Car Guards Research Articles

Memorials, landscape and white masculinity: dialogic interventions in South African art

The memorialisation of place and representation of land and landscape is topical in many societies that are dealing with the aftermath of political trauma, such as Post-Colonial or Post-Soviet countries. In such contexts, artists engage with land and notions of place through processes of memorialisation and landscape representation, or very often, the undoing of these traditions as they were entrenched by regimes that are now redundant. In this article we investigate two different artistic agendas that engage with such sites in South Africa, in the work of Paul Emmanuel, and the collective Avant Car Guard. Though separated by a decade, the artworks discussed here share a dialogic engagement with existing memorial sites, or indeed, traditions that memorialise settler belonging, such as the landscape painting tradition or military equestrian monuments. While Emmanuel's work may be understood to employ a dialogic, anti-monumental strategy in response to the statue of Louis Botha at the Union buildings in Tshwane in South Africa, Avant Car Guard insert themselves in spaces where they engage parodically with memorial sites and the tradition of landscape representation. In both cases, white masculinity is called into question through self-representation, engaging with notions of Afrikaner hegemony and white anxiety.

‘This job is not part of my dreams, what do I leave my children? Nothing’. Livelihoods of Durban car guards at ticketed pay to park sites

Car guards are found at many sites where motorists park, including at ticketed pay to park sites. Logic would dictate that most motorists would be less willing to tip car guards when already paying for parking. The study interviewed 15 car guards at different ticketed parking sites in Durban. Their demographic characteristics, among other factors were explored. The findings of this study are then presented and compared to the findings pertaining to an additional 30 car guards (also interviewed in 2019) at free to park sites. Car guards at free to park shopping centres work an average of 44.8 h weekly earning an average of ZAR13 hourly. At ticketed parking shopping centres, they work an average of 63.2 h weekly earning an average of ZAR9.50 hourly. At beachfront free to park sites they work an average of 51.2 h weekly earning an average of ZAR19.10 hourly. At ticketed parking beach front sites, they work an average of 65.7 h weekly earning an average of ZAR7.90 hourly. The study revealed that car guards at ticketed parking sites earn less. However, they remain optimistic, and display a level of entrepreneurship, even in the face of daily bay fees, regulations and ticketed parking.

"I am 30 and I have nothing": the context of reception and the lived experiences of foreign migrants working as car guards in Johannesburg's West Rand.

South Africa is an important destination for immigrants from sub-Saharan Africa. Migration and its impact remain significant in South African society: demographically, politically, economically and socially. Many migrants are forced to take up informal income-generating activities such as day labouring and car guarding. This study investigated the lived experiences and context of reception of foreign migrant car guards using a survey instrument among formal car guards working in the parking lots of shopping centres in the western part of Johannesburg. Demographic data, employment history and objective and subjective indicators were used to assess their socio-economic and labour market outcomes. The subjective well-being of the migrant car guards was analysed using descriptive statistics and an ordered probit model. The study revealed the extent and depth of the vulnerabilities experienced by individuals subjected to working in the informal economy as well as being migrants. They have to tolerate sub-standard employment in the informal sector as there are no other viable options. At the same time, they must provide for dependants back home. The result is emotional stress and low levels of subjective well-being. Migrant car guards' unique labour market status and relationship with the shopping centres and car guard companies deserve urgent research attention.

Re-visiting car guarding as a livelihood in the informal sector

ABSTRACT This study aims to examine how car guarding remains a sustainable means of livelihood in the informal sector. The study interviewed 30 car guards at six different locations in Durban, South Africa. It examined their demographic characteristics, income, education and skills, among other factors. Furthermore, it compares the findings from 2019 with the 2015 findings from Foster and Chasomeris (2017, Examining car guarding as a livelihood in the informal sector. Local Economy 32(6), 525–538. https://doi.org/10.1177/0269094217727990). The findings show deterioration in the real income levels and livelihoods. In 2015, 22 car guards earned above a domestic worker’s minimum hourly wage of ZAR15, compared to 16 car guards in 2019 and, only eight above the national minimum wage of ZAR20 per hour. There is a notable decline in expenditure on accommodation and reduced optimism about their future. Car guards still display a level of entrepreneurship, especially where daily bay fees are not paid to car guarding agents.

