PDF The Effects of Migratory Labour on The Individual Labourer

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THE EFFECTS OF MIGRATORY LABOUR ON THE INDIVIDUAL LABOURER

By R. N. ROBB

A talk given by Mrs. Robb, director of the Athlone Advice office, to the Institute of Citizenship in Cape Town, on Uth March, 19f!ft.

M I G R A T O R Y L A B O U R i s n o t p e c u l i a r t o S o u t h Africa. It h a s o c c u r r e d in m a n y c o u n t r i e s all o v e r t h e w o r l d a n d w i l l d o so a g a i n w h e r e v e r t h e r e is a n i m b a l a n c e b e t w e e n developed p r o g r e s s i v e r e g i o n s w h e r e t h e r e is p l e n t y of e m p l o y m e n t a v a i l a b l e a n d u n d e r - d e v e l o p e d — e v e n d e p r e s s e d — a r e a s w h e r e u n e m p l o y m e n t a b o u n d s . W h a t is p e c u l i a r t o S o u t h Africa is t h e G o v -

e r n m e n t s policy of e x t e n d i n g t h e s y s t e m of m i g r a n t l a b o u r — its stated i n t e n t i o n t h a t in f u t u r e A f r i c a n s will o n l y be a b l e t o leave t h e i r H o m e l a n d s a s m i g r a n t l a b o u r e r s o n a fixed t i m e contract — a n d t h e s e are fellow c o u n t r y m e n — not a l i e n s .

Dr. Verwoerd's S t a t e m e n t

On J u n e 20th, 1955 in a P a p e r entitled "De- velopment and P r o g r e s s in B a n t u Communities",

Dr. Verwoerd said " T h e M i g r a t o r y labour system u n d e r which the B a n t u sell t h e i r working powers and labour f a r from t h e i r homes, h a s been in force for g e n e r a t i o n s . We all know t h a t for

m i n i n g l a b o u r it is the best and presumably only practicable system. It is my contention t h a t t h e strengthening of this system and its extension

to most other fields of labour would benefit the Bantu because the established business i n t e r e s t s

in the E u r o p e a n towns will never permit t h e u r b a n locations to grow into fully independent B a n t u t o w n s and because such development would, in any case, be c o n t r a r y to Government policy."

It is h a r d to follow his a r g u m e n t t h a t m i g r a - t o r y labour benefits the B a n t u . While we all ad- mit t h a t m i g r a t o r y labour h a s its* uses a s a short

t e r m policy, or for the p u r p o s e s of seasonal labour on fruit and other f a r m s , surely we all a g r e e t h a t a s a p e r m a n e n t policy, and the only future

policy for African labourers, it is quite imprac- tical and immoral.

Poor W h i t e Problem

F r o m the first world w a r o n w a r d s White work- e r s in South Africa migrated from depressed c o u n t r y a r e a s to developing industrial a r e a s such a s J o h a n n e s b u r g , Cape Town, P o r t Elizabeth and D u r b a n etc. T h i s led to t h e poor White problem since m a n y of t h e Whites who poured into the industrial a r e a s were quite unqualified to work t h e r e . As we all know this problem h a s been solved in a relatively s h o r t time b u t i t has been done a t the expense of the Coloured, African and Indian workers who also flocked to t h e towns, were equally unsuited and u n t r a i n e d for indus- t r i a l work but who have been, since the 1920's, artificially held down by t h e Civilised Labour Policy, the so-called Colour B a r Act and subse- quent legislation to enforce job reservation.

Poor Black Problem

In addition the Africans have been subjected to Influx Control. F a r from solving t h e poor Black problem it h a s become progressively worse.

W h e r e a s the African p e a s a n t f a r m e r used t o work for a few months a y e a r on White owned

farms, in the diamond mines in Kimberley or gold mines on the Reef in o r d e r to supplement his income, a n d in order to pay t a x e s imposed expressly to force him into the labour m a r k e t , nearly two t h i r d s of the African population are now mainly or completely dependent on t h e i r e a r n i n g s e i t h e r a s f a r m labourers — a b o u t one- t h i r d of t h e total African population — or a s industrial, domestic or o t h e r t y p e of labourer in the so-called White a r e a s . Many have lost all contact with t h e i r homelands—particularly those who were born on a White f a r m .

