Biblical review of equitable economic empowerment for the poor in a South African context

Abstract

This article reviews the equitable economic empowerment (EEE) for the poor in the South African context from a biblical perspective. Statistics show that 1 out of every 11 (n = 11) people in the world, and 1 out of every 5 (n = 5) people in Africa, faced starvation in 2024. The immediate question is: Where lies the problem? Is there a problem with food production and availability locally and globally? Is the food affordable and accessible? The food utilisation and nutrition or food security and stability? In search of an amicable solution, three issues will be discussed regarding the EEE from the biblical perspective, with a special focus on Deuteronomy 15:14–15, namely, its basic conception, critical reception and ultimate application in addressing poverty in a polarised South African context. An underlying EEE precept is to restore broken relationships between the privileged and underprivileged people living together in a polarised South African context.
Contribution: This article adds value in a debate about poverty in the polarised South African context whereby, basic biblical precepts of Deuteronomy 15:14–15 are an incentive to offer EEE guidelines which not only define the nature, significance and scope of the effect of poverty, but also offer a clear direction in handling (addressing) poverty in the polarised context of South Africa for prosperous and peaceful cohesion and cohabitation in God’s ecodomy.