Family Strengths

Abstract

South Africa faces the formidable challenge of redressing the imbalances created by repressive apartheid policies. These policies resulted in the erosion of civil society typified by unequal and inequitable access to resources and opportunities. This condition resulted in the attrition of the asset base of families and exposed the majority of African families to physical, political and economic disasters. Yet, despite these challenges, South African families have always maintained a certain extraordinary power, which guards their systems, thereby enabling them to sustain themselves, often under the most difficult conditions. This article hopes to advance systematic understanding of literature pertaining to South African family strengths.

Key Words:

• Botho
• family strengths
• family structures
• humanity
• indigenous knowledge systems
• resilience
• social capital
• ubuntu