UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH AFRICA
College of Human Sciences — Department of Social Work
⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄⋄
BSW4802: Developmental Social Work
Assignment Two — Semester 1, 2026
⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄⋄
BSW4802
Module Code:
Developmental Social Work
Module Name:
Case Study — The Dlamini Family
Assignment Topic:
Two
Assignment Number:
16 July 2026
Due Date:
100
Total Marks:
Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for BSW4802 — UNISA 2026
,UNISA | BSW4802 Assignment Two — Dlamini Family Case Study
Section A: Case Work
Question 1: Sustainable Livelihoods Approach
The Sustainable Livelihoods Framework (SLF), developed and refined through the work of
the United Kingdom Department for International Development, provides a structured way
to assess the resources available to households and communities living under conditions of
vulnerability and poverty. The SLF identifies five capital assets, namely human, social, nat-
ural, physical, and financial capital, as the building blocks through which households con-
struct their livelihoods (Serrat, 2017; Krantz, 2001). For the purpose of this assignment, the
framework is applied to include public assets as a sixth category relevant to the South African
developmental social work context (UNISA, 2026).
1.1 Analysis of the Six Livelihood Assets of the Dlamini Family
Human Capital
Human capital refers to the skills, knowledge, physical health, and capacity for productive
labour that members of a household possess (Jethwani & Mishra, 2012, as cited in Fanadzo
et al., 2021). Within the Dlamini household, several human capital assets are identifiable. Ms
Dlamini holds practical vocational expertise in sewing and clothing production, accumulated
through years of employment in the manufacturing sector. Although she is currently unem-
ployed, these skills represent an existing human capital resource that can be translated into
income-generating activity. Thabo has completed Grade 11 and acquired basic computer lit-
eracy through a community youth programme, giving him foundational knowledge that could
be directed toward technical or vocational training. Lerato, as a Grade 10 learner performing
well academically, possesses the highest current educational trajectory within the household
and demonstrates the capacity for upward mobility through higher education. Mr Dlamini,
at 70, contributes through intergenerational knowledge and household experience, though his
productive capacity is naturally limited by age.
The critical limitation within the human capital dimension is that these assets remain largely
untapped due to structural barriers such as unemployment, lack of financial capital, and in-
adequate skills development pathways. Thabo’s progressive disengagement from constructive
activity, and his association with negative peer groups, signals a risk of further erosion of exist-
ing human capital (Toseland & Rivas, 2017).
Page 2 of 22
, UNISA | BSW4802 Assignment Two — Dlamini Family Case Study
Social Capital
Social capital encompasses the networks, relationships of trust, and institutional affiliations
from which households derive support, information, and access to resources (Serrat, 2017).
The Dlamini family demonstrates a meaningful but fragile social capital base. The family’s
active participation in a local church provides emotional sustenance and occasional material
assistance from fellow congregants, creating an informal safety net. Ms Dlamini’s member-
ship in a stokvel (women’s savings group) represents a structured social network with direct
financial implications, though her current inability to make regular contributions threatens
her standing within this network. At the community level, the presence of the local NGO and
its social services mandate represents an institutional social capital resource that has already
initiated the referral process that will engage the social worker.
The critical concern is that the community as a whole is described as badly organised and
lacking a self-help orientation, indicating that broader social capital at the collective level is
weak. This gap limits the family’s access to wider peer support, community solidarity struc-
tures, and collective action mechanisms (Weyers, 2011).
Physical Capital
Physical capital refers to the tangible infrastructure and productive assets that support liveli-
hoods, including housing, equipment, and tools (Serrat, 2017). The Dlamini family lives in
a brick house constructed through a government housing programme, providing secure and
weather-proof shelter, which is a foundational physical asset. The dwelling is connected to
electricity and running water, enabling basic domestic functioning and supporting potential
home-based economic activity such as sewing. The property also includes a small unused yard,
which carries potential for small-scale food production through a vegetable garden, as commu-
nity members have previously discussed.
A notable absence in the family’s physical capital is the lack of a sewing machine and related
equipment, which would be the primary productive asset necessary for Ms Dlamini to con-
vert her human capital (sewing skills) into financial capital (income). This equipment gap is
therefore a critical barrier to the activation of her livelihood strategy (SLF analysis, Serrat,
2017).
