A phenomenon that has become the norm for many young people in the country was addressed on eTV's Scandal by the award-winning actress Nqobile Khumalo.
Nqobile won the Best African Actress award at the New Vision International Film Festival (NVIFF) in Amsterdam earlier this year. The award served as recognition for the story-line on black-tax that touched many.
Her character, Hlengiwe Twala, is a journalist who was subjected to paying black tax and could not even afford her own place because of it.
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Speaking to TshisaLive, Nqobile says that discussing black tax amongst the black community is taboo because in most cases it causes a rift in the family, and in turn resentment.
"I think people are afraid of inequality because deep down they have the fear that if they allow equality or campaign for it, they will always get the short end of the stick," she said.
Her belief is that the tragedy of black tax is that some are cut off and sometimes distance themselves from their families because they are burdened alone.
"I believe that everyone should work for the family, not just one person. That idea that one person works for the family is unacceptable.
"It is not fair, it is not how it is supposed to be but because of our history as a nation, it is a reality," she said.
Her role resonated with a lot of young black people and after winning the award it assured her that she was doing something right and her message was getting through.
