“In This Life One Must Live and Not Survive”: Understanding Day Labourers’ Vulnerability through the Lens of Max-Neef

Day labouring is one of the most visible forms of precarious employment in South Africa as those involved earn low and uncertain levels of income, leaving many of them in a state of deprivation, poverty, and marginalisation. This article aims to contribute to the documentation and analysis of the precarious nature of informal employment and the vulnerabilities workers face in this uncertain work environment. A case study research design involving 66 (45 respondents from quantitative data collection and 21 participants from qualitative data collection) male day labourers from Mbekweni was used. The findings of this study were analysed using Max-Neef’s theory of the nine fundamental human needs. This study found that day labourers from Mbekweni receive little to no income, struggle with access to decent housing, face food insecurity, and often struggle with access to basic services. In addition, while all day labourers face various forms of poverty, only South African day labourers have access to social security benefits, while those who are foreign nationals do not.