Thesis (MComm)--Stellenbosch University, 2000. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Poverty is a widespread phenomenon within the coloured community of South
Africa. In 1976 the Theron Commission reported on coloured poverty and
recommended widespread reform to the apartheid system to incorporate
coloureds into social and economic life on an equal footing with whites. The
commission was of the opinion that the poorest 40% of coloureds lived in a state
of chronic community poverty. This conclusion was based on the culture of
poverty approach, which states that negative external factors and an internal
process of self-perpetuation can sometimes combine to cause a povertysyndrome.
The original culture of poverty approach was widely misinterpreted
and criticised and consequently lost much of its support. However, if properly
understood, the approach can still be used effectively. Since the Theron
commission made a healthy reinterpretation of this approach it also provides a
good theoretical framework to analyse coloured poverty.
The socio-economic position of coloureds has improved markedly since the era
of the Theron commission. Total fertility rates and infant mortality rates declined,
while life expectancy increased. The educational status of coloureds increased
considerably. There is, however, still a large disparity between rural and urban
coloureds. The per capita income of coloureds almost doubled in this period.
This rise in income can be attributed to an improvement in occupational status
(which was in turn influenced by an improvement in educational status) as well
as a decrease in wage discrimination. In spite of the overall improvement in the
socio-economic position of coloureds, poverty rates did not decrease significantly
since the era of the Theron Commission. Although poverty is still more
widespread in rural areas, there has been a relative improvement in the socioeconomic
position of rural coloureds and agricultural labourers. This has partly
been caused by the urbanisation of the rural poor. Coloured poverty is, however,
still at much lower levels than black poverty. Since the era of the Theron Commission the culture of poverty has been
positively influenced by several factors: racial discrimination in public education
and other social spending decreased, levels of education improved and
contributed to the rise in per capita income, social work has become better
focussed and is provided on a more equal basis and the socio-political
emancipation of coloureds were achieved with the rise of a democratic society.
However, it seems that the good economic growth rates during the 1960's and
early 1970's provided the biggest thrust to the upward socio-economic mobility of
coloureds and played a more important role than the Theron report or any other
socio-political changes.
It can be concluded that the culture of poverty as it existed at the time of the
Theron report has weakened considerably and that the approach should
therefore not be used as the basic model to describe the socio-economic position
of poor coloureds any more. Current anti-poverty measures should be focussed
on job creation, community building and education. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Armoede is 'n wydverspreide probleem in die kleurlinggemeenskap van Suid-
Afrika. In 1976 het die Theron Kommissie ondersoek ingestel na kleurling
armoede en hulle het drastiese veranderinge aan die apartheidstelsel voorgestel
om die sosio-ekonomiese vooruitgang van kleurlinge te verseker. Die kommissie
het aangevoer dat die armste 40% van die kleurlingbevolking in 'n toestand van
chroniese gemeenskapsarmoede verkeer. Hierdie gevolgtrekking is gebaseer op
die kultuur van armoede teorie, wat veronderstel dat In armoedesiklus kan
ontstaan wanneer daar 'n wisselwerking is tussen negatiewe omgewingsfaktore
en In interne proses van selfvoortplanting deur middel van die gesin. Die
oorspronklike kultuur van armoede benadering was onderhewig aan verskeie
misinterpretasies en kritiek en het derhalwe baie aanhang verloor. Tog kan die
kultuur van armoede teorie steeds met vrug aangewend word indien dit korrek
toegepas word. Aangesien die Theron Kommissie die oorspronklike teorie op In
gesonde manier geherinterpreteer het, verskaf dit 'n goeie teoretiese raamwerk
waarbinne kleurlingarmoede ondersoek kan word.
Die sosio-ekonomiese posisie van kleurlinge het In merkwaardige verbetering
getoon sedert die era van die Theron Kommissie. Fertiliteitskoerse en
suigelingsterftekoerse het afgeneem, terwyl lewensverwagting toegeneem het.
Die onderwyspeil van kleurlinge het ook drasties verbeter, alhoewel daar steeds
In groot gaping is tussen landelike en stedelike kleurlinge. Die per capita
inkomste van kleurlinge het amper verdubbel in die periode. Die verhoging kan
toegeskryf word aan In verhoogde beroepstatus (wat weer deur verbeterde
onderwyspeile beïnvloed is) sowel as laer vlakke van loondiskriminasie. Ten
spyte van die algehele verbetering in die sosio-ekonomiese posisie van
kleurlinge, het armoedevlakke sedert die Theron era nie noemenswaardig
verminder nie. Alhoewel armoede steeds wydverspreid is in landelike gebiede,
het daar In relatiewe verbetering in die sosio-ekonomiese posisie van landelike
kleurlinge en die plaaswerkersgemeenskap plaasgevind. Dit is deels veroorsaak deur verstedeliking van arm landelike inwoners. Kleurling armoede is egter
steeds op 'n baie laer vlak as swart armoede.
Sedert die era van die Theron Kommissie is die toestand van chroniese
gemeenskapsarmoede deur verskeie positiewe faktore beïnvloed:
rassediskriminasie ten opsigte van onderwys en ander sosiale besteding het
verminder, vlakke van onderwys het verbeter en het bygedra tot 'n verhoging in
per capita inkome, sosiale werk is beter gefokus en word op 'n meer gelyke skaal
verskaf en met die demokratiseringsproses is die sosio-politiese emansipasie
van kleurlinge verkry. Tog lyk dit of die goeie ekonomiese groei van die
sestigerjare en vroeë sewentqerjare 'n groter invloed op die opwaartse sosioekonomiese
mobiliteit van kleurlinge gehad het as die Theron verslag en ander
sosio-politieke veranderinge.
Die gevolgtrekking kan gemaak word dat die kultuur van armoede soos dit
gemanifesteer het in die tyd van die Theron verslag in so 'n mate verswak het dat
die benadering nie meer gebruik moet word as die basiese model om die sosioekonomiese
toestand van arm kleurlinge te beskryf nie. Dit beteken egter nie dat
daar nie nog steeds akute armoedeprobleme in sekere dele van die
kleurlinggemeenskap bestaan nie. Huidige armoede-verligtingsbeleid moet
fokus op werkskepping, gemeenskapsbou en onderwys.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:sun/oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/51910 |
| Date | 12 1900 |
| Creators | Van Deventer, Gerhardus Johannes |
| Contributors | Van der Berg, S., Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences. Dept. of Economics. |
| Publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | en_ZA |
| Detected Language | Unknown |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | 194 p. |
| Rights | Stellenbosch University |
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