THE NEEDS OF UNEMPLOYED YOUTH ON THE WEST RAND by SARAH IMELDA MAPHARAMI MARIBE SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENT FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS IN COMMUNITY WORK IN THE FACULTY OF ARTS AT THE RAND AFRIKAANS UNIVERSITY STUDY LEADER: DR C B FOUCHE MAY 1996 ( ) ACKNOWLEDGEMENT I ACKNOWLEDGE WITH THANKS, APPRECIATION AND ADMIRATION THE ASSISTANCE I RECEIVED' FROM THE FOLLOWING PEOPLE FOR HAVING MADE IT POSSIBLE FOR ME TO COMPLETE MY STUDIES. THE ALMIGHTY GOD FOR THE SUPPORT AND GUIDANCE HE GAVE ME THROUGHOUT THE ACADEMIC YEAR. MY STUDY LEADER, DR FOUCHE, FOR HER PATIENCE, GUIDANCE AND MOTIVATION, NOT FORGETTING HER FRIENDLY ATTITUDE. DR NEL AND ALL MY TUTORS FOR THE KNOWLEDGE THEY SHARED . WITH ME. MY LATE MUM, DAD, BROTHER AND SISTERS, FOR HAVING GIVEN ME THEIR SUPPORT THROUGHOUT MY STUDY LIFE. TO MY FRIENDS AND COLLEAGUES, MPULE MOILOA, MAGDA ERASMUS, 'MAPULE MACHE AND DOLLY MASELOANE FOR THEIR BOORS, STUDY MATERIAL, SUPPORT AND GUIDANCE. OPSOMMING 1. INLEIDING: Die werkloosheid in Suid-Afrika is omvangryk en die behoefte bestaan dat die probleem op alle vlakke aangespreek behoort te word. Baie jongmense is onsuksesvol in hulle soeke na werk en wend hulle dan tot kriminele aktiwiteite om te oorleef. Daar bestaan noue verband tussen misdaad en werkloosheid en dit wek kommer. Oortredings begaan deur die jeugdige oortreder wissel van diefstal, roof en moord. Die toename in kriminele aktiwiteite deur die jeugdige word waargeneem. Misdaad het met 27% tussen die jare 1987 en 1992 toegeneem. Hiermee saam het geweld ook met 19% gestyg. (Glanz, 1993). Die Departement van Statistiek bereken egter dat 95398 jeugdiges tussen die ouderdom van sewe en twintig jaar gedurende 1 Julie 1990 en 30 Junie 1991 by kriminele aktiwiteite betrokke was. Dit wil dus voorkom of 120 - 150 jeugidges vir elke 1000 by sulke aktiwiteite betrokke is. Daar moet egter in gedagte gehou word dat nie alle oortredings aangemeld word en oortreders vervolg en gevonnis word nie. Dit wil dus voorkom of die statistiek beskikbaar slegs die punt van die ysberg reflekteer. 2. DOELSTELLING EN DOELWITTE: Die doel van hierdie studie was om ondersoek in te stel na die behoeftes van die werklose jeugdige aan die Wes-Rand, met die doel om sekere aanbevelings te maak om die werkloosheid-misdaad sirkel te verbreek. 3. DOELWITTE VIR DIE STUDIE: Die volgende doelwitte is gestel om bogenoemde doelstellings te bereik: a. Bepaal van behoeftes van die werklose jeugdige in die volgende gemeenskappe: Mohlakeng Kagiso, en Bekkersdal Identifisering van bestaande programme om die werklose jeugdige behulpsaam te wees. Identifisering van leemtes in die diensleweringsproses aan die werklose jeugdige, asook die maak van sekere aanbevelings. 4. NAVORSINGSMETODOLOGIE: 'n Volledige literatuurstudie is gedoen ten opsigte van die onderwerp. Die doel was ook om deur middel van 'n vraelys die behoeftes van die werklose jeugdige in die gegewe gemeenskappe te identifiseer. Organisasies wat betrokke is by programme, is geidentifiseer en daar is deur middel van 'n semi- gestruktureerde onderhoudskedule die nodige data ingesamel. (iv ) Die data is daarna geanaliseer en al drie die doelwitte is bereik. Daar is gebruik gemaak van kwalitatiewe navorsing asook