Transcending Multidimensional Poverty Classes in Urban Developing Municipalities

ABSTRACT The study draws on the multidimensional poverty index to characterize the poverty status of households in the Gauteng City Region, South Africa. In particular, it applies multinomial logit regression and mediation analysis to determine the factors influencing the transition of poor and vulnerable households into the multidimensionally nonpoor category. Data was obtained from the 2020/2021 Quality of Life Survey on 13,616 households in seven Gauteng municipalities. Six factors, namely, working hours, medical aid, education, age, indigence, and income, were significant in transcending the multidimensional poverty classes. Other important factors were transport expenditure, public transport proximity, access to medical aid, food support, household size, skipping a meal, and gender. Being a recipient of social grants and population group had small but significant indirect mediator effects on transcending the multidimensional poverty classes. Sustainable social support systems, improved access to healthcare, employment opportunities and affordability, and proximity to the transport system will help poor households transcend multidimensional poverty classes.