One of the most important issues for women in South Africa has always been that of poverty. During the apartheid years, black women were forced into the rural area to live off the land, without opportunities and choices allowing them to builds decent lives for themselves.

Only some were fortunate enough to receive money from husbands who were working on the mines and towns. This has left a legacy of devastating poverty on the black women of the country nowadays, where the poorest of the poor are still living under extremely trying conditions.

Women predominate in the rural areas, which are usually the poorest. Both in the rural and urban environment, women often have to take on the roles of childcare, making employment conditions difficult. Despite not being able to work because of the duty of childcare, the women of the house are still perceived as the people responsible for feeding the family. Almost 40% of children under the age of 7 years live only with their mothers, while many live with their grandmothers.

Customs or traditions further contribute to the poverty of women. An example of this can be seen in the Eastern Cape, where some women are subjected to the customary assumption that only men can own property. Polygamy also plays a role, as new wives are often a priority and older wives neglected.

Apart from being under huge financial strain, poor women are more at risk of physical abuse. This often happens as a result of a sense of powerlessness that the man in the house may have because he is unemployed. Even in instances where the husband does earn a salary, many women are suffering physical violence at the hands of their husbands. These women are often not economically independent and therefore do not leave the abusive situation.

It is often incorrectly assumed that poverty relates only to the unemployed. A study on The Effect of Minimum Wages on the Employment and Earnings in South Africa's Domestic Services Workers, conducted by the Development Policy Research Unit of the School of Economics at the University of Cape Town, has showed that around 58% of domestic workers still earn less that the minimum wage. Many women work on farms, where the minimum wage law as set by the Department of Labour is still ignored.

Source: sahistory.org.za

Ubunzima kwabesifazane belwisana nobubha

Enye yezinkinga ezinkulu kwezihlasele abesimame kulelizwe ngeyokuhlupheka.  Ngezikhathi zobandlululo abesimame abansundu babephoqwa ukuthi bahlale emakhaya bangezi ezindaweni zasemadolobheni ngaphandle kokuthi banikwezwe izwi lokuziphendulela kulokhu.  Yidlanzana elimbalwa elalikwazi nokuthola imali evela kubayeni abasebenzi emadolobheni.  Lokhu kwashiya ukhondolo lobubha kwabesimame abampisholo njengoba nanamuhla kuseyibona abahluphekayo.

Ezindaweni zasemakhaya ufica kungabesimame abaningi behlupheka njengoba bengagcini nje ngomsebenzi wokubheka izingane kodwa kuphinde kulindeleke ukuti kube yibona ababheka nabadala kanjalo nabagulayo.  Ingi lezingane ezineminyaka eyisikhombisa kutholakala ukuti zikhuliswa ngonina kuphela kumbe ogogo oyise bengekho emakhaya.  Kulenkinga yokucindezelwa kwabesimame kusolwa namasiko kanye nenkolo ngokuba neqhaza elithile.

Ezindawei ezithile emakhaya kusenenkolelo yokuthi owesimame angeke akwazi ukusingatha abe nomhlaba kumbe ipulazi lakhe.  Ngele kwezinkinga zezimali bebhekene nobubha abesimame baphinde babhekane nengozi yokuhlukunyezwa ngabesilisa.  Nasemakhaya lapho owesilisa esuke esebenza khona kodwa ujike ashaye unkosikazi wakhe emhlukumeza. Ining labesimame abashawa ngabayeni kutholakala nokuthi basuke bengakwazi ukuzimela ngokwezimali. 

Kuchazwa njengephutha ukukholelwa ekutheni ububha buhlasela abantu abangasebenzi kuphela.  Ucwaningo lwabe Development Policy Research Unit enyuvesi yase Cape Town lokubheka kabanzi ngamaholo kwabasebenzayo njengabasizi basezindlini luveza ukuthi iningi labo labasebenzi bahola imali engaphansi kunaleyo ebekwe ngumnyango wezabasebenzi ukuthi kumele baholelwe yona nokwenza bajike bahlupheke besebenza. 

Source: sahistory.org.za

Umzabalazo wabaseTyhini wokulwa nendlala

Enye yeengxaki ezibalulekileyo ezijongene nabaseTyhini eMzantsi Afrika, yasoloko iyindlala. Ngethuba localu - calulo, abaseTyhini abamnyama babenyanzelwa ukuya ezilalini, ukuze baphile ngomhlaba ngaphandle kwamathuba okuzikhethela okungabenza babenobomi obungcono.

Linani elingephi elibenethamsanqa lokuthunyelelwa imali ngabayeni babo, ababesebenza emigodini nasezidolophini. Le meko ishiye abaseTyhini abamnyama nentsokolo engummangaliso kweli lizwe, apho abona bantu bakhe basokola besaphila phantsi kweemeko ezinzima ngendlela emangalisayo.

AbaseTyhini ngabona baliqela ezilalini, nalapho ingabona basokolayo. Ezilalini nasezidolophini, abaseTyhini badla ngokudlala indima yokukhathalela abantwana, nedla ngokwenza iimeko zomsebenzi zibe nzima. Ngaphandle kokungakwazi ukuya kusebenza ngenxa yokukhathalela abantwana, abaseTyhini emakhayeni basajongwe njengabafanelwe kukuthwala uxanduva lokondla usapho. Phantse iipesenti ezingama40 zabantwana abangaphantsi kweminyaka esixhenxe bahlala noonina kuphela, lo gama uninzi luhlala nooninakhulu.

