I have studied a lot about wealth disparities in school but it is only when you stand there looking at it with your own two eyes that you can truely feel the impact of this incredible and unfair situation. South Africa has the second highest wealth disparity in the world behind Namibia, it's neighbour. The larger a countries wealth disparity, the wider the gap between the rich and poor. I am living in Thembalethu, one of the poorest types of communities to be found in South Africa, perhaps the only thing poorer would be the rural area which is where almost everyone here is from. Yesterday I walked into George and walked through the "white" section of this tiny city. It just blows me away really, there isn't really a middle class here, just poor, really really poor and really really stinking rich. I am sure that there are exceptions to this but I have yet to see them.
The houses in this area of town are gigantic, every one of them has multiple luxury cars and all have "hired help", gardeners, maids, nannies. It is really quite extroadinary. When I return home to Thembaleth it is hard not to feel a sense of betrayal, why do some people have so much much and yet others have nothing? Many people in my community are hungry, 80% of people in Zone 4 have no job.
It is in moments like this that I feel fortunate to live in Canada, a country that has income tax which helps to redistribute the wealth from the rich to the poor, never again will I complain about the taxes I pay.
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