University of South Africa: Examining the lives of the precarious non-poor living in South Africa

People surviving just above the poverty line and below the prosperity level are defined as the precarious non-poor within a South African and global context. The precarious non-poor are said to be a fragile yet emerging phenomenon that needs significant developmental support. The precarious non-poor are also vulnerable to poverty. However, this group is not prioritised to the same extent as the poor. On the other hand, they are also considered poor in relation to the middle class. According to South Africa’s findings, there is no significant difference between being poor and precariously non-poor.

From the results presented, the precarious non-poor mostly live in cities. They are mainly employed and educated, yet they struggle to get by. Receiving social grants has not been sufficient for people to be wholly alleviated from poverty. Factors such as the type of education and the type of employment the individual has, have played a significant role in producing stable classes that have the potential to become middle class. When Peens conducted her research in Cape Town, the Western Cape and Newcastle, KwaZulu-Natal, she discovered that the most vulnerable and precarious non-poor are women of colour.

During the qualitative part of her research, the capability approach helped discover what people find important to ensure daily survival. The capability approach focuses on the individual’s basic capabilities and what they can do.

For people to have a good quality of life and overall well-being, they need to have a choice in determining their future. For this to happen, specific capabilities must already have been achieved regarding functioning or other impact factors. Peens argues that in this area, the prioritisation of specific basic capabilities within a social policy plays a significant role in ensuring that people have access to these opportunities.