Minyaka yonke uhlu luyafana, kodwa unyaka nonyaka lusethusa. Kubantu abayi-10 abacebe kakhulu emhlabeni, abahlanu kubo banezibongo ezifanayo. Akuwona uGates, noma uMurdoch, noma uRockefeller, kodwa uWalton. Bayizindlalifa kanye nabaphathiswa bochungechunge lwesuphamakethe i-Wal-Mart. Futhi phakathi kwabo zibiza u-$100bn.
Uma sicabangela indlela abezindaba abadla ngayo abantu abacebile kakhulu, sizwa okuncane kakhulu ngabo. Mhlawumbe lokhu kungenxa yokuthi isikhundla sabo sibangela amahloni. Inkampani ebacebisayo ihwebelana ngombono wokuthi iwumngane womuntu ovamile nowesifazane, isakaza kunokuba igxilise ingcebo.
Eminyakeni engu-20 edlule, kube nezinguquko ezimbili ezinyakazisa umhlaba kwezenhlalo yabantu. Esokuqala, ukuwa okusebenzayo kweqembu labasebenzi njengombutho wezombangazwe, kubhalwe kahle. Okwesibili, ukunyamalala konxiwankulu abancane njengamandla ezomnotho, kunalokho kunciphe. Ukucishe kuqedwe amabhizinisi amancane ahlinzeka futhi aqhube ukuhwebelana kwezitolo kungumthelela ngandlela thize njengokubuna kwabasebenzi abahlelekile embonini enzima kanye nasezimayini zamalahle. Ukuba bodwa emhlabeni wonke komkhakha kucekele phansi izimpilo zamashumi ezigidi zabanikazi abancane nabasebenzi babo. Kodwa, ngenxa yokuthi laba basebenzi bahlakazekile, imiphumela kuba nzima ukuyibona.
Emasontweni ambalwa edlule, ngahamba ngayothenga izihlahla zezithelo. Ngaya esikhungweni sezinto eziphilayo esingenakunqotshwa kakhulu emhlabeni: iLangley, emaphethelweni eSlough. Engxenyeni yokuqala yekhulu lama-20, izithelo nemifino eminingi yaseLondon yayilinywa kuyo yonke indawo. Amapulazi ahlinzekwa yizindawo zokunakekela izingane ezingochwepheshe, eziqinisekisa ukuthi iBrithani inezinhlobonhlobo zezihlahla zezithelo ezipholile kunanoma yisiphi esinye isizwe. Emasontweni amabili edlule, kwakusele eyodwa kuphela yalezi zinkulisa. Ngawo-1940s, i-JC Allgrove yagcina izinhlobo eziyinkulungwane zesihlahla samahhabhula. Isabalwa ohlwini lwemibhalo njengomunye wabalimi abakhulu baseBrithani. Kodwa ngangiphakathi kwamakhasimende ayo okugcina.
Selokhu kwashona umnikazi wayo eminyakeni emibili edlule, leli bhizinisi beliphethwe yivolontiya, u-Nick Houston. Wangitshela: 'Kunezindawo lapho osekuneminyaka engu-20 kungekho muntu khona. Muva nje, epequlula ngaphansi kwe-ivy manje esesibekele izinsimu, uthole i-apula ayengakaze alibone ngaphambili. Kwakuyi-Baumann's Reinette: i-horticultural okulingana neqanda le-Fabergรฉ. 'Kodwa bengingazi ukuthi iwile kusiphi isihlahla esinegazi.' Endaweni ethile enkulisa kufanele kube nezinhlobo ezimbili - i-King Harry kanye ne-St Augustine's Orange - ngisho neqoqo lezithelo zikazwelonke alinazo, kodwa akakazitholi okwamanje. Izwe lizothengiswa. U-Nick uzohlenga angakwazi futhi aqhube ibhizinisi lakhe, ngaphansi kwegama elidala, ukuze azame ukugcina izinhlobo ezingavamile zikhula.
Uphendule igama elilodwa lapho ngimbuza ukuthi kwenzekeni ngebhizinisi. 'Izitolo ezinkulu.' Namuhla ama-apula abawathengayo ahlala amakhilomitha amathathu ukusuka kwa-JC Allgrove's. Umzila wezindiza wokuqala we-Heathrow wakhiwe emapulazini ama-strawberry nasezinsimini zezithelo. Uma usemoyeni, usengabona izindawo zokugcina izithombo ezingaboshiwe kanye nemigqa ehambisanayo ezweni lapho izihlahla zezithelo zake zamila khona. URichard Cox, owesilisa owafuya i-apula eliyintandokazi emhlabeni, ungcwatshwe eduze kweSonto i-St Mary's e-Harmondsworth, elizokwenziwa isicaba uma umgwaqo wezindiza wesithathu wakhiwe e-Heathrow.
