Thesis (MPA)--Stellenbosch University, 2008. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The economic policy of the South African government referred to as the Growth Employment
and Redistribution Strategy (GEAR) has had a crippling impact on millions of poor and lowincome
families in South Africa since its adoption in 1996. The benefits to the minority have
not compensated for the increased inequality, uncertainty and poverty that others have
experienced (McDonald & Pape, 2002:24).
South Africa became the first African state to develop and implement a structural adjustment
programme by voluntarily seeking the assistance of the World Bank and the IMF (Bond,
2000a:35). The government’s own statistics reveal that unemployment, which was already
high, reached catastrophic levels since 1996 and the poor became significantly poorer
(Beuchler, 2002:04). Together with their community leadership, poor people increasingly
managed to articulate the link between the increased poverty and hardships they experience
and the state’s macro-economic policies.
More than a decade into democracy, Mandela Park finds itself under armed assault by the
State. Several community members have sacrificed their lives while fighting revolutionary
struggles to ensure access to basic services and to remain in the places apartheid confined
them. None of them ever thought that the hopes and dreams they harboured while fighting for
democracy would be so brutally suppressed by the very government for which they sacrificed
their lives.
Community organizations such as the Mandela Park Anti-Eviction Campaign (MPAEC) make
significant contributions to community empowerment by mobilizing and articulating the
voices of the poor and the vulnerable groups in the society to resist the State’s hegemony with
regards to service cut-offs and household evictions. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die ekonomiese beleid van die Suid Afrikaanse regering wat bekend staan as GEAR het n
kreupelende uitwerking op miljoene arme en lae-inkomste gesinne in Suid Afrika gehad veral
sedert die program in 1996 deur die regering aanvaar is. Die voordele aan ‘n enkele
minderheid het nie vergoed vir die toenemde ongelykhede, onsekerhede en armoede wat
andere ondervind het nie (McDonald & Pape, 2002:24).
Suid Afrika het die eerste Afrika staat geword om n strukturele aanpassingsprogram te
ontwikkel en te implementeer deur vrywilliglik die hulp van die Wêreld Bank en die
Internasionale Monitêre Fonds te soek (Bond, 2000a:35).
Soos die regering se eie statistieke aandui, het werkloosheid wat alreeds hoog is, katastrofiese
vlakke bereik terwyl die land se armes merkwaardig armer geword het (Beuchler,
2002:04).Arm mense het tesame met hul gemeenskapleiers toenemend daarin geslaag om die
verband tussen hul groeinde armoede en swaarhede, en die regering se makro-ekonomiese
beleid te identifiseer.
Nou, na meer as ‘n dekade in demokrasie, bevind Mandela Park inwoners hulself onder
gewapende aanval deur die staat. Gemeenskapslede het revolusionêre gevegte gestry en hul
lewens op die spel geplaas om toegang tot basiese dienste te verseker en te bly in die plekke
waar apartheid hulle gevestig het. Niemand het ooit kon dink dat die hoop en drome wat hulle
gekoester het terwyl hulle teen apartheid geveg het, so wreed onderdruk sou word deur
dieselde regering waarvoor hulle hul lewens opgeoffer het nie.
Gemeenskapsorganisasies soos die MPAEC in Mandela Park het ‘n betekenisvolle bydrae
gemaak tot die bemagtiging van daardie gemeenskap deur die mobilisasie en artikulasie van
die stemme van die arm en kwesbare groepe in die samelewing om weerstand te bied teen die
Staat se hegemonie ten opsigte van die beeindiging van dienste en die uitsetting van gesinne
uit hul huise.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:sun/oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/21698 |
| Date | 03 1900 |
| Creators | Plaatjies, Isaac Hector |
| Contributors | Cloete, Fanie, Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences. Dept. of Business Management. |
| Publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | en_ZA |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | 96 leaves |
| Rights | Stellenbosch University |
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