Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 1998. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The purpose of the study is to explore the perceptions and preferences
regarding house ownership on the part of farmworkers living in the Devon
Valley/ Stellenbosch Kloof ("Devonkloof') area outside Stellenbosch.
A study such as this is important for more than one reason: the institution of
"tied housing" on South African farms, is probably the factor that contributes
most to farmworkers' dependence on the farmer and the control that the latter
exercises over the employee and his family. In the most recent period this
vulnerability has increased as farmers, especially in the Western Cape, have
started to adopt a more "businesslike" approach towards worker housing.
When farmers refer to a "productive house", they point to an arrangement
whereby it is expected from every able person in a household to make him- or
herself available for farm work - especially during the harvest. In this way
members of the farmworker community are denied the opportunity of
permanent, better paid employment outside the farm. Women are the ones
that are mainly affected by the scaling down of the benevolent side of
paternalism.
However, for the first time in South African history the opportunity now exists
to break this dependence, or at least to reduce it. This possibility flows from
the convergence of a variety of developments, the most important of which is
the launching of the post-apartheid government's housing subsidy scheme for
farmworkers. In essence, the latter boils down to an arrangement whereby
farmworkers can apply to the Department of Land Affairs for an amount of
R 15 000 when wanting to obtain land or a house.
Another recent development which reduces farmworkers' dependence, is the
concept legislation regarding security of tenure. lt lends protection against eviction especially to older farmworkers who have worked on the farm for ten
years or more.
That farmworkers are concerned about life after retirement and have an
intense desire for secure housing, is not much of a secret. In order to
effectively address this concern, financially viable housing alternatives need
to be developed. For instance, provident fund/ pension scheme payments
could be used in combination with state housing subsidies in order to obtain
own title for workers. However, in order to be viable, it is equally important to
take into account the perceptions and housing preferences of the workers
themselves. To gauge these is the main objective of the study.
For purposes of the study, the unit of analysis was defined as the head of the
household (male or female) who lives on the farm, is engaged in a permanent
contractual relation with the farmer and belongs to one of the Devonkloof
provident funds. A random sample of 93 such farmworkers was drawn from a
total population of 188 heads of households spread over 13 farms in the
research area. Their perceptions and preferences regarding housing were
explored during interviews conducted on the basis of a semi-structured
questionaire. The interviews were held by the researcher himself and a
number of final year Social Work students at the University of Stellenbosch.
Data collected in this way, was analysed through the utilisation of the SPSS
statistical package.
The socio-economic profile of the workers involved in the study, confirms to a
large extent the prevailing portrait of permanent farmworkers in the Western
Cape: they are almost exclusively male and Afrikaans speaking. Their
literacy level is relatively low and the majority earns a cash wage of
R100-150 per week. Three-quarters have never left "their" farm for alternative
work. Of those that have, many only did so to work for short stints on another
farm. As a result, most of the workers involved know of no other existence
than the (neo-)paternalist life world of the farm.
The familiarity of the farm is one of the reasons why slightly more than 50% of
wofkers indicated that they would prefer to live on the farm during their
working lives. When thinking about life after retirement, housing in the
(imaginary) agrivillage was the most popular choice. Although a large number
of farmworkers are ignorant about the government's housing subsidy scheme,
the majority is clear about one thing: they would like to own their own dwelling
- whether on the farm or outside the "white gates", because the own house is
the route to less vulnerability, more independence and security. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die doel van hierdie ondersoek is om die persepsies en voorkeure van
plaaswerkers, woonagtig op plase in die Devonvallei/ Stellenboschkloof
("Devonkloor) area, met betrekking tot huiseienaarskap te ondersoek.
'n Ondersoek soos hierdie is vir meer as een rede belangrik: In Suid-Afrika is
die instelling van "gekoppelde behuising" op plase waarskynlik die faktor wat
die meeste bydra tot plaaswerkers se afhanklikheid van plaaseienaars en
laasgenoemde se kontrole oor die werker en sy gesin. Hierdie kwesbaarheid
van plaaswerkers is in die afgelope aantal jare versterk deurdat
plaaseienaars, in veral die Wes-Kaap, 'n meer "besigheidsgeoriemteerde"
houding rakende plaaswerkerbehuising ingeneem het. Daar word verwys na
die "produktiewe huis" in die sin dat daar van alle geskikte inwoners van die
huis verwag word om hulself beskikbaar te stel vir diens op die plaas, veral
gedurende oestye. Hierdie mense (en veral vroue) word op hierdie manier die
geleentheid van 'n permanente, beter betalende betrekking buite die plaas
ontneem. Hierdeur word die "menslike" sy van paternalisme toenemend
afgeskaal.
