Hands-on Learning Brief November 2025 by DG Murray Trust

Issue

32: November 2025

The legacy of Douglas and Eleanor Murray Invest in South Africa’s potential

DGMT is a South African public innovator through strategic investment. Our goal for South Africa is a flourishing people, economy and society. Towards this end, DGMT currently distributes about R200 million per year and leverages and manages a similar amount of funding through joint ventures with other investors.

Through the newly rebranded edition of our Hands-on Learning publication, we hope to play a helpful role in synthesising information from innovators and implementers in civil society, supporting them to share what they have learnt so that others are able to draw from and build on their experiences.

IN THIS ISSUE WE FEATURE

LEARNING BRIEF 1

Forward-thinking farming for a better future

Despite the world producing more than enough food, almost three in 10 people globally do not have enough nutritious food every day. In addition, food prices worldwide are rising, with people in low-income countries, and especially rural areas, being worse off. Agroecology can offer a solution. It’s a way of farming that protects natural resources while applying both modern science and people’s traditional and local knowledge. In short, it’s about farming that is sustainable and socially just. The potential of agroecology to change people’s lives drives DGMT’s investment in small-scale farming initiatives that work in synergy with nature. This learning brief presents key findings from DGMT-commissioned research that explores the enabling factors behind smallholder farming initiatives grounded in ecologically sound practices, aimed at helping communities thrive and build a sustainable future.

LEARNING BRIEF 2

What lies beneath: Understanding how poverty affects young people — and how they can find new hope

In South Africa in 2025, more than a third (35%) of young people aged 15 to 24 are not in employment, education, or any form of skills training. Among those aged 25 to 34, the figure rises to 44%, highlighting a deepening crisis in youth readiness for work and economic participation. Growing up — and remaining — trapped in poverty doesn't just mean going without material necessities. It also chips away at a person’s self-esteem, sense of agency, social trust, and ultimately, hope. These less visible dimensions of poverty show that breaking the cycle isn't only about creating more jobs; it requires addressing deeper emotional and social impacts as well. Recognising this aspect is key to unlocking new opportunities and someone’s sense of hope. Because poverty is multidimensional, the solution should be too. DGMT believes that young people’s struggles with poverty should be viewed and understood in a holistic manner. That’s why we at DGMT have invested in an approach that connects young people to the right level of support, based on their needs — from having secure and decent income to being able to handle life in a resilient way. This learning brief looks at the thinking behind the “FETCH” model and how it is put to use in a practical way to help young people from disadvantaged communities “fetch the future” they aspire to

LEARNING BRIEF 3

Litigate, advocate, educate: Why going to court can help to fight alcohol harms

South Africa is a nation of heavy drinkers. In fact, data shows that the country’s drinkers consumed, on average, about 27 litres of pure alcohol each in 2019. That works out to roughly five glasses of wine, five cans of beer or five shots of spirits every day. Rethink Your Drink, DGMT’s project for reducing alcohol harms, works specifically to address excessive drinking to prevent the socials ills and poor health outcomes that stem from it. One of the key strategies is to take legal action against an actor believed to be violating people’s rights — whether it’s industry or the government. This is called strategic litigation, because cases for this type of legal action are chosen very carefully to ensure that the outcome will bring about change that will have a broader impact on society and not just on the immediate parties involved in the case. This learning brief looks at the ins and outs of strategic litigation as part of a social justice campaign, what the potential risks and benefits are, and how the strategy has been used so far to fight alcohol harms in South Africa.

FARMING FOR A BETTER FUTURE

Agroecology can offer a solution. It’s a way of farming that protects natural resources while applying both modern science and people’s traditional and local knowledge. The potential of agroecology to change people’s lives drives DGMT’s investment in small-scale farming initiatives that work in synergy with nature.

This learning brief presents key findings from DGMT-commissioned research that explores the enabling factors behind smallholder farming initiatives grounded in ecologically sound practices, aimed at helping communities thrive and build a sustainable future.

FARMING FOR THE FUTURE

Food is our future on a plate1 — because what we eat determines how well we live, how our children grow, and how we keep the food production cycle going. Today, the amount of food produced in the world is more than 1.5 times what people need for a healthy weight,2 yet in 2024 almost three in 10 people globally did not get enough nutrients, including carbohydrates, protein, vitamins and minerals, needed for a healthy body every day. Women and young children are the worst affected, with data showing that a third of women and

two-thirds of children between six and 23 months didn’t eat a diet varied enough to give them all these nutrients in the right amounts.3 In addition, food prices worldwide are rising, with people in low-income countries, and especially rural areas, being worse affected than elsewhere.4

Agroecology can offer a solution. It’s a way of farming that protects natural resources such as soil and water, focuses on sourcing inputs like seeds and organic fertilisers locally or from an own supply, and uses natural ways to control pests. It also applies both modern science and people’s traditional and local knowledge.5 In short, it’s about farming that is sustainable and socially just.

IN A NUTSHELL

THE FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANISATION DEFINES THESE 10 BASIC ELEMENTS: 6

PEOPLE

Use people’s existing knowledge about farming and create new knowledge together.

Ensure that everyone has enough healthy food to eat, while respecting their traditions and culture.

Protect and improve rural livelihoods, equity and communities’ wellbeing.

Put policies in place so that enough food can be grown for everyone, without damaging the environment.

Allow people to buy and sell food at a fair price.

ENVIRONMENT

Use resources like water and energy efficiently.

Recycle what is already available instead of buying new materials all the time.

Create food systems that can thrive in an area’s natural conditions, such as little rainfall or cold winters.

Make the most of an ecosystem’s natural services such as insects as pollinators, or wetlands to protect land against flood damage or erosion.

Plant many different crops on a piece of land, rather than focusing only on one type.

1 Food and Agriculture Organization. 2025. World Food Day 2025. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ieKh487cHrg

2 The global food supply provides approximately 2 957 kCal per person. The global minimum daily energy requirement is 1 834 kCal. See: Our World in Data. Food Supply. https://ourworldindata.org/food-supply

3 World Bank. 2025. State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2025 Available at: https://openknowledge.fao.org/bitstreams/e612e779-ec47-44c2-a3e0499569c3422d/download

4 Ibid.

5 Food and Agriculture Organization. Agroecology Knowledge Hub. Available at: https://www.fao.org/agroecology/overview/en/

6 Food and Agriculture Organization. The 10 elements of agroecology. Available at: https://www.fao.org/agroecology/overview/overview10elements/en/

Agroecology is about producing food in a way that is good for people and good for the environment too. The idea is that if people farm in a way that protects their local ecosystems, communities will be able to grow not only enough food for everyone, but also adequately varied foods to ensure that people can get the nutrients they need to stay healthy. In addition, growing healthy food near people’s homes means communities have easier access to good nutrition and that produce can be sold (and bought) at fair prices. It fosters sustainable development: if people are strong because they eat healthy food, they can be economically productive, care for their families and children better, and improve their standard of living. Because food is produced in an ecologically responsible way, the cycle can be maintained.

In many low-income countries, research shows that applying agroecological principles, such as intercropping, planting diverse and indigenous crops, and rotating plots, has improved food security. These practices allow for year-round harvests and help protect crops from climate shocks. But they have a social benefit too: people needed to tend to their crops less while their productivity increased, they received more sustainable income and also spent less on buying inputs, and they strengthened their community networks by sharing produce with one another.7

The potential of agroecology to change people’s lives drives DGMT’s investment in small-scale farming initiatives that work in synergy with nature. Research shows that almost twothirds of households in South Africa are food insecure (46% of households to a moderate extent, and 17.5% to a severe extent) and more than a quarter of children under five are stunted.8 Therefore, empowering people to grow healthy food locally, in a way that is in step with nature, can support not only their own healthy eating and secure livelihoods, but also those of others in their communities.

“Social barriers like not having secure access to food or a sustainable way to create meaningful income hinder people from reaching their full potential,” says Busisiwe KabaneBailey, innovation director at DGMT. “But smallholder farmers can be pivotal connectors between food security and income generation, especially in rural areas, and we see agroecology as an opportunity to connect communities to their environment in ways that can empower them socioeconomically.”

