Deputy Speaker, income disparities in South Africa have continued to widen in the last five years. Private corporations and the government have continued to concentrate wealth in the hands of the opulent minority through remuneration packages for CEOs and senior personnel that are taking off like rockets, while the workforce remuneration packages remain fairly static.
It is obvious that workers are going to be disgruntled. Loss of jobs adds to their discontent. As the Gini coefficient shows, income inequality in our country has now widened to a point where South Africa is the world's most unequal society. This has happened under the ANC-led government that promises a better life for all.
According to Statistics SA, if social grants are excluded, South Africa's Gini coefficient would rise to a staggering 0,8. There is no doubt that social grants are helping, but we would do well to heed the point made by Dr Martin Luther King Jr who said:
The difference between social service and social justice is that social service works to alleviate hardship while social justice aims to eradicate the root causes of that hardship.
Deputy Speaker, something has to be done to contain salary packages in order to reduce income disparity, increase economic opportunity for all and to allow social justice to prevail. The population is waiting to see how the ANC tackles these issues. I thank you.