A f r i c a n s on W h i t e Forms

These people can n e v e r t a k e a p e r m a n e n t j o b or earn the r i g h t to live a n y w h e r e p e r m a n e n t l y u n d e r t h e m i g r a t o r y labour system. T h e sons of f a r m labourers, born on a White f a r m , can get jobs on o t h e r White f a r m s or contract j o b s in an industrial a r e a , but they will neve* h a v e t h e right to live where they work. If they h a v e de- pendents these will h a v e to leave the f a r m when

the worker leaves it but will not be allowed to join him in the town. If they go with him t o another White f a r m the whole process r e p e a t s itself.

Displaced People

A t least one-third of the African population h a v e no right to live anywhere, no roots anywhere. They become displaced people who land u p in a Resettlement camp like S a d a n e a r King- williamstown. T h e r e a r e more t h a n 24 such

c a m p s in the Republic holding approximately 70,000 people, 50,000 of them women and child- r e n ; the approximately 20,000 males being mostly young boys, old men or disabled men unable to

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work. On F e b r u a r y 17th^t 1967 the Deputy Min- ister of B a n t u Affairs said t h a t 28,181 Africans have settled in t h e Stuttcrheim a r e a , 81 of them in employment. He said t h a t men could be re*

cruited from t h e r e for contract labour. In Sep*

t e m b e r 1967 the Government decided t h a t 5 % of all further dwellings in the township of ltfdant-

sane outside E a s t London must be reserved for Africans removed from the Western Cape. T h e Mayor of E a s t London was reported in the " S t a r "

of December 0, 1967, a s s a y i n g t h a t e a r l y in September the official number of Africans in Mdantsane (approximately 6 p e r dwelling) was 40,000, but it w a s estimated t h a t the actual population was something between 80,000 and 100,000 people. T h e "Daily Dispatch" on 18th March,

1967 reported t h a t h u n d r e d s of displaced Afri- cans were " s q u a t t i n g " in the a r e a s between E a s t

London and Kingwilliamstown. Other homeless A f r i c a n s a r e " s q u a t t i n g " in the Herschel d i s t r i c t in the f a r north of the E a s t e r n Cape.

Settled Whites

So, whereas P a r o w , Bellville, Vasco etc. house many t h o u s a n d s of once m i g r a n t Whites who a r e now p e r m a n e n t residents of Cape Town and cannot be forced to g o back whence they came, no Africans have any real security when living and working in White a r e a s . The luckiest — those who qualify to be housed in White towns — m a y not own land or the house they live in — even in Soweto, the enormous complex of African townships outside J o h a n n e s b u r g , houses a r e sold on a l e a s e h o l d basis — not a freehold basis and the maximum lease is 30 y e a r s .

Migrant Workers

However, those who h a v e earned the r i g h t to buy such a house, or to r e n t one on a monthly basis, a r e not m i g r a n t workers in the t r u e sense of the word. T h e ones we a r e concerned w i t h today a r e the m i g r a n t workers who work for a fixed time on a contract a n d who have to r e t u r n to their " h o m e " — which may not exist — when the contract expires.

Work-seekers

T h e r e is a popular belief t h a t African men liv- i n g in the Homelands can go, if they so wish, to an industrial a r e a in order to seek for work or in order to accept work offered them. This w a s the position f o r many y e a r s — men were given 14 days in which to look for w o r k a n d if they found it, could continue to remain in t h e area, so long a s they w e r e employed by t h a t employer or a n o t h e r employer. In this way, a f t e r 15 y e a r s continuous residence in one a r e a or 10 y e a r s continuous employment with t h e same employer

— they qualified to be housed in t h a t a r e a w i t h t h e i r family.

Contract Workers

F o r t h e l a s t few y e a r s no Africans, male or female, have been allowed to go to the b i g indus-

t r i a l a r e a s o r to any White towns in search of work, or even to accept work offered t h e m , except on a definite contract for a fixed period of time. This contract is signed a t t h e i r place of residence — usually without seeing t h e p r o s p e r t i v e employer and often without t h e i r having

a n y knowledge of the cost of living or scale of w a g e s in t h e town to which they a r e going. The wage to be paid, conditions of work etc. a r e laid down in the contract, but it is i n t e r e s t i n g to note t h a t the l a b o u r e r h a s no copy of t h e contract.