CATALYSTS OF CHANGE

To better understand how supporting localised, future-thinking farming initiatives can help change people’s lives, DGMT commissioned researchers from the Southern Africa Food Lab,9 a non-profit organisation linked to the Food Security Initiative at Stellenbosch University, to look into what makes agroecology work in small-scale farming, and what gaps might prevent successful operations.10

The study set out to answer four main questions:

What are the key enablers that give small-scale farmers access to the inputs they need?

What helps these farmers to sell their produce successfully?

How does conserving biodiversity complement agroecology in these setups?

Can the “best buy” food items11 that Grow Great advocates for be supplied through small-scale farming initiatives that run on agroecological principles?12

“The research was a sense-making opportunity so that we can be a better partner for organisations already working in the small-scale agroecology space,” says Kabane-Bailey. “Understanding what works or where challenges lie allows an organisation such as DGMT to make better informed and strategic decisions as to where to get involved and how to invest resources to help drive change.”

The researchers visited eight small-scale initiatives in KwaZuluNatal that farm according to agroecological principles or support such enterprises. The case studies were diverse: some involved many farmers, others focused on smaller groups; many were run by women, but some also included youth; some were in rural settings, and others were closer to urban areas; some had been running for decades, and others were just starting out.

Observing activities and talking to people about how they run their small farms or gardens — some about the size of a rugby field and others not even a tenth of that — gave researchers deeper insight into what works and what holds people back. They also interviewed experts from organisations involved in agroecology, and later brought people from different groups together to learn from one another.

7 Bezner Kerr, R. et al. 2021. Can agroecology improve food security and nutrition? A review. Global Food Security 29, 100540. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gfs.2021.100540

8 Mutanga, S.T. et al. 2023. National Food and Nutrition Security Survey: National survey Pretoria: Human Sciences Research Council.

9 Southern Africa Food Lab. Available at: https://www.southernafricafoodlab.org/about/ 10 Drimie, S. and Carden, K. 2025. Enabling the success of small-scale agroecological farming projects.

11 In public health, “best buys” are interventions that evidence shows will be the most affordable to improve someone’s health or development.

12 Grow Great and DGMT. Become an advocate for the double-discounted list of ten best buy foods. Available at: https://dgmt.co.za/lets-close-the-food-gap/

The overarching finding of the deep dive was that agroecological farming realises several development objectives. It not only improves communities’ access to a stable supply of healthy food but also helps them to learn about nutrition and how to safeguard their livelihoods in a changing climate by making the best use of natural resources in a sustainable way. The case studies showed that small-scale farmers have a practical approach to sourcing inputs such as seedlings or compost, and combine this with capacitybuilding initiatives that gradually build local self-sufficiency. By approaching agroecology initiatives in a way that works in their specific community or setup, such as promoting homebased composting rather than relying on a centralised source, farmers' immediate needs can be balanced with longer-term sustainability goals.

The same holds for market access. The farming initiatives were found to take a realistic approach to how to create markets for their produce. Long before retailers are targeted further afield, local communities are served first. Farmers set up local informal markets, supply nearby early childhood development centres or schools, and find innovative ways to process produce for longer shelf-life, such as through drying, powdering or fermenting.

Despite the successes, many groups still face systemic constraints such as insecure land tenure, unreliable transport, limited extension support and a lack of recognition of informal certification systems. Addressing these challenges can help to increase the development impact of agroecological farming initiatives in underserved communities.

THE POLICY LANDSCAPE

The research showed that current policy frameworks seem to favour conventional farming and its associated value chains and formal markets.

Access to seed, specifically, can be problematic. That’s because the laws that govern how plants are bred — and therefore how seeds are produced — align closely with an international convention (UPOV 91) aimed at protecting new plant varieties.13 The agreement is contentious because it appears to benefit commercial seed producers and impose on the rights of farmers to save, share or sell seeds of protected varieties.14 This goes against some of

13 South Africa is a member of UPOV 78, but not a signatory to the 1991 convention. This means that there may be opportunities for some farmers to be exempted from certain restrictions regarding seed production, as has been argued by Biowatch SA in their comments to the UPOV Working Group’s questions regarding implications for smallholder farmers. See: https://biowatch.org.za/download/policy-submission_ smallholder-farmers_definition-private-non-commercial_upov/#

the core principles of agroecology, in that farmers are forced to rely on using external inputs (seeds, in this instance) rather than becoming more self-reliant.

Market access and distribution channels can be hampered by laws or regulations that govern where and how food can be sold. Different stakeholders — from agriculture and social development authorities to town planners and those responsible for transport infrastructure — have to work together to create spaces where food can be bought and sold conveniently and at fair prices.

Despite these constraints, the policy environment also presents emerging opportunities through initiatives such as the development of a new national framework for agroecology in South Africa, initiated by Parliament’s portfolio committee on agriculture, land reform and rural development in 2023.15 The new framework was expected to be released for public comment in 2025.

In January 2025, South Africa also ratified the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, which promotes the conservation and sustainable and fair use of genetic material from plants for farming.16 This provides an important framework for protecting farmers’ rights to save and share seeds. Regional platforms such as the Southern African Development Community and the African Union may offer more promising avenues than national policy advocacy alone.

14 Centre for Biodiversity. 2018. Reflections on ITPGRFA, UPOV 1991 and South Africa Statement, 30 October. https://acbio.org.za/seed-sovereignty/seed-laws-policies/ reflections-itpgrfa-upov-1991-south-africa/

15 Parliamentary Monitoring Group. 2023. Agroecology Strategy and Plan for South Africa: Stakeholder input. Meeting notes, 14 March. https://pmg.org.za/committee-meeting/36544/

16 Food and Agriculture Organization. 2025. South Africa joins the international treaty. Media statement, 16 January. https://www.fao.org/plant-treaty/news/news-detail/ SOUTH-AFRICA-JOINS-THE-INTERNATIONAL-TREATY-/en; Food and Agriculture Organization. 2025. International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture. https://www.fao.org/plant-treaty/en/

At a municipal level, local government has emerged as an important policy arena. Municipalities like eThekwini in KwaZulu-Natal showed that local policies can support agroecological initiatives, although implementation often faces capacity constraints. The implementation of local procurement plans, such as KwaDukuza’s use of the National School Nutrition Programme, demonstrate how policy can create significant market opportunities for small-scale farmers.

HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE FIELD

The case studies yielded valuable insights into how small-scale farming that embraces ecologically sound principles to grow food can help change people’s lives. Here are some highlights about what some of these initiatives do, what works for them and what holds them back.

THANDA — UMZUMBE LOCAL MUNICIPALITY IN KWAZULU-NATAL

Thanda supports over 300 smallholder farmers, mostly women and youth. The organisation has been involved in agroecology since 2014 and its operation covers a combined area of 40 hectares, made up of homestead gardens and 31 cooperative farms. The projected value of vegetable production was estimated to be around R8 million in 2024. A combination of 12 vegetable crops is grown across the network, all foods that are popular in the local community.

What works: Farmers get seedlings on credit from a commercial nursery about 60 km away but can only take a limited number at a time, ensuring they don’t rack up unmanageable debt. Compost is available from a biodigester at their agri-hub, and farmers are also encouraged to make organic pesticides and save seeds for future planting.

After first ensuring that their own households have enough food, farmers sell the rest of their produce in their community and to institutions linked to Thanda’s feeding programmes. Over 80% of the produce is sold by the farmers themselves, although the programme also offers a safety net by buying up surplus.

Thanda combines biodiversity conservation and land stewardship by encouraging farmers to maintain wetland reeds to protect their land against flood damage.

What holds them back: Thanda farmers don’t have their own seedling nursery. Attempts to set one up before were unsuccessful because of limited technical skills and the intense care required to raise strong plants. There is also little demand for high-nutrition crops such as cauliflower and broccoli. Detailed information about farmers’ profitability, post-harvest losses and sales volumes by market channel is lacking.

