Johannesburg – An article asserting that whites still
have a monopoly over capital has caused a stir on social media.
A piece, written for The Conversation and republished on
Business Report Online on Tuesday, by Mohammad Amir Anwar asserts that legacies
of white privilege still persist. High levels of poverty and rampant
unemployment still haunt black communities.
Anwar added that this inequity is also evident in patterns of ownership.
“Despite claims to the contrary, a study of black ownership on the Johannesburg
Stock Exchange shows clearly that black South Africans remain small time
players. According to a recent study, only 23 percent of the shares traded on
the exchange are held – directly and indirectly – by black South Africans.”
Anwar also wrote: “On top of this, capital, in its varied
forms such as the land, property and human capital, remains heavily skewed to
white ownership.”
On IOL’s Facebookpage, the article was commented on 118
times, with 44 shares and a reach of more than 30 000.
Among the comments were those asserting that 400 000
whites live in squatter camps – which received 27 replies – and one saying that
the government – not whites – was to blame.
Others asked why South Africa was not creating a black privilege,
and why wealthy and influential black people such as Cyril Ramaphosa and the
Guptas were not also in the spotlight.
Others asked if the writer had researched all the reasons
why this was the case, and questioned Anwar’s facts.
Read the responses here.
BUSINESS REPORT
ONLINE