F o u r copies exist — the employer has one, the Regional labour officer a t home h a s one, t h e T r i b a l labour officer h a s one, the labour officer a t the place he is going to h a s one, but not the

worker. In a case which w a s h e a r d in t h e Ob- s e r v a t o r y C o u r t w^rhen t h r e e D a i r y workers w e r e

prosecuted for deserting service, and in t h e i r de- fence stated t h a t t h e employer w a s not p a y i n g t h e wage agreed on or giving t h e food promised*

no copy of the contract w a s ever produced in Court, nor was t h e signed s t a t e m e n t t h a t the t h r e e men had made to the Labour Officer a t the

B a n t u Affairs D e p a r t m e n t a t t h e time explain- i n g why they had left t h e job a n d giving d e t a i l s of t h e i r complaints. When t h e contract expires the w o r k e r must r e t u r n home — he cannot accept a n o t h e r j o b offered even in the same category in the same a r e a .

Contracts maximum one year in Cape Town In Cape Town, since A u g u s t 1st, 1967 the con- t r a c t s have been for a m a x i m u m of one year and are no longer renewable for a f u r t h e r y e a r —•

elsewhere since May 1968 contracts are for one year but m a y be renewed. T h e w o r k e r must re- t u r n home a t the end of the contract y e a r . In Cape Town, since A u g u s t 1st, when the c o n t r a c t has expired t h e African l a b o u r e r must r e t u r n for a t least a month and must sign a fresh con- t r a c t before r e t u r n i n g . He m a y r e t u r n to his previous employer if t h e r e i s a vacancy for him a n d if the employer's quota of African labour is not already complete. B u t he can never e a r n the r i g h t a f t e r 10 y e a r s with one employer o r 15 y e a r s working in the same area, t o live p e r m a n - ently in the place where he works. T h i s means he

can never e a r n the r i g h t to have his wife and family living with him in the place w h e r e he works. This means lie can never live with his family for more than a few weeks a year, or a few months every few years, for t h e whole of his

working life, because he c a n n o t afford to be unemployed for longer t h a n t h a t . He cannot really

afford to be unemployed a t all on the w a g e he e a r n s — R10 a week or v e r y much less, p a r t of which is withheld each week by the employer to cover the cost of his r a i l f a r e both ways. The employer deposits R15 per c o n t r a c t l a b o u r e r when he applies for them but this amount is for a r e t u r n f a r e and is recovered from the worker.

Those who support the policy of m i g r a n t labour h a v e a happy picture of Africans living

The Black Sash, August 1968 l>ie Swart Serp, Augustus 1968

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with t h e i r families in the homelands a n d only coming out to work in the industrial a r e a s for short periods. This used to be t r u e — is still t r u e for t h e lucky few who have land on which they can farm and who only need to work for a few m o n t h s a year in order to supplement t h e i r income, or in o r d e r to raise the money to pay loboia for a new wife. This is the picture but these are not the facts-

How about those who were born on White f a r m s a n d h a v e lost t h e r i g h t t o live t h e r e ? H o w a b o u t the thousands of children growing up in the Resettlement camps? How about those who r e t u r n to squat near E a s t London or have been housed in t h e 57c houses in Mdantsane reserved for displaced people? How about t h e fact t h a t in 1955 t h e Tomlinson Report stated t h a t the Reserves could not support t h e i r population a t t h a t t i m e and t h a t half of those then f a r m i n g should leave t h e land and find alternative employment, e i t h e r in t h e Reserves or elsewhere.

Even when fully developed, the Reserves would be able to support only 70S? of the population.

Transfer

* Only 32,700 Africans a r e gainfully employed in t h e T r a n s k e i , excluding teachers and profes- sional people — 4 6 # of these in Government service; 2 8 % in domestic service and 17% in com- merce. Their total cash e a r n i n g s a r e R4 million a y e a r .

