Where there are no jobs: The South African Challenge of Creating Jobs and Incomes for Marginalized Rural Inhabitants

The problem of rural poverty, unemployment, lack of incomes, and marginalization has become an important area of policy in practice in South Africa. More specifically, employment is seen as an important policy instrument through which the marginalized rural inhabitants can enter and participate in the broader national economy. It is not surprising, therefore, that this area of policy concern is increasingly receiving attention among policy makers and scholars. The aim in this paper is to examine three specific strategies that are increasingly utilized to create employment and incomes for the marginalized rural inhabitants in South Africa.