This is a 15 min clip of a special report on changing race/class structure in South Africa. Since the release of Nelson Mandela (a moment in history I am so glad I was able see–on TV at least), more and more Black South Africans have been able to pull themselves out of poverty and move up the economic scale. This largely in part due to more Blacks being placed in high positions in government.
Now before some of you draw any conclusions about this video before actually viewing it, the reporter does mention the fact that despite this trend of Black upward mobility, Blacks still make up roughly 60% of those in poverty in that country.
While I do agree with one of the interviewees on his point about prioritizing the needs of Blacks after 300+ years of neglect by South African government, I don’t agree with a structure that is head-strong on Black issues but still does not adequately address the whole issue of poverty in that country. According to the data sheet on this page, the poverty rate has gone up for all ethnic groups. If this problem continues, one would be very hard-pressed to make the case that Blacks folks as a whole are doing substantially better in a apartheid-free South Africa.
I will do my best to look deeper into this issue in the weeks ahead.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pFj0HdW2iDs&rel=1]
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