What works in South Africa
All catalogues
Quality scores are 0–100 rubric scores; “strong evidence” reflects study design; adoptions count documented replications elsewhere. Know more
Evidence snapshot for South Africa
South Africa has deployed several evidence-based programmes addressing justice, connectivity, and health. Thuthuzela Care Centres operate 66+ one-stop sexual-violence support centres serving 44,000+ survivors annually with conviction rates of 77–89%, while SmartCape provides 670 public internet terminals across 104 library branches to 500,000+ registered users. E.A.R.S. enrolled over 12,000 teachers in its first month of AI-powered hearing-loss training, with 97% of those completing assessments passing. Smaller-scale initiatives like ABALOBI (271 active fisher app users) and Zenzeleni Networks (13,000+ people connected via a rural cooperative ISP) demonstrate co-designed digital solutions, though adoption at the core-user level remains modest relative to wider reach.
Drawn from: Thuthuzela Care Centres — Integrated One-Stop Sexual Violence Support, South Africa · ABALOBI — Co-Designing an Offline-First Digital Toolkit With South Africa's Small-Scale Fishers · Zenzeleni Networks – Rural Cooperative-Owned ISP · SmartCape – Cape Town's Municipal Library Digital Access and Skills Programme · E.A.R.S. — AI-Powered WhatsApp Teacher Training for Early Hearing-Loss Detection in South African Schools · Working for Water (South Africa) · Cape Town Central City Improvement District — 25 Years of Levy-Funded Urban Turnaround · VPUU — Violence Prevention through Urban Upgrading in Khayelitsha, Cape Town
Generated from this place's cited practices only. Always check the linked sources.
Strengths & weaknesses vs peers
Strengths
Evaluation evidence +22 pts 71 here · 49 average
Equity & inclusion +21 pts 71 here · 50 average
Curator validation +19 pts 92 here · 73 average
Fire resilience — risk reduction, evidenced +16 pts 22 here · 6 average
Evaluated outcomes +14 pts 92 here · 78 average
Documented learning +11 pts 86 here · 74 average
Inclusiveness / equity +10 pts 53 here · 43 average
Transparency, ethics & data protection +10 pts 57 here · 47 average
Weaknesses
Efficiency -8 pts 23 here · 32 average
Evidence of learning impact -9 pts 18 here · 26 average
Sustainability (ongoing) -9 pts 68 here · 78 average
Achievement / evidence -10 pts 77 here · 87 average
Impact on gender equality -16 pts 54 here · 70 average
Effectiveness -20 pts 46 here · 66 average
Score profile vs peers
Coloured bar: South Africa. Grey bar: peer average across the corpus. Both on a common 0–100 scale.
Points compare this place's average on each dimension with the average across all evaluated places, on a common 0–100 scale. Know more
Top good practices here
Thuthuzela Care Centres — Integrated One-Stop Sexual Violence Support, South Africa · 96
ABALOBI — Co-Designing an Offline-First Digital Toolkit With South Africa's Small-Scale Fishers · 96
Zenzeleni Networks – Rural Cooperative-Owned ISP · 96
SmartCape – Cape Town's Municipal Library Digital Access and Skills Programme · 96
Working for Water (South Africa) · 87
Cape Town Central City Improvement District — 25 Years of Levy-Funded Urban Turnaround · 86
VPUU — Violence Prevention through Urban Upgrading in Khayelitsha, Cape Town · 86
Each number is the practice's overall 0–100 quality score against its catalogue's rubric. Know more
Cities with evaluated practice
Where the documented practice in South Africa concentrates — each city has its own evidence profile.
Recommended to adopt or replicate
Transferable practices from elsewhere that address this place's gaps.
Ciudad Mujer — El Salvador's Integrated Women's Services Programme · fit 100/100
- Rated highly transferable
- Backed by strong evidence
- Addresses this place's weak dimensions
Already adopted in 3 other places
SASA! Community Mobilisation Programme against Intimate Partner Violence — Uganda · fit 100/100
- Rated highly transferable
- Backed by strong evidence
- Addresses this place's weak dimensions
Already adopted in 4 other places
Karya — Fair-Wage AI Data-Work Platform Bringing Digital Income to Rural India · fit 100/100
- Backed by strong evidence
- Addresses this place's weak dimensions
safe+natal — Comadrona-Designed Smartphone Checklist for Maternal Risk Screening in Rural Guatemala · fit 100/100
- Backed by strong evidence
- Addresses this place's weak dimensions
Digital Green — Video-Mediated Agricultural Extension · fit 100/100
- Backed by strong evidence
- Addresses this place's weak dimensions
Kartu Prakerja – National Digital Skills and Financial Inclusion Programme · fit 100/100
- Backed by strong evidence
- Addresses this place's weak dimensions
Rwanda's Land Tenure Regularization Programme — Titling Land in Women's Names · fit 90/100
- Rated highly transferable
- Backed by strong evidence
- Addresses this place's weak dimensions
- Rated highly transferable
- Backed by strong evidence
- Addresses this place's weak dimensions
Already adopted in 6 other places
Fit estimates how well a practice matches this place, 0 (poor) to 100 (excellent); the list is ordered to favour practices that address this place's gaps. Know more