Rather than using the commonly employed term “single mothers,” Prof Ntshongwane, from Mandela University's Department of History and Politics, introduced the concept of "lone motherhood," emphasising the complex identities of mothers.
She broadened this to include de facto mothers, such as grandmothers, acknowledging the diversity of mothering experiences in South Africa.
Speaking to a capacity audience in the Council Chambers, Prof Ntshongwane questioned whether the emotional and mental labour involved in caregiving is adequately recognised in policy frameworks, such as the National Development Plan.
A central theme of her address was the stigma attached to women receiving social assistance, including child support grants and disability grants. She critiqued how these women, particularly black African women, are often negatively portrayed in the media and society.
“The language used in radio and social media rarely considers the dignity of recipients or the socio-economic context they come from, which is crucial in shaping public perceptions,” said Prof Ntshongwane.
She also highlighted the hierarchical social attitudes toward different types of motherhood. Widowed mothers, she noted, are afforded respect, while younger and single mothers are stigmatised, largely due to perceptions about their desire to access child support grants.
Prof Ntshongwane challenged this view, calling it a myth with no evidence. She referenced the derogatory Xhosa term “iGrant yeQolo,” which roughly translates to lying on your back to receive this grant. “The dignity of recipients is eroded by such stigma, stripping them of their humanity, not to mention their right to receive assistance,” she said.
Interestingly, Prof Ntshongwane pointed out that state maintenance grants existed before democracy, and these grants included a care component that took caregivers’ needs into account.
“When state maintenance grants were phased out just before 1996, white children were the highest recipients, receiving R1300 per month, while black children were at the bottom of the list. There was no racial condemnation of young white women having children, because the system was racially stratified. Yet today, the recipients – predominantly black – are subjected to discrimination, despite receiving significantly less,” she explained.
Prof Ntshongwane also challenged the traditional “moral underclass” narrative often applied to women on social assistance. She argued that poverty, not moral failure, is what prevents women from participating fully in the economy and pointed to spatial and structural barriers as key factors.
“The legacy of apartheid policies, such as the Group Areas Act, still traps many people in underdeveloped, remote areas far from economic opportunities. To address the structural underclass, we need to shift how we understand poverty, not as a moral failing, but as the result of systemic issues,” she said.
One of the book’s focal points is the plight of live-in domestic workers, and Prof Ntshongwane traced the challenges they face. These women often leave their own children behind to care for others, leading to gaps in early childhood development and delayed health or learning interventions.
Another key theme was how poverty undermines dignity, especially for women who may resort to sexual exploitation to provide for their families. “South Africa’s social policies must focus on redistribution to address inequality and poverty. This, in turn, would improve social cohesion and reduce crime and gender-based violence,” she said.
In a nod to the digital age, Prof Ntshongwane discussed how the rise of digital technologies further marginalises already economically excluded communities. As part of her work with the National Planning Commission, she is leading efforts to close the digital divide and foster greater social cohesion.
Learners from Newell High School together with Bulela Salman, Postgraduate Administrator in the Department of History & Politics, Prof Ntshongwane, Prof Ntsikelelo Breakfast, History and Politics Head of Department and Newell High Educator Nandi Toni
In response to Prof Ntshongwane’s address, Dr Madalitso Phiri, a postdoctoral research fellow at Wits University, commended the book for offering a much-needed intervention in the polarized debates surrounding South African social policy.
“South Africa continues to struggle with multiple social challenges, including poverty, inequality, and exclusion. These issues have given rise to two opposing discourses in policymaking: conservative approaches that blame individuals and progressive views that call for structural solutions,” he said.
Dr Phiri noted that the book engages deeply with these debates, providing valuable methodological and empirical insights. “Professor Ntshongwane’s work challenges us to rethink how we conceptualise care and social policy, urging us to move beyond patriarchal frameworks that limit our understanding of women’s roles in society,” he concluded.