Beneficiary dependence on the South African Working for Water Programme : a multi-site case study of four projects in the Western Cape

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT: South Africa's natural environment is internationally recognised for its biodiversity, andtherefore deep concern exists regarding the significant impact of invasive alien species (IAS)on that biodiversity. To combat the spread of IAS in South Africa, the national Working forWater (WfW) Programme was established in 1995. In addition to the clearing of IAS, theprogramme has also been designed to provide employment and empowerment to themarginalised sectors of South African society. With regard to the latter, WfW forms part ofSouth Africa's Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP), and can be defined as aworkfare programme, since it provides paid employment, rather than welfare payment.Following a contractor development approach, it also intends to create independententrepreneurial contractors who, ideally, should 'exit' WfW, by being absorbed in thebroader labour market. However, anecdotal evidence indicates that, since the establishment ofWfW, many of its intended beneficiaries have become highly dependent on suchemployment, and therefore do not wish to 'exit the programme. Also, mounting concernregarding beneficiary dependence on Public Works Programmes in general, has spurrednumerous academic debates on welfare dependence, as well as attempts to explain variabilityin dependence on government support. This thesis reports on a multi-site case study ofbeneficiary dependence on four WfW projects, which was undertaken in four CapeNaturereserves in the Western Cape province of South Africa. Five broad research questions wereformulated, which relate to the extent of beneficiaries' dependence on the projects concerned,as well the sociological factors that may contribute to such a phenomenon. The data collectedfor this study were analysed with reference to various theories of state dependence. Thebeneficiaries were found to have become highly dependent, mostly in a financial sense, onthe WfW projects studied, but also in regard to expectations of remaining in the WfWProgramme in future. Such dependence is largely due to WfW having become engrained inbeneficiaries' social structure to such an extent, that it affects both their choices and theiractions. Fearing a return to the conditions of farm labour, or the inability to escape the cultureof poverty and/or marginalisation they experienced before joining WfW, seems to haveresulted in the 'unanticipated consequence of workers being reluctant to exit from theprogramme, on which they have become dependent for their income and social standing. Inthe light of these findings, the thesis also briefly reflects upon South Africa's EPWPs, withthe conclusion of the case study offering at least a partial solution to improving the WfWProgramme as an EPWP.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University