Skills-related underemployment amongst South Africa’s informally employed and self-employed: A case study of Potchefstroom

Orientation: Mainstream development theory views the informal sector as a shock absorber in an economic crisis. South Africa’s informal sector is smaller than that of many developing countries and very little research has investigated underemployment in marginal informal economic activities.Purpose: This study investigated the prevalence of skills-related underemployment as well as the possible determinants and impact thereof on the income and poverty of car guards, day labourers and waste pickers in Potchefstroom.Motivation: There is a need to expand the debate on skills-related underemployment to the informal sector in order to improve our understanding of the shock absorber role of the informal sector and the implications of underemployment for the labour market.Research design and method: A cross-sectional survey design yielded the data for the analysis. Ordinary least square and probit analysis were used as the statistical methods of analyses to answer the three research questions.Main findings: Almost half (48%) of all the respondents experience skills-related underemployment (vocational over-skilling). Age and gender (for car guards), previous formal employment and day labour experience (day labourers) increase the likelihood of skills-related unemployment.Practical implications: The findings question the shock absorber role of informal employment and self-employment in South Africa in times of economic crisis. Alternative theoretical approaches deserve consideration.Contribution/value added: The prevalence of skills-related underemployment in the informal sector points towards the inefficient allocation of labour resources in South Africa. The study paves the way for studies with a broader geographical scope and qualitative focus.

Kwesbare groepe in die informele ekonomie: ʼn Gevallestudie van motorwagte in Johannesburg se Wesrand

Suid-Afrika se hoë vlakke van motorverwante misdaad en hoë werkloosheid het oor die laaste 25 jaar aanleiding gegee tot die ontwikkeling van ʼn kenmerkende Suid-Afrikaanse praktyk waar mense teen ʼn fooitjie na voertuie by winkelsentrums se parkeerterreine omsien. Mense wat óf hul werk verloor het óf nie ander werk ooit kon kry nie, werk as motorwagte in Suid-Afrika. Hier geniet hulle bitter min, indien enige, van die beskerming wat die arbeidsbedeling aan formele werkers bied. Hulle is dus inderdaad ʼn uiters kwesbare groep in die informele sektor. Hierdie artikel is gegrond op ʼn opname onder 110 motorwagte in Roodepoort en Crown Mines in 2017 met die doel om die sosio-ekonomiese kwesbaarheid van motorwagte te ondersoek. Motorwagte is kwesbaar op beide sosiale- en ekonomiese vlakke. Motorwagte verdien ʼn lae inkomste en moet terselfdertyd ʼn aansienlike gedeelte van hul inkomste aan inkopiesentrums of motorwag-agentskappe betaal. Die gemiddelde motorwag in die opname verdien tussen R7.31 en R21.94 per uur. Die gemiddelde fooi per uur is bereken as R12.60 ten tye van die opname. Die huidige minimum loon per uur in Suid-Afrika is R20. Dit beteken dat die gemiddelde motorwag gemiddeld minder per uur verdien as die wettige minimum loon in die land. As daar in gedagte gehou word dat die bogenoemde syfers boonop bruto bedrae verteenwoordig (die motorwagte moet nog uit hierdie inkomste hul daaglikse fooi aan die motorwagorganisasie of winkelsentrum betaal), is die ekonomiese kwesbaarheid van motorwagte baie duidelik. Hierdie kwesbaarheid word vererger deur die onsekerheid ten opsigte van toekomstige inkomste. Hul werkomstandighede stel hulle bloot aan verskeie gesondheidsrisiko's en hulle is daagliks uitgelewer aan die elemente soos erge hitte en koue. As hulle nie werk nie (as gevolg van byvoorbeeld siekte), verdien hulle geen inkomste nie. Die rol van motorwagagentskappe en die groeiende aantal immigrante in die bedryf is belangrike areas vir toekomstige navorsing.

Interactions on Passenger Protection Performances Considering Uncertainties of Car Crash and Guard Rail Structures

Interactions on Passenger Protection Performances Considering Uncertainties of Car Crash and Guard Rail Structures

Solar Ultraviolet Radiation Exposure and Sun Protection Behaviors and Knowledge Among a High-Risk and Overlooked Group of Outdoor Workers in South Africa.

The exposure of outdoor car guards to solar ultraviolet radiation (UVR), the majority with deeply pigmented skin, to solar UVR was measured for five consecutive days during early spring (September 2017) in South Africa using electronic UVR dosimeters attached to the upper arm of each participant. The exposure of the nape of the neck, forehead, nose, cheek and hand was extrapolated from the measurements. The onsite ambient solar UVR on a flat, horizontal, unshaded surface was measured concurrently. The sun-related knowledge, behavior and attitudes of the car guards were evaluated using questionnaires. Total personal daily solar UVR exposure as a percentage of the ambient solar UVR exposure was 24%. The exposure of car guards on several body sites was in excess of the occupational threshold limit value. Sleeved shirts and hats were the most commonly used sun protection measures (worn by 70% and 80%, respectively). Considering the high levels of solar UVR reported on most days throughout the year in South Africa, more studies quantifying the personal exposure of outdoor workers in both the informal and formal sectors are necessary.