paar kwantitatiewe data analiseringstegnieke vir hierdie studie. NAVORSINGSRESULTATE EN BEVINDINGE: Die meeste van die jeug wat betrek was by die studie, was kinders van enkelouers, of buite-egtelike kinders, of kinders wat deur hulle ouers verlaat of verwaarloos was. Werkloosheid was in die meeste gevalle 'n kenmerk wat by die gesin teenwoordig was waaruit die jeugdige gekom het. Die jeug het hulle skoolopvoeding gestaak as gevolg van finansiele redes. Dit het gebeur voordat hulle die nodige kennis en lewensvaardighede bemeester het. Hulle was dan ook onsuksesvol in hulle soeke na werk en het dan betrokke geraak by kriminele aktiwiteite. Die organisasies wat programme aanbied het sekere vereistes gestel waaraan die meeste jeugdiges nie kon voldoen nie. Die organisasies is buite die gemeenskappe gelee en die meeste jeugdiges was onbewus van hulle bestaan. Dit is ook kommerwekkend om to weet dat daar slegs twee organisasies bestaan, in hierdie omgewing, wat die probleem kan aanspreek. AANBEVELINGS: Dit word aanbeveel dat die maatskaplike werk diensorganisasies, bestaande fondse wat geallokeer is, met groter vrug aanwend. Die aanleer van lewensvaardighede moet deel wees van die program. Die programme moet inkomste kan genereer asook die skep van meer werksgeleenthede. (v) Die maatskaplike werker moet as deel van 'n multidissiplinere span, asook die jeugdige en ouer, self- bestuurprogramme ontwikkel en implementeer. 7. SAMEVATTING: Dit is dus waargeneem, vanuit die studie, dat die jeugdige oortreder 'n produk is van vroed skoolverlating en armoede. Indien die probleem nie aangespreek en moontlike oplossings verkry word nie, sal daar 'n toename wees in jeugdige misdadigers. Die maatskaplike werk beroep sal aktief betrokke moet raak in die aanspreek van die probleem. CONTENTS CHAPTER 1 1 1. THE GENERAL ORIENTATION 1 1.1 Introduction 1 1.2 MOTIVATION FOR THE .STUDY 3 1.3 AIMS AND OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY 4 1.4 TENTATIVE RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 5 1.5 DEFINITION OF CONCEPTS 5 1.5.1 Community Work 6 1.5.2 Principles of Community Work . 6 1.5.3 Problem 7 1.5.4 Youth 7 1.5.5 Juvenile Delinquency 7 1.5.6 Crimes 8 1.5.7 Unemployment 9 1.5.8 The Unemployed 9 1.5.9 Programmes 9 1.6 LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY 10 1.7 OVERVIEW 10 Chapter 1 10 Chapter 2 10 Chapter 3 10 Chapter 4 11 Chapter 5 11 CHAPTER 2 • 12 2. THE THEORETICAL FOUNDATION OF THE STUDY 12 2.1 INTRODUCTION 12 2.2 UNEMPLOYMENT 13 2.2.1 Extent of the Problem 15 2.2.2 Possible causes of unemployment . 16 a. Lack of jobs- 17 b. Structure of society 17 c. Economic factors 17 d. Limited Supply of Skilled Labour . 18 e. Mental and Physical Disability . 18 Factor Market Distortion 18 Process of Informalisation and Outsourcing to avoid Tax 18 2.2.3 The Effects of Unemployment 19 2.3 APPROACHES IN HANDLING JUVENILE DELINQUENCY . . 