Oxfam SA has vowed to turn the spotlight on the country’s wealth gap during the World Economic Forum (WEF) on Africa next week.
As part of its "Even It Up" campaign‚ the aid and development charity will call on the government to build an economy that is inclusive of all South Africans‚ and not only the preserve of the country’s wealthy.
WEF Africa‚ which runs in Durban from May 3 to 5‚ will see a gathering of local and international captains of industry‚ government and civil society to discuss solutions to create economic opportunities for Africans.
"We believe that for a radical economic transformation to be a plausible proposition and not just a talk-shop slogan by the government‚ we need clear and credible proposals on how the government aims to‚ among other things‚ eradicate absolute poverty from 39% of people living below the poverty datum line of R419 (2009 prices) to zero; reduce the unemployment rate to 6% by creating 11-million more jobs by 2030‚ and significantly reduce inequality ... through a range of policy interventions‚" said Siphokazi Mthathi‚ Oxfam SA’s executive director.
Mthathi said Oxfam’s data on wealth inequality in the country demonstrates the huge inequality "that has continued to characterise post-apartheid SA".
— We believe that for a radical economic transformation to be a plausible proposition ... we need clear and credible proposals on how the government aims to ... eradicate absolute poverty.
In a recent report, An Economy for 99%‚ Oxfam found that just three billionaires in SA have the same wealth as the bottom 50% of the population‚ and the country’s richest 1% of the population owns 42% of its total wealth.
The People’s Economic Forum — a group that includes civil society movements — has kicked off its own version of WEF Africa‚ in venues around Durban for all South Africans. "The WEF Africa will be attended by a few invited businesses and politicians. They can afford to pay the exorbitant registration fee to join the selected group of elite who create policies‚ make decisions and develop trade deals‚" the forum said in a statement. It is hosting talks‚ workshops‚ people’s courts and film screenings.
TMG Digital
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