Examining car guarding as a livelihood in the informal sector

Car guarding is a distinctly South African informal sector employment activity. A car guard offers to guard vehicles in a public or private parking area for a donation. Car guarding enables an unemployed person to earn some income. The purpose of this study is to examine car guarding as a livelihood in the informal sector. This study interviews 30 car guards at six different locations in Durban, South Africa. It examines their demographic characteristics, income, education and skills, risks and challenges faced, and the opinion of car guards regarding their livelihood. The average car guard worked six days per week and an average of nine hours per day. The average income per hour ranged from ZAR4.64 to ZAR30. Average daily incomes ranged from ZAR50 to ZAR350. Car guarding is a high risk activity that includes health risks, and risks of verbal abuse and violence.

A survey of car guards in Tshwane: Implications for private security policy and practice

Car guards form an integral part of South Africa’s urban landscape. This article reports on a survey of 144 car guards in Tshwane to identify the implications of their work for private security policy and practice. The profile of respondents reflects their low socio-economic status and marginalisation from the formal economy. The study found that some car guards struggle to survive financially because of the daily levies payable to car guard agencies and the managers of shopping centres. The results of the study suggest that, despite positive sentiments and advancements in policy and legislation, regulation of the formal car guarding industry remains constrained due to inadequate implementation and monitoring. The article offers insights into the factors affecting car guarding as a form of private security in South Africa.

A survey of car guards in Tshwane: Implications for private security policy and practice

Car guards form an integral part of South Africa’s urban landscape. This article reports on a survey of 144 car guards in Tshwane to identify the implications of their work for private security policy and practice. The profile of respondents reflects their low socio-economic status and marginalisation from the formal economy. The study found that some car guards struggle to survive financially because of the daily levies payable to car guard agencies and the managers of shopping centres. The results of the study suggest that, despite positive sentiments and advancements in policy and legislation, regulation of the formal car guarding industry remains constrained due to inadequate implementation and monitoring. The article offers insights into the factors affecting car guarding as a form of private security in South Africa.

THE PSYCHO-SOCIAL CIRCUMSTANCES OF CAR GUARDS: INTERVENTIVE ROLES OF THE SOCIAL WORKER

In South Africa unemployment is a major problem and many people are desperate to make an earnest living and are prepared to do any job as long as it brings in enough money for a roof over their heads and food on the table. Crime has become a major social problem within the South African society and motor vehicle thefts and car burglaries are high on the list of crime statistics. Police and security protection services are unable to keep guard over all the parking areas and informal car guards did not provide the answer. To address this problem, car watch organisations were introduced in the city centers. Social workers should identify those people who are especially vulnerable, including car guards, and ensure that their abilities and potential are developed and strengthened. The objective of the research project was to study the survival skills of car guards relating to their economic and social circumstances. The phenomena of difficult customers, dangerous and harsh working conditions, and poor remuneration were investigated. A qualitative study accompanied by a phenomenological research design was implemented for the study. Field research and specifically in-depth personal interviewing and naturalistic observation were used as research procedures.

Car's Internal Shield CNC Machining Technology and Analysis of Machine Tool Rack Mechanical

We make a design of the block diagram of the guard fastening holes processing in this paper. It introduces the car doors composition and functional requirements, uses workbench to analysis the rack to determine its legitimacy. This design not only greatly improved the production efficiency of the car guard fastening hole machining, but also improve design standards and safety of the machine by model simulation analysis.

Younger generations' dependence on the elderly in low‐income Brazilian families

The labour market in developing countries such as Brazil has been characterised by an increase in the number of informal workers. There are several categories of informal workers, with large differences among them in terms of income. There are many jobs typical of poor people on city streets: vendors of small novelties (which, in most big cities nowadays, are confined to places for these vendors called camelódromos) such as car guards, popcorn vendors, and recycling material separators. We see elderly people together with young and middle‐aged men and women who take care of their tents, boxes or even set goods to sell on the street on pieces of cloth. The latter are not registered with City Hall in Belo Horizonte, the state capital of Minas Gerais, where they are known as toreros. The subject of this study was the population of informal workers, such as vendors of small novelties on the streets, street peddlers (registered or not), recycling material separators, bootblacks and lottery ticket vendors in Belo Horizonte. The study concludes that the role of elderly informal workers is crucial in meeting extended families' basic needs.