Inkcubeko namasiko zinegalelo kwintsokolo yabaseTyhini. Umzekelo wale meko ubonakala eMpuma - Koloni, apho abanye baseTyhini besokoliswa yinkcubeko ethi, ngamadoda kuphela anelungelo lokuba ngabanini - zinto kwanomhlaba. Isiko lokuba namakhosikazi aliqela nalo lidlala indima, kuba amakhosikazi amatsha edla ngokuba ngawo ahoywayo, lo gama amadala engakhathalelwa.

Ngaphandle kokuba phantsi koxinzelelo lwezezimali, abaseTyhini abasokolayo babakumngcipheko wokubethwa. Le nto idla ngokwenzeka kuba, indoda endlini iziva ingenawo amandla, ngenxa yokuba ingaphangeli. Nakwiimeko apho abayeni befumana umvuzo othile, uninzi lwabaseTyhini luyabethwa. Aba baseTyhini badla ngokuxhomekeka kwaba bayeni, ngoko ke kuba nzima ukuyishiya le meko yokuxhatshazwa.

Kudla ngokubakho uluvo olungelulo lokuba, intsokolo ijongene nabangaphangeliyo kuphela. Uphando ngegalelo lwemivuzo ekuqeshweni nasekuhlawulweni kwabasebenzi basemakhitshini, olwenziwe licandelo lophando kwisikolo sezoqoqosho kwidyunivesiti yaseKapa, lubonise ukuba malunga nama58 eepesenti lwabasebenzi basemakhitshini basahlawulwa ngaphantsi komvuzo obekiweyo ngurhulumente. Uninzi lwabaseTyhini basebenza ezifama, apho umgaqo wemivuzo owabekwa lisebe lezabasebenzi usatyeshelwayo.

Umthombo wendaba: sahistory.org.za

Ntwa ya basadi kgahlanong le bofuma

E nngwe ya ditaba tseo esale di ngongorehisa basadi Afrika Borwa  ke bofuma.  Ka nako ya mmuso wa kgenthollo basadi ba ne ba qobellwe ho ya dula tulong tse ka ntle ho ditoropo, ba iphedisa ka ho lema, ba se na menyetla le boikgethelo ba ho ikahela bophelo bo botle.

Ke ba mmalwa fela ba neng ba na le lehlohonolo la ho romellwa tjhelete ke banna ba bona ba neng ba sebetsa merafong. Sena se sehile lefa la le lebe la bofutsana basading ba Rantsho kajeno, moo ba itlhophereng haholo ba ntseng ba phela maemong ana a mabe.

Palo ya basadi e hodimo haholo ditulong tse kantle ho ditoropo, tseo hangta di itlhophereng.  Ditoropong esita le tulong tse kantle ho tsona, basadi hangata ba tlameha ho hlokomela bana, mme ha ho bonolo hore ba fumane mosebetsi ka bala la sena.  Ho siya hore ha ba kgone ho sebetsa hobane ba hlokomela bana, basadi ka lapeng ba na le boikarabelo ba ho fepa lelapa.  Dipesente tse ka bang 40 tsa bana ba ka tlase ho lemo tse 17 ba dula le bomma bona, ha ba bangata ba dula le bonkgono ba bona.

Meetlo/setso le ditlwaelo setjhabeng di totisa bofuma ba basadi.  Mohlala, Kapa Botjhabela basadi ba hatellwa ka moetlo e reng banna fela ba lokela ho ba le motse, leruo jwalo-jwalo.  Ho nyala sethepu le hona ho na le seabo se seholo ho fumaheng ha basadi, ka ha hangata ke direthe (basadi ba bobedi) tse fumanang tlhokomelo e ntle ho feta basadi ba pele.

Ntle le ho se be le tjhelete, basadi ba itlhophereng ba kotsing ya ho tlatlatjwa.  Hangata sena se etsahala ka lebaka la hore banna ka lapeng ba ipona ba se na matla hobane ba sa sebetse. Le moo monna a etsang tjhelete, basadi ba bangata ba ntse ba tlatlatjwa ke banna ba bona.  Hangata basadi bana ha ba na tjhelete ka hoo ha ba batle ho hlala banna bana.

Ka nako e ngata ho na le dikelello tse sa lokang tsa hore bofuma bo tsamaya le leqeme la mesebetsi.  Tlhahlobo e bitswang ‘The Effect of Minimum Wages on the Employment and Earnings in South Africa's Domestic Services Workers' (Tshususmetso ya meputso e tlase mesebetsing ya malapeng Afrika Borwa) e entsweng ke karolo dipatlisiso ka dipolisi tsa kaho lefapheng la dithuto tsa ikonomi (Development Policy Research Unit of the School of Economics) unibesithing ya Cape Town, e supa hore dipesente tse ka bang 58 tsa basebetsi ba malapeng ba ntse ba fumana moputso o fokolang. Basadi ba bangata ba sebetsa dipolasing moo meputso e lekanyeditsweneg ke lefapha la tsa mesebetsi e ntseng e sa natswe.

Mohlodi: sahistory.org.za