The disgraceful and uncivilised conduct of Black First, Land First (BLF) activists at the parliamentary portfolio committee meeting to which Nicky and Jonathan Oppenheimer were summoned is a stark reminder of the destructive effect of false narratives. Apart from white monopoly capital, many commentators seem to be obsessed with the phenomenon of income inequality as measured by the Gini coefficient, which for SA happens to be the highest in the world. The problem with the Gini coefficient is that it does not speak to poverty or relative incomes. The populations of a number of countries with lower Ginis than SA are generally poorer and more miserable than we are. To virtually halve SA’s Gini should not be that difficult — simply get people like the Oppenheimers to pack their bags, as the BLF seem to want. The unintended consequences would of course include massive losses of tax revenue and jobs, and even more misery and discontent. Inequality will inevitably reduce over time provide...
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