In 1965 257,586 (a q u a r t e r of a million ( T r a n s - keians were employed in the Republic and t h e i r e a r n i n g s brought in R9 million t o the T r a n s k e i . J u s t u n d e r half of these were long t e r m m i g r a - t o r y labourers in continuous employment outside the Transkei, A n o t h e r 104,575 had been recruited hy labour a g e n t s d u r i n g 1965 mostly for work

in the mim>s, s u g a r p l a n t a t i o n s and manufactur- ing industry. 20,142 were recruited by the La- bour B u r e a u x .

In 1966 t h e r e were 278,000 m i g r a t o r y workers

— that is &5% of the wage earners of the Trans- kei were employed outside of it. T h e Govern- m e n t Labour Bureau recruited 23,601 of whom 77^rA went to the Western Cape.

So t h a t you can see t h a t , f a r from the T r a n s - kei being developed so t h a t less of its i n h a b i t a n t s have to leave home to work as Migrant labour- e r s , over 20,000 more of them were forced to do

so in 1966 t h a n in 1965. When I s a y forced, I don't mean they w e r e press-ganged, I m e a n t h a t poverty and unemployment forced them to leave t h e i r so called independent country — the T r a n s - kei — in search of work in White a r e a s . The families of 278,000 men were denuded of t h e i r menfolk — left to c a r e for the land and the cattle, if they were lucky enough to own a n y , and to b r i n g u p t h e i r children unaided by the head of the family- T h i s is not S e p a r a t e Development —

* A n n u a l R e p o r t of t h e T r a n s k e i a n Government for 1967, p.45.

The Black Sash, August 1968

t h i s i s Migratory L a b o u r by which a m a n c a n n o t sell his labour to his best a d v a n t a g e in the open market, and having done so, have his family to live with him t h e r e if he so wishes, but is forced to contract to work for a n often unknown employ-

e r and to go alone leaving his family behind him and knowing t h a t they will never be allowed to join him.

Contract Workers in Western Cape

In the Western Cape t h e r e are 131,414 contract workers — over 16,000 in t h e Cape Peninsula alone — and 25,000 living on a family basis. In t h e t h r e e townships which serve g r e a t e r Cape Town t h e r e a r e approximately 29,000 men over

18 living in "bachelor" q u a r t e r s and 12,214 living on a family basis. 16,000 of t h e so-called single men a r e contract workers, here f o r a year a t a time, but the other approximately 13,000 have been working here for m a n y y e a r s going home for a few weeks a t C h r i s t m a s when t h e i r firms close down or for less than six months every few years- These a r e the men who can have no real family life for most of t h e i r working lives.

These a r e the men, who for obvious reasons, take u p with local African or Coloured women — v e r y often m a r r y t h e m — and s t a r t a second family to be maintained a s well a s t h e i r family up-country on a l a b o u r e r s wage. These second families a r e t h e ones who suffer if t h e m a n is endorsed out a f t e r working f o r m a n y y e a r s in Cape Town, They could never fit into a t r i b a l

background, and although usually endorsed out, refuse to go, and remain here illegally.

These are the men who may well become homo- sexuals, a g i t a t o r s , petty criminals — in 1960

the trouble a t L a n g a s t a r t e d in the bachelor q u a r t e r s — t h e flats. In 1963 the trouble a t P a a i i POCKET C A R T O O N by Bod Connolly

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s t a r t e d in the township of Mbkweni which houses so-called single m e n only — m a n y of t h e m m a r - vied hut living away from t h e i r wives and families.

I t seems a disgrace t h a t instead of aiming to house all Africans employed in Cape Town on a

family basis, if they so wish it, the policy should be t h a t of steadily increasing the ratio of con-

t r a c t workers to t h a t of those living on R family basis.

