Problems and Purpose

The livelihoods project has been in operation since 2017 in South Africa, however, was only recently implemented in areas such as Atlantis and the Vredenburg districts in the Western Cape, primarily due to limited opportunities in these areas (HandinHand, 2021). The objective of this project was to give support to People of Concern (PoC) and Refugees through activism and promoting interventions that enhanced their social cohesion in the respective communities, support wage- employment, and self-employment. The project aimed to address the poor access to sustainable livelihoods of migrants, specifically refugees due to the non-supportive local environment, the lack of supportive business development services, and limited labour market opportunities for refugees in South Africa (ibid).

This project contributed to the sustainable livelihoods of 390 refugees and 210 South Africans in Gauteng (Pretoria and Johannesburg), Kwa-Zulu Natal, Eastern Cape (East London and Mthatha) and Western Cape (Atlantis and Vredenburg).

This would be done by creating an enabling environment, stimulating self-reliance, social cohesion, and would promote access to both employment and self-employment opportunities during the period of January 2022 to December 2022 (HandinHand, 2021). The UNHCR assisted through its guiding framework, the multi-year Livelihoods and Economic Inclusion Strategy to improve livelihoods programming for Persons of Concern (PoC) in South Africa and it’s implementing project partners (ibid).

• Operational Context

South Africa has integrated the basic principles of refugees and asylum seeker protection through the freedom of movement, the right to work and access to basic social services through its progressive laws including the Constitution of 1996 and Refugee Act130 of 1998 (UNHCR, 2020). South Africa was also signatory to international treaties including the 1951 Refugee Convention, the 1967 Protocol, and the 1969 Organization of African Unity (OAU) Convention Governing Specific Aspects of the Refugee Situation in Africa (UNHCR, 2009). According to the UNHCR Multi-Country Office (2020), South Africa was the host country to about 280 004 People of Concern of which 76 723 were recognized refugees and 173 527 asylum seekers (ibid).

The UNHCR was mandated to empower, protect, and support refugees as well as other people of concern, and had programmes that focused on key issues such as protection, legal assistance, education, social assistance, social cohesion, community empowerment and self-reliance in South Africa (UNHCR, 2020). This support happened through its partner organizations and collaborative networks.

However, refugees and asylum seekers were unable to fully enjoy these rights, as some public institutions did not recognize their permits to access services, and to integrate into the local non-governmental- and government social service programmes (HandinHand, 2021). Evidence in a household survey through the Livelihood Strategy for Refugees, suggested that there was still a need for interventions as only 3% was reached for every thousand people of concern in South Africa. Most refugees were not reached, also the quality of the interventions needed to be improved as current efforts did not deliver the expected and positive results (ibid). 

• Systemic Issues and Challenges impacting Refugees and Persons of Concern

Refugees faced several challenges, and despite South Africa’s progressive refugee policy, the government (ANC-led) has not initiated any recognized programmes aimed at facilitating local integration of refugees.[1] Concerns like safety and security, the non-recognition of refugees’ documents by employers, and educational institutions hindered access to further education and the labour market (HandinHand, 2021). Then the lack in language proficiency and job skills were some of the shortcomings when it came to the labour market, as well as the discrimination and harassment from the police and migration authorities made it difficult for refugees to move around freely, work, and engage in economic activities.

South Africa’s high unemployment was at a record of 34.9% in 2021; the high unemployment numbers included those job seekers who had given up on finding employment (HandinHand, 2021). Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment codes (BBBEE) together with skills development programmes and job opportunities gave preference to the local community over that of migrants. Refugees and people of concern’s business interests were however mainly informal, with low barriers of entry (ibid). They therefore had limited access to available business development services like skills development programmes, access to emerging markets, access to business finance, mentorship and coaching services which were provided by government and the private sector. Subsequently it became challenging to find those people of concern with the most critical needs as most lived in urban areas across the country (HandinHand, 2021).

