Evaluating the performance of farmworker participation schemes in the Western Cape Province
Ndlozi, Collen Vusi (2005-04)
Thesis (MScAgric)--Stellenbosch University, 2005.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: It is generally acknowledged that South African commercial agriculture will have to be restructured to integrate the previously disadvantaged communities in the agricultural economy of the country. This is so because of the prevailing disparities between agriculture amongst the black societies and the traditional "white" commercial agriculture. After the inception of the ANC governance in 1994, affirmative action measures viz inequalities and inequitable access to resources and markets became necessary to remove these imbalances. However, it is not seen as a quick fix; it will take decades to eradicate the imbalances created during the period of apartheid rule. A farmworker equity-sharing scheme (FWESS) was first introduced at the Whitehall farm in the Grabouw area of the Western Cape in 1992. The South African Department of Land Affairs adopted this strategy in the face of land reform as one of the major Land Redistribution for Agricultural Development programmes to provide basic support to the farmworkers in order to enable them to participate in the financial stakes of the commercial farming in South Africa. The main research objective of this study was to evaluate the performance of FWESSs and assess the contribution of the programme to the improvement of the living standards of the previously disadvantaged individuals, viz farmworkers. This was achieved through a survey, which included five FWESSs administered by the Cape Town regional office of the Department of Land Affairs (DLA). Interviews were conducted amongst the ordinary farmworkers, members of the board of worker trustees and the original owners. Among other things, the motivations, characteristics of governance, socio-economic factors and financial performance of the schemes were evaluated. It is evident from the investigation that the original owners are in the forefront in the initiation of the equity-sharing schemes on their farms. Job security was shown as the most important motivation by some farmworkers for their participation in equity-sharing schemes, while other shareholders (original owners) indicated that the initial capital injection in the business and the empowerment of the farmworkers through capital appreciation and dividends was the most important motivation. Equity-sharing schemes are a relative new concept in farms that were included in this study and after the initial negative impact with the change in the management of the organisation, the schemes are faring good financially.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Dit word algemeen erken dat die Suid-Afrikaanse kommersiële landboubedryf herstrukturering sal moet ondergaan om voorheen-benadeelde gemeenskappe by die landbou-ekonomie van die land te integreer. Dit is toe te skryf aan die ongelykhede wat ten opsigte van die landboubedryf tussen swart gemeenskappe en die tradisionele "blanke" landboubedryf bestaan. Na die bewindoomame van die ANC-regering in 1994, is maatreëls vir regstellende aksie ten opsigte van ongelykheid en onregverdige toegang tot hulpbronne en markte in werking gestelom hierdie ongelykhede uit die weg te ruim. 'n Kitsoplossing is egter nie moontlik nie; dit sal tientalle jare neem om die ongelykhede wat gedurende die apartheidsbewind geskep is, uit te wis. Die eerste plaaswerker kapitaaldelingskema is in 1992 op die Whitehall-plaas in die Grabouw-distrik van die Wes-Kaap ingestel. Die Suid-Afrikaanse Departement van Grondsake het hierdie strategie as een van die hoofprogramme vir grondherverdeling vir die ontwikkeling van die landboubedryf aanvaar, om basiese steun aan die plaasarbeiders te verleen om hulle in staat te stelom 'n deel in die finansiele belang van die kommersiële landboubedryf in Suid -Afrika te verkry. Die hoof navorsingsdoelwit van hierdie studie was om die uitwerking van die plaaswerker kapitaaldelingskema te evalueer en die bydrae van die program tot die verbetering van die lewenskwaliteit van voorheen-benadeelde individue, naamlik plaasarbeiders, te beoordeel. Dit is bewerkstellig deur middel van 'n opname wat die vyf plaaswerker kapitaaldelingskemas wat deur die Departement Grondsake se streekkantoor in Kaapstad geadministreer word, te betrek. Onderhoude is met gewone plaasarbeiders, lede van die raad van arbeidertrustees en die oorspronklike eienaars gevoer. Evaluering is onder andere gerig op die motivering agter deelname aan die skemas, kenmerke van die bestuur daarvan, sosio-ekonomiese faktore en die finansiële prestasie van die skemas. Dit het uit die ondersoek duidelik geword dat die oorspronklike eienaars die voortou geneem het met die inisiriëng van die kapitaaldelingskemas op hul plase. Werksekuriteit is as die belangrikste motivering deur plaasarbeiders gegee vir die deelneming aan die kapitaaldelingskemas, terwyl die ander deelnemers (oorspronklike eienaars) die aanvanklike kapitaal-inspuiting in die boerderyen die bemagtiging van die plaasarbeiders deur kapitaalappresiasie en dividende as die belangrikste motiverings aangedui het. Kapitaaldelingskemas is 'n relatiewe nuwe konsep by boerderye wat in hierdie studie betrek is en na die aanvanklike negatiewe bëinvloeding met die verandering in die bestuur van die organisasie, is die skemas besig om finansiël goed te vaar.
Please refer to this item in SUNScholar by using the following persistent URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/50341
Masters Degrees (Agricultural Economics)105