SIYAVUNA — UGU DISTRICT IN KWAZULU-NATAL

Siyavuna has eight community hubs and reaches about 1 500 farmers, of whom a large number are women and young people. Farmers feed their own families first and sell the rest of their produce weekly for cash. Siyavuna is also a founding partner of the Kumnandi brand (which means “it’s delicious”) and serves as a collective marketing platform that connects farmer groups across provinces to shared branding, standards and market access strategies. Produce is grown on homestead plots of 500–1000 m2 — about a tenth of the size of a rugby field. Farmers are encouraged to grow at least 10 crop types per season, with some indigenous varieties in the mix. The use of chemical inputs like fertiliser or pesticides is strongly discouraged.

What works: Siyavuna focuses on promoting soil health, implementing water-wise practices such as mulching and using greywater, and reducing reliance on external inputs. Compost is often produced at home although some hubs also coordinate group composting activities, and farmers are encouraged to save seeds.

Training is delivered through the organisation’s farmer development programme and supported by local facilitators who do home visits and run seasonal workshops.

Fresh produce is sold mainly to retailers on the KwaZuluNatal South Coast, but some is also sold at local market days such as “Fresh Produce Fridays” or bought by early childhood development centres and informal traders. Siyavuna has also set up a sophisticated processing facility for drying produce, with many of the products being supplied to processing companies and health shops nationwide under the Kumnandi brand.

What holds them back: Siyavuna farmers don’t have access to formal cold-chain infrastructure, which means that they have limited opportunities for scaling. Transport limitations reduce marketing reach and the size of plots limits productivity and consistent supply. Little information is available about farmers’ production volumes or income, which makes it difficult to track outcomes over time or compare them across hubs. Homestead growers also don’t have formal land tenure documents.

SIYAVUNA: PLANTING

HOPE, GROWING FUTURES

Growing food sustainably is not only about caring for natural resources and ensuring ecological resilience; it’s also about caring for those growing the food and building their resilience. This is why Siyavuna makes mental health support and life skills training part of their youth-led farming projects. Often, the barrier to young people making a success of their farming endeavours is not related to technical skills, land access or funding. Instead, it’s something that lies hidden: unresolved trauma, undiagnosed depression, or the weight of daily survival.

Siyavuna includes resilience-building workshops in their programme to help participants develop emotional strength and the capacity to deal with stress, especially around failure and uncertainty — which is a real possibility when income and food security depend, to a large extent, on unpredictable factors such as the weather. By creating structured spaces for peer-to-peer support, young people can share their experiences with one another, and benefit from knowing that they’re not alone.

But seeing young people’s mental health struggles can also take a toll on technical facilitators whose core role is to impart knowledge about farming, and they may not always be equipped to absorb young people’s emotional burdens. By providing training on trauma awareness, boundary setting and personal wellbeing, Siyavuna helps staff to also build up resilience, which allows them to better help young farmers develop their skills.

SIYAZISIZA — KWAZULU-NATAL, THE EASTERN CAPE AND MPUMALANGA

The Siyazisiza Trust is a non-profit rural development organisation that has been working with small-scale farmers in South Africa’s three eastern provinces for almost 40 years. The Zululand Agri Enterprise Centre in Obanjeni serves as the operational hub and includes agro-processing and freshproduce storage facilities, shaded and open nurseries, a newly established kitchen, and two hectares of land under agroecological transition. The model positions agroecology as both a technical solution and a community-driven process to support long-term resilience through farmer training, input and logistics support, and market access facilitation through a decentralised village-based structure. Traditional farming wisdom is combined with modern principles to foster crop diversification and soil health management.

What works: Siyazisiza encourages farmers to plant traditional grains such as sorghum and millet. Seed access is being strengthened through indigenous seed networks, which connect younger farmers with older women who have traditional farming knowledge. The Siyazisiza input model also includes species development through crop trials, seed banking and the establishment of local supplier networks to strengthen sustainability.

The network negotiates contracts with secure buyers, establishes partnerships with health-focused retailers and coordinates delivery of the produce, allowing smallholders to focus on volume. Vegetables like spinach, cabbage and fast-growing amaranth form the core of their fresh produce offering, selected for their short growth cycles and high turnover. Siyazisiza also produces innovative processed food items such as puffed ancient grains, flours and vegetable powders, which have opened niche markets and helped reduce waste.

What holds them back: Bird damage to sorghum crops and labour-intensive practices make growing traditional grains challenging, and reviving indigenous seed systems requires sustained effort in knowledge transfer and crop trials. Social barriers such as expectations around credit, community tensions, and farmers’ limited capacity to market their produce can hinder progress. Additionally, the network’s wide geographic reach puts pressure on logistics, monitoring and support systems.

SMALL-SCALE AGROECOLOGY AND GROW GREAT’S 10 BEST BUYS

Grow Great works towards building a future where no child in South Africa is unjustly denied the opportunity to reach their full potential. As part of its campaign to halve stunting by 2030, Grow Great has identified the following protein- and energy-rich foods that can provide high nutritional value at the lowest cost for families:

tinned tuna

tinned pilchards

peanut butter

fortified maize meal

eggs

soya mince

dried or tinned beans

dried lentils

amasi

long-life full cream milk

The DGMT-commissioned research found that small-scale farmers using agroecological practices are well positioned to boost local supplies of amasi, eggs, groundnuts, and speckled beans. To enable decentralised production of these foods, potential strategies include: creating product-focused agricultural hubs; building integrated market linkages to support scaling; strengthening input value chains; and improving subsidy systems and policies to ensure availability.

KEY LESSONS

The success of agroecology in small-scale farming is rooted in creating interconnected systems that function locally but also tap into diverse external channels to support sustainable, community-centred food systems.

Here are some of the main takeaways from the research:

SOWING SUCCESS

By sourcing seeds or seedlings locally, farmers can become less dependent on external inputs and thus more self-reliant. This can be achieved through seed-saving initiatives and establishing seedling nurseries. At the moment, South Africa’s policy environment is not ready to accommodate or promote a seedsaving and -sharing culture, but civil society organisations such as Biowatch SA, interviewed as part of the DGMT-commissioned research, are part of discussions about how small-scale and homestead farmers can be exempted from rules that would make seed-saving and -sharing practices unlawful.

COMPOST IS KEY

Reliable access to high-quality organic fertiliser is essential for successful agroecological farming. Sharing composting knowledge across farmer networks can build the expertise and capacity needed to support sustainable production. Thanda’s experience shows that success depends on having enough space for producing large amounts of compost, dedicated management of the process and a steady supply of biomass to keep production going. For elderly farmers, though, household composting with kitchen waste could be a more manageable model as it does not require much hard physical work.

LOCAL IS LEKKER

Prioritising local markets is a fundamental enabler of success. For a local market strategy to be impactful and economically viable, strong community connections and multiple complementary market channels are needed. For example, Thanda’s farmers ensure that their own households have enough food first and then sell the rest of their produce to members of their own community, while Siyavuna hosts local fresh-produce market days and encourages links with food stores in their community.

1 2 3 4

PARTNER UP

Strategic partnerships, particularly with schools and early childhood development centres, can offer reliable markets

while simultaneously contributing to a community’s nutrition security. Such institutional relationships reinforce the social value of agroecology. This model works well for Thanda, Siyavuna and Siyazisiza.

5 ADD VALUE

Innovative thinking around making the most of everything that is grown is a critical enabler of economically successful agroecology. The use of processing methods such as drying, fermentation and powdering can help farmers cope with overproduction, extend product shelf life and open niche markets with higher margins, and so create robust and diverse income streams. Both Siyavuna and Siyazisiza have successfully added processing initiatives to their offerings.

WORK WITH NATURE

Successful agroecology ventures build on existing ecosystem services such as wetlands and natural vegetation instead of replacing them with artificial inputs. Incorporating indigenous crops into small-scale farming helps preserve biodiversity and genetic resources that are well adapted to local conditions, contributing to food security and resilience in the face of climate change.

