The management of social identity by upper middle to affluent black South Africans who participate in stokvels

Abstract

A stokvel is an informal savings group, historically formed by Black South Africans during the Apartheid era. These are self-help, community-based structures which were formed by people who did not have access to formal financial mechanisms. This study explores the purpose that stokvel(s) membership serves to an upper middle to affluent Black South African, who is either formally employed or owns a formal business. Prior research on social identity theory has identified the different components/ levels that make up a person’s identity. Prior studies have however, primarily focused on defining the different components/ levels of a person’s identity, and not necessarily on the manner in which an individual chooses to manage these different components in association with the belief systems that are more or less likely to be held by that individual in different circumstances. This study goes beyond the point of defining these components/ levels and finds that in circumstances where a greater level of importance/ preference is being attributed to individual-level group identity (IGI) than what is being attributed to group-level group identity (GGI), an individual is more likely to hold a social mobility belief system and less likely to hold a social change belief system. The study also finds that in circumstances where a greater level of importance/ preference is being attributed to GGI than what is being attributed to IGI, an individual is more likely to hold a social change belief system and less likely to hold a social mobility belief system. This qualitative study has adopted a phenomenology research strategy. A referral sampling technique was used to select the research participants and conduct 21 semi-structured research interviews, which were then supplemented with observation notes, a reflective journal, and a bracketing diary. Colaizzi’s data analysis framework for phenomenology research was adopted. The study highlights aspects of diversity in workforces, and possible considerations for non-adherence to some of the regulatory and compliance requirements that are currently in place. The study recommends that the formal financial services industry should consider partnering with informal stokvel groups, for the greater benefit of the South African economy.