Zuma surprised by white poverty

2008-04-18 22:50

Pretoria - ANC President Jacob Zuma expressed surprise at the level of poverty among white people during a tour of an informal settlement outside Pretoria on Friday.

"I did not think it was at this level," he said as he talked with the small, poor white community living at Bethlehem.

"I've heard about it but I can't claim that I've seen it," he said.

He was invited to the settlement by trade union Solidarity who wanted to highlight the problem of poverty amongst white people.

The community was preparing potjiekos for him, which they were going to eat together after his tour.

"A group of indigent whites is working hard this morning to prepare traditional potjiekos that will be served to ANC President Mr Jacob Zuma for lunch," Dirk Hermann, Solidarity deputy general secretary said earlier.

"Solidarity wants to use this visit to bring the new problem of white poverty to Mr Zuma's attention. In the past 10 years, white poverty has grown by 150%," Hermann said.

His visit to Solidarity's office and the informal settlement comes after he first struck a chord with white Afrikaners, addressing concerns such as affirmative action, crime and transformation in sport, at a dinner with Solidarity's leadership in March.

- SAPA