Poverty and inequality in South Africa: critical reflections

Francis, David; Webster, Edward

doi:10.1080/0376835x.2019.1666703

Cited by 127 publications

(93 citation statements)

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“…Ancestry and socio-economic status (SES) are expected to be significant determinants of CF-related outcomes in SA, which is reported to be one of the most unequal societies in the world. 14 South Africa launched its CF registry in 2018 and adopted similar data collection methods as the 2017 European CF registry 15 . South Africa is categorised by the Word Bank as a high-middle income country and has a population of nearly 60 million 16 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cystic fibrosis in South Africa: spectrum of disease and determinants of outcome

et al. 2021

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IntroductionLittle is known about cystic fibrosis (CF) in low-middle income settings. This study aimed to describe the spectrum and outcomes of CF in South Africa (SA) from the recently established SA CF registry (SACFR).MethodsDemographic, diagnosis and clinical data was extracted from the SACFR. Cross-sectional univariable and multivariable regression analysis of best forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1; age≥6 years) and nutrition (all ages) in 2018 was conducted to investigate factors associated with severe lung disease (SLD; FEV1 ≤3.0 z-score) and undernutrition.ResultsBy December 2018, ancestry of 447 individuals included in the SACFR was Caucasian (315; 70%), mixed (87; 19%) and black African (41; 9%). Median diagnosis age was 7.6 months (IQR 2.7,37.1). Genotype was p.Phe508del homozygous (220; 49%); p.Phe508del heterozygous (144; 32%) and neither p.Phe508del or unknown Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Conductance Regulator (CFTR) variant in 83 (19%); the second most frequent CFTR variant was 3120+1G>A, common in black Africans. Median age of patients in 2018 was 14.7 years (IQR 7.4,24.4). SLD was independently associated with chronic methicillin resistant S.aureus (MRSA) (aOR 16.75; 95% CI 1.74–161.50), undernutrition (aOR 5.20; 95% CI 2.23–12.13) and age (aOR 2.23 per 10-years; 95% CI 1.50–3.31). Undernutrition was associated in univariable analysis with low weight at diagnosis, non-caucasian ancestry, chronic P.aeruginosa infection and lower socioeconomic status.ConclusionInterventions targeting MRSA infection and nutrition are needed to improve CF outcomes in SA. Most people with CF in SA are eligible for highly effective CFTR modulator therapy.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cystic fibrosis in South Africa: spectrum of disease and determinants of outcome

et al. 2021

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“…The likely reason for this could be that the Apartheid policies afforded Coloured, White and Indian/ Asian sub-population groups more socio economic benefits in terms of housing, education and general wellbeing [31] . The socio-economic inequalities in South Africa are often visible across racial lines due to the historical legacies of legalized racial segregation [31][32][33]. When comparing employment status, this study found significant differences between the five employment categories for all three isolation scenarios.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The odds of being prepared to self-isolate, or to separate children and the elderly from the rest of the family were higher among other race groups when compared to Black Africans. The likely reason for this could be that the Apartheid policies afforded Coloured, White and Indian/Asian sub-population groups more socio economic benefits in terms of housing, education and general wellbeing [ 31 ] . The socio-economic inequalities in South Africa are often visible across racial lines due to the historical legacies of legalized racial segregation [ 31 – 33 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Preparedness for self-isolation or quarantine and lockdown in South Africa: results from a rapid online survey

et al. 2021

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Background The World Health Organization (WHO) declared the COVID-19 pandemic a public health emergency of international concern. South Africa, like many other countries, initiated a multifaceted national response to the pandemic. Self-isolation and quarantine are essential components of the public health response in the country. This paper examined perceptions and preparedness for self-isolation or quarantine during the initial phase of the pandemic in South Africa. Methods The analysis used data obtained from an online quantitative survey conducted in all nine provinces using a data-free platform. Descriptive statistics and multivariable logistic regression models were used to analyse the data. Results Of 55,823 respondents, 40.1% reported that they may end up in self-isolation or quarantine, 32.6% did not think that they would and 27.4% were unsure. Preparedness for self-isolation or quarantine was 59.0% for self, 53.8% for child and 59.9% for elderly. The odds of perceived possibility for self-isolation or quarantine were significantly higher among Coloureds, Whites, and Indians/Asians than Black Africans, and among those with moderate or high self-perceived risk of contracting COVID-19 than those with low risk perception. The odds were significantly lower among older age groups than those aged 18–29 years, and those unemployed than fully employed. The odds of preparedness for self-isolation or quarantine were significantly less likely among females than males. Preparedness for self, child and elderly isolation or quarantine was significantly more likely among other population groups than Black Africans and among older age groups than those aged 18–29 years. Preparedness for self, child and elderly isolation or quarantine was significantly less likely among those self-employed than fully employed and those residing in informal dwellings than formal dwellings. In addition, preparedness for self-isolation or quarantine was significantly less likely among those with moderate and high self-perceived risk of contracting COVID-19 than low risk perception. Conclusion The findings highlight the challenge of implementing self-isolation or quarantine in a country with different and unique social contexts. There is a need for public awareness regarding the importance of self-isolation or quarantine as well as counter measures against contextual factors inhibiting this intervention, especially in impoverished communities.

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“…With a Gini coefficient of 0.63 — a score which reflects the fact that the richest 10 per cent hold 71 per cent of all wealth and earn two‐thirds of all national income — it is also the most unequal country in the world (see Alvaredo et al., 2018; Scott, 2019; see also StatsSA, 2019b). In other words, important as social grants may be, the South African welfare regime is not one that is capable of addressing ‘the way power produces and reproduces the conditions that facilitate growing inequality’ (Francis and Webster, 2019: 789). What is more, as I argue in my concluding remarks, even in the expanded form of a universal basic income that Ferguson advocates, cash transfers are unlikely to do much to fundamentally address the root causes of the problem of poverty among surplus populations.…”

Section: Cash Transfers: a Welfare State By Any Other Name?mentioning

confidence: 99%

Give James Ferguson a Fish

Nilsen¹

2020

Development and Change

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When James Ferguson's Give a Man a Fish was published in 2015, it seemed to many that the anthropologist was continuing his trailblazing work in critical development research and pioneering a new imaginary for a progressive left politics of welfare. This article argues that such enthusiasm is misplaced and that we need to devote ourselves to a more rigorous and ambitious project if we are to forge a social theory for the future that holds any kind of genuinely emancipatory potential. First, the article shows how Ferguson's diagnosis of global development is analytically flawed in that it is articulated at a strictly empirical and descriptive level. As a result, Ferguson fails to probe into the underlying power relations that have generated the developmental scenario that is the context of his reflections. It then moves on to show how this absence of any sustained conceptual and analytical engagement with questions of power in the political economy of capitalism leads Ferguson to a deeply flawed argument about welfare. The article concludes with a brief reflection on what an alternative and genuinely socialist form of welfare might look like in the context of a conjuncture of sustained neoliberal crisis.

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Poverty and inequality in South Africa: critical reflections

Cited by 127 publications

References 8 publications

Cystic fibrosis in South Africa: spectrum of disease and determinants of outcome

Cystic fibrosis in South Africa: spectrum of disease and determinants of outcome

Preparedness for self-isolation or quarantine and lockdown in South Africa: results from a rapid online survey

Give James Ferguson a Fish

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