'Black tax' blocks road to success for many employed South Africans

"Black tax" is one of the factors preventing many South Africans from reaching their dreams.

The term is used to describe the obligation of employed black South Africans to provide for their extended family.

Other factors include a lack of jobs, a lack of assets, which prevents access to credit, and lack of access to quality education.

These are just some of the findings of the UCT Unilever Institute aspirations report, which was released in Durban yesterday.

The report revealed that South Africans' aspirations include financial stability; belonging; freedom; comfort; health; experiences; the need to "give back"; and respect.

The results showed that people believed they would be respected when they got a good education (46%), owned a house (45%) and could support a large family (43%).

The white middle class typically had access to generational property assets as security for loans, whereas many in the black middle class were first generation and trying to play "asset catch-up", the Unilever report said.

They also faced financial pressure from the so-called "black tax".

A respondent was quoted saying: "If you are a human being you need to give back, but you needn't be looked at like an ATM."

The study, based on 14000 interviews across five different income groups, revealed that there is a crisis of aspirations.

John Simpson, professor of advanced marketing at the institute, said the crisis was being fuelled by "economic, political and educational turmoil facing the country".

According to the report's findings when asked "what is holding you back", 45% of respondents said lack of jobs; 45% said a lack of education and 38% said family responsibility.