The social and political effects of mass unemployment in South Africa mean there is an urgent need for strategies of job- creation. In this context, the Congress of SA Trade Unions (Cosatu), the South African Youth Congress (SAYCO), and the National Unemployed Workers' Co-ordinating Committee (NUWCC) have all expressed support for producer co-operatives, which are not only seen to have the potential to create jobs, but at the same time, are seen as providing a democratic alternative to capitalist enterprises. Thus firstly, this dissertation is exploring the potential for producer co-ops to fulfil these roles. However, for co-ops to make any contribution at all, they have to be economically viable. Thus this dissertation also attempts to analyse the terms on which this may be possible. In Chapter One, I analyse the roots of mass unemployment in South Africa, locate the problem and its effects within the framework of the current economic and political crisis, and analyse state strategies for overcoming this problem. I then turn to analysing the social and psychological effects of unemployment, and the implications of this for the growth of democratic organisation in the factories and township communities. I look at the strategies emerging for organising the unemployed, and conclude that the potential to organise the unemployed hinges largely around the extent to which unemployed workers' organisation manages to create jobs. In this regard, co-ops are a strategy of job creation that allows the unemployed to take the initiative in creating their own jobs, and on terms that build different forms of work organisation. On the basis of the priorities defined by the NUWCC, I then turn to analysing the limits and possibilities of co-op production. In Chapter Two, I address the theoretical issues that have emerged in relation to co-ops in capitalist society internationally, and attempt to analyse the reasons for their widespread economic failure, and for their tendency to degenerate into capitalist enterprises. From this, I draw out the potential terms on which collapse and/or degeneration can be countered, and refer to Mondragon in Spain and Lega in Italy as case studies. I then look at the potential political role co-ops can play, and conclude this chapter by focussing the issues discussed onto South African questions. In Chapter Three, I attempt a typology of co-op development in South Africa today, highlighting the extent to which a broad range of social forces see co-ops serving their own interests. Then, on the basis of a list of production co-ops in Addendum A, I analyse some of the overall features of the democratic co-ops that do exist at present, and point to the existence of degenerative tendencies in the South African context, with specific reference to Thusanang. I then focus on three case studies - the Pfananani co-ops, a carpentry co-op, and Nonthutuzelo. Each of these co-ops has arisen under different conditions, and they illustrate different aspects of the issues co-ops in SA will have to address if they are to survive. Chapter Four focusses on the production co-ops of the Sarmcol Workers Co-op (SAWCO), particularly the t-shirt co-op. The analysis of SAWCO constitutes the main case study of this dissertation. I have prioritised SAWCO because at the time I began the research, it was the only co-op with structural links to a Cosatu union; it is a co-op that arose out of the context of a workers' struggle, and contains important lessons for the establishment of co-ops with a clear relationship to democratic organisation. Furthermore, it relies on the 'solidarity' market to sell its products, and highlights certain important features and contradictions within this market. Finally, it highlights key issues in relation to the structures of ownership and control in democratic co-ops. In my conclusion, I attempt to draw together the material in the dissertation as a whole. I apply the theoretical discussion to the South African context, assess the implications of the nature of SA's economy for the development of co-ops, and attempt to provide some pointers to the terms on which democratic co-ops can be economically viable, thus creating jobs, at the same time as making a broader contribution to the extension of democracy in South Africa. / Labour studies research report (University of the Witwatersrand); v 4

The word ‘co-operative’ means to work together for a common goal. A co-operative is a group of people who together own and control an organisation or a business for the benefit of its members. A co-operative is democratic, and so the members of the co-operative are responsible to each other. They work for themselves; and together they decide how to run the co-operative and how to share the profits. / This booklet was put together by members of Cope, with the help of Paul Crankshaw (editing and layout), Leslie Lawson (photographs and interviews) and Sue Beattie (drawings)