30 2.3.1 Community Work 32 2.3.2 Approaches or Strategies for handling Delinquency 35 2.4 CONCLUSION 37 CHAPTER 3 39 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 39 3.1 INTRODUCTION 39 3.2 RESEARCH DESIGN 40 3.3 SAMPLING PROCEDURE 40 3.3.1 Population 40 3.3.2 Sampling Strategy 41 3.4 METHODS OF DATA GATHERING 43 3.4.1 Interview Schedule 43 3.4.2 Preparing for Interviews 45 3.5 DURATION OF THE PROJECT 47 3.6 CONCLUSION 47 CHAPTER 4 48 PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS OF DATA 48 4.1 INTRODUCTION 48 4.2 IDENTIFYING PARTICULARS OF THE UNEMPLOYED JUVENILE DELINQUENTS 48 4.2.1 Age of the Unemployed Juvenile Delinquents 49 4.2.2 Sex distribution of the unemployed Juvenile delinquents 49 4.2.3 Religious denominationof the families of The unemployed juvenile delinquents. 50 4.2.4 Occuupations of the unemployed juvenile Delinquents 50 4.2.5 Home language of the unemployed juvenile Delinquents 50 4.3 FAMILY COMPOSITION OF THE UNEMPLOYED JUVENILE DELINQUENTS 51 4.3.1 Parents 51 4.3.2 Siblings 51 4.4 REFERRAL OF THE UNEMPLOYED JUVENILE DELINQUENT TO THE SOCIAL WORKER 54 4.5 THE UNEMPLOYED JUVENILE DELINQUENT SCHOOL ATTENDANCE . 55 4.6 STANDARD ATTENDED BY THE UNEMPLOYED JUVENILE DELINQUENT AT THE TIME HE LEFT SCHOOL 55 4.7 REASONS GIVEN BY THE UNEMPLOYED JUVENILE DELINQUENT FOR DECISION TO LEAVE SCHOOL 56 4.8 STEPS TAKEN BY THE UNEMPLOYED JUVENILE DELINQUENTS IN AN ATTEMPT TO FIND EMPLOYMENT 57 4.9 PROBLEMS EXPERIENCED BY RESPONDENTS IN FINDING EMPLOYMENT 57 4.10 ACTIVITIES OF THE UNEMPLOYED JUVENILE DELINQUENTS EVER SINCE THEY EXPERIENCED PROBLEMS IN FINDING EMPLOYMENT . 57 4.11 STEPS TAKEN BY THE FAMILY OF THE UNEMPLOYED JUVENILE DELINQUENT IN HELPING HIM TOWARDS CORRECTING HIS BEHAVIOUR 57 4.12 FAMILY HISTORY OF SIBLINGS OF THE UNEMPLOYED JUVENILE DELINQUENT 58 4.13 THE UNEMPLOYED JUVENILE DELINQUENT'S MEMBERSHIP TO ANY ORGANISATION IN THE COMMUNITY 59 4.14 THE UNEMPLOYED JUVENILE DELINQUENT'S ABUSE OF DRUGS OR ALCOHOL 59 4.15 THE UNEMPLOYED JUVENILE DELINQUENT'S SOLUTION FOR THE PROBLEM. 59 4.16 IN THIS SECTION, DATA OBTAINED FROM IDENTIFIED INSTITUTIONS RUNNING PROGRAMMES USED TO ADDRESS PROBLEMS OF THE UNEMPLOYED IN THE WEST RAND. 60 4.16.1 Identifying details 60 a. Name of the institution 60 Entrance requirements 60 What type of programmes are offered by the institutions 60 4.16.2 Identifying details 62 a. Name of the institution 62 Entrance requirements 62 What type of programmes are offered by the institutions 62 4.16.3 Conclusion 63 4.17 SUMMARY 64 CHAPTER 5 65 5. INTERPRETATION, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION • • 65 5.1 INTRODUCTION 65 1 r 5.2 INTERPRETATION OF DATA THAT WAS GATHERED FROM THE INTERVIEW SCHEDULE THAT WAS USED IN ASSESSING THE NEEDS OF THE UNEMPLOYED JUVENILE DELINGUENTS IN MOHLAKENG, KAGISO AND BEKKERSDAL 65 5.3 INTERPRETATION OF DATA GATHERED FROM IDENTIFIED INSTITUTIONS RUNNING PROGRAMMES FOR THE UNEMPLOYED YOUTH 67 5.4 CONCLUSION 67 5.5 RECOMMENDATION 67 BIBLIOGRAPHY 71 Pagel CHAPTER 1 1. THE GENERAL ORIENTATION 1.1 Introduction: In South Africa there are no jobs for a very wide range of people. The precise figure of unemployment is not available. Some academics, however, have estimated the total number of African unemployment at more than three million people. This number is increasing all the time. An Inkatha Institute, which has been collecting violence related information in the townships for the past few years, describe the typical South African youth situation as follows: "This could be a young man in his mid or late teens who leaves school (often prematurely) only to find his vision of adulthood completely locked.