“Poverty Is Being Managed”: Cape Town Man Drops Sobering Video About Inequalities in Mother City

• A man shared a powerful video explaining how Cape Town's extreme inequality isn't accidental but deliberately designed
• The Cape Town resident described driving from the Cape Flats to the CBD, passing from tin roofs to glass skyscrapers in just 15 minutes
• Despite the city's lowest unemployment rate in South Africa, many viewers agreed that poverty management rather than poverty solving remains the real issue

A Cape Town man has sparked intense debate after sharing a hard-hitting video about the city's extreme inequality on 6 July 2025.

Content creator @juanmichael.vdm98, who regularly discusses South African social and economic issues, posted the clip with the caption:

"Cape Town is proof that inequality isn't a glitch, it's the plan."

In the video, he explains how you can drive from the Cape Flats to the CBD and witness the shocking difference in just 15 minutes. He describes moving from tin roofs to glass skyscrapers and passing homes without water before seeing lawns with expensive sprinkler systems running constantly.

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The content creator argues that this isn't simply inequality but deliberate design. He points out that it's not an accident that poverty exists on the city's outskirts, away from where tourists visit. According to him, poverty is being carefully managed rather than solved because solving it would mean those in power lose control over the situation.

Mzansi reacts to Cape Town inequality video

@rs praised:

"It takes courage to find the dark corners of our societies and be able to speak against them."

@myurbanpursuit noted:

"I don't think it's an issue that is unique to Cape Town, you see it throughout the cities in South Africa."

@eltonfarmer agreed:

"It's true, but it's also happening in all major cities across the country."

@jongindlebe questioned:

"100% correct, you mean to tell me in all the years DA has been in control, they couldn't manage to better the lives of the poor?"

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@zaynsmith simply said:

"Truth be told."

@user7592931 claimed:

"DA is only there to maintain the current status quo."

@derickwilliams10 suggested:

"It's so easy to change it, the will should be there."

@samuel_williams26 concluded:

"You're right, poverty is being managed, not solved."

More on Cape Town's unemployment

According to Invest Cape Town, the Mother City has maintained South Africa's lowest unemployment rate among all metros, adding 43,000 new jobs between October and December 2023. Employment increased by 7.4% year-on-year, with a record 1.788 million people now employed in Cape Town.

Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis announced that 363,000 jobs have been created since the current local government began in November 2021. The city plans to spend R43 billion on infrastructure over three years, which is expected to create 135,000 jobs directly. This investment is more than Johannesburg and Durban combined.

The employment increases were particularly strong in the trade and finance industries. Tourism saw a massive boost in December with Cape Town's airport processing a record 317,000 international passengers, injecting an estimated R1.9 billion in foreign tourism spending into the provincial economy.

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The City's Jobs Connect programme helped secure 12,914 employment opportunities for Capetonians, with 9,147 positions created in call centres through CapeBPO, the City's business process outsourcing initiative.

Watch the TikTok clip below:

South Africa is considered one of the most unequal countries in the world, with 10% of the population controlling over 80% of the wealth. The roots of this inequality trace back to apartheid, which created deep gaps in education, land ownership, and job opportunities.

Many Black South Africans, particularly in rural areas, still face challenges like limited access to quality schooling, healthcare, and employment. According to the World Bank, race accounts for about 41% of income inequality, showing how strongly history continues to shape the present.

Other similar unemployment stories

• Briefly News recently reported on a woman with six educational qualifications who complained about unemployment.
• Statistics revealed that one-fifth of South African households are struggling with food insecurity, with the devastating figures showing an increase in people relying on social grants to survive each month.
• A Pretoria man shared sobering statistics about South Africa's economic crisis, highlighting how youth unemployment has jumped from 40% to over 60% in just 30 years.

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Updated by Hilary Sekgota, Human Interest HOD at Briefly News.

Proofreading by Roxanne Dos Ramos, copy editor at Briefly.co.za.

Source: Briefly News