The Scourge of Poverty among South African Rural Women : In Defence of Social Justice

Literature reveals that South African rural women live in absolute poverty, and government initiatives to address and mitigate their circumstances are not effective. The rurality has brought plight of poverty to townships, villages and farm areas' residence, particularly black women. Their lives are characterised by lack of basic goods and services such as food, clothing, and housing. Among others, their vulnerability to abuse by religion, family traditions, societal and cultural customs impact negatively towards their economic active citizenship. Young and old women are discriminated against, and they are being denied access to take their rightful positions in their families, societies and land ownership and economic activities. The paper focuses on the plight of poverty among South African rural women, and explores intervention initiatives and legislative and policy framework with the aim to propose a conceptual framework that strives towards their emancipation and social justice.|This paper is premised within the interpretivist paradigm, where the qualitative methods- interviews; document; and literature studies were used. Nine research participants from three age groups of rural women were selected. Research findings revealed, firstly, the existence of forced marriages, extramarital affairs and polygamy among South rural women. Secondly, research findings revealed that rural women experiences domestic violence; sexual abuse and rape. Lastly, that there was a lack of economic participation among rural women that robs them of their human right to decent works; and benefit from democracy. In conclusion, the injustices in African communities' compromise human rights of the South African rural women; and in the main the goal for social justice. This study recommends government intervention programmes that targets the emancipation and human development; and economic and social transformation that bring about social justice among South African rural women.