Zahid Jadwat
As South Africans flood supermarkets to stock up on essentials for the 21-day lockdown aimed at curbing the spread of coronavirus, concerns have been raised about social unrest that may erupt as a result of inequality that has riddled the country ever since the apartheid era.
“South Africa has a distinction of being the most unequal society on earth, and the virus has exposed us to the depths of this inequality,” said Sello Lidiga, a Polokwane-based political analyst.
Lidiga was speaking to Inayet Wadee on The Alternative View when he pointed out the potential influence of inequality on social unrest in light of the coronavirus pandemic.
“The middle class has been able to stockpile supplies, but the poor are not able to buy in large quantities.”
“The fact of the matter is that the democratic state has failed to close the gap between the rich and the poor and, as long as that gap is there, the threat of unrest will remain,” said Lidiga.
Listen to the full discussion here:
Featured image from Google via AIDC.
