Kambidima Wotela

By Nosipho Hlatshwayo and Kambidima Wotela

Social survival strategies are premised on relations anchored around ethnicity, culture, nationality, and language. Out of this strategy is the concept of social capital which is defined as the link that allow people to discover opportunities as well as employment based in social relationships with previous migrants. There is no doubt that foreign nationals utilise different forms of social capital to achieve different means—the reliance on family at the point of entry to access shelter and employment opportunities whereas they access friendships and networks within the employment circles to access other employment opportunities. The aim of this research is to detail how foreign nationals employ social capital networks as a survival strategy in South African urban townships using Diepsloot, found in the northwest of Johannesburg, as a case study. It is an important study because there is a lack of literature linking social capital as a survival strategy. We focus on social capital because it is a propeller—at least at initial and transition stages of migration—to access other forms of survival strategies. This paper, before all else, derives a conceptual framework that should guide the empirical part of such a research.

Part of the book: Immigration and Development

By Clive Sithole and Kambidima Wotela

The number of entrepreneurs in South Africa and, therefore, the Total Entrepreneurial Activity is lower than expected. The absence of entrepreneurial orientation is not the problem but, rather, instead of focusing on the innovative products and services, we should focus on innovative business models that change the processes. This chapter conceptualises an appropriate conceptual framework for effectively researching disruptive innovation and innovative business models at subnational level. We employ systems thinking to interrogate literature to realise three objectives. First, to understand the root causes and consequences of low innovation in new business ventures in South Africa and more specifically Gauteng Province. Second, to uncover the knowledge gap on this subject generally and specifically Gauteng Province. Lastly, to establish the most appropriate framework in innovation and entrepreneurship studies for interpreting anticipated empirical results. Eventually, this research will detail innovativeness in new business ventures after interrogating the theoretical material and empirical data and information on disruptive innovation and innovative business models. We have sufficient theoretical grounding on this subject but not empirical grounding to support some of our assertions. Even though most of the interrogations are general, it is within the context of Gauteng Province and, therefore, we may not generalise our conclusions and proposals. We do not address how innovativeness influences policies in general and we do not restrict ourselves to any specific sector.

Part of the book: International Business

By Kambidima Wotela

From 1950 to 2018, national estimates show that fertility in Zambia has remained high, with only a modest transition to lower fertility rates. The decline in fertility has been slow, likely because it is occurring rapidly only among a small group of ethnic societies that previously had the highest fertility rates in the country. Although we have observed recent convergence, Census and Demographic and Health Survey fertility estimates reveal persistent fertility differentials in Zambia. This chapter is a robust review of historical and contemporary literature to: (i) discuss the sources of fertility data in Zambia, their reported quality, and the fertility estimation techniques employed; (ii) review reports and academic literature confirming the existence of subnational fertility differentials in Zambia; and (iii) offer possible explanations for these variations. These explanations suggest that fertility differentials may reflect regional variations in data errors and possibly the estimation techniques used. Another explanation is that these variations are pathological—such as sterility, infecundity, or infertility—but this seems unlikely as it only affects two of the ten provinces in western Zambia. Besides, investigating sterility, infecundity, or infertility falls outside the scope of this research, as it needs extensive data and is beyond the humanities and social sciences discourse. Therefore, we propose that subnational fertility differences in Zambia are primarily due to variations in ethnic fertility governance among the different traditional societies. We recommend that future research should investigate the features underlying ethnic fertility differentials in Zambia.

Part of the book: Historical and Contemporary Demographic and Population Issues in Africa and South Asia