Natural Capital
Natural capital encompasses the natural resource base, including land, water, biodiversity, and
environmental conditions that households can draw upon for livelihoods (Krantz, 2001). The
Page 3 of 22
College of Human Sciences — Department of Social Work
⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄⋄
BSW4802: Developmental Social Work
Assignment Two — Semester 1, 2026
⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄⋄
BSW4802
Module Code:
Developmental Social Work
Module Name:
Case Study — The Dlamini Family
Assignment Topic:
Two
Assignment Number:
16 July 2026
Due Date:
100
Total Marks:
Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for BSW4802 — UNISA 2026
,UNISA | BSW4802 Assignment Two — Dlamini Family Case Study
Section A: Case Work
Question 1: Sustainable Livelihoods Approach
The Sustainable Livelihoods Framework (SLF), developed and refined through the work of
the United Kingdom Department for International Development, provides a structured way
to assess the resources available to households and communities living under conditions of
vulnerability and poverty. The SLF identifies five capital assets, namely human, social, nat-
ural, physical, and financial capital, as the building blocks through which households con-
struct their livelihoods (Serrat, 2017; Krantz, 2001). For the purpose of this assignment, the
framework is applied to include public assets as a sixth category relevant to the South African
developmental social work context (UNISA, 2026).
1.1 Analysis of the Six Livelihood Assets of the Dlamini Family
Human Capital
Human capital refers to the skills, knowledge, physical health, and capacity for productive
labour that members of a household possess (Jethwani & Mishra, 2012, as cited in Fanadzo
et al., 2021). Within the Dlamini household, several human capital assets are identifiable. Ms
Dlamini holds practical vocational expertise in sewing and clothing production, accumulated
through years of employment in the manufacturing sector. Although she is currently unem-
ployed, these skills represent an existing human capital resource that can be translated into
income-generating activity. Thabo has completed Grade 11 and acquired basic computer lit-
eracy through a community youth programme, giving him foundational knowledge that could
be directed toward technical or vocational training. Lerato, as a Grade 10 learner performing
well academically, possesses the highest current educational trajectory within the household
and demonstrates the capacity for upward mobility through higher education. Mr Dlamini,
at 70, contributes through intergenerational knowledge and household experience, though his
productive capacity is naturally limited by age.
The critical limitation within the human capital dimension is that these assets remain largely
untapped due to structural barriers such as unemployment, lack of financial capital, and in-
adequate skills development pathways. Thabo’s progressive disengagement from constructive
activity, and his association with negative peer groups, signals a risk of further erosion of exist-
ing human capital (Toseland & Rivas, 2017).
Page 2 of 22
, UNISA | BSW4802 Assignment Two — Dlamini Family Case Study
Social Capital
Social capital encompasses the networks, relationships of trust, and institutional affiliations
from which households derive support, information, and access to resources (Serrat, 2017).
The Dlamini family demonstrates a meaningful but fragile social capital base. The family’s
active participation in a local church provides emotional sustenance and occasional material
assistance from fellow congregants, creating an informal safety net. Ms Dlamini’s member-
ship in a stokvel (women’s savings group) represents a structured social network with direct
financial implications, though her current inability to make regular contributions threatens
her standing within this network. At the community level, the presence of the local NGO and
its social services mandate represents an institutional social capital resource that has already
initiated the referral process that will engage the social worker.
The critical concern is that the community as a whole is described as badly organised and
lacking a self-help orientation, indicating that broader social capital at the collective level is
weak. This gap limits the family’s access to wider peer support, community solidarity struc-
tures, and collective action mechanisms (Weyers, 2011).
Physical Capital
Physical capital refers to the tangible infrastructure and productive assets that support liveli-
hoods, including housing, equipment, and tools (Serrat, 2017). The Dlamini family lives in
a brick house constructed through a government housing programme, providing secure and
weather-proof shelter, which is a foundational physical asset. The dwelling is connected to
electricity and running water, enabling basic domestic functioning and supporting potential
home-based economic activity such as sewing. The property also includes a small unused yard,
which carries potential for small-scale food production through a vegetable garden, as commu-
nity members have previously discussed.
A notable absence in the family’s physical capital is the lack of a sewing machine and related
equipment, which would be the primary productive asset necessary for Ms Dlamini to con-
vert her human capital (sewing skills) into financial capital (income). This equipment gap is
therefore a critical barrier to the activation of her livelihood strategy (SLF analysis, Serrat,
2017).
Natural Capital
Natural capital encompasses the natural resource base, including land, water, biodiversity, and
environmental conditions that households can draw upon for livelihoods (Krantz, 2001). The
Page 3 of 22