Number of Prosecutions in yoar ending June 1966

We a r e told t h a t Africans don't w a n t t h e i r wives t o j o i n t h e m in t h e t o w n s a n d t h a t they a r e h a p p y with the Migrant Labour system;

but don't forget t h a t *479,114 people were prosecuted, let alone a r r e s t e d and released upon pay- ing admission-of-guilt fines, d u r i n g the year ending J u n e 30th, 1966 (over 1,313 per day) for infringement of Influx control regulations. In

many cases the people concerned paid fines of RIO o r R20 which they could ill afford, o r served t e r m s of imprisonment simply for not having on t h e i r person permission to be where they were

o r a p e r m i t to work t h e r e — and this in the land of t h e i r birth* Why did they risk a r r e s t and prosecution if they w e r e h a p p y w i t h t h e system?

H e w many thousands more were lucky a n d were not a r r e s t e d although they were living or workr i n g illegally in a White town?

We do not expect the impossible —- we know that i t would be quite unrealistic to u n d e r t a k e to house the families of all African w o r k e r s employed in White a r e a s . W h a t we have a right to expect, however, is t h a t the Government should be moving in t h a t direction.

In 1948 the F a g a n Commission condemned the practice of m i g r a n t labour except in the case of the mines which were considered to be a dying industry. N o w in 1968 t h e Government h a s categorically stated t h a t in future w o r k e r s leav- i n g the Homelands in search of work will be

able to do so only on a m i g r a t o r y basis.

Men who qualify u n d e r Section 10(1) (a) or (b) of the U r b a n A r e a s Act, because they have been born in the a r e a and lived there ever since, or have lived continuously in one area for 15 y e a r s , or worked 10 y e a r s for one Employer, a r e not allowed to bring t h e i r wives into the a r e a . Only those who qualify and married local wives may be allotted houses, but even then if the wife has bet*n living in t h e Divisional a r e a while the h u s - band i s qualified to work in t h e City Council

a r e a , special permission will have to be obtained to t r a n s f e r the w^fife from one area to the other, although the two a r e a s are contiguous.

One m a n who qualifies to work in the City Council a r e a , but is temporarily housed in Nyan*

g a E a s t , the Divisional Council township, has been t r y i n g for over a year to obtain permission

* Survey of Race Relations 1967. p.71.

for his legal wife, who qualifies to live in Gugu- letu t o live w i t h h i m in his pondok i n N y a n g a East* Now he has been told to demolish it before the end of this month and move to bachelor q u a r - ters.

Poppie Booi

Poppie Booi was living with her p a r e n t s in N y a n g a E a s t and had a 10(1.) (b) exemption stamped in her book, when she married a man

who worked in the City Council a r e a b u t also lived with his p a r e n t s in N y a n g a E a s t . Both Poppie and her husband were removed from t h e i r

p a r e n t ' s rent-cards upon m a r r i a g e — he will not qualify in his own r i g h t under Section 10(l)(b)

until A u g u s t this year, so t h a t he is not eligible for a house and lives in bachelor q u a r t e r s . She

has been told to go to Queenstown from which he came in A u g u s t 195:?. She h a s already visited his home and was so unacceptable to his tribal wife and family t h a t he g a v e her his r e t u r n ticket and told h e r to go home to her p a r e n t s and to borrow the money for his ticket back to Cape Town. T h e only way she can s t a y in the same town a s her husband is by divorcing him — I c a n ' t t h i n k on w h a t grounds — and r e t u r n i n g to her home a s the unmarried daughter of qualified p a r e n t s . She has been hiding from the police by day and sleeping in constant f e a r of a r r e s t a t

n i g h t — I won't say where.

Bachelor Quarters

I have said t h a t 29,000 men live in bachelor q u a r t e r s in the t h r e e townships which serve g r e a t e r Cape Town. Most of these, approxim*»

ately 23,000, live in Langa.* I wonder how many of you have seen how they live? They live in t h r e e t y p e s of p e r m a n e n t accommodation. The

best of these are the flats where two men s h a r e a room which h a s electric l i g h t a n d access t o showers and lavatories. They a r e not allowed to have a n y female visitors t h e r e a t any time of the d a y or night a n d are prosecuted if they a r e

found sleeping elsewhere. These blocks of fiats used to have recreation rooms on t h e ground

floor but these are now converted into dormi- tories for 30 m i g r a n t s each, all 60 s h a r i n g t w o

lavatories and showers designed to be used by those making use of the recreation rooms.

