This was posted by my good friend Zuben in response to the previous post I wrote about my views on South Africa…

Hi Jackie

I like your article. The paradox is that South Africans refer to themselves as the “rainbow nation”. One nation made up of different colors and creeds. But when you look at a rainbow you see the different colours. Polarized, not unified.

South Africa lacks national unity, nation building seems to be very slow impeded by the have-nots fighting amongst themselves for scraps and the haves trying to hold onto wealth that is by right not theirs. When you look at refracted white light in the context of South African race relations what you see is post-apartheid apartheid. The obvious question to ask is has things improved post 1992.

How do we measure improvement?

Is there a growing, dynamic black middle class because of affirmative action?

Does this matter when the majority is starving (in the social context)?

Why is there a need for a black middle class when South Africa is not an advanced democracy?

Do companies like BMW and Vodaphone need a market dissociated from the past whites only policy?

And why does Anglo and De Beers still claim that dust suppression in their mines is not necessary knowing that this directly contradicts European safety standards?

Are more or less people living in poverty?

Do black people have access to better education? Again this is emotive?

What about crime, has that gotten worse?

Has the ecomomy improved, perhaps but for the rich when there is still very high unemployment.

Perhaps things have not really changed that much. As you noticed black people still work behind the counter serving up for the affluent minority. And to top it all off people are still dying of TB and aids.

Well then, is apartheid really over?

This looks very bleak. South Africa has hit rock bottom, but dont be fooled. Black people are not lazy, they fought for there rights for 100 years and what you are experiencing is part of that ongoing fight. Just because Mandela came to power and we have a so called democracy does not mean that suddenly South Africa is a nice happy place full of rainbow people dancing and singing.

The country has the top universities, companies, academics, sports programs and economy in all of Africa, this despite the fact that as a nation we seem to be pulling in various directions off center towards center.

Don’t forget that Europe stole resources from Africa for 400 years or more. In a world context, slavery just like apartheid is not over, but slowly receding as it becomes necessary for Africa to compete on the world stage.

Slave masters just like some whites believe that black people are stupid and that intelligence is proportional to the concentration of white blood flowing in ones veins. Hence the reason for the seeming healthier prosperity of colourds /mulletos. This delusion is a construct of Apartheid as it was deeply entrenched in every aspect of society like education and health. During apartheid primary school health education, white children were taught to bath every day while black had that opportunity every week if they had any health education at all.

White people need to realize that apartheid damaged black people’s wealth, education and psychological health and what it did for the whites was create a superiority complex. That arrogance will eventually be eroded by humility that black and white people show for one another.

This is happening (Niall Mellon is doing good work) and I feel sorry for the supercilious reactionaries that complain that they now have to share with former slaves. On the whole, in two or three generations you will not be able to recognize race relations in my lovely country. We will keep failing in the right direction and eventually we will be able to look into the eyes of our neighbors without looking at the colour of their skins first. Then we will be able to take down the barbed wire that keeps us safe and separated.

Zuben