The threat of xenophobic attacks on entrepreneurs and employees’ livelihoods in some communities were continuous; refugees were also under attack by criminals who knew that these refugees would seldom follow the criminal justice system by reporting them (ibid).

Refugees engaged in risky coping strategies, including illegal and criminal activities, for example smuggling and prostitution (HandinHand, 2021). Refugees and people of concern were amongst those hit hard during the Covid-19 pandemic; refugees were assumed as potential transmitters, they experienced stigma, and isolation. [2]The lack of cultural and linguistic information, services and relief opportunities prevented them from getting any facilities in avoiding the pandemic (HandinHand, 2021). Covid-19 and consequently the lockdown has therefore affected refugee livelihoods even further. As it increased insecurity, it enhanced sexual and gender-based violence and anxiety in communities (ibid).

During the July 2021 protests in Kwa-Zulu Natal and Gauteng many small businesses of refugees were looted and destroyed (HandinHand, 2021). This event put them back even further, as now it was a struggle to restart their business. Rebuilding may take years, and many refugees and people of concern have indicated that they were forced to move to other areas, this required them to rethink their businesses, and even adjust into a new business culture(ibid). 

Background History and Context

South Africa received migrants and refugees from Somalians in 1994, Congolese migrants before 2010, and Ethiopian migrants from 2015. The 2021 evaluation on Age, Gender, and Diversity Participatory Assessment has identified the priority livelihoods challenges faced by migrants from different regions, including Pretoria, Johannesburg, Cape Town, and Durban (UNCHR, 2022: p.1).

The main challenges for migrants in accessing employment included the following namely, lack of identification documentation, lack of equal opportunities for refugees, and difficulty in obtaining employment (UNCHR, 2022: p.1). Added challenges included the high dependency on humanitarian aid, and women engaging in negative coping strategies; the assessment has also identified the willingness of the beneficiaries to take part in training, provide financial contributions and provide informal financial services as part of forthcoming livelihoods initiatives. Key challenges that were identified for these migrants included their limited access to finances, including the inability to open a bank account, market, and safety social net programmes. While the primary opportunities were the access to formal employment, informal de facto employment, and development programmes (UNCHR, 2022: p.1).

The support of human resources through training, economic service providers and the private sector, better access to economic services, better access to markets, promote for the appointment of development actors, and increase consciousness pertaining legal rights to support and overcome challenges recognized were recommended regarding the development of migrants (UNCHR, 2022: p.1). The objective of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)’s South Africa Refugee Livelihoods and Economic Inclusion Strategy 2019-2023 was to promote self- employment and wage employment in the non-agricultural areas (ibid).

Organizing, Supporting, and Funding Entities

Fundraising activities from other institutions and donors included De Beers and United Nations Women which successfully raised R6.6 million, Absa gave R4 million, FHI360 gave R4 million, Absa Food Security gave R2.6 million, then Save the Children Fund gave R400. 000 and HandinHand contributed assets valued at R800.000 for the successful implementation of the project (HandinHand, 2021).  

• Other Stakeholders (Third Parties):

Other stakeholders that contributed to the project performance outputs and the project also anticipated the same support in 2022, including from the Western Cape and Eastern Cape. 

Participant Recruitment and Selection

The targeted refugees for the Livelihood project are those with a recognized and valid Section 24 permit [3] as well as South African residents. Most People of concerns were from Somalia, Ethiopia, the Democratic Republic Congo, and Burundi (HandinHand, 2021). A total of 600 people in Gauteng (Johannesburg and Tshwane), Kwa-Zulu Natal, (Pietermaritzburg, Durban and surrounding areas, including Eshowe, Empangeni, Richards Bay, Umbumbulu), Eastern Cape (East London, Mthata), and the Western Cape (Atlantis, Vredenburg). Participant selection included eighty percent refugees and twenty percent South Africans. The inclusion of South Africans citizens in this project was to facilitate social cohesion in the targeted communities (ibid).

