The core empirical research of this thesis investigates livelihoods in three rural
communities at Lake Gariep, South Africa’s biggest water body. More than 6000
people are living within the study area: Venterstad and Oviston, situated in the
province of the Eastern Cape; and Gariep, in the province of the Free State. Severe
poverty characterizes all three locations. The fish stock at Lake Gariep is one of the
most important food resources for locals. This study constitutes the first social
research undertaken in the area. It contributes to the existing body of knowledge on
livelihood studies and natural resources in general and in post-apartheid South
Africa in particular.
A mixed methodology, combining the livelihood approach with extensive in situ
surveys is applied. Wide-ranging socio-economic data and qualitative material on
life satisfaction were generated through two large household surveys conducted in
2007 and 2011. The methodology enables a comprehensive assessment of the role of
fishing for rural communities, its contribution to their well-being, and the
constraints fishermen have to face. The analysis is extended to the relationship
between the micro-level represented by the case study and the macro-level of the
political and economic situation in contemporary South Africa. The thesis argues
that the rural poor at Lake Gariep are a localised example of a broader failure to
make substantial progress towards achieving major national policy objectives of
economic development, food security and poverty eradication since 1994. In stark
contrast to these proclaimed goals, South Africa is characterized by increasing
inequality and poverty. The reasons for this are manifold: historical and global
economic pressures, but principally it is a result of political and administrative
failure.