Vir die eerste keer in Suid-Afrikaanse geskiedenis bestaan daar egter nou die
geleentheid om hierdie afhanklikheid te verbreek of ten minste te verminder.
Dit is die resultaat van 'n verskeidenheid van faktore waarvan die
belangrikste die regering se nuwe subsidieskema vir plaaswerkers is.
Laasgenoemde kom daarop neer dat plaaswerkers vir 'n bedrag van
R 15 000 by die Departement van Grondsake aansoek kan doen ten einde 'n
huis of grond te bekom.
'n Ander onlangse verwikkeling wat plaaswerkers se afhanklikheid verminder,
is die konsepwetgewing rakende die sekerheid van besitreg. Dit gee veral vir ouer plaaswerkers sekuriteit van verblyf op die plaas waar hulle vir tien jaar of
!anger gewerk het.
Oat plaaswerkers bekommerd is oor hul heenkome by aftrede en graag oor
woon-sekuriteit wil beskik, is nie 'n geheim nie. Om hierdie behoefte egter
effektief aan te spreek, moet finansie~l haalbare behuisingsalternatiewe
uitgewerk word. So sou voorsorg-/pensioenskema uitbetalings byvoorbeeld
met die regering se huissubsidie gekombineer kon word om eie titel vir
werkers te bekom. Ewe belangrik vir die leefbaarheid van so 'n projek is dat
plaaswerkers se houdings en voorkeure ten opsigte van behuising in ag
geneem word. Om dit te peil, is die primere doel·van hierdie studie.
Die eenheid van analise in hierdie studie is die huishoof (manlik of vroulik)
wat op die plaas woon, in 'n permanente kontraktuele verhduding staan met
die plaaseienaar en terselftertyd lid is van een van die Devonkloof se
voorsorgfondse. 'n Ewekansige steekproef van 93 sulke plaaswerkers is
getrek uit 'n totale populasie van 188 huishoofde, versprei oor 13 plase in die
navorsingsgebied. Hierdie werkers se persepsies en voorkeure met
betrekking tot behuising is tydens onderhoude op die basis van 'n semigestruktureerde
vraelys gepeil. Die onderhoude is deur die navorser self en 'n
aantal finalejaar Maatskaplike werk studente aan die Universiteit van
Stellenbosch gevoer. Die data wat op hierdie manier ingewin is, is deur
middel van die SPSS statistiese pakket ontleed.
Die sosio-ekonomiese profiel van die betrokke respondente wat in hierdie
studie na vore kom, bevestig in 'n groot mate die bestaande beeld van
permanente plaaswerkers in die Wes-Kaap: hulle is feitlik uitsluitlik manlik en
Afrikaans. Hulle geletterdheidspeil is betreklik laag en hulle verdien meesal
tussen R 1 00 - 150 kontant per week. Driekwart het nog nooit "hul" betrokke
plaas verlaat vir ander werk nie en baie van die wat wel het, het bloot vir 'n
wyle op 'n ander plaas gaan werk. Die meeste ken dus geen ander bestaan
as die (neo-)paternalistiese leefwereld van die plaas nie.
Die bekendheid van die plaasmilieu is een van die redes waarom net meer as
50% van werkers aangedui het dat hulle tydens hulle werkslewe graag op die
plaas sou wou bly. By aftrede was die (denkbeeldige) landboudorpie of
"agrivillage" die mees gewilde keuse. Alhoewel 'n groot aantal plaaswerkers
onkundig is oor die post-apartheid regering se huissubsidieskema, bestaan
daar in die meeste se bewussyn geen onduidelikheid oor een kwessie nie:
hulle wil graag 'n woonplek besit, of dit nou op die plaas is of buite die "wit
hekke"; want 'n eie huis is die pad na minder kwesbaarheid, meer
onafhanklikheid en sekuriteit.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:sun/oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/55844 |
| Date | 03 1900 |
| Creators | De Kock, Floris Johannes |
| Contributors | Ewert, J. W., Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Sociology and Social Anthropology. |
| Publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | af_ZA |
| Detected Language | Unknown |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | 78 p. : ill. |
| Rights | Stellenbosch University |
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