Not separate, not equal:: Poverty and inequality in post-apartheid South Africa

The changes in poverty and inequality in South African for 1995-2000, the period covering the first 5 years after the official end of apartheid in 1994, were examined. Consumption aggregates in both the 1995 and 2000 Income Expenditure Surveys (IES) as well as price data for each food item collected in the monthly consumer price surveys conducted by Statistics South Africa (STATS SA) were used. Consistent with gross domestic product (GDP) growth, it was found that there was little growth per capita household expenditures during this period. Furthermore, the government's macroeconomic strategy failed to generate projected growth and create enough jobs to bring down the high rate of unemployment.