HARDtalk speaks to one of Africa's greatest living writers, Ngugi Wa Thiong'o. Tipped to win the Nobel prize for literature, he decided years ago not to write novels in English but in Gikuyu, his...
ARE POOR WHITE SOUTH AFRICANS BEING LEFT BEHIND?
Poor Whites - South Africa - Some poor white South Africans feel they are being unfairly treated by government policies, which they say favour black people for jobs.
Since the end of apartheid, thousands of white South Africans have been forced into poverty. They blame the government's positive discrimination policies, which favour black employees.
Twelve years ago, Afrikaners like Betsie Dreyer lived a privileged and cocooned life. Now, many are dependent on charity handouts. "We are fighting all the time to survive." The government is determined to see the workforce appropriately reflect the population. It gives black people priority in employment, sets 'black quotas' for businesses and favours companies owned by black people. But critics accuse the government of neglecting its responsibility to white citizens. As union rep Kallie Kriel states: "It's ironic that a government that fought racial laws is now doing exactly the same thing."
Produced by ABC Australia. Ref - 3127 | Journeyman Pictures
By Journeyman Pictures
Related Podcasts
 |
 In a disturbing — but fascinating — walk through history, Frances Larson examines humanity's strange relationship with public executions … and specifically beheadings. As she... |
 The political system of Apartheid, a brutal form of racial segregation in South Africa enforced by the white Afrikaner minority, took away the basic rights of the majority black inhabitants. Even... |
 When Soheila was 5 years old, she was given away in marriage to an old man as compensation for her older brother's crime: stealing the man's third wife. After years of abuse in the marriage, "I... |