Abstract
M.A.
South Africa has faced a number of strikes dating back to apartheid and continuing during the contemporary post-apartheid era. The effects of these strikes can be witnessed at a macro and micro level. Studies have failed to keep pace with the social effects of strikes at family and individual level in South Africa. This study provides an explanation and understanding of the family responses to the impact(s) of the 2014 Anglo Platinum Strike with specific focus on Sondela and Seralang communities in Rustenburg North West Province of South Africa. The study is underpinned by the resilience theory and Double ABCX Model with emphasis on resilience and coping strategies. The study uses a multiplicity of research methods including face-to-face semi-structured interviews and direct observations to understand the lived experiences of families in Seralang and Sondela.
The major findings of this study reveal that mine workers and their families in Seralang and Sondela, Rustenburg, faced a cesspool of poverty coupled with absolute deprivation as a result of lost income. Their lives are animated by desperation as they seek to provide food and maintain family economic well-being. In that regard, families were socio-economically impacted as a result of the strike. However, mine workers and their families are not passive victims of their circumstances but active agents who demonstrated resilience from day to day. The findings show that the families exhibit qualities of ingenuity through a range of coping strategies. This study is significant for a number of reasons. Firstly, it fills an empirical gap in the study of Seralang and Sondela specifically by looking at the social and economic impacts of the Anglo Platinum strike. Secondly, it demonstrates how the families coped with the impact of the strike and demonstrated resilience in times of a crisis.