Burning to consume?<i>Izikhothane</i>in Daveyton as aspirational consumers

Abstract

The research question to be answered in this article is: Why do izikhothane engage in what is perceived as destructive, conspicuous consumption? This behaviour takes place in circumstances of poverty, involving young black males purchasing expensive items such as clothes and food and burning them in full view of an audience. The behaviour appears to have first started in the East Rand of Gauteng, before spreading into Soweto and gradually gaining momentum in not-so-well-developed parts of the Eastern Cape province. By conducting in-depth interviews and prolonged observations, the present study found this behaviour not to be crude materialism bordering on the immoral, and suggests that it is symbolic of aspirational consumption, demonstrating the desired aspirations of those who engage in the practice in post-apartheid South Africa. This is contrary to the negative sentiments expressed about this behaviour in the public sphere, for instance, on the television programme 3rd Degree, where it was viewed as ‘bling having gone obscenely mad’. The study suggests that this behaviour is indicative of the aspirations of the youth in a post-oppressive situation and that they are ‘burning to consume’ – both in the literal and the figurative sense.