Suchergebnisse

Recent case studies from the Western Sahara, Ethiopia, Nigeria and Angola, reveal the increasing militarization of the development of oil and gas reserves in Africa. This is generating social tension and, in particular, exacerbating the repression of minority groups. Private security forces and African standing armies are being used to secure the interests of American, Asian and European companies as they seek to extend their control over natural resources in collaboration with state elites. Confronting the destruction of their environments and continued underinvestment, minority groups are actively seeking to attach socioeconomic rights more self-consciously to their demand for political rights.

While high expectations regarding the alleviation of poverty accompanied the advent of the new political dispensation in South Africa in 1994, little progress has been made. This article details the dynamics of what is commonly termed the "poverty-environment relationship" in South Africa and focuses the reader's attention on the continued existence and effects of this phenomenon. The analysis points the way to various new approaches to fighting poverty which still occurs disproportionately among the black population of South Africa, and especially black women, while giving necessary consideration to the environment. The article focuses on factors that structure poor people's access to environmental resources and their ability to make effective use of them.