Well, stop for voting the people pulling the strings...

A quick example: The largest owner of land is the South African Government, and yet laws are pushed through to allow land to be confiscated from people of a particular race and "redistributed" to other people of a selected race[1].

As long as the majority allows things like that they will remain poor and impoverished.

It's been over 25 years that South Africa has had State-mandated and State-enforced affirmative action to benefit the 90% majority at the expense of the 10% minority, and yet the 90% majority is still clamouring for more.

[1] It makes more sense for the South African Government to give out land that they actually own, not land that is held by someone else.

It is not stealing if it is by definition not stealing, but at least you can say that you never voted for the singular political party that has enjoyed an legislative majority (and sometimes supermajority) for almost 30 years ... right? I mean it is better than chance you did, as the majority of South Africans who can vote have at least once in their lives voted for said party, but not you for sure, and definitely not your parents, that would be ludicrous to suggest.

> Most here live a very simple life in rural africa and would probably be content to do so if it wasn’t for taxation and labour demand.

And you definitely never voted for the political party that set the tax regulations.

> It often feels like other people are pulling the strings.

Must be, can't be the voters, obviously the majority of the voters who voted for singular political party that has enjoyed an legislative majority (and sometimes supermajority) for almost 30 years have no say in how the country is governed, that would just be fucking stupid to suggest.