“Half a loaf is better than nothing”: the risks and resilience of day labourers in Cape Town

People are seen as resilient when they respond better than expected in the face of adversity. The aim of the article is to provide a description of the risks the unemployed day labourers waiting at a street corner in Cape Town experience daily and the resilience they display. An ethnographic approac...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Mapendere, Professor, Schenck, Rinie, Blaauw, Derick
Format: Article
Language:Afrikaans
Published: Stellenbosch University 2019-08-01
Series:Social Work/Maatskaplike Werk
Subjects:
Online Access:http://socialwork.journals.ac.za/pub/article/view/742
Description
Summary:People are seen as resilient when they respond better than expected in the face of adversity. The aim of the article is to provide a description of the risks the unemployed day labourers waiting at a street corner in Cape Town experience daily and the resilience they display. An ethnographic approach was used to gather data. The results show that day labourers experience difficulties related to insufficient and irregular income to care for those dependent on them, friction between local and foreign day labourers, and uncertain working conditions. Hope of obtaining employment to look after their families and caring individuals and groups enhance their resilience.
ISSN:0037-8054
2312-7198