Social cohesion and violence in South Africa: constructing a puzzle with missing pieces

Lamb, Guy

doi:10.1007/s10611-019-09828-7

Cited by 14 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 124 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…The SAPS annual reports show that the annual number of violent protests increased by 330% between 2008/09 and 2018/19, increasing from 993 incidents in 2008/09 to 4277 incidents in 2018/19. Studies on protest action have linked violent confrontations between protestors and the police in South Africa to poor service delivery and corruption, the deterioration of social control at local government level, and low levels of trust in the police, as well as overly aggressive police behaviour towards protestors, which escalated the violence (Lamb, 2019; Von Holdt and Kirsten, 2011).…”

Section: Public Order Policingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Safeguarding the Republic? The South African Police Service, Legitimacy and the Tribulations of Policing a Violent Democracy

Lamb

2021

Journal of Asian and African Studies

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Since 1994 the South African Police Service (SAPS) has undertaken various efforts to build legitimacy in South Africa. Extensive community policing resources have been made available, and a hybrid community-oriented programme (sector policing) has been pursued. Nevertheless, public opinion data has shown that there are low levels of public trust in the police. Using Goldsmith’s framework of trust-diminishing police behaviours, this article suggests that indifference, a lack of professionalism, incompetence and corruption on the part of the police, particularly in high-crime areas, have eroded public trust in the SAPS. Furthermore, in an effort to maintain order, reduce crime and assert the authority of the state, the police have adopted militaristic strategies and practices, which have contributed to numerous cases of excessive use of force, which has consequently weakened police legitimacy in South Africa

show abstract

Section: Public Order Policingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Safeguarding the Republic? The South African Police Service, Legitimacy and the Tribulations of Policing a Violent Democracy

Lamb

2021

Journal of Asian and African Studies

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Compounding this are some of the highest rates of (racialised) income inequality in the world (Statistics South Africa, 2020a ). South Africans experience high rates of violent crime, chronic stress, violence against women, racism and trauma, which perhaps could only be rivalled by some South American countries (Lamb, 2019 ; Peltzer, 2000 ). Prior to COVID-19, the focus of the South African government was developing entrepreneurship and the informal and small, medium and micro enterprises (SMMEs) sector as means of job creation, skills development and the economy (Urban & Ndou, 2019 ).…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

A temperature reading of COVID-19 pandemic employee agility and resilience in South Africa

Leask

Ruggunan

2021

SA Journal of Industrial Psychology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Orientation: Employee agility and resilience are central to the flourishing of employee and organisational life. The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic amplified stressors and added new challenges for employees in South Africa. The study reported here provides a temperature reading of the agility and resilience of South African employees in the context of the pandemic.Research purpose: The aim of this study was to engage in a temperature reading of South African employees’ agility and resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic.Motivation for the study: The study was motivated by the need to understand how South African employees fare in terms of their agility and resilience levels in the context of profound social and economic disruptive events such as the COVID-19 pandemic.Research approach/design and method: A cross-sectional survey design was used employing quantitative methodologies. A total of 185 permanently employed respondents from South Africa were conveniently sampled. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyse the data.Main findings: Whilst respondents reported high resilience and agility capacity, the findings also suggest that respondents’ gender, age, upskilling intentions, size of employer, organisational communication and individual renewal strategies influence their resilience and agility behaviours.Practical/managerial implications: The study prompts a discussion on how practitioners can better serve the wellness agenda of organisational life during sustained periods of organisational stress.Contribution/value-add: This study extends the theoretical and practical debate on employee agility and resilience in South African context.

show abstract

“…Moreover, underdevelopment theory "links the rise of crime to the economic and social miseries produced by an imposed capitalist colonial and neo-colonial order and system of law" (Arthur & Marenin, 1995). There are also neighborhood-or collective-level crime theories, such as social disorganization theory, that have been used to help explain crime in urban communities in the Global North (Brunton-Smith et al, 2014;Bursik, 1988;Markowitz et al, 2001;Taylor & Covington, 1993;Villarreal & Silva, 2006;Woldoff, 2006) and in SSA (Breetzke, 2010a(Breetzke, , 2010bBreetzke & Horn, 2008;Lamb, 2019;Parks, 2014;Roberts & Gordon, 2016). Generally, social disorganization theory suggests that when people live in structurally disadvantaged neighborhoods, e.g., those with high rates of poverty, unemployment, economic insecurity, exclusion, and racial or ethnic heterogeneity, they tend to be less trusting of others and experience a strain on community trust, cohesion, and, importantly, collective efficacy (Sampson, 2012).…”

Section: Causation Of Violence and Crimementioning

confidence: 99%

Breaking the Cycle: Women’s Perceptions of the Causes of Violence and Crime in Informal Settlements in Nairobi, Kenya, and Their Strategies for Response and Prevention

Winter

Obara

Aguilar

et al. 2021

J Interpers Violence

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Crime and violence are serious issues in informal settlements around the world. To date, there is a dearth of evidence about the causes of and effective strategies for reducing and preventing violence and crime in informal settlements in cities in the Global South. Additionally, women’s voices are often absent from research focused on violence and crime prevention and reduction in informal settlements. The purpose of this study, therefore, was (1) to identify potential causes of violence and crime in informal settlements, as perceived by women living in Mathare informal settlement in Nairobi, Kenya and (2) to highlight residents’ strategies for response and prevention. Fifty-five in-depth and walk-along interviews were conducted with women living in Mathare in 2015-2016. A modified grounded theory approach was used to guide data collection and analysis. The most common contributor to violence and crime identified by women in Mathare was idle youth, but leadership and government challenges, corruption and/or inadequacy of police, community barriers, tribalism, and lack of protective infrastructure also emerged as contributing factors. Despite facing many economic, environmental, and day-to-day challenges, women in Mathare identified violence and crime as predominant issues; thus, developing effective response and prevention strategies to these issues is paramount. Women discussed many strategies and initiatives to reduce and prevent violence and crime in informal settlements, but also identified barriers to implementing them. Findings suggest there is a need for trust-building between formal and informal sectors of the community, systems of accountability, and long-term investment to foster sustainable and effective violence and crime response and prevention in these settlements.

show abstract

Social cohesion and violence in South Africa: constructing a puzzle with missing pieces

Cited by 14 publications

References 124 publications

Safeguarding the Republic? The South African Police Service, Legitimacy and the Tribulations of Policing a Violent Democracy

Safeguarding the Republic? The South African Police Service, Legitimacy and the Tribulations of Policing a Violent Democracy

A temperature reading of COVID-19 pandemic employee agility and resilience in South Africa

Breaking the Cycle: Women’s Perceptions of the Causes of Violence and Crime in Informal Settlements in Nairobi, Kenya, and Their Strategies for Response and Prevention

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About