Research Articles

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Day labourers in Pretoria, Windhoek and the United States - a comparison of two capitals and a different world
(AOSIS OpenJournals, 2008) Schenck, Catherina (Rinie); Blaauw, Phillip (Derick)
Purpose: The aim of this paper is to compare the economic dynamics of day labouring in two Southern African capital cities, namely Windhoek and Pretoria, against the background of the experiences of day labourers in a developed country such as the United States. Problem investigated: People waiting at the side of the road, hoping to obtain a piece job for the day, is a typical phenomenon in a situation where people are forced to venture into the informal sector to generate an income. Day labour is a national and international phenomenon that seems to be on the increase. Literature on the similarities and differences across different geographical areas and levels of economic development is limited, however. Approach: For the purpose of this study, day labourers in Pretoria were the subject of a case study which was compared with studies done in Windhoek and the United States during the same period, namely 2003 to 2004. The general demographics of day labourers in these two cities were investigated, as well as their employment history and the income earned. Findings and implications: Day labourers in Pretoria and Windhoek were mainly male, fairly young, generally low skilled, earning low and uncertain levels of income and working under harsh conditions. This corresponds to the demographic characteristics of day labourers in the United States. In both the United States and Southern Africa, day labour pays poorly. It was found that day labourers seldom earn more than the subsistence level of income for the respective countries discussed in this paper. A significant portion of day labourers in Pretoria, Windhoek and the United States previously held formal sector jobs. The biggest difference is to be found in the future prospects of day labourers. The opportunity for day labourers in the United States to make the transition into the formal sector of the economy is far better than for their counterparts in Southern Africa. Value of the research: The paper expands existing knowledge of day labouring as part of the informal labour market. This is important given the significance of the informal sector in South Africa and Africa at large. It provides a comparison between experiences of the same activity in a developed country and in two cities in developing countries, illustrating important similarities and differences in this regard. Conclusion: Day labour is a complex phenomenon, and a number of problems, violations and abuses may be found in this sector of the labour market. In order to address these issues successfully, the particular set of circumstances facing day labourers in different areas must be accounted for.
Day labourers, unemployment and socio-economic development in South Africa
(Springer Verlag, 2009) Harmse, Alet; Schenck, Catherina (Rinie); Blaauw, Phillip (Derick)
One of the most visible forms of unemployment is the men who stand at the side of the road or on corners daily, waiting for any job that may come their way. It is estimated that there are nearly 1,000 places in South Africa where a minimum of about 45,000, mostly black African men, stand, waiting to be picked up. The South African space economy is characterised by an uneven distribution of economic activities. International empirical studies have shown that there is a geographical or spatial coincidence between levels of unemployment and levels of gross domestic product per capita. The first objective of this article is to highlight some of the basic demographic dynamics of day labourers. The second is to investigate the spatial distribution of and the relationship between day labourers, unemployment and the general level of socio-economic development in South Africa. Day labourers share a number of common characteristics, but there were also obvious differences in their morale and spirit. The analyses showed that there is also a general spatial coincidence between levels of socio-economic development and the numbers of day labourers in South Africa, with a relatively high correlation coefficient between the two.
The employment history of day labourers in South Africa and the income they earn - a case study of day labourers in Pretoria
(University of Pretoria, 2006) Blaauw, Phillip (Derick); Louw, Huma; Schenck, Catherina (Rinie)
Introduction: With the opening up of the South African economy, following its successful democratisation and adherence to a strict programme of trade liberalisation, the number of highly-skilled (professionals, managers and technicians) persons employed showed strong growth, while the number of less skilled persons in employment declined (Whiteford & van Seventer, 1999: 3). Unemployment remains one of the major macroeconomic problems facing this country. The official unemployment rate in September 2005 was 26,7 per cent (Statistics South Africa, 2006a: iv). In spite of the recent positive news on the unemployment front, the foreseeable future is evidenced by large numbers of unemployed people.
