Faizel Patel, 2016-08-20
The great-grandson of Mahatma Gandhi says he is outraged by claims that Indians were less oppressed and benefited under the Apartheid regime.
This follows a report by Standard Bank economist, Siphamandla Mkhwanazi published in a weekend newspaper last week which found that between 1996-2014, and that the Indian/Asian population saw the fastest growth in per capita income – 468% in recent years.
According to the report white South Africans remain at the top of the heap in the earnings’ pile, but Indians are catching up.
The report found that whites had the highest income – an average per person of R215 000 a year, while blacks have the lowest, at R29 000.
Economist Dawie Roodt, who recently completed his own research on “empowerment”, said there was no reason for Indian people to be included in economic reform indicating that in 1994, the average Indian was earning eight times more than an Indian in India, today.
Gandhi’s grandson 62-year-old Satish Dhupelia says it’s not Indian’s fault that the Apartheid government chose to treat various race groups differently.
Duphelia says Mkhwanazi’s report is a narrow half-baked report to create mischief and divide people.
“But in treating them differently, we still suffered under apartheid and we lost lives under apartheid, people died, people were put in prison.”
At the same time, Chief Economist at Standard Bank Goolam Ballim says the report was misrepresented by others to harness gains for greater effect.
Ballim says he wrote an article which was published in several KwaZulu-Natal newspapers explaining what the research in the report indicated.
“I concluded by saying Indians have done well because of freedom, not because of apartheid.”
Ballim says while the potential and entrepreneurial spirit in Indian people had been unleashed during the 23-years of freedom, it was suppressed under apartheid rather than suggestion by people that Indian’s found nourishment during the regime.
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