• Targeting and Eligibility Criteria

Participants for this project had to meet the following criteria including, a valid and recognized Section 24 Refugee status permit, and or an RSA identity issued by the Department of Home Affairs (HandinHand, 2021). The 20% of South Africans were selected based on their vulnerability and close proximity to the targeting refugees, in relation to space and their working relationship. Selected candidates were between 18 – 59 years of age.

The monitoring purposes was for those people of concern under the Migration Multi-Partner Trust Fund (MPTF) project and preference were given to women, youth, and people with disability (ibid). Refugees and people of concern had to reside in the areas of Johannesburg, Pretoria, Durban, Pietermaritzburg, Cape Town, Atlantis, Vredenburg, East London, and Mthatha for the duration of the project. Refugees and people of concern who were part of previous livelihoods interventions of the UNHCR did not qualify for this project. However, 30% of businesses that supported previously and that received grants under the MPTF project, continued to receive business mentoring for six months (HandinHand, 2021).

 Employable participants had to engage actively in search for wage employment and be committed to the participation of the activities in the project during the implementation project. Priority was given to families caring for the elderly, sick, or disabled persons. In measuring the dependency, refugee scholarship recipients had to successfully complete their selected study programmes (ibid). This included referrals for survivors of violence or gender-based violence from social partners, these cases were treated with respect and confidentiality. Also, those refugees and people of concern which operated a business for a minimum of a year, qualified for the self-employment support programme, including micro and small enterprises (MSE’s), survivalist, family-based, micro, cooperatives, social enterprises, informal businesses, as well as small businesses (HandinHand, 2021). 

Demographic Data for the Projects’ Population Reporting

Methods and Tools Used

The livelihoods project envisioned to support and empower refugees and South African locals alike through two employment streams namely, the self-employment and the wage- employment streams (HandinHand, 2021). The primary goal of the project was to gain self-reliance as it was seen as the social and economic ability of an individual, a household, or a community. This was to meet its basic needs in the form of protection, food, water, shelter, personal safety, health, and education in a sustainable manner, and with dignity (ibid). Self – reliance was used as an instrument in developing and strengthening the livelihoods of people of concern, thereby reducing their vulnerability and dependence on humanitarian assistance. 

• Effective Measures to Strengthen the Development for Self-reliance

To develop an empowering environment that recognised and facilitated the employment and self-employment of refugees and people of concern was the primary outcomes of this livelihoods project (HandinHand, 2021). The outreach to financial institutions, municipalities, and actors in the Small, Medium and Micro Enterprises (SMME) system, the mapping and establishment of partnerships, and accredited training providers such as colleges, employment agencies, recruitment specialists and organizations. Community - based organisations and the local media (print and electronic) would be responsible for the advocating and lobbying for campaigns in the respective communities (ibid).

Policy shaping would be done through platforms organised by the UNHCR such as the Southern Africa Migration Management Project (SAMM), workshops and through the use of migrant focused producers of research-based policy mandates (HandinHand, 2021). Discussions, webinars, seminars, and coordination efforts deliberated issues affecting refugees and migrants in South Africa such as the Covid 19 pandemic, mobility, xenophobia, inclusivity, sustainable health systems and livelihood of refugees and migrants. Project outcomes should be discussed with the relevant policy makers, industry actors and other relevant stakeholders, this was in order to achieve advocacy interventions (ibid).

• Managing Livelihood Services for Refugees and People of Concern

This project followed a multi-functional team approach in livelihoods programming. There were a number of stakeholders and UNHCR partners that contributed towards safeguarding the welfare of refugees and asylum seekers in South Africa (HandinHand, 2021). Their major focus was pertaining general issues such as poverty, no regular income, food insecurity, malnutrition, lack of housing, poor health, lack of education opportunities, child labour, and challenges with accessing of documentation (ibid). The Livelihood project was a link from humanitarian assistance to a self-reliance; the reaching out to the assisted beneficiaries and giving them livelihood opportunities. It was based on this principle that the project would have an intake of 30% beneficiaries from referrals by stakeholders, instead of campaigning for new project beneficiaries altogether. These would be people of concern that have graduated from the social assistance (HandinHand, 2021). 