DRAW ON THE WISDOM OF WOMEN

Across all eight case studies, women emerged as central agents of agroecological transformation. In many of the projects reviewed, more than three-quarters of the farmers were women. They not only drive household nutrition but are also instrumental in creating organisational structures for farmers, bringing people together and empowering them. In addition, many older women have a wealth of traditional knowledge, which they can pass on to younger farmers.

WHAT’S NEXT?

The overarching outcome of this research — that connecting people to the environment is at the heart of building sustainable, thriving communities — transcends across all DGMT’s projects, says Kabane-Bailey. “We’re in it for the long haul.”

“The study highlights how DGMT can continue to support smallholder agroecology initiatives by backing organisations already active in this space — through funding, operational support, or knowledge sharing. But more than that, as a public innovator, DGMT can also leverage its resources to act as a convenor of co-learning opportunities that link environmental sustainability to empower people,” Kabane-Bailey explains.

“We don’t see ourselves as the experts in agroecology, but rather as a facilitator of knowledge sharing,” she adds. Plans are already forming to create a space over the next year that will help experts from across the spectrum — from organisations working in the field to policymakers — to take concrete actions to use agroecology projects as a way to empower communities.

Says Kabane-Bailey: “We envisage our role as creating a bridge for knowledge sharing. That’s synergy in practice.”

The information in this brief is based on research commissioned by DGMT, and authored by Scott Drimie and Kenneth Carden. The brief was written by Linda Pretorius and edited by Rahima Essop.

This is the learning experience of:

WHAT LIES BENEATH: UNDERSTANDING HOW POVERTY AFFECTS YOUNG PEOPLE — AND HOW THEY CAN FIND NEW HOPE

This learning brief looks at the thinking behind the “FETCH” model and how it is put to use in a practical way to help young people from disadvantaged communities “fetch

the future” they aspire to.

Recognising this aspect is key to unlocking new opportunities and someone’s sense of hope. Because poverty is multidimensional, the solution should be too. DGMT believes that young people’s struggles with poverty should be viewed and understood in a holistic manner. That’s why we at DGMT have invested in an approach that connects young people to the right level of support, based on their needs — from having secure and decent income to being able to handle life in a resilient way.

THE UNSEEN SIDES OF POVERTY

Labour statistics show that between April and June 2025, over a third (35%) of young people between 15 and 24 were not engaged in any form of skills training or learning opportunity to get them ready for a job, nor were they in employment if already old enough to work.1 Among 25–34-year-olds this number climbs to 44%.2 But there’s more to it: figures from earlier in the year show that almost 60% of the 3.5 million people of working age who are so discouraged by unemployment that they’ve stopped looking for a job, are under 35.3

Without a job, or the opportunity to build skills to get ready for work, the prospect of getting a meaningful and sustainable income, and a better life, feels unattainable.

But poverty goes beyond a lack of material resources. For those who haven’t experienced it, it can be hard to grasp just how deeply it affects every part of a person’s life — especially for young people. Sometimes, the best way to convey its full weight is through a metaphor.

Think of young people as a car, and poverty as a road travelled. This road is in disrepair — full of potholes and strewn with debris. When the car runs low on fuel, we can top it up, and it keeps moving. But if we never fix the road, the engine takes hit after hit, wearing down with every bump and obstacle. Reaching any destination becomes a struggle — if the car makes it at all. A smooth road helps, but it’s not enough. What’s under the hood matters just as much.

Society often responds to young people in poverty by focusing on the visible issues only, like the fuel gauge, but forgets to look deeper to see how the poor road conditions have affected the engine’s performance. Often the damage is not visible. This is why poverty is often described as having multiple, hidden dimensions. It affects far more than just material resources, reaching into parts of people’s lives that aren’t always visible from the outside. And it can’t be meaningfully addressed by strategies that focus only on fixing material shortfalls.

Living in deprivation affects someone’s sense of who they are, how they fit into society and how other people treat them — hidden dimensions that make it hard for someone not only to connect to earning opportunities but also to hold on to a

job. It’s like expecting the car to keep running well without servicing its engine and fixing the damage from driving on a treacherous road.

When basic needs such as income, food security and health care are unmet, the impact doesn’t stop there; these deprivations interact with and reinforce each other over time. For a young person, the struggle to afford transport can mean missing school, falling behind academically, and eventually feeling excluded from pathways that lead to employment. Each barrier compounds the next, creating a cycle that is difficult to break.

UNLOCKING HOPE

Conventional approaches to poverty reduction often focus on material upliftment: creating jobs, stimulating entrepreneurship, or increasing access to income. In other words, putting fuel in the tank and fixing the road. Although these are crucial components, they don’t adequately deal with the problems hiding under the engine hood.

“Poverty kills dreams and cages the dreamers,” said a respondent to a large multi-country study about people’s inner experiences of poverty.4 Many people in these situations say that they feel disempowered because they don’t have control over their circumstances and, in turn, must depend on what society offers them to get by. This leaves them with few options to take back control of their lives, reinforcing feelings of helplessness, dependence and insecurity. It breeds a vicious cycle of suffering that affects people’s physical and mental health, often leaving them frustrated, angry, scared and anxious. These experiences can gradually chip away at a person’s self-esteem, feeding their sense of helplessness and despair. When daily survival becomes an almost unbearable struggle, thinking of how to escape the situation can seem futile.

But it’s not only people’s internal feelings of despair that erode their resilience. The way society reacts to and treats people living in poverty can further crush someone’s spirit. Often, formal institutions such as government bodies or even civil society organisations fail to adequately address the needs of people living in poverty, which can lead to an unfair distribution of resources and services. When this happens people can feel as if their voices aren’t being heard, creating a sense of exclusion and powerlessness that feed an already overwhelming feeling of disempowerment.

1 StatsSA. 2025. Quarterly Labour Force Survey: Quarter 2, 12 August. Available here: https://www.statssa.gov.za/publications/P0211/P02112ndQuarter2025.pdf

2 Ibid.

3 StatsSA. 2025. Quarterly Labour Force Survey (QLFS) — Q1:2025, Presentation, 13 May. Available here: https://www.statssa.gov.za/publications/P0211/ Presentation%2520QLFS%2520Q1%25202025.pdf; Also see: https://www.statssa.gov.za/?p=18398

4 Ibid., p.16–17.

Research increasingly shows that without addressing these hidden dimensions of poverty — the internalised sense of exclusion, low confidence, limited social networks and poor mental health that accompany material deprivation — sustainable change remains out of reach. To truly support young people to thrive, youth development programmes need to work with the whole person. That means recognising that emotional wellbeing, self-belief and social connection are not “extras” to economic empowerment; they are the foundation.

As a social worker in the study on people’s experiences of poverty said: “We shouldn’t ask what’s wrong with you. We should ask what happened to you.”

FETCH THE FUTURE

This shift in thinking about how to address the fallout of poverty is the foundation of FETCH’s approach. As part of DGMT’s goal to help all young people get on a pathway to productivity,5 FETCH (an incubated project of DGMT) aims to unlock the potential of youth and their communities to grab opportunities that can help them create the future they aspire to.6 It is built around recognising the many ways in which poverty impacts young people’s lives and uses a multidimensional, traumainformed mentoring approach to help them break free and chart a different course for their lives.

The FETCH model recognises that many young people face multiple deprivations because they live in poverty. These show up in different ways, at different times and to different degrees; it’s not the same for everyone. Because the issues facing young people in poverty are complex and dynamic, they need an entire system of support — not just one intervention or approach.

“FETCH advocates for a scaffolded and responsive system of support that can meet the needs of young people where they’re at,” explains Simone Peinke, the FETCH project lead. This means offering different layers of support, which someone can tap into based on what they need in their life at that moment, with the FETCH team facilitating this access.

“Adolescence and up to young adulthood presents a second window of opportunity7 for setting someone up to thrive,” adds Anya Hollands, the marketing and communications lead for FETCH, and so it makes sense to focus on helping young people break out of the cycle of poverty to turn the tide of socio-economic development in South Africa.

FETCH’s scaffolded support model includes three tiers, each corresponding to the level of support a young person needs. For those needing intensive support, FETCH works with implementing partners to deliver multidimensional coaching. For those needing less intensive support, FETCH advocates for peer-group support sessions, and for the least intensive level of support, there is a digital offering.

