The impact of labour legislation on South African farm workers' livelihoods in the Skuinsdrift area, North West province

[摘要] People living and working on commercial farms in South Africa are the poorest and mostvulnerable group in the labour market. They rely on multiple livelihood strategies to alleviaterisk and to survive. Wages from their employment in agriculture usually constitute theirprimary source of income and therefore play an important part in their livelihood strategy, asdoes their dependence on the farmer for housing, food, credit and access to services. Thelivelihood strategies of these poor people have been disturbed by the introduction of theSectoral Determination for the Agricultural Sector, which prescribes a minimum wage forfarm workers. It is especially the most vulnerable workers who are hit by the farmers’reluctance to grant them the same benefits as they received before. The law thus onlysucceeds in supporting those workers who are better educated, healthy and able to manage thehigher amount of cash wage in a responsible way. It is necessary to protect those who aremade worse off through the legislation by a comprehensive rural development strategy. Sucha development strategy must target those factors keeping the poorest farm workers vulnerableand struggling for survival.

[发布机构] University of the Witwatersrand