• Full Integration into the Host Community

Some of the people of concern would be those who have benefited through enterprise - and skills development, and now seek employment or further support for their businesses to grow (HandinHand, 2021). The emphasis was on individuals that showed a high capacity for successful economic and social integration into the community but needed extra support to become fully self-reliant. Some of the activities involved were to inform communities on refugee issues, in particular the local leaders, businesspeople and civil society organizations (ibid). This was also to access markets, to facilitate access to finance, and forming self-help groups with members of the community (HandinHand, 2021). In the Eastern Cape and Western Cape, the project would work together with other stakeholders and partners on the ground to identify areas of need in terms of livelihood interventions.  Following the refugee protests in Cape Town, stakeholders would be part of the engagement process to find a sustainable solution to the reintegration of the affected migrants back into the communities (ibid). The project will be implemented through the following interventions and activities.

• Mobilization and Assessment

Project entrance was through mobilization and assessment and different approaches were used to mobilize the right candidates whose background and aspirations permitted inclusion in the labour market and self-employment streams (HandinHand, 2021). Mobilization was done through referrals from stakeholders and UNHCR partners, community meetings and word of mouth. Community outreach and engagements were prioritised to identify the right candidates using the UNHCR’s Age, Gender, and Diversity (AGD) approach. The directing of a comprehensive assessment was based on the socio-economic profiling in order to define and developed tailor-made livelihood interventions. Candidates would be assessed on the basis of the ability to make sustainable progress towards self-reliance. These candidates would be assessed using the assessment tool seeking to find out socio-economic status, background, and their commitment to succeed (HandinHand, 2021). 

• Project Implementation

The people of concern mobilized, would be assessed to participate under the two project pillars, namely the formal employment and self-employment streams as indicated below.

• Formal Employment Stream:

The employment support programme targeted 390 candidates under the Livelihoods Project in the respected communities (HandinHand, 2021). This stream fostered the development of skills that prepared people of concern to compete successfully for employment opportunities in the labour market. This stream seeks to empower them with the necessary job readiness skills and life skills needed to successfully enter the job market. [4] Participants were encouraged to seek and utilize employment opportunities and beneficiaries were expected to be placed with employers directly or indirectly through placement agencies (ibid). The people of concern to be placed into the job market were those trained previously under the livelihood programme, including the refugees from the UNHCR partner Studietrust, whose university alumni needed to be placed in the labour market (HandinHand, 2021).  

Various approaches would be used to strengthen these candidates’ access to the labour market through skills such as:

• Job-readiness Skills Training

People of concern would be doing the employability module as it would prepare them for the working world and equip them with skills and competencies (HandinHand, 2021).

• Life Skills Training

This training would teach people of concern how to manage everyday life, with its challenges and demands, to maintain mental well-being, and adopt positive interaction with others (HandinHand, 2021). This model would include training in coping mechanisms, interpersonal relationship skills, decision making, problem solving, critical thinking, effective communication, empathy, and self-awareness (ibid).

•  Job Placement

Candidates would be placed with employment agencies that did the employability skills training. Different strategies were employed when placing the candidates; South African youth were placed into the job market (HandinHand, 2021). Employment opportunities for refugees would be negotiated with employers and foreign run businesses affording them employment. Those candidates interested in entrepreneurship would be linked to those kinds of employment opportunities (ibid).

• Coursera

This was an online education application that offers different courses. Information sharing in educational programmes, including business development services and adult education for people of concern was important (HandinHand, 2021). Access to remote learning opportunities would be available on platforms such as Coursera, which was free of charge, and considered important for refugees (ibid).