Importantly, the FETCH model acknowledges that any effective support system needs to be embedded in a community of quality referral services. To this end, FETCH works with partners to map local services — making them visible for young people and helping local providers to build quality referral networks and youth-facing services.

Multidimensional coaching is an approach to upliftment that focuses on a mentor helping someone to find a solution to their situation themselves, rather than telling them what to do about it. The thinking is that because poverty affects many different parts of someone’s life experience, the solution has to do the same. In a nutshell, multidimensional coaching is a way to create social inclusion that is more collaborative and aims to build back people’s agency and autonomy.

5 DGMT, Goal 3: All young people on pathways to productivity. Available here: https://dgmt.co.za/our-approach/goal-3-enable-all-young-people-to-be-onpathways-to-productivity/

6 DGMT. FETCH. Available at: https://dgmt.co.za/project/fetch/

7 The first five years of someone’s life is seen as an important window of and therefore considerable attention and resources are given to early childhood development programmes. For example, see: https://ilifalabantwana.co.za/

HOW FETCH HELPS YOUNG PEOPLE GRAB

OPPORTUNITIES

Tier 3 (High Risk)

Tier 2 (Medium Risk)

Digital (Low Risk)

One-on-one coaching

Helpdesk 3 2 1

The different tiers of support offered by FETCH look like this:

A “light touch” offering is the most basic level. Here someone can talk to a “youth igniter” — a young person from the community, or a digital agent, who is tech savvy, a good communicator and has a go-getter attitude to help them kickstart their journey to finding a learning or earning opportunity. This can involve getting career information, being linked to job opportunities or services in the community, or just getting basic admin in place, such as setting up a professional email account, creating a CV, applying for a bank account or writing a cover letter for a job.

Group sessions that offer in-person peer contact represent a medium level of support. Often many young people in a community are grappling with the same issue, says Hollands, so a coach can facilitate a group session where they can share their experiences and thoughts. This way young people support one another, and trust is built among the group. “There’s a lot of power in peer support. Young people often have the answers in them already; they just need a safe space to be heard and to feel that they can talk about these things,” she says.

Group in-person support

Community links

Career info

Low Data tools

The most intensive level of support is one-on-one coaching. This involves someone working with a coach directly to help them set goals and map out a plan to move forward. Because these goals are set with the person needing support, rather than them being handed goals or steps to follow, progress feels more tangible and attainable. It’s not always easy to track success, notes Hollands, but evidence from some of the project’s implementing partners shows that there’s real improvement in someone’s mental wellbeing after just three coaching sessions. “It moves away from the thinking that a coaching model of support will be difficult to scale because it’s expensive and time consuming. Very often people need only two or three sessions to figure out a plan, and then they’re on their way.”

This pyramid of support must be anchored in a local ecosystem of services that practitioners can refer young people to. That’s why the FETCH team works closely with communities to build strong, trusted referral networks. The team creates digital maps of suitable services that are shared with community members, who then become custodians of the maps by establishing so-called youth collectives — a group of young people coming together to achieve common goals and share ideas.

“Building that network of services is not about creating a referral directory; it involves engaging with a network of people to shift how they’re responding to young people, to improve the level of service to them,” explains Peinke. Because young people are identifying their own challenges and helping to find solutions, they take the lead in maintaining the network — while local service providers are activated as partners in the response.

NUMBERS TO KNOW

Of the young people involved in FETCH programmes:

Indicators

Before coaching

63% felt they lived a life of suffering

On wellbeing

On employability

43% said they have no-one to talk to

15% showed possible symptoms of generalised anxiety disorder

41% had a CV

18% had been looking for learning or earning opportunities

After just three coaching sessions

13% felt this way

0 (none) said the same

4% showed these symptoms

98% had a CV

53% were looking for learning or earning opportunities

Community strengthening:

193 services mapped across five communities

Approximately 20 youth collectives held

SPARK TO A FLAME: THE ROLE OF YOUTH IGNITERS

AND COACHES

Youth igniters and coaches are central to making the FETCH approach work. They have complementary roles, explains Bongiwe Gwala, FETCH’s youth collective convenor in KwaXimba near Cato Ridge in KwaZulu-Natal.

“Youth igniters actively recruit young people for the programme. Once someone’s signed up, they get assigned to a coach who works with them for a few sessions, getting to know them, learning where they’re from and what their family background is, and discovering what they want to achieve and what might be holding them back,” she explains. These questions help the young person and coach to set the first goal of their journey, after which the igniter steps in to help with the practical side of achieving that goal, whether it’s creating a CV, applying for a tax number or choosing the right learning programme at a post-school institution.

Through the programme in KwaXimba, around 15 young people found jobs in the area and seven more were accepted into a learnership run by the municipality. “It’s the most rewarding thing to hear that someone who’s come through our project has been linked with an opportunity,” says Gwala.

Many young people were sceptical when FETCH first came to KwaXimba, unsure of what the programme was about, or how talking to someone about their problems could help them craft a future. But looking back, people who took part in the programme can recognise the value of the contact sessions, Gwala adds. “They come back and tell us things like: ‘At first I didn’t understand the reason for all these questions, but then after the first session I found out things about myself that I didn’t know, and it was so nice that I wanted to come back once I saw how it helps to change my attitude.’”

STRENGTHENING SUPPORT SYSTEMS

At its core, FETCH aims to strengthen the broader youth development sector — where many others are already active — by applying the insights gained from testing and refining the approach since 2020.

Originally, FETCH was part of the Basic Package of Support (BPS), a consortium project led by the Universities of Cape Town and Johannesburg. The BPS is unique in its collaborative

and evidence-based approach to tackling the crisis of young people who are not in employment, education or training. DGMT joined the group to help bring the concept to life, by designing and piloting the approach in different communities across South Africa. The collaboration was a success, and a proof-of-concept stage was reached. Since 2024, DGMT has continued to build on this work through its network of civil society partners, under the incubated FETCH project.

FETCH currently works with four implementing partners in six communities across South Africa, helping to strengthen existing programmes by mapping local services, engaging community members in providing holistic, quality, youth-friendly services, and providing individualised, multidimensional coaching. Because the real challenge often lies with implementation, FETCH provides partners with training support and ongoing quality assurance support. Practitioners are also invited to monthly role connect sessions, where they can learn from colleagues doing similar work in different contexts.

Bumb’INGOMSO is a development project of the National Department of Health, funded by the German government and DGMT. It works with various organisations around Mdantsane near East London, and since 2022, FETCH has facilitated coaching support to about 250 young people. Approximately 100 young people have been connected to learning and earning opportunities as a result.

YearBeyond is a national youth service partnership between the Western Cape government, donors and NGOs. It provides unemployed youth (18–25 years old) with work experience and a pathway to further training or work. FETCH contributes to a number of its programmes, including in Mbekweni near Paarl, Swellendam in the Overberg district, and Bonnievale in the Winelands district. FETCH has been helping YearBeyond deliver multidimensional coaching to young people since May 2025, to equip them with the emotional and psychological skills that can help them hold on to a job.

FETCH has teamed up with DGMT’s Place-based Synergies team for the past two years to help young people in Postmasburg in the Northern Cape and KwaXimba in KwaZulu-Natal to improve their emotional wellbeing and employability outcomes. In Postmasburg, JVDH Coaching works as the implementing partner, while FETCH itself is the implementer in KwaXimba. So far, 75 services have been mapped in these areas, 16 youth collectives have been set up and 70 young people were able to work directly with a wellbeing coach.

“I’m so excited for the future”

Siyamthanda Shezi, 20, volunteers at FETCH in KwaXimba. A year ago, he wasn’t even aware of the project and how it could help young people like him.

He’d been applying for post-matric learning opportunities for a long time but was always rejected.

“I was starting to lose hope,” he says. “But then early this year, one of my sisters learnt about FETCH and told me about it. So, I went there the next day, asked some questions and joined the sessions. I didn’t miss a single day.”

With the help of the FETCH team, he applied to universities and got accepted at the Tshwane University of Technology, where he will be studying public management next year.

