Street vending in South Africa: An entrepreneurial occupation

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Not all occupations are undertaken entirely by choice. Numerous personal, cultural, economic and social factors influence participation in occupation. In low and middle-income countries, such as South Africa, disparate socio-economic factors might necessitate participation in occupations considered to be 'less desirable'. In this article the occupation of street vending is explored and discussed, with an emphasis on livelihood creation and the meaning and purpose derived from this occupation. Street vending is considered for its potential as a vocational occupation for people facing disabling conditions. METHODS: A collective case study was done comprising six participants who were selected through maximum variation sampling. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews and participant observation. Data analysis took the form of an inductive content analysis. RESULTS: Occupational therapists need a comprehensive understanding of occupations before making judgements about these, especially when such occupations are not considered mainstream. One such occupation, namely street vending, predominates in the informal economy of South Africa. Findings revealed that, despite hardships associated with this occupation, street vendors adapt to social, political and economic challenges in their context. RECOMMENDATIONS: A comprehensive approach is needed when appraising the suitability of occupations; one that focuses on the transformative value of occupations in livelihood creation, rather than focusing narrowly on their therapeutic use or potential to contribute to personal meaning. Occupational therapists should adopt a multi-dimensional approach by considering vocational occupations within their social, cultural and political context, whilst keeping the functional requirement in mind and matching these dimensions with impairment or disability if prevalent. Key words: Street vending; livelihood creation; informal economy; occupation; occupational justice

Food safety knowledge, attitudes and practices of street food vendors in Jashore region, Bangladesh

“…In those countries, street food is an important source of food for the urban dwellers and the concerns about street food are the safety, nutritional value, vendor's knowledge of food hygiene and the ineffectiveness of safety legislations (Hiamey & Hiamey, 2018). In Bangladesh, street vendors are typically clustered in overcrowded areas including residential areas, near the workplaces, taxi ranks, railway stations and busy street pavements due to the hope of mass sales (Gamieldien & van Niekerk, 2017). People of all ages from different backgrounds consume these food items as these are inexpensive, convenient and comparatively nutritious (Lues et al, 2006).…”

Making Choices from the Choices we have: The Contextual-Embeddedness of Occupational Choice

“…People whose lives are circumscribed by poverty have inequitable (restricted) opportunities to choose among a variety of occupational, educational, or transportation options (Sakellariou & Pollard, 2009) and have inequitable (restricted) access to engage in occupations in healthy places and spaces. Children living in poverty, for example, are frequently deprived of access to safe outdoor spaces in which they might choose to play (Leadley & Hocking, 2017); and poverty may compel disenfranchised people to engage in occupations, such as street vending, that entail exposure to high levels of air pollutants and other hazards (Gamieldien & van Niekerk, 2017).…”

“…These systems-that are invisible to most white people-permeate the structure of society and shape the availability of life chances and choices (Bonilla-Silva, 1997). Research has highlighted the role of racism in inequitably shaping people's opportunities to choose their occupations (Beagan & Etowa, 2009), especially when racism intersects with poverty (Galvaan, 2012(Galvaan, , 2015Gamieldien & van Niekerk, 2017;Leadley & Hocking, 2017).…”

Ações nos determinantes sociais de saúde: avançando na equidade ocupacional e nos direitos ocupacionais

“…People who are economically and socially disadvantaged are born, grow, live, work and age in inequitable environments, in which they experience disempowerment, confront material and social hazards, and endure unfair and disproportionate exposure to violence, toxins, hazards and ecosystem degradation (Gamieldien & Van Niekerk, 2017;Marmot, 2015;Masuda et al, 2010;Oxfam, 2016); factors which lead to poor health and that significantly reduce life expectancies (Marmot, 2004(Marmot, , 2015. Marmot et al (2008Marmot et al ( , p. 1661 are unequivocal in asserting that…”

“…Poverty, class, caste and gender inequities, sexism, colonialism, racism, disablism, homophobia and transphobia, that are well-documented determinants of health, are also determinants of occupational opportunity and engagement (e.g. Beagan & Etowa, 2009;Bergan-Gander & Von Kürthey, 2006;Björnsdóttir & Traustadóttir, 2010;Dowers et al, 2019;Gamieldien & Van Niekerk, 2017;Godoy-Vieira et al, 2018;Murthi & Hammell, 2018;Nelson, 2009;Trani et al, 2018); indeed, "[…] occupational injustices that are experienced at the individual level frequently point to larger structural issues of injustice" (Kinsella & Durocher, 2016, p. 163). I support the contention […] that occupational therapists need to continue to advance the development and application of collective approaches to occupational justice to enable broader participation of people in their lives (Malfitano et al, 2016, p. 177) and believe this would contribute to increasing the social relevance and impact of the occupational therapy profession.…”