"Poor" South Africans?

[FlatspinZA]

Let us put this all into perspective.

In 2008 the continent of Africa had a $1.282 trillion GDP. If you consider that this amount was only 2.3% of the total GDP of the world, you can begin to understand why Africa has such a small voice in global politics.

Now let us move on to South Africa’s contribution to Africa’s GDP. Amazingly enough we produced 21.6% of the total gross domestic product for our entire continent, with Nigeria a close second at 16%. The figures fade off dramatically to Egypt, Algeria, and then the rest. Hold on a second, Nigeria has an approximate population of 150 million, whereas little old South Africa has 50 million. What does this tell you?

It seem that the Nigerians cannot kill each other off quick enough: “Nigeria will be one of the countries in the world that will account for most of the world's total population increase by 2050” (UN)

Our country is producing 5% more than the next country on the continent, with a third of the population, and we are battling? Something is rotten, and it is not in the state of Denmark!

Are we battling? Well, maybe you and I are not. Life is hard, yes, but not nearly as hard as it is for some of our countrymen. Things could be worse for us, but they’re not. I fail to understand how a country that produces more than 20% of its continent’s GDP is failing to deliver solutions to the masses, when it has only 5% of the total population (50 million vs 1 billion)?

Where does all the money go?

*Please note that these figures are based on Wiki information, they are not 100% accurate ( I thought Nigeria had a population of 250 million). I think they’re reasonably accurate.

 

[WilD_CaT]

Are we battling? Well, maybe you and I are not. Life is hard, yes, but not nearly as hard as it is for some of our countrymen. Things could be worse for us, but they’re not. I fail to understand how a country that produces more than 20% of its continent’s GDP is failing to deliver solutions to the masses, when it has only 5% of the total population (50 million vs 1 billion)?

Where does all the money go?

Well GDP is not a great measure of wealth...but lets for the sake of argument assume it is.

We have very few highly productive members, this accounts for the large % of contribution to GDP. The others basically have no skills and nothing to offer the rest of society and are thus poor.

Productive members get money and wealth because they have skills and services the other members of society want, and that is why they are rewarded (In terms of money) where as the non-contributors have nothing to offer the rest of society, which is why they are poor, which is how it should be.

Unless you want your more productive members of society to effectively be slaves to the least productive and take away all their wealth?

PS: I don't hate the poor at all...just don't want to be forced to pay for others when I work hard providing skills that society values...

 

[general_koffi]

The sad thing is that 22% of Africa's GDP still isn't enough to fund one South Africa-sized country at world-class levels...

Distribution of wealth is also a factor with GDP. I'm not saying someone has done something wrong if they're relatively well-off (unless they're a tenderprenuer), and they are being taxed to the hilt already, but reality is reality nevertheless.

 

[FlatspinZA]

Well GDP is not a great measure of wealth...but lets for the sake of argument assume it is.

We have very few highly productive members, this accounts for the large % of contribution to GDP. The others basically have no skills and nothing to offer the rest of society and are thus poor.

Productive members get money and wealth because they have skills and services the other members of society want, and that is why they are rewarded (In terms of money) where as the non-contributors have nothing to offer the rest of society, which is why they are poor, which is how it should be.

Unless you want your more productive members of society to effectively be slaves to the least productive and take away all their wealth?.

PS: I don't hate the poor at all...just don't want to be forced to pay for others when I work hard providing skills that society values..

Likewise, I am not saying that the rich/well-off should pay for the poor. What I am saying is that the amount of money the government is getting from taxes on this revenue should be sufficient to provide for the needs of the masses, and empower the deprived so that they can also start contributing to to the upliftment of a largely impoverished nation.

I don't want you, or anyone else, to forsake the fruits of your hard efforts. I want the government to start distributing the wealth it is so obviously gleaning to the people that need it the most - instead of spending R400k on accomodation for one minister, big parties, useless monuments, etc...

The money is there - it is being abused. No doubts about it. Would that the uneducated masses could understand this, and voice their opinions with their votes. Perhaps it's time for "us" to help them understand this?

 

[general_koffi]

Well, it certainly isn't as though SARS isn't collecting the revenue. Of course, whether the government is spending it on anything worthwhile is another matter...

20% of our GDP is currently going towards education, for a start. I believe we're the biggest education spenders in the world.

 

[Negate]

Well, it certainly isn't as though SARS isn't collecting the revenue. Of course, whether the government is spending it on anything worthwhile is another matter...

20% of our GDP is currently going towards education, for a start. I believe we're the biggest education spenders in the world.

yet our quality of education is one of the worst

 

[Jola]

yet our quality of education is one of the worst

Yes, 50% of the blame goes to the NP, the other 50% to the ANC !!!

 

[Jola]

The money is there - it is being abused. No doubts about it. Would that the uneducated masses could understand this, and voice their opinions with their votes. Perhaps it's time for "us" to help them understand this?

The uneducated masses don't care, as long as they can vote for the ANC they are happy !

 

[HavocXphere]

I fail to understand how a country that produces more than 20% of its continent’s GDP is failing to deliver solutions to the masses, when it has only 5% of the total population (50 million vs 1 billion)?

Where does all the money go?

• GDP produced != Income earned by South Africans. e.g. Foreign sharholders
• Gini coefficient. Google it.
• GDP is pretty useless in any case. e.g. Country boost GDP by deforesting entire country & selling the wood. Huge GDP....for 5 years.
• Lost value. e.g. Gov spends quarter of a million on educating a professional. Professional is fed up with BS in country and hops on a plane.
• GDP and standard of living correlate somewhat but in ZA things don't follow rules. e.g. Your new flat screen there is pretty cool but if Eskom doesn't play ball then its pretty dead in the water on the derived value front.
• Inefficient use of value created. BMW builds and donates a bunch of cars for high speed chases (GDP increases). Now they all have Embassy VIP protection written on them and spend 90% of their time in CBD traffic jams.

etc.

 

[FlatspinZA]

• GDP produced != Income earned by South Africans. e.g. Foreign sharholders
• Gini coefficient. Google it.
• GDP is pretty useless in any case. e.g. Country boost GDP by deforesting entire country & selling the wood. Huge GDP....for 5 years.
• Lost value. e.g. Gov spends quarter of a million on educating a professional. Professional is fed up with BS in country and hops on a plane.
• GDP and standard of living correlate somewhat but in ZA things don't follow rules. e.g. Your new flat screen there is pretty cool but if Eskom doesn't play ball then its pretty dead in the water on the derived value front.
• Inefficient use of value created. BMW builds and donates a bunch of cars for high speed chases (GDP increases). Now they all have Embassy VIP protection written on them and spend 90% of their time in CBD traffic jams.

etc.

We should be serving the people with less than 5% of the continent's GDP, at 5% of the continent's population - regardless of where the bulk of the profit is going, tax alone should attend to that?

It is costing one MP close to half a million Rand a year to stay in an hotel, simply because his premises aren't furnished. Since when did the public become responsible for ensuring our leaders have furniture in their homes? Surely they should buy their own furniture just like everyone else? Should we buy them toothpaste too? It's unbelievable the things our leaders expect of their nation while the majority of it starves!

Clearly there is too much unallocated money to throw around. If the masses could comprehend the magnitude of their elected leader's rape of this country (which they don't), we'd have a serious problem on our hands.

 

[Ultradian]

Why can't he sleep on the floor like I do?!