The Self-employment Stream:

This support programme aimed to target entrepreneurs who already have businesses but required the needed skills to grow their businesses. The objective of this intervention was to grow and up-scale for impact through the provision of business development services that would normally not be assessable to people of concern (HandinHand, 2021). A total of 360 entrepreneurs between the age of 18-59 years would be organized under this stream. Interventions through this stream included the agreed selection criteria which checked for entrepreneurial orientation, and the identification of priority areas for future business mentorship. These interventions included the following:

• Mentorship and Support

The proposed mentorship plan included the addressing the strategic, leadership, operational and commercial gaps in the business. Matters such as access to funding, business networks, and markets as well as individual skills gaps. Candidates embarking into businesses as individuals or groups would receive mentoring support, including financial education and know-how on financial services (HandinHand, 2021).   

• Bylaws and Business Regulations Compliance

Businesses should meet the minimum compliance standards and have tax clearance. These businesses should be registered on the SMME South Africa platform and have a central databases registration on statuary bodies, these small businesses should also have a trading license from the local municipality (HandinHand, 2021). The support to micro-entrepreneurs in South Africa was shifting towards formalized and compliant businesses. 

Support to both Employment and Self-employment Streams:

• Digital Literacy  

Refugees could not organize and empower themselves due to their lack in digital literacy, this hampered the process of integration and self-reliance. Information skills and basic computer training would thus help refugees connect to opportunities (HandinHand, 2021). The project would help with digital transformation to support businesses with the purpose of enhancing their marketing, performance, and equity. 

• Access to Finance

 Businesses could benefit from cash injections, especially since the Covid19 outbreak. Refugees and people of concern had to sign an agreement from the UNHCR called “Agreement on the Transfer of a Grant”. This loan provided access to finance at a minimum monthly interest, people of concern had to been trained and supported under the project and have a business plan (HandinHand, 2021).  

• Financial Inclusion and Private Partnership

Access to financial services was key in economic inclusion of refugees in any host country. Financial services played a critical role in mitigating refugees’ economic exclusion and assisted in a manner that was effective, accountable, and ensured resilience for refugees in prolonged situations (HandinHand, 2021). Affordable access to financial services could help refugees to cope with negative shocks, reducing exposure to risks, and stimulate economic activity at community and national levels. 

• MADE51(Market Access, Design and Empowerment)

This platform for refugees involved identifying groups of artisans, profiling their skills, and connecting and building relations with local and international enterprises that show-cased their products and helped them sell them (HandinHand, 2021). It’s a market-based model which promoted economic inclusion of refugees on a global scale. 

What Went On: Process, Interaction, and Participation

 Communication and the formation of trust was primary to the livelihoods project (HandinHand, 2021). The UNHCR partners and stakeholders ensured that information regarding the programme be given timeously to the refugee community, as information should be shared, spread, and referred. It was important that refugees and people of concern be familiar with the programme so that they shared the information, spread the word, and made referrals (ibid). The second intervention was the community and church leaders, who were the gate keepers to their respective communities. 

These community leaders also paved the way for meeting with the refugees. The aim of these meetings was to give thorough information about the livelihoods project and the stakeholders involved. This was done through language interpreters, as there were some language barriers (HandinHand, 2021). The South African people of concern were accessed with referrals from refugees residing in the same areas; this was to facilitate and enhance social integration and tolerance.

 In addition to the meetings, information was also shared through the media in the form of pamphlets distribution and radio interviews. It was important for the livelihoods project to create a trustworthy and positive environment where all people felt comfortable and free in speaking up and sharing their opinion as feedback remained important (HandinHand, 2021). Transparency and openness about the project’s different initiatives and limitations was thus necessary to understand for the candidates. Included its positive and negative criticism, and when mistakes were made during the project. The project collected feedback through a number of channels such as face to face feedback during the meetings and trainings, emails, phone calls and suggestion boxes (ibid). The livelihoods project continuously shared the UNHCR toll free number as an alternative to providing feedback during meetings and training sessions.  

