The Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC)

1992  Large

What do we know about the petrol attendants we see on an almost daily basis? They are often subjected to verbal abuse. In fact, most of our 5000 petrol attendants live and work in constant fear, as this report shows. The study found that at least one violent crime is committed every day at a South African petrol station. To top it all, petrol attendants are amongst the most poorly paid employees in our formal economy.

In response to the shocking murder of five Grassy Park petrol station attendants last year, the HSRC Social Cohesion and Integration (SCI) Research Programme, in conjunction with the Nelson Mandela Foundation, the Community Chest and the Institute for Security Studies (ISS) launched an extensive study into the dynamics and social conditions at South Africa's petrol stations.

This publication has evoked widespread comment. Business Day described the 26 recommendations as "common sense", urging that they be implemented without delay and recommending a 1% levy on the price of petrol to be able to implement security structures at petrol stations. The working group gathered information from presentations, letters and submissions from interested parties and conducted a major survey of service stations in the Western Cape, interviewing petrol attendants and their managers.

Open Access

Product information

Format : 210mm x 280mm
Pages : 62
ISBN 10 : 0-7969-2008-7
ISBN 13 : 978-07969-2008-9
Publish Year : 2002

Executive Summary

1. The Petrol Station 5 Safety Project

2. Structure of the SA Retail Fuel Industry

3. Context and Environments

4. Violent Crime at Petrol Stations

5. Responses and Strategies

6. Conclusion and Recommendations

Appendix: Survey Methodology

References

Dr Adrian Hadland is a Research Director in the Democracy and Governance research programme at the HSRC. He holds a PhD from the University of Cape Town and MLitt from the University of Oxford in the UK.

Share this

You might also consider these related books

Vol Fatima Meer 8 16

Voices of Liberation – Fatima Meer

Fatima Meer was an intellectual, academic, writer and activist – a tireless fighter for social justice and human rights. Her intellectual work sought to intertwine place, identity, and ethical commitment.

Product information

Format : 210mm x 148mm (Soft Cover)
Pages : 560
ISBN 13 : 978-0-7969-2441-4
Publish Year : April 2019
Rights : World Rights
Price R R280.00
1922  Large

An African Peace Process
Mandela, South Africa and Burundi

This monograph outlines the origins and nature of the conflict in Burundi. It discusses the problems of establishing democracy in a region where ethnic conflict has occasioned genocide, traces the peace process in detail and assesses the prospects for the future. In aprticular, it looks at the role played by South Africa in the peace process since 1999.

Open Access

Product information

Format : 148mm x 210mm (Soft Cover)
Pages : 216
ISBN 10 : 0-7969-2090-7
ISBN 13 : 978-07969-2090-4
Publish Year : 2005
Rights : World Rights
Price R 165.00
Volsteve Biko

Voices of liberation
Steve Biko

This series celebrates the lives and writings of South African and African liberation activists and heroes. The human, social and literary contexts presented in this series have a critical resonance and bearing on where we come from, who we are and how we can choose to shape our destiny.

Product information

Format : 210mm x 148mm
Pages : 224
ISBN 13 : 978-0-7969-2443-8
Publish Year : February 2014
Rights : World Rights
Price R 270.00
2069  Large

Voices of Liberation
Volume 2: Ruth First

This biography commemorates Ruth First, journalist, political activist and member of the Communist Party. The story of her life and untimely death is told primarily through her writings, which were banned in South Africa during the apartheid era.

Product information

Format : 148mm x 210mm
Pages : 232
ISBN 10 : 0-7969-1777-9
ISBN 13 : 978-07969-1777-5
Publish Year : 1997
Price R 220.00