“My life was so messed up, but now it’s like a dream. I feel I have matured, and I can now motivate my friends too.”

In fact, based on his experience, one of his friends approached FETCH for help with an application to a tertiary institution, and she’ll be attending courses at NorthWest University in 2026.

“I wish I could get a mic and big speakers to tell all the youth in KwaXimba to join FETCH. I’ve learnt that if you can’t make it today, maybe tomorrow you can. I was trying and trying before and I felt rejected many times but look at me now. Look at where I am.”

JVDH Coaching

KEY LESSONS

Supporting young people in building a positive future is a journey.

Here’s what the FETCH team has learned along the way:

MEET YOUNG PEOPLE WHERE THEY ARE

A key lesson from FETCH’s journey has been that support must begin with a deep understanding of local realities. In many under-resourced communities, digital access and data costs remain real barriers. This means that well-intentioned online tools can inadvertently exclude the very youth they aim to serve.

YOUNG PEOPLE NEED ECOSYSTEMS OF SUPPORT

Young people rarely face a single barrier to progress because the challenges they face are so interconnected. From lacking identification documents to navigating health, childcare or legal issues, the consequences of every obstacle can ripple across their lives. No single organisation can address all these needs alone.

FETCH has learnt that collaboration, not competition, is key. When local organisations work together to share data, learn from one another’s successes and failures, and build trust, they are able to create a web of support that young people can seamlessly move through. This requires a shift in mindset: from service delivery to system stewardship, where each actor plays a part in shaping a young person’s pathway out of poverty.

FETCH has learnt that success comes from co-creating solutions with young people and implementing partners, and adapting delivery models to fit local resources, cultures and capacities. By meeting people where they are, rather than expecting them to adapt to rigid systems, FETCH ensures its interventions are inclusive, practical and sustainable.

YOUNG PEOPLE ARE THE EXPERTS OF THEIR OWN LIVES

FETCH’s approach is grounded in humility and partnership. Communities do not need rescuing; they need space, tools and trust to drive their own change. This means moving away from top-down models of development that prescribe how transformation should happen, and instead focusing on measuring outcomes that reflect lived realities.

FETCH has learnt that when young people and local organisations take ownership, change becomes not only more authentic but also more enduring. This lesson has shaped FETCH’s emphasis on building capacity over dependency: ensuring that skills, systems and confidence remain in communities long after external projects conclude.

COACHING IS A CATALYST FOR PRACTICAL CHANGE

Through its multidimensional coaching model, FETCH has discovered that coaching is not a soft skill, but a bridge to tangible progress. Many young people begin by articulating their challenges, but effective coaching helps them move from reflection to action. Coaches help youth identify opportunities, map services and build step-by-step plans to move forward. This process transforms passive support into empowered problem-solving — a crucial distinction when addressing multidimensional poverty, where emotional wellbeing and access to opportunities are deeply intertwined. 1 2 3

WHAT’S NEXT?

FETCH is preparing to scale, building on its lessons to expand impact sustainably. The team is working to strengthen local delivery through long-term partnerships and shared training infrastructure that empowers implementing partners to lead independently. Plans include securing multi-year funding to expand the model’s footprint, deepening collaboration across the youth development ecosystem and adapting the multidimensional coaching model for use in schools.

A key focus will be launching FETCH Future, a zero-rated digital platform providing “light-touch” coaching support to offer young people tailored resources, guided referrals and self-directed wellbeing and career tools. By combining digital accessibility with community-embedded delivery, FETCH is positioning itself to reach more youth while maintaining the human connection at the heart of its work.

FETCH’s next chapter is about systems change — equipping communities, partners and young people to create a future where opportunity and wellbeing are not privileges, but the norm.

This is the learning experience of:

This brief was written by Linda Pretorius and edited by Rahima Essop.

LITIGATE, ADVOCATE, EDUCATE: WHY GOING TO COURT CAN HELP TO FIGHT ALCOHOL HARMS

Rethink Your Drink, DGMT’s project for reducing alcohol harms, works specifically to address excessive drinking to prevent the socials ills and poor health outcomes that stem from it. One of the key strategies is to take legal action against an actor believed to be violating people’s rights — whether it’s industry or the government. This is called strategic litigation, because cases for this type of legal action are chosen very carefully to ensure that the outcome will bring about change that will have a broader impact on society and not just on the immediate parties involved in the case.

This learning brief looks at the ins and outs of strategic litigation as part of a social justice campaign such as Rethink Your Drink, what the potential risks and benefits are, and how the strategy has been used so far to fight alcohol harms in South Africa.

Release systemic chokes that trap us in inequality

DRINKING IN SOUTH AFRICA

It’s easy to get a drink in South Africa. In fact, studies show that in some residential areas, you can expect to find around three to six liquor outlets per square kilometre,1 and in some areas as many as 33.2 Research also shows that the more available alcohol is, the more people drink — and the higher the chance that someone will get hurt, fall ill, or even die, whether because of a car accident, a fight, violent crime, or the negative health effects of consuming alcohol over a long time.3

Figures from the World Health Organisation (WHO) show that in 2019 — the most recent year for which data is available before COVID-19 lockdowns and their associated alcohol restrictions — South African drinkers consumed, on average, about 27 litres of pure alcohol each.4 That’s more than 1.5 times what German drinkers consumed in the same year, almost double the amount of Australians and Britons, and 2.5 times as much as Italians. In fact, South Africa’s figures put the country among the top 10 drinking countries in the world.5

Rethink Your Drink,6 DGMT’s project for reducing alcohol harms, works specifically to address excessive drinking to prevent the social ills and poor health outcomes that stem from it. “Our main objective is to reduce heavy and binge drinking,” says Kashifa Ancer, campaign manager for Rethink Your Drink.

Heavy drinking, she explains, is having five or more standard drinks every day, whereas binge drinking is having five or more such drinks in one sitting. (A standard drink is a beverage that contains 15 ml of pure alcohol and works out to roughly 125 ml of wine, one 330 ml can of beer, or about 40 ml of hard liquor.)

SOBERING STATISTICS

An analysis of data from 2014/15 shows that 43% of drinkers in South Africa qualify as heavy drinkers7 and in 2019, four out of 10 drinkers reported binge drinking alcohol.8 Drinking heavily, whether habitually or on a binge, is bad not only for an individual’s health, but for society as a whole. A modelling study shows that in 2015, roughly 62 300 South Africans died from alcohol-related causes, and that poorer communities saw 4.5 times as many of these deaths as those with high incomes.9 Over the long term, excessive alcohol consumption is linked to an increased risk of many types of cancer, liver and heart disease, high blood pressure and stroke, while shortterm effects include a high chance of injuries, violence, road accidents, miscarriage, stillbirths or babies developing foetal alcohol spectrum disorder.10

But the harms of heavy alcohol use extend far beyond the individuals who drink. “The effects on an individual are clear,” says Zimasa Mpemnyama, project lead of Rethink Your Drink, “But if we have a large number of adults who are not well because they’ve gone through periods of heavy drinking all their lives, it impacts the whole public health system, which is already under pressure in many communities in South Africa.” Add to that the effect of heavy drinking on interpersonal and gender-based violence as someone’s ability to think straight shuts down, she says, and the societal harms only compound.

1 Ramsoomar, L., et al. 2024. Mapping alcohol outlet density and outlet trading times in two South African communities: A community-centred approach. South African Medical Research Council. Available at: https://saapa.africa/mapping-alcohol-outletdensity-and-outlet-trading-times-in-two-south-african-communities-a-communitycentred-approach

2 Ibid.

3 Campbell, C.A. et al. 2009. The effectiveness of limiting alcohol outlet density as a means of reducing excessive alcohol consumption and alcohol-related harms. Am J Prev Med 37(6), 556–569. doi: 10.1016/j.amepre.2009.09.028

4 World Health Organisation. 2025. Global Health Observatory: Alcohol levels of consumption. Available at: https://www.who.int/data/gho/data/indicators/indicatordetails/GHO/alcohol-drinkers-only-per-capita-(15-)consumption-in-litres-of-purealcohol.

