25 Sep 2018

Most African children grow up with the belief that they have to give back to those who brought them up. 

   This phenomenon is known as black tax and it is closely related to the Setswana saying that re tshola bana gore ba re boloke, which translates to children are born to take care of their parents. 

  The Urban Dictionary defines black tax as the money that black professionals are expected to give to support their less fortunate family members. 

    In Botswana, black tax takes the form of taking care of parents by either building them houses or taking care of one’s siblings by buying groceries on a monthly basis. 

  The burden of having to pay a regular amount of money to parents or guardians brings anxiety to some. 

  Ms Neo Maiteko (not real name), who is one such black tax payee, said she has lived most of her adult life paying black tax. 

  The 42-year-old said she had to assume the responsibility of looking after her family from a young age, and that she used her tertiary allowance to provide for her family.  Years later, she built a house for them upon being employed. 

   Ms Maiteko noted that the burden of black tax was not for first borns alone, adding that she was the fifth born but was like an assistant mother. 

  “I still pay my black tax even now, but I think my debt is coming to an end. The remaining years of my life will now be mine,” she said. 

   She also explained that at some level fulfilling the responsibilities came with blessings, although she said there were also negative effects such as putting one’s life plans on hold. 

  “It is also worth noting that this responsibility can affect one’s health. One can end up with stress, BP, depression and many more illnesses because it is not an easy task. It needs commitment,” she explained. 

   Another individual who is paying what’s due to his parents is Mr Larona David (not real name). He said after graduating from the University of Botswana he started building a house for his parents, adding that he had more projects down the pipeline. 

   He said he incorporated black tax into his life plans, and that he does not feel delayed. 

  “I do not feel delayed, instead I feel like I am getting somewhere every time I do something for my mother,” he said, adding that he helped with bills and groceries every month. 

   Mr David is the second born and his elder sibling does not have a job while the younger ones are still at school. 

   He said people should view black tax as a responsibility and not a burden, adding that it could be considered a burden if one felt delayed to do certain things. 

   Mr David said he has accepted that he has to change the socio-economic status of his family hence helping as much as he could. 

   However, he also said he saved as much as he could for the future. “Coming from a middle-income family motivated me to work hard so that I will never be short of options,” he said. 

  Mr David said he was employed immediately after graduating in 2016, adding that he does not neglect himself as he goes on vacation every year.  

Headman of records at Molepolole, Mr Kebonethebe Kgari said he does not support the idea of overwhelming children with responsibilities. 

He said parents should not expect their children to make up for their failures, adding that when people decide to marry they should also plan on how they would put a roof over their heads. 

   Mr Kgari said children had a lot to deal with like planning their own marriages, buying plots and building their homes, adding that no child should be expected to pay for their upbringing. 

    However, he discouraged children from leaving their children with their parents, saying they were neglecting their responsibilities. 

  However, one parent, Ms Kgomotsego Gapi said children should take care of their parents as their strength was depleted when they looked after them.

   She said they were not being greedy as a mere P50 from their children made them happy. 

    “If your child builds for you, be grateful. We cannot expect them to connect water and electricity too as they also have lives to live,” she said. 

   Ms Gapi added that they also helped their children because some of their marriages failed and they came back home. “So in a way, it is an investment and not a burden. 

    However, she said parents and children differed and that some paid heavily in black tax. She noted that first borns were mostly required to build houses for their parents, but that parents tended to give their homes to their last borns instead of making the home open to everyone. 

    For his part, Mr Kgomotso Jongman, who is a social worker, said black tax was a way of giving back to a community that raised you. 

    He said in the past children were able to attend school and be employed afterwards thus being able to give back. 

Mr Jongman said the evolution of society has affected black tax. 

   He said most millennials have given up on black tax compared to the baby boomers as most were hard hit by unemployment. He added that some have neglected their parents because they had opportunities but prioritised travelling and keeping up with trends. 

   “This has seen a rise of the social welfare bill because parents are now destitute,” he said. He said some parents were now impoverished because they had resumed responsibility for their grown-up children who graduated but were unemployed. ENDS