The first part looks at the historical development of the city of Alexandra as an explanation of the slum conditions and overcrowding that prevails today. The second part briefly discusses the city's infrastructure and facilities available to residents, such as schools, clinics and recreation centers. The main features of life in Alexandra are the chronic lack of housing, overcrowding and the poor nature of the area.
An overview of the historical development of the town is essential to understand how these conditions were created and why they were allowed to persist. It lies in close proximity to some of the poshest white suburbs in the country. The problem that plagued Alexandra from_its creation until 1958 when the Peri-Urban Areas Health Board (PUAHB) took over was that-i~. The government, provincial administration and the'Johanne~burg City Council have all ~e':f'i:ised~. absorb responsibility for 'the administration of the area.
They were against the abolition of the municipality or the removal of its citizens to new areas. survival was in their interest as removal' to a new area .meant .the removal of exploitable tenants. The rest are dusty, dirt roads, which largely contribute to the poor conditions of the area.
SOCIO-ECONOMIC SURVEY
The gender distribution of the sample size was skewed in favor of males ~ 53.S percent of the sample population was male and 46.S percent female. More than two-thirds (67.9 percent) of the sample population fell into the age category usually considered to be that of the economically active part of the population, i.e. between 15 and 64 years. The percentage of the population that is employed is actually higher, as this study did not take single-family homes into account. hold~ of the many hostels in the township. iv) Gender and age of household heads.
Heads of households were almost equally distributed in the age categories from 25 to 54 years for men and the entire population sample.
EDUCATION
23.7 per cent of adults in the sample had an education level of Standard Two or below and were therefore fully or partially illiterate. This means that the vast majority (>80%) of adults will be confined to the middle and (more likely) the lower rungs of the vocational ladder. The school enrollment pattern of the sample and the average age of pupils at each level are given in Table 4.
The fact that 75 percent of schools in Alexandra are primary schools suggests that the enrollment pattern in Table 4 is not representative of the entire area. While the average age of pupils at primary school is not significantly behind that of other racial groups, the age figures at secondary level are considerably higher, especially at matric level. This is clearly the result of the high dropout rates (students often drop out for a year or two and then return) and the large number of repeaters at African.
LABOR FORCE STRUCTURE, EMPLOYMENT AND UNEMPLOYMENT (i) Distribution of employees by industry.
THE STRUCTURE OF THE LABOUR FORCE, EMPLOYMENT AND UNEMPLOYMENT (i) Distribution of the Employed by Industry
These three occupations (i.e. semi-skilled, laborer and female services) account for two-thirds of the occupations lIS = 44S) in the sample. Only a small part of the workforce is skilled or professional (8.7 percent) while a larger segment (14, Spersent) is involved in the clerical field. The average length of time individuals were in their current job was found to be S.7 years.
Men were more stable than women, with 4S percent working in the same job for more than S years. The figures in table 7 show that women are more likely to lose or change jobs, although in their case, a significant proportion had been in the same job for more than S years (38%), and 32% had spent between 2 and Over the years to the same position. The majority of unemployed men were under 25 years of age (89.2%), among them were mainly those who had finished school and those who worked relatively little.
Just as many of the unemployed had no education at all as those who had reached standard six or eight. In summary, it can be said that there appears to be a significant portion of the workforce that is unemployed. The dependency ratio is derived by dividing the number of persons in the household by the number of employed persons.
There is not much research on dependency relationships on the Witwatersrand but Loots (l978)4 found in a survey of Att eridgeville and Mamelodi in Pretoria (an urban area) ~ and Saulspoort (a rural village) that these regions had average dependency respectively has. ratios of 1.8 and 2.1. With an average dependency ratio of 2.7, Alexandra households appear to have a generally high number of dependents.
INCOME
In terms of individual wage earners or wage earners, the average monthly income was R264, for male earners it was R310 and for female earners R205. While less than 3 percent of men earned less than R125/month , almost a quarter of all women earned wages within this range. The per capita income of families gives a more accurate picture of the economic situation of the residents.
BUDGET-EXPENDITURE
THE INFORMAL SECTOR
Children were often used to help in informal sector operations, most of them buying food, selling newspapers and as golf caddies. 23 households participated in the informal sector full-time, and the number of people who earned their livelihood in this way was 28. The people who used the informal sector to supplement income from formal employment totaled 65 people from 58 households.
HOUSING AND RESIDENTIAL STABILITY
HOUSEHOLDS' OPINION OF LIVING CONDITIONS IN ALEXANDRA The questions put to responding adults in each household were
With question (i) there was almost unanimous agreement on three aspects: housing and overcrowding, the appalling conditions in the township and crime.
ATTITUDES TO AND PERCEPTIONS OF POVERTY
Regarding who should take primary responsibility for the poor, 171 households (60%) felt that it should be in the hands of the government, 20 (7%) suggested members of the public, 41 (15%) business and industry , 8 (3) %) churches and religious groups and 43 (15%) were of the opinion that the poor themselves should be responsible for their fate.
CONCLUSION
CURRENT HOUSEHOLD COMPOSITION
All relationships are indicated by the first letter of the word describing the relationship, with the exception of 'Z' for sister.
SCHOOLING
HOW LONG IN PRESENT EMPLOYMENT : Write in months or years' HOW LONG IN PREVIOUS EMPLOYMENT :!, Write 11 months or years ". Occasional earnings - C UIF/Maternity - U Subsidy subsidy - M AMOUNT OF INCOME : Write in rands per week or month.
I YES INO
RESIDENTIAL STABILITY
Is this house yours? ii) No, I am renting the house from the local Bantu administration/town council/. What do you think is the reason why some people in South Africa seem to be much poorer than others? When you think of people who are really, really poor, who do you think of?
Do you think what the government does for poor people is enough, too much or too little?
