Coronavirus reveals brutal inequality in South Africa

Mainly black townships in S. Africa has been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic that was once a livelihood of white people, which were followed by the apartheid-era housing policies. There have been more than 25 years that the white minority rule has come to an end but S. Africa still remains the most unequal country where the urban areas are divided along racial lines, as reported by the World Bank.

Towns like Western Cape provinces are Coronavirus hotspots in S. Africa. Around 12 per cent of cases are in Khayelitsha, the western cape province, the largest township in Cape Town, even though it has just 6 per cent of the province’s population. On the contrary,  Stellenbosch has just 1 per cent of Western Cape’s cases and makes up about 4 per cent of its population. Other hotspots comprise Mitchells Plain township, which has 9 per cent of effectiveness.

“COVID-19 has exposed the brutal inequality in South Africa,” said Chris Nissen, a commissioner from the South African Human Rights Commission, an independent watchdog.

Data source: South Africa Report