5 Ibid.

6 DGMT. 2025. Available at: https://rethinkyourdrink.co.za/.

7 Vellios, N.G. & Van Walbeek, C.P. 2018. Self-reported alcohol use and binge drinking in South Africa: Evidence from the National Income Dynamics Study, 2014–2015. South African Medical Journal 108(1). https://doi.org/10.7196/samj.2018.v108i1.12615

8 World Health Organisation. 2024. Global status report on alcohol and health and treatment of substance use disorders. Geneva: WHO. Data for the WHO report is sourced from the South African Wine Industry Information and Systems.

9 Probst, C. et al. 2018. The socioeconomic profile of alcohol-attributable mortality in South Africa: A modelling study. BMC Medicine 16, 97.

10 World Health Organisation. 28 June 2024. Alcohol. Available at: https://www.who.int/ news-room/fact-sheets/detail/alcohol; https://www.cdc.gov/alcohol/about-alcoholuse/index.html; National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. June 2025. Alcohol’s effects on the body. https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/alcohols-effects-health/ alcohols-effects-body

HOW MUCH DO SOUTH AFRICANS DRINK?

A bottle of wine (750 ml) with an alcohol concentration of 12% contains 90 ml pure alcohol.

A 330 ml can of a beer with 4.5% alcohol-by-volume has about 15 ml pure alcohol.

With South African drinkers consuming 27 litres of pure alcohol a year, these numbers mean that in a week, on average, someone drinks about:

Spirits like whiskey or vodka often have a 40% alcohol content. A 35 ml glass will give you 14 ml of pure alcohol.

Per day, this translates to roughly:

5 OR OR OR OR

In South Africa, a unit of alcohol is regarded as 15 ml of pure alcohol, and a drink with one unit is called a ‘standard drink’.

bottles of wine

cans of beer

shots of a spirit

glasses of wine

cans of beer

shots of a spirit

LITIGATION AS A STRATEGY

Despite South Africa’s drinking problem, the laws and policies that should put a lid on alcohol consumption are patchy and inconsistent, making it difficult to regulate where and when people can buy liquor — and therefore the availability of alcohol. For this reason, taking legal action strategically is one of the ways in which Rethink Your Drink helps to protect people.

Because strategic litigation usually forms part of a bigger advocacy campaign around a certain cause, it’s often brought by civil society against an actor believed to be violating people’s rights — whether it’s industry or the government. Judgment following from such cases often helps to set precedent for how a law or policy should be interpreted, thereby building up legal context that can help authorities to decide whether, given the rules set out by these laws, an action is permissible or not.

A good example of how litigation was used as a strategic tool to achieve a public health objective in South Africa, is the case of the Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) taking the government to court in 2001 to compel the state to give antiretroviral treatment to HIV-positive pregnant women in order to prevent the virus from being transmitted to their babies.11 The case centred on the government acting in an unconstitutional manner; it was argued that not making medicine available violated the right of people to have access to public healthcare and the right of children to be protected. The judgment in 2002, in which the court ordered the government to make HIV treatment available to affected pregnant women, is widely considered to have been what changed the course of the HIV epidemic in South Africa, setting the country on a path to eventually establishing the world’s largest HIV treatment programme.

In that case, the TAC was the main applicant, but a number of other civil society organisations joined as “friends of the court” (called amici curiae in legal speak). Such a “friend of the court” is someone who is not the primary applicant in a case but has a strong interest in the matter and is willing to offer information or expert insight. Another way to get involved in strategic litigation is by offering financial support to the applicants in a case. All three roles (main applicant, friend of the court or benefactor) are options for DGMT, explains Stephen Harrison, a consulting attorney advising the organisation on its approach to legal action for social change.

LAWS ABOUT LIQUOR

In South Africa, laws are made by national, provincial or local governments. According to the Constitution each of these is an individual sphere of government, with its own powers and functions, although there is some overlap between them. When it comes to rules about the availability of liquor, national laws set the rules about alcohol manufacturing and wholesale distribution, whereas provincial governments legislate retail sales and micro-manufacturing of liquor. Local governments can also make laws that regulate how, where and when liquor is sold to the public.

11 Constitutional Court of South Africa. 2002. Minister of Health and Others v Treatment Action Campaign and Others (No 2) (CCT8/02). Available at: https://www.saflii.org/za/cases/ZACC/2002/15.html

WHAT’S YOUR CASE?

The decision to start legal proceedings should be well thought through and form part of a broader campaign that also includes mobilising society, creating awareness about the issue, supporting research around it and educating communities, says Harrison.

“The issue that you want to challenge through legal action has to be really clear,” he cautions. “First, one has to consider whether there’s good legal merit for the case and whether there’s a reasonable chance of success. And if so, will the outcome of the case have the intended strategic impact? In other words, will it set important precedent or add to the body of legal guidance in such a way that there will be social change?”

Because litigation is not only expensive but also time consuming and resource intensive, deciding which case to take to court is essentially a question of where the most “bang” will be felt for the applicant’s “buck”, Harrison says.

So far, the cases DGMT has been involved with have been against local or provincial governments — and specifically focused on rules about when alcohol can be sold, because that’s been where legal action can currently have the biggest impact on reducing alcohol-related harms.

“In each of the cases DGMT got involved in, the organisation was of the view that the state has not met its constitutional obligations adequately to protect the rights of the public, and so people were left vulnerable to alcohol-related harms,” explains Harrison. By challenging how laws around alcohol availability are made, legal action is a way to hold someone — in this case the government — accountable for their actions. “Government can’t just do as they please; they have to abide by the Constitution.”

But there are other factors to consider before approaching the courts. One is the possible reputational damage that an organisation may face when starting legal proceedings if there’s little merit for the case. “If you go into litigation that is frivolous or poorly crafted, and in response, the judge has choice words for the applicant because the case wasted the court’s time and money, it could deal a considerable blow to the organisation’s reputation in this space,” says Harrison.

The impact of litigation on an organisation’s relationship with their opponent is another risk to consider before heading to court. This is especially important for DGMT, which

often works with government bodies to achieve its broader objectives of creating social change. “Ultimately one hopes that, even in the context of litigation, there will be mutual respect for the fact that public interest is what’s important — it’s not personal.”

LAST ROUNDS

Challenging laws that control when alcohol can be sold links to one of the WHO’s “five best buys” for making alcohol use safer for society. The reasoning is that if alcohol is less available as a result of restricted trading hours, people tend to drink less, and so the chance of negative fallout drops too.

International research backs up this thinking. For example, modelling studies predict a considerable drop in negative consequences of alcohol use when liquor outlets like bars, taverns and clubs, where alcohol is bought and drunk on site, close two hours earlier. Harms reduce even further when places have to close four hours earlier than their normal time. On the flip side, studies show that when bottle stores are allowed to close later or trade on more days of the week, the chances of harms like injuries, accidents or violence in communities increase — and the effects are most pronounced when they are allowed to trade late into the night.

A local modelling study by the Research Unit on the Economics of Excisable Products12 at the University of Cape Town shows similar trends.13 If current laws were to change in the Western Cape so that bars, clubs or restaurants would have to stop selling alcohol by midnight, up to 380 500 fewer cases of intentional injuries (e.g. domestic violence and assault) linked to drinking and up to 44 300 deaths could be avoided over the next 20 years.

Decisions about closing times also have financial implications, with longer trading times being better for business (and ultimately the government’s tax revenue). However, when factoring in costs such as dealing with alcohol-related injuries and enforcement efforts, the financial benefit of extended trading hours reduces.

12 See: https://commerce.uct.ac.za/reep

13 Filby, S. et al. March 2023. The impact of reducing trading times of retailers selling alcohol for onsite consumption: Western Cape analysis. The study was commissioned by DGMT and submitted as part of expert evidence in legal proceedings brought against Kannaland Local Municipality in 2024.