Influence, Outcomes, and Effects

Government procedures and systems to fulfill their Global Refugee Forum (GRF) commitment on Refugees Self Reliance and Livelihood are established and functional.

Exit Strategy and Sustainability:

Project graduation and exit strategies remained critical in ensuring communities do not plunge into vulnerability after this livelihood project has ended (HandinHand, 2021). The comprehensive approach that this project would continue to ensure that beneficiaries were furnished with the full range of support needed to establish self-reliance and achieve sustainability. 

This project’s approach would build sustainability by creating the capacity for self-help amongst the target beneficiaries (ibid). This was a very critical element to bear in mind during the targeting process as no beneficiaries should still expect handouts, as it was in some cases. Stringent targeting ensured that people understood the need to rise up and challenge their circumstances and were determined to succeed as they discovered the potential in themselves.

Partnerships that were developed, also played a critical role in building the sustainability of enterprises and their inclusion in the mainstream economy (HandinHand, 2021). Critical enterprise development supported partners, providers of business support and technical skills providers and needed to be involved right from the beginning thereby ensuring support the enterprises they were working with. Enterprises which required further support could still access it; similarly applied for local leadership (both traditional and political), government, and other community-based structures (ibid).

This project would support the work of existing partners and development frameworks. Rather than establishing parallel institutions or implementing directly, it strengthened the capacity of such partners, ensuring empowerment of the community at all levels (HandinHand, 2021). Hence, at the end of the project, local capacities would have been established within the main stakeholder organisations in order to assess, lobby for, and contribute to an enabling environment for entrepreneurship development (ibid). This project would also build on involving local community leadership in the form of municipalities, church leaders and refuge community leaders in identifying the target groups, and prioritising, planning, and implementing the project. [5]

This approach enabled leveraging on existing knowledge and best practices. Using a bottom-up approach, such as grassroots leaders and other stakeholders to start project implementation, to ensure the long-term sustainability of the project. The added advantage of this approach was the immediate buy-in and ownership from the community (HandinHand, 2021). Project graduation and exit strategies remained critical in ensuring communities do not plunge into vulnerability after this livelihood project has ended (HandinHand, 2021). The comprehensive approach that this project would continue to ensure that beneficiaries were furnished with the full range of support needed to establish self-reliance and achieve sustainability. 

This project’s approach would build sustainability by creating the capacity for self-help amongst the target beneficiaries (ibid). This was a very critical element to bear in mind during the targeting process as no beneficiaries should still expect handouts, as it was in some cases. Stringent targeting ensured that people understood the need to rise up and challenge their circumstances and were determined to succeed as they discovered the potential in themselves. 

Partnerships that were developed, also played a critical role in building the sustainability of enterprises and their inclusion in the mainstream economy (HandinHand, 2021). Critical enterprise development supported partners, providers of business support and technical skills providers and needed to be involved right from the beginning thereby ensuring support the enterprises they were working with. Enterprises which required further support could still access it; similarly applied for local leadership (both traditional and political), government, and other community-based structures (ibid).

 This project would support the work of existing partners and development frameworks. Rather than establishing parallel institutions or implementing directly, it strengthened the capacity of such partners, ensuring empowerment of the community at all levels (HandinHand, 2021). Hence, at the end of the project, local capacities would have been established within the main stakeholder organisations in order to assess, lobby for, and contribute to an enabling environment for entrepreneurship development (ibid). This project would also build on involving local community leadership in the form of municipalities, church leaders and refuge community leaders in identifying the target groups, and prioritising, planning, and implementing the project. [5]

 This approach enabled leveraging on existing knowledge and best practices. Using a bottom-up approach, such as grassroots leaders and other stakeholders to start project implementation, to ensure the long-term sustainability of the project. The added advantage of this approach was the immediate buy-in and ownership from the community (HandinHand, 2021).

