Tot Systemとは 意味・読み方・使い方

The Tot System, (also known as the 'Dop System' after the Afrikaans word 'dop' meaning an alcoholic drink), is a notorious truck system which was used in South African wine farms particularly in the Western Cape. Workers would receive payment in the form of a daily measure of cheap wine. This served the farmer in two ways; he could use low-quality, surplus wine that had little commercial value to pay the workers; and it resulted in a worker being held captive not by physical force but by the restraint of addiction. This practice increased and exacerbated alcoholism in the workers, which resulted in widespread social damage among communities, particularly the Cape Coloured community. The practice was outlawed in 1960, but the ban was not enforced until the 1990s when South Africa's new democratic government under Nelson Mandela saw the demise of the practice. Although there has been reports that some farm workers do receive partial payment in wine, the tot system has been largely eradicated. However the legacy continues as alcoholism is still rife, and today some areas of the Western Cape have the highest incidence of Foetal Alcohol Syndrome in the world. . Although now paid in cash, many workers spend their wages on alcohol, often sold to them by the farmers, or from illegal shebeens in the area. The South African government has taken some steps to prevent the abuse of alcohol such as banning the 'papsak' (an Afrikaans word meaning 'soft sack' referring to cheap wine sold in a foil-lined plastic bag). NGOs such as Dopstop are striving to address alcoholism and other substance abuse problems that plague the poor rural communities in the South Africa .