Township chic: SA corporates inclusive — just ignore the barricade
With exclusive barricaded events in the heart of townships, poverty chic is becoming the new norm for companies wanting to bolster an inclusive tagline
Under a white marquee with flashing lights and CEOs dressed to the nines, champagne flowed and schmoozing took place over cocktails and pretentious jokes — it’s a standard formula for business functions. Except it’s not quite Hyde Park or Sandton but Alexandra, a township a couple of kilometres away. And while the idea was to drive the message of inclusive growth, it was dampened by the high security, the exclusive guest list and the steel barricades. Inclusive growth or radical economic transformation, depending which term you prefer, is meant to bridge the gap between privileged and underprivileged. But with exclusive barricaded events in the heart of townships, poverty chic is becoming the new norm for companies wanting to bolster an inclusive tagline. Alex and Sandton provide an example of one of SA’s starkest divides of wealth. A 10-minute drive across the N1 will take you from Africa’s richest square mile — where the big names conduct business and where lunch breaks are spent ...
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