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A new report published by the World Bank has revealed that South Africa is facing a growing divide in income inequality since the fall of Apartheid.
Gini coefficient, an international measure of income inequality, revealed the country’s level of inequality was the highest in the world at 0.70 in 2008, the World Bank said.
“The top 10 percent of the population accounted for 58 percent of South Africa’s income, while the bottom 10 percent accounted for just 0.5 percent of income and the bottom 50 percent less than eight percent,†it said.
United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Mary Robinson on Sunday called on the South African government to take “drastic steps†in order to deal with this growing disparity of wealth.
“Where you witness extremes of wealth side by side with dire poverty within the same country, it is more divisive than an overall condition of poverty,†Robinson said while delivering the 10th annual Nelson Mandela lecture in Cape Town.
Robinson said she was particularly “shocked by the disparity of wealth in the country,†and pointed out besides inequality, poverty and crime are “some of the major problems the country have to overcome.â€
She criticized the lack of ability in traditional institutions of democracy, such as parliament and local authorities, to tackle corruption and inequality.
The former Irish president also drew attention to the underperformance of the education system, high illiteracy, rising unemployment and disparity in resource allocation.
Income inequality in South Africa highest in the world.
Robinson stressed the need to provide support and resources to young people to help them complete their education and learn skills before accessing the job market.
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