This paper examines the development of the middle class in postapartheid
South Africa, using data from the 1993 Project for Statistics
on Living Standards and Development, the 2000 Income and Expenditure
Survey/Labour Force Survey and the 2008 National Income Dynamics
Study. The affluent middle class are defined as individuals residing in a
household with a per capita income of R1,400 — R10,000 per month in 2008
prices. The paper explores changes in the size of the middle class as well
as the racial and gender profile of the middle class within the context of
Black Economic Empowerment in South Africa. The affluent middle class
experienced very modest growth over the period, only slightly ahead of
population growth. There was however substantial churning in the racial
composition of the middle class, with a large increase in the number of
Africans accompanied by a fewer number of Whites. The gender profile
of the middle class showed less conclusive evidence of transformation.
The upper class similarly experienced significant racial transformation
and more than doubled in size, and also accrued a higher share of total
income (at the expense of the income shares of middle and lower classes)