The next type of housing is known a s the Zones.. These a r e single storey brick h u t m e n t s consisting of several rooms, in which 3—6 men sleep* a n d a communal kitchen-cum-dining room, with little or no f u r n i t u r e or equipment of any sort*

The worst type known a s t h e B a r r a c k s , con- s i s t s of d a r k cave-like buildings with a double row of cement bunks housing 24 men who cook,

* Population of I^ingo: Males over 1 3 : 25,328.

Females over I S ; 3,773. Children under 1 3 : 2,972. H a n s a r d 2, 19G8. p.409.

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e a t and relax on the stone floor in the centre of the room.

In none of these q u a r t e r s a r e cupboards, tables, c h a i r s provided —only iron bedsteads or cement b u n k s in t h e b a r r a c k s .

B u t worst of all a r e the t e m p o r a r y prefabri- cated h u t s which some firms have been allowed to erect, each housing 40 m i g r a n t s on double metal bunks s t a n d i n g on stone floors, no f u r n i t u r e o r cooking facilities whatever — very cold in w i n t e r and v e r y hot in summer. These q u a r t e r s would be adequate for t r u l y m i g r a n t workers working f o r a few weeks d u r i n g s u m m e r h e r e but are quit** inadequate for men who live in t h e m for a

y e a r a t a time, and often, in t h e p e r m a n e n t single q u a r t e r s , for the whole of t h e i r working lives with s h o r t b r e a k s of unpaid leave d u r i n g which they visit t h e i r homes. T h e r e h a s been a lot of discussion a s to whether these h u t s should be fenced off to prevent women visiting t h e i r in-

m a t e s — nobody seems to have suggested t h a t the only w a y to stop it is not to h a v e thousands of single men herded together without t h e i r

families,

Cojjmbus Bantwini

A typical case is t h a t of Columbus Bantwini.

T h i s m a n would have been qualified by now, since h e h a s been working here for more t h a n 15 y e a r s

— since 1948 — had he not spent 8 m o n t h s away on leave (Nov, 1964 until J u n e 1965). Workers who leave t h e i r j o b s for more t h a n six m o n t h s u n p a i d leave are allowed to r e t u r n to t h e i r p r e - vious employers only on a y e a r ' s contract. So in

May 1965 Columbus r e t u r n e d to his employer a s a c o n t r a c t w o r k e r on one y e a r ' s contract, which w a s renewed in J u n e 1966 for a f u r t h e r y e a r . T h i s is no longer allowed, but it was a t t h a t time.

When t h i s contract expired in J u n e 1967 Colv umbus had to r e t u r n to B u t t e r w o r t h , b u t he was confident t h a t his firm would re-apply for him

within t h r e e months, a l t h o u g h he was distressed to h a v e to leave his wife and child behind in Cape Town. She had been sent here from E a s t London for t r e a t m e n t in 1965 and w a s an out- p a t i e n t a t Groote S c h u u r hospital,

Columbus' firm did a p p l y for him in the cor- rect m a n n e r and made repeated requests to be allowed to r e e m p l o y him on a fresh contract.

T h i s h a s recently been refused on t h e g r o u n d s t h a t the firm h a s already exceeded i t s quota of B a n t u labour and c a n n o t re-employ Columbus.

T h i s in spite of the fact t h a t according to Sec- tion 28(1) of the Labour Act 67/1964 a B a n t u c a n n o t be refused permission to r e t u r n to his

previous employer within 12 months provided t h a t this employer is willing and able to re-employ him. So Columbus is still a t B u t t e r w o r t h await- i n g permission to r e t u r n t o his job. His wife meanwhile is seriously ill in the Conradie Hos- p i t a l , She had an open-heart operation a t Groote

S c h u u r on December 6th, 1967 and d u r i n g the

The Black Sa&h, August 1968

operation her b r e a t h i n g became obstructed and she had to h a v e a tracheotomy. She remained partly paralysed b u t was recovering slow^rly when in F e b r u a r y 1968 she g a v e b i r t h to a small but healthy son.