Bibliography: pages 608-625. / This study is a sociological analysis of participatory-democratic organisations in 'third world' contexts. Firstly, it assesses the degree of participatory democracy in each enterprise studied. Secondly, it explores whether cooperative development is a process. Thirdly, it assesses the applicability of existing theory in the field for organisations in 'third world' contexts. The data used is predominantly qualitative, though quantitative information is utilised. Qualitative data is gathered from in-depth interviews using semi-structured questionnaires, observation and the examination of primary sources. Empirical information is analysed in the light of theoretical constructs reviewed and practical constraints identified by other researchers in the field. The key construct is an 'ideal-type' participatory-democratic organisation. Significant findings include the following: (a) cooperatives in 'third world' contexts are formed and joined primarily for material reasons; (b) specific constraints include a severe lack of basic education among cooperators, relationships of dependency between co-ops and service organisations, and a 'survival' consciousness among cooperative members; (c) the nature of relationships between cooperatives and service organisations have significant implications for co-op development; (d) there is a relationship between organisational structures and viability as an economic unit and (e) members in different positions in the enterprise have different conceptions of cooperation. The study concludes that cooperative development is a process involving different stages characterised by different degrees of participation in decision-making, viability, organisational development and cooperative consciousness.

Thesis (M. Dev.) -- University of the North, 2004 / Refer to document

M.Tech. Business Administration. Business School. / he greatest challenge that the City of Tshwane is facing lies in achieving the target growth rate set by ASGISA (Accelerated Shared and Growth Initiative), the latter being a national initiative, by enabling communities to become active participants within the growing economy. One of the enablers that were identified by the Municipality was co-operatives. The successful implementation of the co-operative model within the City of Tshwane will depend on the correct guidance provided by the Municipality to the co-operatives as opposed to dictating the terms of business to the members. These findings will be based in best practice models as found world-wide. The primary objective of this dissertation is to research the legal impact of the Co-operatives Act of 2005 on the City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality's Co-operative Strategy as a vehicle for local economic development.

This study investigated the impact of government support on growth, survival and performance of agricultural cooperatives in selected areas of Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. The objectives of this empirical study were to examine (1) the impact of government support on growth of cooperatives, (2) assess the impact of government support on the performance of cooperatives, (3) reviewing the impact of government support on survival of cooperatives. A total sample of 157 agricultural cooperatives which consisted of poultry, maize, goat, nursery, sheep and vegetable coops was used. Stratified random sampling technique was used and a self-administered questionnaire used to gather primary data. The primary data of the study was gathered from the cooperatives managers only as they were the targeted respondents. Gathered data went through factor analysis, anova test and correlation analysis for the statistical analysis purposefully to arrive in study findings and conclusion. The findings of the study drawn from the 66% response rate concluded that government support has a statistical significant impact on growth of cooperatives. The study also indicated that government support has a significant impact on the survival of cooperatives. It is also reported that the performance of cooperatives is significantly impacted positively by government support. The findings of the study also indicated that agricultural cooperatives are not satisfied with the present government support.

No description available.

MSCAGR / Department of Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness / Agricultural cooperatives have been generally promoted as a vehicle for smallholder agricultural development in South Africa. As a result, agricultural co-operative registrations in South Africa are increasing. However, research suggests that South African co-operatives have generally not been effective, successful and functional. The study determined factors affecting proper functioning of smallholder agricultural cooperatives in Lepelle Nkumpi Municipality. Simple random sampling method was used to select a sample of 140 active cooperative members from 13 registered agricultural cooperatives. A list of agricultural cooperatives was obtained from the Department of Agriculture, Limpopo Province to facilitate the process. Primary data was collected using designed questionnaires and secondary data was collected from journal articles, internet and other recorded data. All questionnaires were handed out during face to face interviews held with participants. Discriminant analysis was used to analyse the data. The model was used to identify different factors which might have positive or negative effects on the functioning of agricultural cooperatives. The discriminant analysis results revealed that functional smallholder agricultural cooperatives were characterized by high level of training of members; interaction with other stakeholder and satisfaction with the training and assistance received. On the other hand Dysfunctional smallholder agricultural cooperative were characterized by high age group, low level of meeting attendance, large cooperative size, dissatisfaction of assistance and training received and high number of females. The weighting coefficients of the standardized canonical discriminant coefficients of the independent variables showed that variables that discriminated between functional and dysfunctional cooperatives were: cooperative size (-0.852), interaction vi    with stakeholders to improve the level of skill (0.579), satisfaction with assistance provided (0.516), number of females in cooperative (-0.455), years in existence of cooperative (0.452), members participation in decision making (0.407) and age group (0.446). The finding obtained in this study could be quite useful to policy makers. This study recommended that government should intensify effort on cooperative training, extension service and assistance to support functioning of agricultural cooperatives in the study area. Cooperative members should also participate in decision making and attend cooperative meetings to acquire more agricultural information

MSCAGR (Agricutural Economics) / Department of Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness / See the attached abstract below