THE DOP SYSTEM AROUND STELLENBOSCH - RESULTS OF A FARM SURVEY

Objectives. To document the number of farms operating a 'dop' system ( payment of workers with alcohol instead of wages), to estimate the num ber of farm workers affected, to describe how the system operated and to characterise adverse social conditions on the farms. Population. Fa rms served by the mobile clinics of the Cape Metropolitan Council's He alth Department in the Stellenbosch area. Methods. Cross-sectional pre valence survey. Nurses collected data from patients attending mobile c linics. Results. A prevalence of 9.5% was detected in respect of farms operating the dop system, with an estimated 780 workers affected. The most common practice was a daily provision of 750 ml wine to male wor kers. Social conditions on the farms in question were poor and wages w ere low. Child malnutrition was the most common health problem identif ied. Conclusion. The dop system, although illegal, has been documented to occur in the Stellenbosch area. Programmes to address the dop syst em and alcohol abuse, based on a primary health care approach, are a p riority in the rural areas of the Western Cape.