It is no longer race but money that mostly divides South Africans, the latest SA Reconciliation Barometer Survey, released on Wednesday, has revealed.
The Institute for Justice and Reconciliation said it showed “while historic racial divides still exist” it was income inequality that most separated citizens.
Kate Lefko-Everett, the senior project leader, said respondents had been asked what the biggest division was in SA. “Income inequality continues to be the most frequent response at 32 percent. Political party membership is the second at 22 percent, followed by race at 20 percent,” the survey showed.
Racial divides continued because “many South Africans still do not feel comfortable having frank discussions about race”.
Lefko-Everett said most people “believed a united country was both desirable and possible”.
“Levels of interaction and social relationships between people of different historically defined race groups have gradually increased. There is a collective interest and commitment to moving ahead from the past.” - Cape Times