South Africa's governing African National Congress President Jacob Zuma says he is shocked and embarrassed about white poverty in the country and the issue must not be ignored.
Mr Zuma was speaking after visiting Bethlehem near Pretoria where white families live without running water or electricity.
A report by the charity, Helping Hand, says the number of homeless white people in South Africa has increased by 58 per cent in the last six years.
Mr Zuma says the high level of black poverty does not mean white people do not suffer too.
"Poverty is one of the leading challenges in this country that affects the majority of the people in this country," he said.
"[It] is a challenge that we need to deal with very seriously."
- BBC ====================================================================
White poverty in South Africa
AM Archive - Saturday, 28 October , 2000 00:00:00 Reporter: Sally Sara
COMPERE: In South Africa an increasing number of white families are falling into extreme poverty. Special hostels have been built for whites who've fallen on hard times. And while the government says it's still mostly blacks who bear the brunt of poverty, white unions claim that a reverse discrimination is causing job losses.
Sally Sara filed this report from Johannesburg:
SALLY SARA: Some white South Africans are living on the fringes. They are the unemployed and the unemployable. Under apartheid they were sheltered. But now they're out in the open.
Tommy Swarts is an out-of-work boilermaker. He's living at a church-operated hostel for poor, white families in Johannesburg. Five months ago he was retrenched.
TOMMY SWARTS: I had an Uncle in the house. My children had what they wanted. And it's hard for them now to tell them I can't buy them this, I can't buy them that because I haven't got the money. But pray to the Lord one day I'll be back on my feet.
SALLY SARA: So, it's been quite a fall for you?
TOMMY SWARTS: A big fall. It's the first time I've ever been in a place like this. I didn't even know there were such places, yeah, in South Africa.
SALLY SARA: This shelter is home for whites who have nowhere else to go. Shelter manager Chris Goosen says when the families arrive they are often desperate.
CHRIS GOOSEN: They're really down. They are hurting people. And they have very little self-image. When they get here they feel that this is about the last straw, until we show them that you can still go lower.
SALLY SARA: Many whites who were protected by the old regime are now struggling to get by. Like their black counterparts, they face harsh unemployment and have little social security to fall back on.
But the South African government says whites are not falling into hardship in large numbers.
Dr Ros Hirschowitz, acting head of Statistics South Africa, says only 1 per cent of whites live in extreme poverty, compared to 24 per cent of blacks.
ROS HIRSCHOWITZ: Whites are not in any way suffering or getting poorer or losing jobs or being deprived in any way because of black advancement.
SALLY SARA: But white unions say there's reverse discrimination in the workplace.
Dirk Hermann from the Mine Workers Union says the government's program of affirmative action is pushing whites into unemployment.
DIRK HERMANN: It simply makes no sense just to shift a problem form one group to another, to shift racism from one group to another.
SALLY SARA: The white unions are intensifying their calls for what they regard as equality. But across the board it's black South Africans who are enduring a greater share of joblessness and depravation. The black majority is still shouldering most of the nation's 23 per cent unemployment rate.
This is Sally Sara in Johannesburg for Saturday AM.
Posts: 5454 | From: Holland | Registered: Aug 2008
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^ Boy you need to calm down. We're trying to accomodate you but if you keep throwing temper tantrums, it won't work out.
Posts: 3423 | From: the jungle - when y'all stop playing games, call me. | Registered: Jul 2006
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The Netherlands: Should the elderly over 70 be reanimated?
Fragment:
"The Christian Democrats and other political parties have been demanding that the cabinet intervene at the care home, which recently adopted a policy of not reanimating elderly people after a heart attack unless they had specifically asked to be resuscitated. The home sent its residents a letter pointing out that people over 70 run serious risks of a significantly reduced quality of life if they are reanimated after cardiac arrest. It asked them to indicate in writing whether they wished to be reanimated or not in such a case. Following the announcement of an investigation by the Health Care Inspectorate, the home has suspended its new protocol: for the time being it will resuscitate all cardiac arrest victims, regardless of age. "
download
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quote:Originally posted by astenb: No offense but "www.EGYPTsearch.com"
Well, Beatrix visited Egypt once. Does that qualifies? And her forefather William of Orange was 'More brown as white.'
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South Africa's governing African National Congress President Jacob Zuma says he is shocked and embarrassed about white poverty in the country and the issue must not be ignored.
Mr Zuma was speaking after visiting Bethlehem near Pretoria where white families live without running water or electricity.
A report by the charity, Helping Hand, says the number of homeless white people in South Africa has increased by 58 per cent in the last six years.
Mr Zuma says the high level of black poverty does not mean white people do not suffer too.
