The purpose of this research is to examine what blind begging is; why it exists; what it
means; what causes it; and how beggars operate. It explores the theme that begging has
evolved in Southern Africa through the influence of colonialism linked with institutionalised
religion and traditional cultural conceptions: Christian, Muslim or Buddhist that equates
giving, particularly to blind beggars, to receiving some form of salvation. The underlying
theme is that blind beggars fulfil a requirement in society which satisfies a hierarchal social
identity and the need to discard the excess or unwanted articles to those less fortunate in the
guise of blind beggars. The hypothesis can be extended to the civilized west needing to be the
developed and a polar opposite undeveloped Africa to which to donate and thus discard the
excess or unwanted articles to appease some moral outlook but not to extract the blind
beggar or underdeveloped state from poverty. Thus, blind begging is a professional response
to a perceived market need and the blind beggars have the physical infrastructure to
successfully exploit this niche market and thus make a sustainable livelihood that allows
them to develop a business plan that guarantees a return that allows them to invest and
eventually retire. I used a parachute method where I observed where the beggars operate and
approached them for a focus group discussion, then individual interviews with participants. In
Johannesburg they operate differently so I approached each beggar individually. This
research is important to examine some lives of marginalised disabled in our society that may
be misunderstood because of stereotypical social attitudes. It serves to highlight their plight
and contribute to possible solutions to social mis-conceptions and practices. Most of the
people I encountered giving donations made up the panel of givers.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:wits/oai:wiredspace.wits.ac.za:10539/15382 |
| Date | 04 September 2014 |
| Creators | Katsande, Rukariro |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | application/pdf, application/pdf |
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