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At one of my talks, a member of the audience raised a concern that I have given poverty a face when I stated that “Black people are poor”. He is of the view that poverty is not a respecter of races. Of course, I agree that poverty affects all races. However, one cannot deny the fact that Black people are the poorest race in South Africa, if you were to make comparisons between races. Abject poverty is real and tangible in black communities and it will be naïve of us to deny the fact that the majority race in South Africa is in dire poverty.
Most White South Africans have no knowledge of poverty because they have never experienced such. They do not know what is like to live in a shack: uncomfortable in winter because of the cold and unbearable in summer because of the heat. And yet, most black South Africans call that structure “home”: no warmth, no comfort, and no privacy! Most White South Africans do not know what is like to travel hundreds of kilometers to and from work daily, using uncomfortable, unreliable and overpopulated public transport. Yes, most White fellows do not know what is like to use unhygienic inhumane bucket sanitation system. According to the Ministry of Environmental Affairs, we still have fifty five thousands bucket sanitation facilities in South Africa. Most White brothers and sisters do not know what is like to sleep without a meal - In black communities, this is an everyday reality.
Most White South African have no knowledge of any life other than a life of convenience and comfort. You will agree with me that their quality of life is way better than those of Black South Africans. They stay in proper and decent shelters. They are located in premier suburbs, closer to premier city centres. Please note that I am not suggesting that people should not enjoy their hard-earned money. You must remember that these structural disparities are a result of a system, called apartheid, which sought to empower the White minority at the expense of the black majority. This arrangement gave White folk competitive advantage over the Black folk in almost all faculties of life: education, skills, entrepreneurship, ownership, etc. It is clear that the poverty status of a Black person is, to a greater extent, the White person’s doing. My question is, given the injustices of apartheid, what are the White South Africans doing to help Black folk break free from poverty. With your wealth, experience, businesses, etc., as a previously-privileged-individual, what are you doing to help empower black folk? Please note that I am not asking for handouts here, neither am I asking for compromising of standards. Can’t you identify one black person that you can mentor, train, or sponsor?
Unfortunately, 22 years into democracy, poverty is still rife, real and tangible in black communities. It is even depressing to realise that our government seems to have lost focus: the government’s focus is on individuals and less important issues. How can government spend millions on an individual when the masses live in calamitous poverty? How can government spend millions, if not billions, on an airplane that services an individual when the masses are without jobs? Why not use these millions, if not billions, to setup business and create jobs? Until government refocuses and prioritise the masses, we will continue to have this economic disparity between White and Black South Africans.
To my fellow Black South Africans, if there is a time when a black man needed another black fellow, it is now. During the apartheid era, you were on your own. Hence the famous Steve Biko’s “Black man, you are own your own”. Fast forward to 2016, Steve Biko’s assertion still echoes in the four corners of South Africa: “Black man, you are own your own. Why? Because a government, which the masses voted in power, has neglected the masses and is bringing changes at a very slow pace. Work hard like never before. Take advantage of every opportunity to study and learn. Do everything in your power to create wealth for generations to come. Black South Africans need each other like never before. Poverty can be bitten, only if we stand and fight together.