Why tip? An empirical test of motivations for tipping car guards

From a mainstream economic perspective, tipping is often seen as a rather anomalous or irrational economic activity since consumers could legally and willingly avoid paying tips altogether. Nevertheless, this pervasive economic activity generates tens of billions of dollars in income a year, worldwide. In order to better understand this seemingly irrational behavior to tip, this study investigates other potential motives for tipping that draw from the behavioral economics and psychology literature. We test several of these motives in the context of tipping car guards in South Africa and find evidence supporting the ideas that tipping is motivated by desires to: reward good quality service, help service workers, and gain social approval.

The dual labour market theory and the informal sector in South Africa

Purpose of the paper: The purpose of this paper is to revisit the dual labour market theory as far as the informal sector in South Africa is concerned. The hypothesis is that the dual labour market theory must be extended in order to be applicable to the informal sector of the South African economy. It is our view that within some informal occupations a further segmentation exists. Problem investigated: Among South Africa ’s grave socio-economic problems, unemployment is one of the most serious and intractable. An increase in informal and self-employment was experienced during the last decades. Traditional dual labour market theory maintains that jobs can be roughly divided into two groups: those with low wages, bad working conditions, unstable employment and little opportunity for advancement; and those with relatively high wages, good working conditions and opportunities for advancement. The problem that confronts researchers is that even within informal employment, further segmentation is possible. Approach: To determine whether the dualism, that described by the dual labour market theory, is also present within the informal sector itself, available data on a typical informal sector activity, namely car guarding, is analysed. This provides the evidence to achieve the objective of this paper. Findings and implications: The case study of car guards confirms that the dual labour market theory can also apply within the informal sector on the condition that it is expanded to make provision for a further segmentation of the periphery sector. This finding presents several important policy implications. A basket of policies is needed to address the problem of unemployment as effectively as possible. Value of the research: The paper provides further knowledge on informal employment in South Africa. This is an area that requires a lot of attention, given the importance of the informal sector in South Africa and Africa at large. It goes further than the traditional implications stemming from the dual labour market theory. Conclusion: The South African labour market is fragmented, consisting of a well-paid formal sector and the periphery that consists of workers in the informal sector, subsistence agriculture and the unemployed. Within the periphery, there is the possibility that a certain degree of dualism exists. The case study of car guards confirms that the dual labour market theory can be extended to make provision for this dualism, even within the informal sector.

Informal Labour Markets As A Solution For Unemployment In South Africa – A Case Study Of Car Guards In Bloemfontein

The car guard industry in South Africa evolved out of the plight of the unemployed. Very little research has been done on the industry in South Africa. The first objective of this article is to address the lack of research and the second is to determine whether the car guard industry can provide a solution to the problem of unemployment. Car guards involved in this study were found to be generally low skilled, earning low income and working under harsh conditions for long hours. The majority of them held formal sector employment before becoming unemployed. Car guarding is not a solution to the plight of the unemployed. Training and skill development supplemented by accelerated economic growth are vital to bridge the gap between the formal and informal sectors. OpsommingDie motorwag-industrie in Suid Afrika het onstaan uit die lot van die massa werkloses in die land. Weinig navorsing is al oor die industrie gedoen. Die doelwit van die artikel is eerstens om die gebrek aan navorsing aan te vul en tweedens om te bepaal of die motorwagindustrie ’n oplossing vir die probleem van werkloosheid kan bied. Motorwagte in die studie is oor die algemeen laag geskoold, swak besoldig en werksaam vir lang ure onder moeilike omstandighede. Die meeste het ’n werk in die formele sektor van die ekonomie gehad voordat hulle werkloos geword het. Om ’n motorwag te wees kan nooit ’n oplossing vir werkloosheid wees nie. Opleiding en die ontwikkeling van noodsaaklike vaardighede teen ’n agtergrond van versnelde ekonomiese groei, is uiters noodsaaklik om die gaping tussen die informele en formele sektor te oorbrug.

The Development of the U.S. Security Industry

The security services industry has developed along three distinct lines: alarm, armored car, and security guard services. Guard services also include private investigative services. As a whole, the industry today is nonmonopolistic and competitive in meeting society's perceived need for greater protection. The industry may need greater help from law enforcement in assuring that prospective employees are fit to be hired. It may also require further legislation to ensure higher standards among the disparate companies.