Surplus People Project Survey 1980-1981

South Africa, 1980 - 1981
Other Open Research Data

Laurine Platzky, Cherryl Walker

Identification

IDNO

zaf-spp-spps-1980-1981-v1

Title

Surplus People Project Survey 1980-1981

Country

Name	Country code
South Africa	zaf

Study type

Household Survey [hh]

Series Information

Surplus People Project. Surplus People Project Survey 1980-1981 [dataset]. Version 1. Cape Town: Surplus People Project & DataFirst [producer], 2016. Cape Town: DataFirst [distributor], 2016. DOI: https://doi.org/10.25828/v77x-fg49

Abstract

The Surplus People Project (SPP) was established in 1979 in response to the programme of forced removals of South Africa's National Party government. The SPP undertook research on the programme and its implication for the lives of South Africans. Their research included a household survey carried out in 1980-1981 to collect data on the economic and social effects of removals on its victims. SPP researchers interviewed resettled households and households under threat of resettlement. The findings of these surveys were written up by the SPP in five reports. The Principal Investigators, Laurine Platzky and Cherryl Walker, published a book in 1985, Forced Removals in South Africa. With their permission, DataFirst has digitised the contents of the completed survey questionnaires, which were housed in the Special Collections department of the University of Cape Town library and The Campbell Collections Library at the University of Kwazulu-Natal. The digitsed, research-ready dataset is in the public domain, to allow further research using this valuable data. With permission, the reports and the 1985 book were also digitised and made available with the data.

Kind of Data

Sample survey data

Unit of Analysis

Households and individuals

Version

Version Description

v1: Edited, anonymised data for public distribution

Version Date

2016

Version Notes

Version 1 of the dataset was created between April and October 2016 from completed questionnaires from the survey, which were deposited by the principal investigators in the libraries of the University of Cape Town and the University of KwaZulu-Natal.

Scope

Notes

The survey collected data on household members, including on age, sex, marital status, residential status, mortality, education, employment, income. The survey also collected data on pre-removals place of residence of households, including length of occupation, ownership type, and experience or threats of forced removals (including compensation received). Data was also collected on resettlement areas, including conditions on arrival and conditions at the time of the interview, dwelling and occupancy type, household attrition, subsistence agriculture and stock farming, daily meals, and social organisation in resettled communities.

Coverage

Geographic Coverage

The survey covered household in the following areas:
Pampierstad, in the Taung Magisterial District in the Cape Province (now the Northern Cape Province)
Atlantis, in the Malmesbury Magisterial District in the Cape Province (now the Western Cape Province)
Onverwacht and Vaalkraal, in the Bloemfontein Magisterial District in the Orange Free State Province (now the Free State Province)
Bulinga (Weenen), Ezakheni, Mzimhlophe, Saxonsea, Tugela Estates, Vulamehlo, Phoenix and Sahlumbe in Natal (now Kwazulu-Natal)

Universe

The universe of the survey was households forcebly removed by Apartheid laws, and those under threat of such removals.

Producers and sponsors

Primary investigators

Name	Affiliation
Laurine Platzky	Surplus People Project
Cherryl Walker	Surplus People Project

Producers

Name	Affiliation	Role
DataFirst	University of Cape Town	Creation of the digital dataset

Funding Agency/Sponsor

Name
Mellon Foundation

Data Collection

Dates of Data Collection

Start	End
1980	1981

Data Collection Mode

Face-to-face [f2f]

Data Collection Notes

The skip patterns in the questionnaires were followed inconsistently by enumerators and respondents, and some respondents completed questions not applicable if skip patterns were followed. The data recorded in spite of skip patterns in the questionnaires should therefore be used with caution.

Data Collectors

Name
Surplus People Project

Questionnaires

The survey used two questionnaires: One for resettled households and another for households under threat of removal. Both questionnaires are provided with the data.

Data Processing

Data Editing

Original placenames have been aligned to current South African geography, where possible. A document explaining this process is provided with the data.

Access policy

Access authority

Name	Affiliation	Email	URL
DataFirst	University of Cape Town	support@data1st.org	support.data1st.org

Contacts

Name	Email	URL
DataFirst helpdesk	support@data1st.org	support.data1st.org

Access conditions

Public use files, available to all

Citation requirements

Metadata production

Producers

Name	Affiliation	Role
DataFirst	University of Cape Town	Metadata producer

Date of Metadata Production

2020-05-03

DDI Document version

Version 3

Surplus People Project Survey 1980-1981

South Africa, 1980 - 1981 Other Open Research Data

Identification

Version

Scope

Coverage

Producers and sponsors

Data Collection

Questionnaires

Data Processing

Access policy

Metadata production

South Africa, 1980 - 1981
Other Open Research Data