest prevalence (88 percent experiencing severe food insecurity) and severity during the low employment winter period, and lowest prevalence (49 percent) and severity during the summer harvest, which corresponds with relatively higher employment and earnings.
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    Seasonal food insecurity among farm workers in the Northern Cape, South Africa
    (Nutrients, 2019) Devereux, Stephen; Tavener-Smith, Lauren
    Very little is known about seasonal hunger in South Africa, or about the food security and nutritional status of farm workers. This article identifies a pathway to seasonal hunger—through intra-annual fluctuations in agricultural employment and income—that is underanalyzed in the literature. We report on findings from a year-long data collection process, comprising baseline and endline surveys and monthly monitoring of three food security indicators, with a sample of 195 female farm workers in the Northern Cape province in South Africa. The three monthly monitoring indicators—the Household Food Insecurity Access Scale (HFIAS), Dietary Diversity Score (DDS), and Coping Strategies Index (CSI)—which measure di erent aspects of food insecurity, are analyzed to determine whether and to what extent food security fluctuates seasonally in our sample. HFIAS results show unambiguous evidence of seasonal food insecurity, with the highest prevalence (88 percent experiencing severe food insecurity) and severity during the low employment winter period, and lowest prevalence (49 percent) and severity during the summer harvest, which corresponds with relatively higher employment and earnings. The DDS results show evidence of highest dietary diversity during summer and the CSI results reveal the need to employ coping strategies to deal with intensified food insecurity during winter.