"Poverty is one of the leading challenges in this country that affects the majority of the people in this country," he said.
"[It] is a challenge that we need to deal with very seriously."
Did Zuma actually say this? If so I'm disappointed.
I'll give Zuma the benefit of the doubt. I understand politicians have to say all the right things and paint a rosy picture to achieve certain positions in political office. The west already labeled Zuma a 'trouble-making radical'.
From my understanding Zuma has the overwhelming support of the unions, socialist and disenfranchised black populous. This is the demographic which is undermined by the white hierarchy, not a handful of boers who fallen by the wayside.
If these comments are accurate, Zuma is not a true reformer but an enforcer of the status quo. Again, I will reserve judgment until/if I see Zuma contradict his political ideology.
Posts: 148 | From: Sirius | Registered: Sep 2006
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Mutant in residence warning, yall! It's Djehuti alias Doug M alias Euroskeptic alias JMT! Why don't you get the **** away from me!
Posts: 5454 | From: Holland | Registered: Aug 2008
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Somalia: Church devastated in Somali Town. Tuesday 30 September 2008 - 15:50
Somalia: Church devastated in Somali Town.
Somali Islamic militants who controlled the south city coastline of kismayu destroyed today a church which located that city,.
The spokesperson of the militant’s sheikh Hassan Yagub said that they will continue their measures to obliterate the other churches in country.
“We cannot see a church in our land and it is the massage through other churches which situated in Somalia”. said Sheikh Hassan.
“This is an area where the infidels Obey evil spirit, and our Muslim people, they required to give the wrong impression about our religion we can’t allow this church, we were to have been to destroy it, but today we inform you that we will clean our cities like this church and every evil action against our religion ” said Sheikh Hassan.
Islamists briefly took over the Kismayu and other areas in the center and south of the country for several months they were ousted by Somali transitional government armed forces and clan militia.
“This is our home town we live in Kismayu since 1985 so, religious leaders and the militants who captured this town informed us that they will replace the destroyed church a Mosque we are pleased if we are the inhabitants” said Ali Yusuf one of the local residents.
Somali rebels have been regrouping and are waging almost daily attacks on Somali forces, Ethiopian troops, AU Peacekeepers in Mogadishu foreign aid workers and local civilians.
Somalia was trusted into lawlessness after the overthrow of Mohamed Siad Barre Regime in 1991, when warlords used their clan-based militias to oust that Regime and then battled each other for power, which left thousands killed and millions displaced also clashes between government Troops Ethiopians soldiers on one side and insurgents, has led to the death of many civilians.
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The Obama-effect? Moroccan born Ahmed Aboutaleb will be the next Burgomaster of Rotterdam, The Netherlands.Posts: 5454 | From: Holland | Registered: Aug 2008
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The Obama-effect? Moroccan born Ahmed Aboutaleb will be the next Burgomaster of Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
As much as I'm pleased for the dedicated and skilful Ahmed Aboutaleb, an African; I look sternly at the Surinamese in Holland, again. As I wrote many years ago, they are a goddamn ‘Nation of Houseniggers.’ You have all these African's, just stepping from the boat but passing them left and right. Like Somalia-born Hirsi Ali, an illegal alien forchrissakes, sitting in the Dutch Parliament; raising hell! Even living in the US she constantly grabs the headlines over here. The goddamn Surinamese have precious little to show for themselves. Another goddamn Surinamese lady in the parliament is praised for the hat she was wearing at the opening for the new parliamentary year. Now I ask you...!Posts: 5454 | From: Holland | Registered: Aug 2008
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America has had its October surprise in the persona of Joe Plumber, aka Joe Sixpack, aka Joe Wurtslewhateverberger of Someplace in Ohio.
The man who we believe is an actor hired by the McCain campaign to question Senator Obama about his proposed tax program is quite an actor; he good enough to fool Couric and company but he’s not good enough to fool Henry Gandolph.
After viewing the video Henry says, “Who tells someone that they are planning to buy a business for 250 thousand dollars–as if they’ve got the money just sitting around waiting to be invested? Anyone who is going to purchase a business knows their initial operating expenses will be deducted from their stated income to reduce income to as low as forty thousand dollars.”
Even the staff of YouThinkWhat has noted “Joe”’s comments during interviews sound a bit wacky. He hates social security? He says his friends in the military say the Iraqi people are happy to have the U.S. Army in their country?
Watch out…the stupid people are on the move! Don’t let them dumb ones take over this election like they did the last two.
To our European fans we say we agree with you. There is no contest between McCain and Obama. Every time they meet Obama has proven himself to be more presidential, more poised and more patient with McCain and his shenanigans. The choice is simple. We say vote for change on Tuesday, November 4, 2008.
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