Homelessness is a global social issue that has affected various nations around the world, including South Africa. The instances of homelessness began during the apartheid era in South Africa and have since risen to alarming levels in provinces such as Gauteng, Western Cape, and KwaZulu-Natal, as reported in the 2022 census. Despite the lack of comprehensive research on homelessness in South Africa, this study conducted a scoping review to evaluate research completed on homelessness from independence to 2020 in the country. The scoping review followed the Preferred Reporting Item for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines and involved a systematic search of the Development Southern Africa and Urban Forum databases. A total of 72 research articles were identified, with 10 meeting the inclusion and exclusion criteria for the review, which were then analyzed using thematic analysis. The study identified several key themes, including homelessness as a reflection of patriarchal systems, gender-based conflicts leading to homelessness, proactive and reactive interventions by non-state actors for homeless individuals, and the quantitative focus of research on homelessness in South Africa from independence to the present day. The study presents the applicability of these findings to tackle homelessness in Papua New Guinea and recommends the use of mixed methods approaches to research homelessness in South Africa to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the various dimensions of homelessness in the country.

The border is a strategic area within the Republic of Indonesia because it has potential natural resources and market opportunities and is related to aspects of sovereignty, defense and security. The division of the Papua region based on astronomical lines causes the traditional region, inhabited by tribes with the same spiritual-culture, to be divided into two countries. The Kanum tribe, who live in the border region of PNG and Indonesia, have close kinship relations. This research aims to analyze the social interactions of cross-border communities, especially the interdependence of the Kanum Tribe in Sota, Merauke Regency, with Papua New Guinea. The research used social interaction theory and interdependence theory, as well as qualitative descriptive methods by interviewing 15 informants. The research results support Polanyi’s statement but refute Omolomo’s, confirm positive competition, and eliminate indicators of conflict in the social interactions of the Kanum Tribe. The main problem found was unclear population data for the Kanum community who live in PNG but receive facilities from Indonesia. The dominant inhibiting factor comes from the PNG border condition, and the dominant supporting factor comes from the Sota border conditions (geography, infrastructure, economics and government policy). However, the condition that is equally a during factor in the conditions of the PNG and Sota borders is culture.