Sameera Casmod | sameerac@radioislam.co.za
05 September 2024 | 12:21 p.m. SAST
2-minute read

Picture: American Psychological Association

South Africa’s unequal distribution of socio-economic power and wealth is exacerbated by the fact that a small fraction of the population controls most of the country’s wealth.

Retired High Court Judge and author Chris Nicholson has been a vocal critic of South Africa’s vast inequality and highlights the need for significant change in the socio-economic status quo.

Speaking to Radio Islam International, Nicholson emphasised the impact of unequal distribution of wealth on the lived experiences of South Africans, particularly in terms of hunger.

“The inequality means that a lot of the population- up to even 50 per cent- are at risk for hunger in this country. This poverty causes a stunted lifestyle. It can cause premature death. It can cause ill health, humiliation, subjection, discrimination,” Nicholson said.

Nicholson proposes taxation of income and wealth as the most equitable method of redistributing wealth- a method that was successful in other countries after the first and second world wars.

“In South Africa, we had an apartheid war where the whites were fighting off other races in order to keep the wealth. So, the way to get a redistribution of the wealth, in my view, is by taxation,” Nicholson said.

The funds that are collected can be used to purchase residential and agricultural land for those without, Nicholson posits, and highlights the importance of doing this in a fair and systematic manner.

He emphasises the importance of using land in productive ways and warns against making the same mistakes that Zimbabwe did, where people were dispossessed of their land unfairly.

“It was grossly unfair to throw off the land those people who were progressive farmers who were making a proper living and providing jobs for the labourers on the farms,” Nicholson said. “The aim should be those who are not using it properly should be discouraged. And the only way to discourage them is to tax them for the fact that they’re not using the land properly,” he added.

Nicholson suggests that agricultural extension officers provide training services for traditional landowners so that they can use the land productively.

Listen to the full interview on Sabaahul Muslim with Moulana Junaid Kharsany.