Abstract
M.A. (Anthropology)
The life conditions of the members of the Dutch Reformed Church
in Africa in the rural settlement in Gazankulu are determined by
a combination of processes, related to various historic events.
Political and economic aims of the government formulated in a
policy of separate development, led to the formation of the Gazankulu
'homeland'. The Dutch Reformed Church supported the ideology
of the government and applied the same dividing principles
in its missionary work. These principles contributed to the
limited extend to which the missionary understood the conditions
of their church members. Their efforts to address these conditions
instead perpetuated the very conditions.
Characteristic of the daily life of the church members was the
focus of the daily activities on basic needs. The availability
of and access to resources dominated these activities. The
scarcity of these resources created an atmosphere of competition
in the settlement which often manifested in confrontation and conflict.
Life in the settlement was dominated by economic processes
and social life also often had economic meaning. In spite of
the daily hardships, the inhabitants were socially accommodating.
The mission was not able to address these realities through their
social responsibility projects. Membership of the Dutch Reformed
Church in Africa had meaning in as far as the church could contribute
to the satisfaction of their daily needs. Church membership
in the settlement served as a means to strengthen kinship ties
which were fading away in a competitive environment