Centre for Social Development in Africa (CSDA)

22/10/2026

The CSDA’s Prof Lauren Graham is attending the SAYouth , where President Cyril Ramaphosa highlighted the importance of working together to address youth unemployment.

Prof Graham notes that this challenge cannot be solved in isolation. Collaboration across sectors is essential to creating meaningful opportunities and support for young people.

This is at the heart of the Basic Package of Support (BPS), which connects young people to the support, services and opportunities they need to navigate their journeys towards employment.

🤝 Learn more about the Basic Package of Support https://bpsforyouth.org.za/

21/10/2026

On 9 August 1956, thousands of women marched to the Union Buildings in protest against pass laws, leaving a powerful legacy of courage and collective action.

Seven decades later, their struggle invites us to ask: how far have we come in advancing gender equality — and what remains unfinished?

Join Prof Leila Patel for the 21st Annual Helen Joseph Memorial Lecture at the University of Johannesburg, exploring the achievements, broken promises and future of South African women's movements.

📅 09 November 2026
⏰ 17:00–19:00
📍 Ubuntu Chambers, Auckland Park Kingsway Campus, University of Johannesburg
💻 Also streamed live on YouTube.

Register here: https://forms.office.com/r/tBpnxQkTFg

19/10/2026

💡From research to public debate: Understanding the realities of platform work

What happens when Uber drivers or Mr D delivery workers can't work due to illness, injury, or other unexpected events?

CSDA research explores the risks and insecurities faced by platform workers, highlighting significant gaps in social protection and their implications for the future of work in South Africa.

📖 Read our Research Spotlight to discover the key findings. Full paper available here https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/14680181261457292

🎥 Watch the webinar as Prof Lauren Graham unpacks the evidence and discusses its policy implications https://youtu.be/6meHO9m8omg?t=2768

📰 See how this research is contributing to the national conversation in a recent News24 op-ed by Prof Lauren Graham, Khuliso Matidza and Oliver M**h. https://www.news24.com/opinions/analysis/analysis-behind-every-uber-ride-and-mr-d-order-is-a-worker-asking-what-if-i-cant-work-20261013-0719

Together, these resources show how research can inform public debate and support evidence-based policy on the future of work.

14/10/2026

Helen Joseph’s legacy continues to raise important questions about women, equality, care and social justice.

This November, the CSDA at the University of Johannesburg invites you to the 21st Annual Helen Joseph Memorial Lecture, reflecting on the enduring relevance of women’s movements and the care agenda in South Africa today.

Join us for an evening of reflection, dialogue and ideas inspired by a legacy of activism that continues to shape conversations about social justice.

📅 09 November 2026
⏰ 17:00–19:00
📍 Ubuntu Chambers, Auckland Park Kingsway Campus, University of Johannesburg
💻 Also streamed live on YouTube.

Register here: https://forms.office.com/r/tBpnxQkTFg

Centre for Social Development in Africa (CSDA)

14/10/2026

What happens when platform workers can’t work?

In this News24.com op-ed, the CSDA's Prof Lauren Graham, Khuliso Matidza & Oliver M**h explore the risks and insecurities faced by Uber drivers and Mr D delivery workers, and the need for stronger social protection.

Recognising the importance of platform opportunities in a low-job-growth economy does not mean overlooking the conditions under which that work takes place, write Oliver M**h, Lauren Graham and Khuliso Matidza.

08/10/2026

📢 Research Spotlight

How did the COVID-19 crisis and the SRD grant affect informal traders in South Africa?

A study by CSDA research associate Sophie Plagerson and CSDA researcher Senzelwe Mthembu explores how informal traders experienced the disruption caused by COVID-19, and how the Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant supported their ability to cope, work and support their households.

Drawing on interviews with 60 informal traders across Johannesburg, Orange Farm, Mthatha, Mqanduli and Durban, the study highlights that informal traders are not passive recipients of social protection. They are active workers and economic agents who adapt to major disruptions and play an important role in supporting their households and communities.

The findings show that while the SRD grant helped traders maintain livelihoods and support their households, reliable cash support needs to be complemented by broader employment and economic opportunities, including access to jobs, land, credit and business support.

The paper was recently presented as part of the Social Security for Workers webinar series, based on the Global Social Policy special issue “Social Security for Workers,” hosted by the CSDA and Just Society, which examines how social protection can respond to changing forms of work. 🎥 Watch the webinar recording: https://youtu.be/WLf5KfOEGa8

📄 The full paper in the Global Social Policy Special Issue is available here: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/14680181261432801

07/10/2026

📢 SOCIAL SECURITY FOR WORKERS | Final Webinar

Who should shape the rules for digital platform work?

Join us for the final in our Social Security for Workers series, focusing on Brazil and the debates around platform work, labour regulation and social protection.

