Abstract
M.A.
This thesis explores to which organisations residents of informal settlements in post-apartheid South Africa are affiliated, and what they gain from particular organisational affiliations. Residents of informal settlements are faced with a variety of problems and these problems pose a challenge to their daily livelihood. For these residents to survive, they need strategies that will assist in coping with the problems. Some of the problems encountered by residents of informal settlements are poverty, and the displacement and lack of access to basic social needs like housing and sanitation. Building organisations might be one of the coping strategies, but lack of organisational expertise and the fact that these residents are not known to each other is, however, an impediment. It therefore becomes important to establish how these residents overcome various challenges. By concentrating on the role of organisations within informal settlements, this thesis fills a gap in the literature on coping strategies for residents in informal settlements. The study was conducted in Bethlehem, informal settlement in the city of Tshwane. A quantitative approach was used to explore organisational affiliations of residents and to ascertain what residents gain from their affiliation to particular organisations. Eighty residents of the settlement were interviewed using a structured questionnaire. The statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) was employed to analyse the captured data. The study found that a minority of respondents were affiliated to organisations. The findings of the study in Bethlehem indicate that organisations do not play a major role, and their limited role is not a material one, but rather a spiritual one. While it can be postulated that respondents‟ arduous work schedules contributed to their lack of participation in organisations, further research is required to explore this issue.