All My Children

These factors, although given in summary form, are also found elsewhere, for example, the Philippines. Bearing in mind the comments of Vanistendael that the phenomenon of street children is not due to any single factor, but to a combination of elements and influences, let us look at some of the other factors in our South African situation which contribute to the phenomenon of street children. The list is not exhaustive in any way:

• The abolition of apartheid and its restrictive laws: Recall the strict influx control that used to exist in our country, the `white-by-night’ laws in towns and cities, the removal of families from black townships to the homelands as soon as the breadwinner either died or became unemployed, the impossibility of owning property in black townships, fathers having to live in hostels, etc. The abolition of the apartheid laws saw a rapid rate of urbanisation in white urban areas as people left rural areas in the hope of finding work and of having a decent life. This was accentuated by the fact that most former homelands are overcrowded, without water and sanitation, and located in areas which fail to provide the basic foodstuffs needed to maintain a family.
• Black townships were not permanent homes: Under the apartheid system, townships were meant to be dormitories for the labour force needed in the white towns/cities. The land available for townships was insufficient and the housing shortage was a common problem. All available space had to be used, and no recreational facilities, ‘green spaces’ and the like were provided. A common feature of townships was to see stands of some 400-500 m² with a ‘matchbox’ type house and a shack accommodating another family in the backyard. It must be remembered that until the late 1970s, secondary schools, technical colleges and colleges of education in townships were not part of the apartheid ‘grand design’. To go to these institutions which were found only in homeland areas, urban children had to leave the townships and their families. By so doing, the problem of teenagers in townships was solved! With the new dispensation, the townships are more overcrowded than ever before with the migration of rural people to the towns and cities. Recreational facilities are still non-existent and children have difficulty even in finding a space to kick a football since the few open spaces are now occupied by ’shanty towns‘.

• African society is in transition: Often children have to live in two rather disparate worlds. Life within the family home is often based on traditional criteria, that is, parents will try to bring up their children in the way they themselves were brought up. On the other hand, outside the home, whether it be at school, in youth clubs, at sports, children today are often encouraged to participate fully in whatever takes place. As a result, it is often difficult for children to understand and accept these ‘double standards’. Why should they keep quiet at home and do what they are told, when elsewhere they are allowed to enquire, question and even decide for themselves what they want to do? Family life comes to be seen as oppressive and the desire for freedom from it all becomes a need which the street seems to answer for many children.
• School crisis: There is little doubt that the crises in our schools have contributed to the phenomenon of street children. The present generation of youngsters, from their first day at school, has experienced that to get their own way they simply need to boycott, apply pressure, become violent and obstructive, etc. Such an environment is bound to have a strongly negative effect on the children. In addition, few schools have been able to maintain any standard of discipline, and thus the education system is failing to provide a proper educational foundation for the children. The traditional means of disciplining children (corporal punishment) was abolished in many schools a few years ago and has not been replaced by alternative means of discipline. The lack of effective teaching (especially in secondary schools) makes talented children bored and weaker children fail. Instead of remaining at school, many choose to drop out and go to the streets where they believe they will start earning money to enable them to get the things they need.
• Effects of sanctions: During the years when South Africa was subjected to sanctions, many breadwinners were retrenched from work and lost their jobs. As a result, it proved more and more difficult for parents to provide sufficient food to satisfy their children’s hunger. Many families, with the breadwinners unable to find employment, were pressurised into finding alternative sources of income and a number of children decided to move to the streets in order to earn money that would enable them to satisfy their hunger. In addition, the high inflation rate experienced during the sanction years worsened the situation. The salaries of domestic and farm workers hardly changed during those years, and the children’s basic needs (in single parent families especially) could often not be met.

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