Longitudinal study: the effect of the legislated powers of traditional authorities on rural women's rights in South Africa: baseline report

This is the first report for the project Longitudinal Study: The Effect of the Legislated Powers Of Traditional Authorities On Rural Women's Rights In South Africa. The project was conceived of, designed and convened by the Democracy and Governance Programme of the HSRC in 2003-4, to respond to new legislation entrenching the powers of traditional leaders in South Africa, and to assess its likely impact on the rights of rural women. This report offers an assessment of the progress of the legislation, as well as fieldwork reports from the 6 communities in which the fieldwork is being conducted with a view to establishing the baseline situation in those communities in advance of the implementation of the legislation.