THE FIVE “BEST BUYS”

According to the WHO, these five strategies pack the most punch in reducing alcohol harms in societies:14

1 Restrict alcohol availability — this includes limiting trading times.

2 Stop people from drinking and driving.

3 Help people to stop or change their drinking habits.

4 Restrict or ban adverts that promote alcohol sales.

5 Raise the price of alcohol, including through excise tax.

A CASE IN POINT: CHALLENGING BY-LAWS IN THE KANNALAND LOCAL MUNICIPALITY

On 28 March 2024, DGMT’s attorneys lodged an urgent application with the Western Cape High Court to have a new by-law announced by the Kannaland Municipality set aside, at least until the matter could be heard in court.

The issue was that the municipality, which is responsible for the towns and surrounds of Ladismith, Calitzdorp and Zoar in the Little Karoo, announced that outlets that sell liquor

for on-site consumption could trade for four hours longer than before (allowing them to close at 04:00 rather than at midnight) and off-site consumption outlets such as bottle stores and wine farms could sell alcohol every day of the week, and for considerably longer than was allowed before.

The longer trading times were said to be irrational and unreasonable because they didn’t take into account how the local community would be affected. Moreover, the new rules came into effect without the community or other interested parties, such as civil society, having had a chance to give their input.

And this, DGMT’s legal counsel argued, was unconstitutional.

As part of the application, DGMT submitted solid research on the impact of reducing trading hours and retail days, which would also add to legal guidance on this matter. The reports showed that extending trading hours may be beneficial from a business perspective, because it could lead to businesses making more money and generating more tax revenue for the government. However, the social and health costs to communities were argued not to have been considered, as making alcohol available for longer was likely to lead to more deaths, serious injuries and domestic violence — which also negatively impact the economy.

Just more than a week after DGMT let the municipality know that it intended to take them to court, the respondents said they would oppose the matter, and so a legal battle was set in motion.

The case was first heard in court on 11 April 2024. A judge of the High Court granted urgent interim relief, ruling that operation of the trading hour provisions of the new by-law was suspended until the matter could be fully argued on 30 July 2024. In the meantime, the trading hour provisions of the previous by-law would apply.

But about a week before the case was to be finally heard in court, the two parties settled and a judge, upon reading DGMT’s submission, gave an order, agreed to by the parties, that declared the new by-law was unconstitutional. This ruling sent a clear message to the Kannaland Municipality and other local governments that they had a constitutional obligation to protect citizens against alcohol harms — exactly the kind of outcome that strategic litigation aims to achieve.

Although the municipality was ordered to pay DGMT’s legal fees, the organisation waived the costs, mindful of the municipality’s financial constraints and more interested in reaching a collaborative solution. The main goal of protecting society against the negative effects of alcohol use was achieved, without fostering ill will or damaging relationships.

PUTTING PRESSURE ON A PROVINCE: LITIGATION IN THE NORTHERN CAPE

In 2025, DGMT took the Northern Cape Provincial Government to court for allegedly acting unconstitutionally when passing sections governing liquor trading hours in the Northern Cape Gambling and Liquor Act of 2024. The argument was that communities were duped: the general public was invited to comment on draft legislation that would reduce hours of alcohol sales, but the law that eventually came into effect actually significantly extended trading hours.15 Night clubs, for example, can now sell liquor until 06:00, whereas they could sell liquor only until 02:00 before the 2024 Act was passed. Moreover, the final changes to the Act were pushed through hastily, without proper public participation processes.

DGMT submitted expert evidence to the province’s lawmakers about the links between alcohol-related harms, extended trading times, increased alcohol use and social inequality, especially in a province where one in five children are affected by foetal alcohol spectrum disorder. The government responded that the information “is not relevant” in the constitutional challenge, yet no proof could be found that the province gathered data to assess the health, social and economic impacts of its decisions to extend liquor trading times. And this, say DGMT’s legal counsel, shows that the province “failed in its duty” to protect and promote people’s rights to dignity, freedom and security, and children’s rights to be protected from maltreatment, neglect and abuse.

The matter was argued in the Northern Cape High Court on 16 October 2025, with judgment reserved by the time this learning brief was published.

KEY LESSONS

LEARN FROM LEGAL EAGLES

To make informed decisions about which cases to pursue, it’s important to understand the basics of constitutional law and the regulatory frameworks that govern alcohol availability. Consulting legal experts who can explain the issue carefully, have a thorough understanding of the reason for the potential litigation and are able to advise on possible pitfalls or stumbling blocks, is imperative to guide an organisation on whether strategic litigation is an appropriate route. This is especially important because of the risk of reputational and relational damage should litigation not be successful.

BE CLEAR ABOUT STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES

It is crucially important for an organisation to think through what they’re setting out to achieve through litigation — in other words, the strategic goals of the case — and to communicate this clearly to the legal team. This can help the attorneys and advocates to craft a strategy that is most likely not only to win the case but also to achieve the broader goals of social change.

STEADY WINS THE RACE

Legal action might be a slow process, but by keeping at it and not giving up, the wins will come step by step. Considerable time can be spent on background research to get solid information together before lodging an application for litigation. For example, DGMT commissioned detailed and time-consuming expert analyses before finally deciding to start legal proceedings — and it then still took about a year before the Kannaland case was lodged, and several months more before the ruling came.

TACKLE THE ISSUE FROM MANY ANGLES

Although going to court to protect public interest is necessary in some cases, it has to form part of a broader campaign that also involves mobilising and educating society. Understanding the context behind how people interact with alcohol helps to decide what route is the most effective in driving change, and can help to inform or support arguments in a case.

CHOOSE WISELY

Considerable thought must go into selecting cases to ensure that litigation will have the intended impact. Going to court is an expensive and time-intensive action and requires hard work from a big team. It should be clear that there is a high chance of success to justify committing all these resources.

WHAT’S NEXT?

In addition to the case against the Northern Cape government, DGMT filed a new application in the North West High Court against the North West Provincial Legislature and six other parties on 7 October 2025. This case challenges the constitutionality of a section of the province’s Liquor Licensing Act of 2016 and recent amendments to the trading hours it sets out, purportedly made by a high-ranking provincial politician.

The Rethink Your Drink team will follow the proceedings of the cases against the Northern Cape and North West governments, prepare for new cases and also keep monitoring the policy space for new opportunities where strategic litigation could be effective.

The thinking in the current cases is that if litigation can show government where there are problems around their regulation of liquor availability, the outcomes will flow down to communities too. And in this way, communities can be empowered to stand up against unfair or ill-considered policies that will negatively affect them. It’s tackling the problem from two sides.

This is the learning experience of:

This brief was written by Linda Pretorius and edited by Rahima Essop.

THE LEGACY OF DOUGLAS AND ELEANOR MURRAY

DGMT is a South African foundation built on endowments from Douglas and Eleanor Murray to promote charitable, educational, philanthropic and artistic purposes within South Africa. Douglas Murray was the son of, and successor to, John Murray, the founder of the Cape-based construction company, Murray and Stewart, which was established in 1902. This company merged in 1967 with Roberts Construction to become Murray & Roberts, with the parent Trusts as the main shareholders. In 1979, the Trusts combined to form the DG Murray Trust as the main shareholder before the company was publicly listed. Subsequently, the Trust relinquished its ownership to a major finance house. Eleanor Murray remained actively engaged in the work of the Trust until her death in 1993.

The Foundation is now the holder of a portfolio of widely diversified assets, which reduces the risks in funding the achievement of its strategic objectives. DGMT currently distributes about R200 million per year and leverages and manages a similar amount of funding through joint ventures with other investors. DGMT’s ultimate goal is to create an ethical and enabling environment where human needs and aspirations are met; where every person is given the opportunity to fulfil their potential, for both personal benefit and for that of the wider community.

By investing in South Africa’s potential we aim to:

› Create opportunity for personal growth and development that will encourage people to achieve their potential.

› Help reduce the gradients that people face in trying to seize those opportunities.

› Affirm the value and dignity of those who feel most marginalised and devalued by society.

The DGMT Board

TRUSTEES Mvuyo Tom (Chairperson) - Ameen Amod - Shirley Mabusela Murphy Morobe - Hugo Nelson - Diane Radley - Edgar Pieterse

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER David Harrison