Life in South Africa

The honeymoon's over !

Last updated: 30/01/2000

It has often been said that men see a glass as half-full and women see it as half-empty. I think that a similar divergence of opinion exists in South Africa between the way in which whites and blacks see the way in which our nation is progressing. Whites, used to an efficient and safe country, see the glass of the South African reality as half-empty, while blacks, used to a country where they were subject to constant humiliation and police harassment, see the glass as half-full.

Perceptions of what the concept of the "Rainbow Nation" meant differ between whites and blacks. Whites were happy with the way in which those aspects of the state which affected them (schools, hospitals, etc) were run, and wanted all South Africans to enjoy the quality of life they had had. Blacks, on the other hand, saw everything as apartheid-created, and so everything had to be "transformed" to reflect their culture.

Whatever the case, it has become clear that the great reconciliation of 1994 was an illusion. Blacks are demanding their pound of flesh for what has happened to them, and are taking their revenge by means of a low-level civil war carried out by criminal gangs. Murder, rape, robbery and hijackings have become commonplace. Whites are looking at each other in amazement, not quite sure what to do. Those who can, emigrate -- a recent survey showed that 74% of professionals were considering emigration. Those who can't, barricade themselves behind high walls, razor wire and electrified fences.

Race and culture have become national obsessions, particularly after the re-introduction of statutory discrimination by the ANC government. Once again, whether you can find (or keep) a job depends not on your ability, but on your skin colour. There is a well-known saying that goes something like 'Those who forget their history are bound to repeat it". While true, I believe that the saying would be more useful as "Those who forget other peoples' history are bound to repeat it", simply because blacks in South Africa and elsewhere, while thinking that they are inventing a new way of thinking (the "African renaissance") are applying nothing other than Afro-fascism.

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