According to one of the slick glossy mags on the newspaper stand - thirteen years after the 1st Democratic elections - there is evidence of an advancing affluence among the South African majority.
Allegedly, the first fruits are noticeable.
For example - in upscale regions of Soweto (Johannesburg's largest township) - exotic roadsters line the neat pavement and plush architecturally-sound homes push the skyline.
In fact, according to sources, the housing market in this region has enjoyed a thirty-nine percent increase which is double the National average.
In the wake of this prosperity, malls are being opened in red-taped ceremonies. The trend is not only towards chic retailing, but includes a focus on entertainment, as well. At comfortable eight-screen cinema complexes, South Africans are discovering the joys of leisure activities.
Some are referring to the new rich as - "Buppies" - otherwise known in the long form as, "Black up-and-coming Professionals".
In America, would such a term fly?
How would you respond to the idea that some journalists are labelling 2.6 million middle-class South Africans as "Black Diamonds"?
Talk about reducing an entire sector of a society to a marketable commodity!
The BD's (Black Diamonds) include working professionals, property owners, university students, and those "knocking on the door" (capable of surging forward into the new social strata).
A survey by the University of Cape Town's Unilever Institute of Marketing alleges that 12% of South African adults make 26.2 Billion - or put another way - represent 28% of the country's buying power (representing half of Black Africa).
One socialist disagrees with the figures; he says the core-middle class realistically represent 322,000 Black South Africans.
Notwithstanding, there appears to an ongoing economic blow-out!
This has led to considerable consumerism - the heavy purchase and investment in - DVD players, refrigerators, and other creature comforts normally associated with a "home" setting.
Apparently, the big thrust is towards land ownership and the "elusive dream" of financial security, career fulfillment, and peace of mind.
The forward surge focused on the sale of goods - and the subsequent splurge on commercial products - has made credit more readily available, according to informed sources.
Can a debt load be far behind?
Maybe South Africa should use the U.S. as a role model and buck the trend to spend!
As Americans have learned in recent years, easy credit at high interest rates, is not the answer!
Fiscally-sound choices are.
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