Explaining migrant wages: the case of Zimbabwean day labourers in South Africa
(The Clute Institute, 2012) Blaauw, Phillip (Derick); Pretorius, Anmar; Schoeman, Christie; Schenck, Catherina (Rinie)
There has been an increasing inflow of migrants and refugees into South Africa during the last two decades. The origin of these migrants is mainly from South Africa’s long-established sources of migrant workers, including countries from the Southern African Development Community. Over the last decade, African immigrants have encountered brutal manifestations of resentment at their presence in South Africa. The reasons for this are multifaceted, but one of the pertinent perceptions is that immigrants from the country’s northern borders are taking South Africans’ jobs. It is often claimed that casual immigrant workers are willing to work for very low daily wages. In doing so, they get temporary employment in the informal and formal economy at the expense of South African workers, who have much higher reservation wages in the same informal labour market. This is the first study to focus on the wages of migrant day labourers in South Africa by investigating the determinants of day labour wages for migrant day labourers from Zimbabwe. The respondents for this study were interviewed during the first countrywide survey of day labourers in South Africa during 2007. The paper concludes that the income from migrant day labourers from Zimbabwe often exceeds that of the average day labourer in South Africa. The Zimbabweans are, in many cases, better qualified than the average day labourer in South Africa. The main determinants of these migrant wages are their formal level of schooling, language proficiency and the completion of vocational training courses
Happy in the informal economy? A case study of well-being among day labourers in South Africa
(Clute Institute, 2013) Blaauw, Phillip (Derick); Botha, Ilse; Schenck, Rinie; Schoeman, Christie
Past research provided evidence of the negative eﬀect that individual unemployment can have on subjective well-being. The persistent high levels of unemployment and poverty in South Africa have been well documented. Many people are forced into the informal economy, where they engage in a variety of survivalist activities such as day labouring. As no previous study has been conducted on the well-being of day labourers, the aim of this paper is to investigate the determinants of the well-being of South African day labourers. Objective and subjective functions are compared to determine the role of income and other variables in the wellbeing of day labourers. The determinants are categorised according to economic, comparison and attitudinal variables. The objective function uses income and the subjective function uses the binary measure of ‘experiencing a good week in terms of wages’ as dependent variables. The results showed that comparison variables are important determinants for the subjective measure of well-being, and attitudinal variables are important for the objective measure of well-being. The economic variables were important in both functions. The ﬁndings of this paper conﬁrm other research ﬁndings showing that personal income is important for well-being in a poor community. The diﬀerence between these functions indicates that the subjective and objective measures of well-being both capture valuable characteristics of SWB in a poor community.
Homeless in Observatory, Cape Town through the lens of Max-Neef's Fundamental Human Needs taxonomy
(SUN, 2017) Schenck, Rinie; Roman, Nicolette V.; Erasmus, Charlene; Blaauw, Phillip (Derick); Ryan, Jill
The suburb of Observatory, also affectionately known as ''Obs'', is one of the older suburbs of the City of Cape Town, home to multiple cultures, a student population from the University of Cape Town, a variety of churches, the Provincial Government Groote Schuur Hospital, the Government Psychiatric Hospital Valkenburg, and the home of the South African Astronomical Observatory built in 1897 - hence the name of the suburb. It is one of the oldest areas of Cape Town. Unfortunately Observatory also has a high crime rate and many homeless people. In the beginning of 2014 concerned community members of Observatory approached the authors of this article to conduct a research study to profile the homeless in Observatory. The aim of this article is therefore to describe the profile of the homeless in Observatory, Cape Town and to develop some understanding of the lives of the homeless.
Informality and the context of reception in South Africa's new immigrant destinations
(Wiley, 2017) Theodore, Nik; Pretorius, Anmar; Blaauw, Phillip (Derick); Schenck, Catherina
This study examines the context of reception for Zimbabwean migrants who are engaged in South Africa's informal economy. It seeks to contribute to two areas of migration scholarship: (a) the emergence of new immigrant destinations in the global South and (b) the role of the informal economy in shaping the context of reception for migrants in new gateway cities. Through surveys of Zimbabwean day labourers in Tshwane (formerly Pretoria), we document the poverty and the food and housing insecurity these migrants and their dependents endure resulting from underemployment in the informal economy. The analysis presented here suggests that although it has received little attention from migration scholars, the informal economy can play a significant role in shaping the context of reception for immigrants in the new gateway cities of the global South. In many destination countries, the informal economy absorbs large numbers of migrants, making it an important, if flawed, source of employment, earnings, and remittances. With increasing levels of migration to major cities, the informal economy has become a key arena of migrant incorporation, with far‐reaching implications for lives and livelihoods.
"Life is not pap and vleis": poverty in child-headed households in Gauteng
(University of Stellenbosch, 2011) Blaauw, Phillip (Derick); Viljoen, Jacoba (Kotie) M.M.; Schenck, Catherina (Rinie)
Introduction: The objective of this paper is to describe the socio-economic conditions of child-headed households in Gauteng, so as to measure the extent of poverty among these children. In order to do this, the study includes an assessment of the size and sources of the monthly income of child-headed households in Gauteng. The contribution by the different sources of income to total monthly income is also analysed. Special attention is paid to the contribution of income generated by household members themselves, as well as to social grants. The data on income received are then further analysed in terms of poverty criteria, so as to determine whether the monthly income of child-headed households conforms to the minimum income necessary for material survival. The monthly income is compared to the different amounts required for material survival by different family sizes in the applicable urban centres in South Africa.
