Green’s Dictionary of Slang

(S.Afr.) a derog. term for a coloured farm labourer.

1950		L.G. Green In the Land of Afternoon 178: These old volkies think nothing of starting out at four on a winter morning to reach the lands and their ploughs at daybreak.
1968		K. McMagh Dinner of Herbs 30: The meat is divided between my fowls, the dogs and the volkies who are only too glad to share it with them.
1973		J. Cope Alley Cat Stories 18: We are little people, volkies.
1988		S. Gordon Under the Harrow 160: They gazed at the evening line-up of the volkies, each with a jam tin to be half-filled with wine. This was the dop system whereby a daily wine ration was sometimes given in lieu of money.
1991		A. Van Wyk Birth of New Afrikaner 46: On the big day we joined the volkies (blacks) and entered our chips with my father ... The volkies came from nowhere and everywhere. They moved about in teams, [...] cutting wheat wherever their labour was required [DSAE].