The webinar will bring together two presentations:

01 | The Institutional Struggle over the Legalization of Platform Work in Brazil

🎤 Juliano Zaiden Benvindo, Pablo Holmes and Vincenzo Pietrogiovanni
💬 Discussant: Joana Machado

02 | Disputing Voices in the Regulation of Work on Digital Platforms in Brazil: A Decolonial Perspective

🎤 Flávia Máximo and Renata Queiroz Dutra
💬 Discussant: Pedro Augusto Gravatá Nicoli

Together, the presentations will explore the institutions, competing perspectives and voices shaping the future of platform work in Brazil — and what this means for workers’ rights and social protection.

📅 9 October
⏰ 17:30 - 19:00
🔗 Register: 7f075eb5-3337-45ed-90ce-9e201cf8e382@fa785acd-36ef-41bc-8a94-89841327e045" rel="ugc" target="_blank">https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/7f075eb5-3337-45ed-90ce-9e201cf8e382@fa785acd-36ef-41bc-8a94-89841327e045

About the series:
The Social Security for Workers Webinar Series is based on the Global Social Policy special issue “Social Security for Workers”, bringing together research on how social protection systems can respond to changing forms of work.

📖 Explore the special issue: https://journals.sagepub.com/toc/gspa/26/2

06/10/2026

📢 WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU NEED PROTECTION BUT DON’T HAVE A FORMAL EMPLOYER?

For millions of informal workers, access to social protection can be uncertain — especially when there is no traditional employer to provide benefits such as maternity protection or income support.

Join us for the next session of the Social Security for Workers Webinar Series as we explore how informal workers are navigating social protection in India and South Africa.

📅 7 October 2026
🕐 13:00–14:30 CET
🎤 Harsh*ta Sinha, Max Gallien & Vanessa van den Boogaard
Maternity Protection for Informal Workers in India: Possibilities and Limits of Employer and State Action

The presentation examines how informal women workers access maternity protection, including the role of childcare centres, NGOs, employers and the state — and where these approaches fall short.
💬 Discussant: Mohini Singh

🎤 Senzelwe Mthembu & Sophie Plagerson
Passive Recipients or Active Agents? Insights from Informal Trader Experiences of South Africa’s SRD Grant

The presentation explores how South Africa’s SRD grant has affected informal traders and what this tells us about designing social protection that supports workers as active economic agents, rather than simply passive recipients.

💬 Discussant: Mike Rogan

👉 Register: 21b5ae4e-c561-441e-9c19-5cc25d3c53f0@fa785acd-36ef-41bc-8a94-89841327e045?source=copyLinkLegacyShareLinkDialog" rel="ugc" target="_blank">https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/21b5ae4e-c561-441e-9c19-5cc25d3c53f0@fa785acd-36ef-41bc-8a94-89841327e045?source=copyLinkLegacyShareLinkDialog

About the series:
The Social Security for Workers Webinar Series is based on the Global Social Policy special issue “Social Security for Workers”, bringing together research on how social protection systems can respond to changing forms of work.
📖 Explore the special issue: https://journals.sagepub.com/toc/gspa/26/2

05/10/2026

📚 Meet the contributors behind a new handbook on radical, ethical social work

What does it mean to practise social work in ways that are both radical and ethical?

The CSDA at the University of Johannesburg and the Department of Social Work at the Wits - University of the Witwatersrand invite you to the launch of:
📖 The Routledge International Handbook of Radical, Ethical Social Work. Edited by Jeanette Schmid and Marina Morgenshtern.

Bringing together 30 chapters and international perspectives, the handbook explores how radical and ethical approaches can be applied in social work practice, while navigating the tensions and contradictions between them.

🌍 Swipe through to meet some of the international contributors to the volume.

Several contributors will join us at the launch to share their perspectives on challenging structural and systemic oppression, navigating contradictions in social work, and developing innovative approaches that can contribute to social transformation.

📅 9 October 2026
🕒 15:00–16:30 SAST
💻 Online

If you're interested in critical, socially transformative social work, join the conversation.

👉 Register here: 7ae06c70-c58d-42c4-8b57-5b5be58b6b5c@fa785acd-36ef-41bc-8a94-89841327e045" rel="ugc" target="_blank">https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/7ae06c70-c58d-42c4-8b57-5b5be58b6b5c@fa785acd-36ef-41bc-8a94-89841327e045

02/10/2026

Helen Joseph’s legacy continues to raise important questions about women, equality, care and social justice.

This November, the CSDA at the University of Johannesburg invites you to the 21st Annual Helen Joseph Memorial Lecture, reflecting on the enduring relevance of women’s movements and the care agenda in South Africa today.

Join us for an evening of reflection, dialogue and ideas inspired by a legacy of activism that continues to shape conversations about social justice.

📅 09 November 2026
⏰ 17:00–19:00
📍 Ubuntu Chambers, Auckland Park Kingsway Campus, University of Johannesburg
💻 Also streamed live on YouTube.

Register here: https://forms.office.com/r/tBpnxQkTFg