Living on what others throw away: an exploration of a socio-economic circumstances of people collecting and selling recyclable waste
(Unisa Press, 2011) Schenck, Catherina (Rinie); Blaauw, Phillip (Derick)
Street waste pickers are becoming a common sight on the streets of South Africa’s cities and suburbs. Little research has been done on this social phenomenon. The aim of this article is to explore some of the socioeconomic circumstances of the people who collect recyclable waste in South Africa’s cities. The research identifies the pivotal role played by the waste pickers in the waste management system even if they are unaware of it. Being a waste picker offers unskilled, unemployed people the opportunity to enter the informal economy in order to earn or augment their income. The social service professional can play a supportive role at different levels such as psychosocial support and at policy level. Several areas of further research are identified.
The role and linkages of buy-back centres in the recycling industry: Pretoria and Bloemfontein (South Africa)
(University of Johannesburg, 2012) Viljoen, Jacoba (Kotie) M.M.; Schenck, Catherina (Rinie); Blaauw, Phillip (Derick)
Purpose/objectives: The aim of this paper is to get a better understanding of the role and linkages of buy-back centres (BBCs) in the recycling industry. The first objective is to analyse the institutional profile of the BBCs in two different geographical areas – namely, Pretoria and Bloemfontein. The second objective is to discuss the role and linkages of BBCs with the informal sector activities and specifically the activities of street waste pickers. The third objective is to explain the linkages that exist between BBCs and recycling companies. Problem investigated: Recycling, and specifically the collection and sorting of waste, is currently receiving much attention on the national as well as municipal level. To understand the recycling industry, and to make informed policy decisions concerning the recycling industry, policy makers need to have an understanding of the role and crucial link of all role players in the industry. Knowledge on the BBCs, who act as a link between the formal and informal sector activities in the recycling industry, is of the utmost importance. Design/Methodology/Approach: A mixed method approach consisting of a quantitative survey coupled with qualitative questions was used. The mixed method approach is used to collect as much data as possible from the BBCs, which is beyond the scope of what a structured questionnaire on its own can achieve. A lack of accurate location information on BBCs necessitated an intensive search for BBCs in the two areas. Findings/Implications: The BBCs in Pretoria and Bloemfontein act as an important link between informal sector activities and recycling companies and therefore promote informal and formal job opportunities. Formal job opportunities are created at the BBC sites as well as formal jobs at the upper end of the recycling chain, namely at formal recycling companies. Informal income generating opportunities are created for the informal waste collectors. Any changes in the formal or informal recycling sectors will have a direct influence on the operations and existence of the BBCs. Originality/Value: The role of BBCs in the recycling chain has been neglected in the literature. This study is the first study on the linkages and role of BBCs in South Africa and addresses a gap in the literature. Conclusion: BBCs play an important role in creating formal jobs and informal income generating opportunities for the poor and unemployable. More research is needed to understand the industry and its role players. This study can form a basis for additional research in this field.
The socio-economic reality of being a day labourer in Pretoria
(University of Stellenbosch, 2006) Blaauw, Phillip (Derick); Pretorius, Anmar; Louw, Huma; Schenck, Catherina (Rinie)
Introduction: The aim of this paper is to provide an overview of the circumstances which day labourers, and their families, have to face in Pretoria. The results of this study are compared with studies on the day-labour market that were done in the United States. Some of the results are analysed and compared with trends that have been observed internationally and conclusions are drawn on the social impact of this activity.
What happens during those long hours next to the road? An exploratory study of three informal day labour hiring sites in Tshwane
(University of Stellenbosch, 2012) Schenck, Catherina (Rinie); Xipu, Lawrence; Blaauw, Phillip (Derick)
The purpose of the study was to describe the nature of socio-economic activities taking place at hiring sites in Tshwane. The research approach and methodology of this study were exploratory, descriptive and qualitative. Case studies were done on three sites and it was found that they were hazardous and lacked basic facilities such as shelter and toilets. Employer-employee interactions were found to be haphazard and sometimes manipulative and exploitative. It is recommended that processes could be facilitated which could include access to basic facilities, skills development, job search assistance and access to comprehensive social services.
The work and lives of street waste pickers in Pretoria - a case study of recycling in South Africa's urban informal economy
(Springer, 2011) Schenck, Catherina (Rinie); Blaauw, Phillip (Derick)
High levels of unemployment are a permanent feature in the urban areas of many developing countries. South Africa is no exception in this regard. Poverty and hardship caused by unemployment force many participants in the labour market to venture into the urban informal economy in order to survive. The activities of the waste pickers fall within the urban informal economy. In spite of the fact that waste pickers are a common sight in the urban areas of Pretoria and other South African cities, remarkably little is known about them and scant attention is paid to them. The aim of the study was to establish a socio-economic profile of the street waste pickers in Pretoria and to describe the social interaction and relationship dynamics between the waste pickers and their families, each other, the community and buy-back centres. This was done by conducting the first ever empirical study of the street waste pickers in Pretoria. The results revealed that the role of street waste pickers in the broader waste management system is an important public issue that requires urgent attention and appropriate policy responses from policy makers.

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