http://www.moneyweb.co.za/moneyweb-the-perfect-storm/census-reveals-stark-equality-lies
...But sadly – very sadly the 2011 Census has revealed the alarming extent of inequality that persists between the country’s black and white populations.
The Census strips naked the results in the levels of earnings between blacks and whites and thereby nullifying the perception that blacks have had a lot to benefit by way of economic prosperity than their white counterparts since the end of apartheid.
It’s a big lie!
Even though incomes in South Africa have more than doubled in the past ten years, 18 years after the end of apartheid white households still take six times more money home than their black counterparts. About 80% of South Africa’s 51.8 million people are black. So, this can’t be good at all. The stats should be worrying to any person who cares for this country.
This is also a trend seen in the unemployment figures where nearly 50% of adults in the black group were without a job in 2011 compared with only 10% of the former group.
This, I would say, unravels the outcry that whites had been dealt a blow by the so-called affirmative action policies. It is more a myth than reality. Don’t fool yourselves and don’t lie.
Education and skills and therefore job opportunities and income, are two sides of the same coin. These are key elements of what could be described as meritocracy in the economics of labour or economic prosperity in general.
I have said this time and time again.
Because most of the skills reside with whites, it is impossible that blacks can take away jobs from their white counter-parts as simply as whites perceive it. If this were true, the economy would grind to a halt. So, the Census proves one thing: That no matter how loud the screams are about how affirmative action policies are marginalising whites in the job market, the yelling is nothing but a mere perception. I would go to an extent of calling it a big lie. Yes, there have been some gains by blacks, but the critical mass of whites with skills and experience is too strong to make blacks take whites on in such a way.
