Black middle class township shoppers: a shopper typology

Due to an increase in spending power amongst Black middle class, this growing segment has become a lucrative investment opportunity for many retailers in South Africa and most emerging markets. The purpose of this study is to segment township consumers according to their demographics, life stage, attitudes towards township shopping centres and Living Standards Measure, to understand shopping patterns of township consumers. A survey among Soweto Black middle class township respondents was conducted, and maximum likelihood factor analysis was used to identify attitudes towards township mall factors. The study revealed five factors namely entertainment, convenience, mall essence, staff and mall basics, which were all consistent with previous studies, with the exception of staff and mall basics, which was revealed in this study. A K-means cluster analysis was then used to segment township shoppers according to their attitudes. Four shopper segments were discovered, namely disappointed crusaders, upcoming loyals, social seekers and local loyals, which, despite investigating shopper attitudes in place of shopper behaviour alone, were similar to well-establish shopper typologies. Each segment was profiled according to demographic variables, attitudes as well as shopping patterns. Results, therefore, suggest that retailers and developers need to consider the unique needs and differences among Black middle class consumers when developing retail strategies as they reveal unique characteristics from typical shopper typologies. Given similarities in some emerging countries such as India, the findings of this study could be generalized to other middle class consumers from emerging markets. Similar shopper segments may arise, which may be consistent with previous shopper typology studies and new segments unique to emerging market middle class consumer may be unveiled.     

Rethinking township tourism: Towards responsible tourism development in South African townships

Township tourism in South Africa has grown in popularity since 1994 and is considered by some to be an appropriate mechanism for stimulating local economic development. This paper suggests, however, that it is not necessarily a viable or responsible development option, since it does not automatically ensure pro-poor benefits or enhance community development. Primary research conducted in Soweto to understand visitor demand and tourism stakeholder perspectives suggests there is a demand for responsible tourism in townships. The paper contributes to South African debates about the developmental role of tourism, township tourism and local economic development, responsible tourism, and the related policy implications. It calls for responsible township tourism development in which local authorities play a vital role and recommends the development of township tourism attractions, with a focus on culture and heritage, to create unique visitor experiences.     

Experiences with and the viability of a recycling pilot project in a Cape Town township

This paper documents the experience with an NGO-initiated recycling programme in Hangberg Township, Cape Town. The 11-week trial project achieved 70% sign-up but suffered substantial drop-out. The NGO’s attempt to brand block leaders as ‘eco-heroes’ was unsuccessful and there were concerns about the distribution of project benefits. The project diverted 26% by mass of the estimated solid waste refuse stream of 2.5 kg per person per week and made R1752 from selling 1.965 tons of recycling. Some 970 kg of compostables were diverted but not processed as part of the project. Project accounts revealed a benefit–cost ratio of 0.123 in which the sale of recyclables and landfill costs avoided were the only benefits and wages and consumables the main costs. While a more equitable distribution of benefits could improve the cost–benefit ratio, there are other good reasons for donors to fund projects of this nature.     

Community facilities in previously disadvantaged areas of South Africa

In South Africa, scholars and practitioners do not sufficiently appreciate the value of parks, libraries and sport and recreation facilities for uplifting lower-income areas, and are generally unaware of the subtle differences between providing these facilities in a northern country and providing them in a southern country. This paper addresses these concerns by demonstrating the importance of these facilities for developing social capital and empowering individuals and communities. It argues that the success of such facilities depends on sensitivity to the community’s need for safe spaces. The paper is based on a case study of the Mahwelereng Sports Node & Library in Mokopane, Limpopo Province, using document analysis and interviews and discussions with the facility’s developers, managers and users. It was found that the activities offered by the facility had boosted the local community’s social capital and improved the users’ health, learning and socialisation.