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.

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.