Izitolo ezinkulu zisebenzise amandla azo okuthenga ukuphoqa abalimi bomhlaba ukuthi bancintisane bodwa. Izolo ngikhulume nomlimi wezithelo eGloucestershire, ongitshele ukuthi ukuze ahlale emdlalweni kufanele ngezinye izikhathi athengise u-Coxes ngemali encane engu-57p ikhilo, ngaphansi kwezindleko zakhe zokukhiqiza. Izitolo ezinkulu zibe sezithengisa ama-apula afanayo phakathi kuka-ยฃ1.60 no-ยฃ1.80. Bangazithenga ngemali encane eChile, eNew Zealand naseNingizimu Afrika, lapho umsebenzi ushibhile namapulazi amakhulu. Lokhu bekungeke kube usongo kubalimi balapha, ukube izitolo ezinkulu azizange zisebenzise amandla azo ezepolitiki ukuqinisekisa ukuthi izindleko zikaphethiloli zihlala ziphansi, namatheku nezikhumulo zezindiza zilokhu zikhula.
Lezi zinkampani manje sezihambahamba enkundleni yempi, zithumela abantu bokugcina abalimele. Ezinsukwini ezimbalwa ezedlule, i-Verdict Research ishicilele umbiko ngokuthathwa kwezitolo zamakhona zaseBrithani. Amaketango amakhulu adlulele ezindaweni ezingaphansi kwedolobha, lapho evala khona umncintiswano. 'Manje abathengisi abancane abasakwazi ukucasha endaweni,' kubika i-Verdict. 'Ukuzamazama okukhulu akunakugwenywa.'
I-Wal-Mart, engumnikazi we-British chain Asda, manje isiyinkampani enkulu kunazo zonke eMhlabeni. Ngonyaka wezimali odlule kuthathe u-$245bn. Iphumelela ngokwengxenye ngoba ingomunye wabaqashi abanonya kakhulu emazweni asentshonalanga.
E-US omabhalane bayo bezentengiselwano benza isilinganiso sama- $13,861 ngo-2001, cishe amaRandi angama-800 ngaphansi komugqa wobumpofu wenhlangano emndenini wabathathu. Kubikwa ukuthi isitshele abasebenzi abasha ukuthi bangafaka kanjani izicelo zokuthola izitembu zokudla ukuze bangabulawa yindlala. NgoNovemba, amaphoyisa athola amakhulu abantu bokufika ngokungemthetho besebenza njengabahlanzi ezitolo zawo. Abanye babo bathi baphoqelekile ukuthi basebenze ubusuku obuyisikhombisa ngesonto, ngaphandle kwesikhathi esengeziwe, umshuwalense noma izinzuzo.
Ngokunciphisa amanani entengo yezimpahla abazithengayo, izitolo ezinkulu zikhuthaza izimo ezinengcindezi nakakhulu ezinkampanini ezizihlinzekayo. Ucwaningo lwakamuva olwenziwe yi-Oxfam luveza ukuhlukunyezwa okuhleliwe kwabasebenzi emafemini nasemapulazini athengwa yizitolo ezinkulu. AbakwaWalton bacebe kakhulu ngoba abanye bampofu kakhulu.
Ngaphandle kwalokhu, ukucekelwa phansi kokwehlukahlukana kwethu kwezitshalo kubukeka kuwubala. Kodwa kokubili kuwukubonakaliswa kwenkinga efanayo. Njengoba izitolo ezinkulu zithatha imakethe, zivala zonke izinqumo zethu: mayelana nokuthi sithenga kuphi, sithengani, sisebenzela bani. Lokhu, yiqiniso, yilokho wonke ama-monopolies afuna ukukwenza.
Besinethemba lokuthi ohulumeni bazobaphatha kanjalo. Ngempela, kwaba khona isikhathi lapho benza khona. Ngo-1936, umthetho we-federal anti-trust waphasiswa e-United States ukuvikela izitolo ezincane ku-Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company. Kodwa ohulumeni babenesibindi ngaleso sikhathi.
EBrithani, i-Office of Fair Trading kanye neCompetition Commission babonakala bechitha isikhathi sabo besungula izaba ezintsha. Baqhubeka nokugcizelela, isibonelo, ukuthi izitolo ezinkulu nezitolo zasemakhoneni ziyizimakethe ezihlukene. I-Tesco ingase ithengise u-25% wayo yonke igilosa yaseBrithani, kodwa iphethe 'kuphela' u-6% wemakethe yesitolo esilula, ngakho-ke kufanele ivunyelwe ukunwebeka kulowo mkhakha ngokuthanda kwayo. Ngenyanga edlule i-Office of Fair Trading yavuma ukuthi imithetho yayo yokusebenza ngokuzithandela, okufanele ivikele abalimi emandleni eqile ezitolo ezinkulu, ayisebenzi. Ngendlela yokulungisa iphakamise 'ucwaningo olwengeziwe'.
Ephendula, amalungu ePhalamende u-Andrew George kanye noDavid Drew bethula isiphakamiso sasekuseni ephalamende namuhla, befuna ikhodi yokusebenza ebopha ngokusemthethweni kanye ne-watchdog yezitolo ezinkulu. Kodwa uTony Blair ubonakala ethuswa yizitolo ezinkulu njengoba engowokunyathelisa kwe-tabloid.
U-Nick akangitholanga ezinhlobonhlobo ezingavamile. Wangidayisela i-Adam's Pearmain, i-Charles Ross, i-Sturmer Pippin kanye ne-Cornish Aromatic. Bengizowathenga amagama noma ngabe izihlahla bezingaxhunywanga kuwo. Uma besinda ekuphathweni kwami โโokuxakile futhi bethela izithelo, ngizobheka wonke ama-apula abawakhiqizayo njengesenzo esincane sokuvukela umbuso.
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Nikela