I t is not expected t h a t she will ever recover fully but will spend t h e r e s t of h e r life in hospi- t a l s . The baby w a s cared for a t the S a r a h Fox

Home a t Athlone and has now been takftn, to- g e t h e r with an older child, by an a u n t , to t h e i r f a t h e r in B u t t e r w o r t h . So now Columbus, who is still waiting for permission to r e t u r n to his job, h a s the added anxiety of c a r i n g for t w o small children whom he cannot afford to feed.

He cannot be with his seriously ill wife, and w a s in fact s e p a r a t e d from her for the whole of her pregnancy, and above all he is not allowed to work in urder to s u p p o r t his family.

Conversion of Permanent Workers into Contract Workers

Every month men r e t u r n from leave to find t h a t they have been converted from p e r m a n e n t w o r k e r s to c o n t r a c t w o r k e r s — they often dis- cover the fact only when the y e a r ' s contract comes to a n end. Very often they h a v e m a r r i e d local women with whom they have been allowed to live but now they must r e t u r n home when the

contract expires and take their wife and children with them. T h e children must leave school, a n d the wife must g o to live in the T r a n s k e i a s a tribal African whereas she is used to town life

with all its modern amenities.

Completion of a Job

Under the p r e s e n t policy of m i g r a n t labour any African who leaves his job is immediately endorsed out unless he is already a qualified man.

He is not allowed to accept similar employment offered or even to r e t u r n to his l a s t employer unless he first leaves Cape Town and r e t u r n s on a y e a r ' s contract.

Categories of Worker who cannot be introduced on Contract

But employers are no longer allowed to i n t r o - duce contract labourers to do certain categories of work — namely vehicle drivers, floor weep*- e r s and cleaners, domestic s e r v a n t s , garden work- e r s , newspaper sellers, ice-cream vendors, stable a s s i s t a n t s or grooms, delivery men, petrol p u m p a t t e n d a n t s , clerks, packers and time keepers. An

employer who needs workers in a n y of these ca- pacities must use Coloured labour, or if he can prove t h a t such labour is not available and t h a t his complement of B a n t u labour is below t h e frozen number, he may employ A f r i c a n s who qualify to remain in the Western Cape under Section 1 0 ( l ) ( a ) ( b ) or <c) of t h e U r b a n A r e a s Act. So a m a n who h a s worked continuously for 14 y e a r s in Cape Town or nine y e a r s with the same employer in t h e same a r e a will be endorsed

Die Swart Serp^f Augustus 1968 1 4

(6)

out when he leaves his j o b and will not be allowed to return to it, even on a y e a r ' s contract if he w a s e m p b y e d in one of t h e above mentioned categories,

L I O N SONDLO was employed by a dairy in Athlone for nine years. He was discharged on 27th July, 1967 and endorsed out on the same d a y . On 31st J u l y , 1967 his former employer r e - g r e t t e d his hastiness a n d took him to L a n g a to

apply to re-employ him, Hia application was refused. We sent him to the Department of B a n t u Affairs to appeal against his endorsement out and the refusal of L a n g a to.allow him to re*

t u r n to his f o r m e r employer. A f t e r m a n y conv ings and goings between L a n g a , D e p a r t m e n t of B a n t u Affairs and t h e Athlone Advice Office, being given extensions, but not being allow to earn a n y money, L a n g a stated t h a t he must go home and r e t u r n a s a contract worker b u t t h a t he could n o t r e t u r n t o t h e D a i r y a s unqualified men m a y not be introduced on contract by dairies.

O u r a t t o r n e y then discussed this case with a senior official a t the Department of B a n t u Af-

f a i r s who stated t h a t Lion must g o home but will be allowed to r e t u r n to his former employer on contract within 12 months. We are waiting to see w h a t will happen.

Personol Tragedies

I w a s asked to deal with the effect of migra- t o r y labour on the individual labourer and his family. I could give you case a f t e r case of per-

sonal t r a g e d i e s caused by this system — deserted wives who have come to town in search of t h e i r h u s b a n d s because they have ceased to send them a n y money — m e n who h a v e been forced t o r e - t u r n to t h e i r Homeland leaving behind t h e i r

"town family" which is unwelcome, and anyway unwilling to live, in a tribal society. Men who have remained unemployed month a f t e r month a f t e r r e t u r n i n g home and who write desperate letters begging us to help them to find employment.

