Abstract
M.Sc. (Geography)
While drought has been identified as a prevalent climatic event globally, and specifically in South Africa’s climate, many of its attributes remain an enigma worth exploring. Drought has been noted to impact the greatest number of people globally compared to all other natural hazards, with its impacts being the most far-reaching and destructive. These climate extreme events are generally characterised by the below-average rainfall over a period of time. El Niño Surface Oscillations (ENSO) and climate variability have been linked with the occurrence of drought, although various other reasons have been identified. It is important to note that the shortage of rain is merely one symptom of drought conditions, with impacts disrupting most environmental, socioeconomic and political settings. South Africa’s climate makes it particularly vulnerable to drought, while the improper management of its water resources has placed strain on water security. The water governance practices applied in a country determines the country’s ability to cope with drought, with water availability paramount in the daily lives of all South Africa’s citizens.
Through an investigation at two popular informal markets in Tembisa, the Swazi-Inn and Leralla markets, the impacts of drought during the 2015 – 2016 period are evaluated. Through the evaluation of the impacts, this study attempted to assess the extent of economic resistance and resilience of the informal economy during the drought period. Furthermore, this study attempted to determine the effectiveness of the informal economy in alleviating food insecurity during drought. This was done through determining the various ways drought disrupts produce supply to the informal economy. This study involved the administration of questionnaires which were designed based on a mixed method approach. The questionnaires required respondents to answer both open and closed-ended questions, providing a rich set of quantitative and qualitative data.
Data analysis revealed that the 2015 – 2016 drought had an overall negative effect on the informal economy of Tembisa. This study was able to conclude that Tembisa’s informal economy is affected by second and third-order drought impacts. These impacts were classified into three categories; environmental impacts, economic impacts and social impacts. The complexity of drought impacts made them hard to examine as separate occurrences, thus the study’s results were presented as a series of interconnected impacts. It was further concluded that the informal economy was both environmentally and socioeconomically vulnerable to the impacts of drought. This study’s findings suggest that although the informal economy provides employment, drought promotes poverty which the informal economy is unable to alleviate. The...