Tag: inequality

Predatory Welfare: How Finance Capital Profiteers from Social Grants offers a powerful account of social welfare in South Africa. It examines cash transfers and their role in shaping inequality. Erin Torkelson presents this work in a narrative style. She follows individual lived experiences to ground the analysis.

How do structural advantages persist and evolve, even in the wake of liberation? How does a country shaped by anticolonial struggle become fertile ground for wealth concentration alongside enduring inequality? South Africa holds one of the strongest constitutions globally. At the same time, it remains one of the most unequal societies in the world.

Land remains one of the most emotive and symbolically powerful issues in Africa. ‘New’ Settler or ‘Old’ Tenant? confronts this reality directly. In rural contexts, the collision of history, class, race, gender, time and space complicates efforts to overcome economic inequality. As a result, structural tensions continue to shape rural economies and social relations.

Literacy remains a critical area of progress and concern across Africa. The continent has seen significant gains in literacy over the past two decades, yet much still needs to be done.

South Africa's connectivity landscape tells a tale of two realities. In affluent suburbs, gigabit fibre connections are becoming commonplace. These enable seamless remote work, streaming and digital entrepreneurship. Meanwhile, in townships and informal settlements, home to millions of South Africans, residents struggle with expensive and unreliable mobile data as their primary internet access.

South Africa is transitioning from fossil fuels toward renewable energy. The government aims to add at least 19 GW of renewable capacity by 2030. By 2050, the country targets as much as 190 GW. These targets are critical for climate resilience and energy security. Yet, the social design of this transition is dangerously overlooked.

For centuries, the property sector has been predominately male. This was true not only in property sales but also in the building and maintenance of small and large-scale developments. Women were rarely considered for roles such as architects or artisans.

In a video clip that has gone viral on social media, a South African TikToker by the name of "Voice of RSA" (the Voice hereafter) aims at what he calls the dominance of "trickle-down economics". The TikToker argues that economic growth during the presidencies of Nelson Mandela and Thabo Mbeki was essentially jobless

Across South Africa, public service teams work tirelessly to meet citizens' needs. They often operate under immense pressure and in difficult conditions. While meaningful progress has been made in modernising service delivery, many citizens still face long waits and paperwork when applying for essential services like Smart IDs or clinic-based healthcare. These moments present an opportunity to do more.

South Africa has been crowned the friendliest country in the world in a recent global study by international money transfer service Remitly. Now isn’t that some incredibly positive news that we can all do with! While this news has been met with both celebration and scepticism, it raises a powerful question: What does this kind of international recognition mean for South Africa’s reputation?