W o r s t of all a r e cases like t h a t of Mrs. Y o y o : E I F I E and W A S H I N G T O N YOYO have been living together in Cape T o w n since t h e i r tribal m a r r i a g e in 1948, first a t Elsies R i v e r then Ken- sington, then a pondok in N y a n g a West, and finally a brick house in Guguletu. Both a r e legally employed, she a s a daily maid in Parow and he in the Docks. Suddenly she received a notice to report to Langa from where she was sent to t h e D e p a r t m e n t of B a n t u Affairs- T h e r e on the

back of a n envelope addressed to Mr. T e n n a n t of L a n g a w a s w r i t t e n " F u r n i t u r e to be ready 29.3.68 a t 7.40 a.m. They will leave 31.3.68." '

T h e trouble would a p p e a r to be t h e fact t h a t Washington was first registered a s a p e r m a n e n t worker in 1954 although he worked on contract before t h a t . This means t h a t he does not qualify u n d e r Section 10(l)(b) of the U r b a n A r e a s Act to be housed with his family. His wife has, t h e r e f o r e , been told to leave the a r e a together

with h e r two children in spite of t h e fact t h a t she is legally employed here. Her family, who h a v e lived t o g e t h e r for 20 y e a r s , will now be s p l i t u p

unless her appeal succeeds.

T h e Cape Synod of t h e N.G. Kerk appointed a Commission to study the subject of Migratory

Labour and t h e i r report presented to Synod d u r - ing 1965 w a s l a t e r adopted by the General As- sembly of the N.G. K e r k in October 1966: —

" A b o u t 200,000 male A f r i c a n s from the T r a n s - kei a r e engaged in m i g r a t o r y labour in South Africa. I t is estimated t h a t by 1970 t h e r e will be 610,000 African m i g r a t o r y labourers and by

1990 1,013,000 of whom 723,000 will b e m e n . "

D. The Disadvantages of the system — Paragraphs 13 t o 19.

(a) The economic and moral disintegration of the w o r k e r s families in the Homelands.

(b) T h e t a x on African, Coloured women a n d girls.

(c) Economic poverty of the families in the Re- serves.

(d) T h e f r i g h t e n i n g increase in homosexuality specially in the compounds and single q u a r - t e r s .

(e) T h e knifing and stabbing t h a t go hand-in- hand with these social deviations and f r u s - t r a t i o n s .

These can be summarised a s t h e complete b r e a k - u p of family life, a religious a n d social problem of t h e g r e a t e s t moment. U n d e r t h e conditions of m i g r a t o r y labour it is absolutely impossible to build a stable social life and a peaceful and h a p p y community."

E. Conclusion — Paragraph 22.

" T h e Church must point out the moral impli- cation and the f r i g h t e n i n g r e s u l t s of the system, and emphasise t h a t a cancer which so r a g e s in t h e lives of the African population must neces- sarily affect the whole social and religious life of all t h e population groups in o u r F a t h e r l a n d . As a result of the law« of God the Whites will not be untouched by the disease t h a t is destroy- i n g the moral life of the A f r i c a n s . "

I shall end by inviting you to ask me to sub- s t a n t i a t e all t h a t I h a v e s a i d b y m e a n s of t h e

11,000 odd case sheets which we have a t the Athlone Advice Office, or b e t t e r still to visit u s t h e r e and aee for yourselves w h a t effect m i g r a - t o r y labour h a s on the individual African labour^

e r and his family. All 11,000 Africans came t o t h e Advice Office because they were dissatisfied with Influx Control regulations a n d the Mignt- t o r y Labour system and needed advice and h e l p

in the t r a g i c circumstances in which they found themselves.

A s M r s . Peggy Roberts s a i d in a t a l k o f t h e evils of M i g r a t o r y L a b o u r delivered in this hall several y e a r s a g o : " C a n anyone mention a coun- t r y t h a t has t r i e d to deal with unemployment by chasing the unemployed away, to a r e a s where it is known t h a t they m u s t remain unemployed."

The Blnck Sash, August 196k 15 Die Swart Serj), Augustus 1968