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Surplus People Project Survey 1980-1981

South Africa, 1980 - 1981
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Reference ID
zaf-spp-spps-1980-1981-v1
Producer(s)
Laurine Platzky, Cherryl Walker
Collections
Other Open Research Data
Metadata
Documentation in PDF DDI/XML JSON
Created on
Nov 07, 2016
Last modified
May 03, 2020
Page views
175762
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  • Identification
  • Version
  • Scope
  • Coverage
  • Producers and sponsors
  • Survey instrument
  • Data collection
  • Data processing
  • access_policy
  • Contacts
  • Metadata production

    • Identification

    Survey ID number
    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

    Survey instrument

    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 collection

    Dates of Data Collection
    Start End
    1980 1981
    Data Collectors
    Name
    Surplus People Project
    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 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 URL Email
    DataFirst University of Cape Town support@data1st.org
    Access conditions
    Public use files, available to all
    Citation requirements
    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

    Contacts

    Contacts
    Name Email URL
    DataFirst helpdesk support@data1st.org

    Metadata production

    Producers
    Name Affiliation Role
    DataFirst University of Cape Town Metadata producer
    Date of Metadata Production
    2020-05-03

    Metadata version

    DDI Document version
    Version 3
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