Exploring the experience of ‘black tax’ amongst recent black African graduates in South Africa

Abstract

There is an increasing body of literature on the phenomenon of Black Tax in Africa and beyond. However, there is a paucity of systematic research on the phenomenon in South Africa. This dissertation is an endeavour to address the gap by exploring how recent African Black graduates in South Africa experience Black Tax. The study adopted a qualitative and interpretive approach. In-depth semi-structured interviews were done with eight participants between the ages of 23 and 27 years. The findings revealed that recent African Black graduates experience Black Tax as a complex phenomenon and acknowledge that it is not as evident as it may seem. In addition, the findings also highlighted the manner in which it manifests itself in the lives of recent Black African graduates, namely, through Ubuntu, cultural obligations and unspoken rules and expectations. Most importantly, the results revealed that Black Tax has some positive impact as it contributes to helping and taking care of loved ones while also teaching recent graduates to manage their finances effectively. However, Black Tax has disadvantages as it may have a negative influence on recent graduates’ emotional, psychological and financial well-being. Given that Black Tax is not limited to university students, it is recommended that future empirical studies be conducted on this concept among formally and informally employed diverse population groups.