plaas cattle farmer small holder farm
Lockdown challenges for land reform beneficiaries Blog

Lockdown challenges for land reform beneficiaries

By Nkanyiso Gumede Smallholder farmers and land reform beneficiaries have been greatly affected by the lockdown in South Africa since it began on 26 March 2020. Lockdown meant less mobility for these farmers and a drop in demand for produce, which meant a loss of income. These farmers mainly supply to informal markets, which include bakkie traders, street vendors, hawkers,…
PLAAS
June 10, 2020
The effects of Covid-19 on youth in South Africa: Mr President, what is your plan? BlogFeatured Blog

The effects of Covid-19 on youth in South Africa: Mr President, what is your plan?

By Cyriaque Hakizimana The Covid-19 crisis is likely to deepen the hardship experienced by the youth in South Africa who are already considered to be the most vulnerable in the South African labour market. Even before the current crisis, young people were the hardest hit by the economic slowdown. Approximately 8.2 million (40.1%) of South Africa's 20.4 million young people…
PLAAS
May 20, 2020
informal settlement peri-urban economy people shopping
Dancing on the same spot? Covid-19 in the peri-urban low-income economy BlogFeatured BlogUncategorized

Dancing on the same spot? Covid-19 in the peri-urban low-income economy

By Katlego Ramantsima “I became sick when I heard that there was a lockdown because I don’t have a permanent job.” So says Lindiwe Mthembu, a 35-year-old mother of four from Orange Farm, South of Johannesburg. She’s been struggling to feed her family during the Covid-19 pandemic and national lockdown. “I survive on piece jobs working as a domestic worker,…
PLAAS
May 19, 2020
Policies and lifestyles need update in face of Covid-19 BlogFeatured Blog

Policies and lifestyles need update in face of Covid-19

By Epiphania Ngowi and Emmanuel Sulle As we continue to face huge impacts of this unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic, not only on our lifestyles but also our approaches, strategies, and policies to combat this pandemic must swiftly change as the need arises. Globally, leaders keep revising their strategies as they grapple with the devastating impacts of COVID-19 on lives of the…
PLAAS
April 18, 2020
The four immediate impacts of Covid-19 regulations on the Mozambican farmers BlogFeatured BlogUncategorized

The four immediate impacts of Covid-19 regulations on the Mozambican farmers

By Phillan Zamchiya, Clemente Ntauazi and Boaventura Monjane In order to guard against the spread of Covid-19, Mozambique declared a state of emergency for 30 days with effect from 1 April 2020. The government announced several regulations meant to limit the movement of people and goods in a decree. This was bound to affect different sectors of the economy and…
PLAAS
April 17, 2020
Zimbabwe’s Covid-19 lockdown: Ensuring the right to food for the poor BlogFeatured Blog

Zimbabwe’s Covid-19 lockdown: Ensuring the right to food for the poor

By Phillan Zamchiya, Dewa Mavhinga, Thando Gwinji, Arnold Chamunogwa and Claris Madhuku The Covid-19 global pandemic poses serious challenges to fragile countries such as Zimbabwe, which have weak health systems and constrained social assistance programmes. Such countries must formulate and implement measures to tackle the unfolding public health crisis without plunging millions of people into starvation. This is the challenge…
PLAAS
April 14, 2020
Water and sanitation in the face of Covid-19 in Cape Town’s townships and informal settlements BlogFeatured BlogUncategorized

Water and sanitation in the face of Covid-19 in Cape Town’s townships and informal settlements

By Mafaniso Hara, Bongani Ncube, Darlington Sibanda Ever since the 21-day national lockdown to curb the spread of the Covid-19 virus came into effect, reports indicate that the lockdown may have worsened the already existing inequalities in access to water and sanitation services in townships, informal settlements and among the homeless. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), water, sanitation…
PLAAS
April 8, 2020
Covid-19: The impact on small-scale fishers—A perspective from Ocean View BlogFeatured BlogUncategorized

Covid-19: The impact on small-scale fishers—A perspective from Ocean View

By Charles America, Joseph Ginindza and Moenieba Isaacs   The Covid-19 pandemic actually just further illustrates how insignificant and how severely neglected we, as small-scale fishers, are as a legitimate fisheries resource user-group.” — Charles America, veteran fisher and activist from Ocean View Charles situates his discontentment in the failed policies and lack of policy implementation in the privatisation of…
PLAAS
April 7, 2020
Food in the time of the coronavirus: Why we should be very, very afraid BlogFeatured BlogUncategorized

Food in the time of the coronavirus: Why we should be very, very afraid

By Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies The social legitimacy of the ‘COVID-19 lockdown’, government’s regulations imposed to contain the spread of the virus, is most likely to run aground unless an urgent plan can be made to ensure that everyone in the country has access to sufficient food. And it’s not looking good. Based on interviews, statements by…
PLAAS
April 1, 2020
Phillan Zamchiya: Land deals in Africa: Many suffer challenges BlogUncategorized

Phillan Zamchiya: Land deals in Africa: Many suffer challenges

By Phillan Zamchiya From 2016 to 2019, the Institute for Poverty Land and Agrarian Studies (PLAAS) embarked on a project aimed at securing land and water rights for vulnerable men and women in line with global and regional policy frameworks. The project titled ‘Land and Water Rights in Southern Africa: Entrenching Global and Regional Policy’ was funded by the Austrian…
PLAAS
March 26, 2020