Analysis and Lessons Learned

The Constitution of South Africa, specifically the Bill of Rights in Chapter 2 described the rights of all who lived in it. The Bill of Rights was the cornerstone of democracy; it enshrined the rights of all people and affirmed the democratic values such as human dignity, inclusiveness and equality, education, social security, the advancement of human rights and freedoms, consent of the governed, minority rights, etc. (The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 2009: p.6). According to O’ Malley (2022) democracy principles further emphasized freedom from unjustified governmental denial of the right to life and liberty, minority rights and inclusiveness. 

Choto, Iwu, and Tengeh (2020) argued that non-profit organizations, stakeholders, and other community organizations played a critical role in the socio-economic development of a nation, they helped eradicate poverty, a global persistent challenge which stemmed from changes in the infrastructure, technology, economy, and the social sphere. These changes have unintentionally led to the need for the expansion of several instruments for survival. Not just for the citizens of South Africa, but for all those that lived in South Africa. 

However as much as these non-profit and community- based organizations applied the principles of democracy, and did exceptional work in the particular communities, they have failed in some instances. In this project the non-profit organizations used language such as migrants, yet they did not include all those that falls into this category. One specifically questioned why only refugees (Section 24 permit) were included in the project and not asylum seekers (Section 22 permit), both refugees and asylum seekers had the right to study and work in South Africa, also many asylum seekers stayed for years in the country, without the rightful documents which would always place them in a disadvantaged position. These non-profit organizations thus misplaced one of the basic principles of democracy which specified the rights of the minority. 

Communication, transparency, and trust remained primary to the livelihoods project, information should on a continuous basis be communicated to all role players during the course of the project, in creating a positive environment where people felt comfortable by sharing opinions and giving feedback. Further lessons learned were that Financial Service Providers (FSP) was still ignorant of the fact of the substantial contribution that refugees played in the economic sector of South Africa, financial inclusion would mitigate in the event of a crisis. The effectiveness of the project will be evaluated on an ongoing basis, this will be an effort to ensure that the project remains relevant to the possibly changing needs of the participants. The livelihoods project should therefore not be seen as a short-term strategy but an ongoing event if long-term results were to be realized. 

This project is ongoing.

References

Choto, P., Iwu, Chux Gervase, Tengeh, Robertson, K. 2020. Non-Profit Organizations and Socio-Economic Development in South Africa: A Literature Analysis. Viewed 3 November 2022. file:///C:/Users/27827/Downloads/NPOsandSocioeconomicDevelopment.pdf.

Hand in Hand, Southern Africa. 2021. Livelihoods and Self-Reliance Project. Viewed 10 September 2022. https://www.handinhand-sa.org/livelihoods/.

Hobwane, M. 2022. Interview. 31 October 2022.

Malemane, K. 2022. Interview. 30 August 2022.

O’ Malley. 2022. Schedule 4 – Constitutional Principles. Viewed 24 September 2022. https://omalley.nelsonmandela.org/omalley/index.php/site/q/03lv02039/04lv02046/05lv02047/06lv02065/07lv02084/08lv02088.htm.

Juta, 2009. The CONSTITUTION of the Republic of South Africa. 8^th Ed. Cape Town. Juta & Co Ltd.

UNHCR. 2022. Livelihoods and Economic Inclusion. Viewed 10 September 2022. https://www.unhcr.org/livelihoods.html. 

Footnotes

[1] Despite South Africa’s progressive legislation and international treaties, integration of refugees and asylum seekers remained challenging.

[2] Various tented camps were set up in Cape Town during the Covid19 period to house refugees and asylum seekers which led to an undignified life, the situation has still not changed up to now. 

[3] The focus of the project was primarily on refugees which had a Section 24 permit, and subsequently left out asylum seekers which had a Section 22 permit.

[4] Despite their legal status in South Africa, many refugees still faces various challenges when it comes to formal employment, it becomes thus crucial that awareness was also needed for future employers and businesses to recognized the need of refugees.

[5] Democracy was for the people, by the people, it meant the inclusion of especially minority groups, as well living a dignified life in the host country in line with its Constitution.