30 years on, have black South Africans got economic justice?

Published: April 25, 2024, 1 a.m.

\u201cIt feels like a black man deserves the worst. The poor are getting poorer while the rich are getting richer. I don\u2019t know how things will change\u201d \u2013 Alexandra resident, Vusi Mbeye.\n \nOn the 27th of April 1994, millions of South Africans voted in their country\u2019s very first democratic election. During white minority rule, black people were not allowed to vote.

Nelson Mandela\u2019s African National Congress won that election and then introduced policies like Affirmative Action and Black Economic Empowerment. In addition, many black students received financial aid from the government and private companies, to further their university or college studies. All these measures were meant to correct the economic injustices of the past.\n \nBut 30 years after the fall of apartheid, have black South Africans experienced meaningful economic freedom?

Africa Daily presenter Mpho Lakaje, who is himself a black South African, sits down with two men who were both born in Alexandra township: street vendor Vusi Mbeye and Theo Baloyi, a wealthy businessman. He also visits political analyst Khaya Sithole.