Abstract:
People living and working on commercial farms in South Africa are the poorest and most
vulnerable group in the labour market. They rely on multiple livelihood strategies to alleviate
risk and to survive. Wages from their employment in agriculture usually constitute their
primary source of income and therefore play an important part in their livelihood strategy, as
does their dependence on the farmer for housing, food, credit and access to services. The
livelihood strategies of these poor people have been disturbed by the introduction of the
Sectoral Determination for the Agricultural Sector, which prescribes a minimum wage for
farm 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 only
succeeds in supporting those workers who are better educated, healthy and able to manage the
higher amount of cash wage in a responsible way. It is necessary to protect those who are
made worse off through the legislation by a comprehensive rural development strategy. Such
a development strategy must target those factors keeping the poorest farm workers vulnerable
and struggling for survival.
