Is apartheid really dead? (page 2)

LouBelle

Thanks for posting. One has to just be very vigilant living in the country. When you go out you have to conciously be aware of your surroundings and the peple.

Layla - Apartheid in my country came into practice in the early 1900s', but come to it full force in 1948 when the national party won the elections - these were dutch people that wanted "whites" only. As I mentioned in my piece - my family were also effected by this rule. Yes the apartheid time was horrendous - I"m not denying that - I know peple can't just get over it - but having this absolute hate for most whites isn't going to help their healing process and I hope in time - perhaps many years after I'm gone that my country will be a better place to live.

I've also watch Sarafina - this was a play *also a movie* based on the 1976 riots. I must also add what the play or fill doesn't show is how many millions of whites/colours & indians were against apartheid - how many fought against the apartheid regime, fought in the struggle, were imprisoned and treated the same as black people, how black people turned on many of the ones helping them and killed them in the riots- that is the truth of it, that part you don't see or hear about.

I deal with a lot of people of all colours and even the black people themselves are tired of the crime, corruption.

There is still a lot of poverty as Princess Daisy Boo mentioned, that will take a very very long time to irratdicate - there is just not enough job creation.

With regards to hosting the Football World Cup in 2010 - because South Africa will be show casing themselves to the world, government will make sure that there is a huge and obvious police presence. Tourists just also need to keep their wits about them and not be conned.

Again I love my country, am fiercely patriotich and want it to work, but if things do get really bad ( I don't know how much worse it can get - well I suppose I could die) I would leave.

Satanus

Weren't zulus one of the fiercest tribes, attacking other tribes, even before apartheid?

S

LouBelle

S - yes they were, but only from when Shaka was King - before that they were quite weak. But Shaka changed all that - they grew to be the most powerful of all the african tribes. The zulus under Shaka were very cruel.

SirNose586

You're not kidding about that violence. I remember hearing about a 12-gauge shotgun--I forget the maker--but it was advertised as the "Johannesburg street-sweeper."

I also remember seeing an anti-carjacking flamethrower you could attach to the undercarriage of your car!

There was also that movie, "The Power of One." Great movie, very moving, but also very sad.

I'm quite sorry to hear that things are probably going to get worse over there, LouBelle....

quietlyleaving

I'm so sorry Loubelle

Tthe south African white JW's who joined our congregation were very very well educated - they all had degrees and very soon got good jobs and are fairly well off now. So what is the situation among witnesses in South Africa - do they mostly continue with further education despite the society's discouraging of it?

Princess Daisy Boo

I don't know if Loubelle agrees but in my part of the South African JW world, Education wasn't huge on the list of priorities. My parents insisted on us finishing high school, but made no plans or encouragement to study further. I know of a few that did study further, but they were the exception rather than the rule.

LouBelle

Our education WAS of a very high standard even at School level. It's unfortunate that since the integration of most schools, education has suffered something terrible - I compare what I studied to what they study now - it's a joke - it's like lower grade stuff. Very sad. And then of course if students aren't happy they burn the school, abuse teachers, refuse to pay for tertiary education and get violent ( and most of them are those that were previously disadvantage ) They have got the most amazing opportunites and are throwing it away.

Witnesses in my area weren't encourage to study but many did take it upon themselves to go ahead with it anyway.

Princess Daisy Boo - have you read about the new re-evalution process that's going to push levys for the properties you own up by at least 200% (depending how government values your home)

How are people meant to survive here?

I've found I'm getting more angrier and bitter about this - I may just start my own struggle.

quietlyleaving

Our education WAS of a very high standard even at School level. It's unfortunate that since the integration of most schools, education has suffered something terrible - I compare what I studied to what they study now - it's a joke - it's like lower grade stuff. Very sad. And then of course if students aren't happy they burn the school, abuse teachers, refuse to pay for tertiary education and get violent ( and most of them are those that were previously disadvantage ) They have got the most amazing opportunites and are throwing it away.

what a shame.

the reason I asked is because my daughter and myself have been trying to encourage a young black teenager to continue whith her education - she is very bright and loves learning. But the elders are actively discouraging her from doing her A'levels. One of the elder's is South African and he and is wife both work full time and are benefitting from the good education they received in SA, they have also taken her under their wing. Of course they are obeying the society in discouraging her but if they were thinking for themselves they would see the injustice of what they are recommending for this young teenager.

snowbird

The once-oppressed becoming the oppressors - it happens time and time again.

Satanus, it may have been better for Whites under apartheid, but I'm sure Blacks think differently.

It is always sad and calamitous when one group decides to disenfranchise another.

Sylvi

Layla33

LouBelle, Don't take this the wrong way, but it REALLY reads like you have a lot of anger and resentment to the native blacks that were systematically mistreated for many years, while you seem to give justifications to the hate of the apartheid system and the whites that lived in luxury. I have a friend from South Africa that I work with, I mentioned to them what you wrote and they were pretty insulted. Their response that while there may have been some whites that fought against apartheid, the vast majority not only did not fight against apartheid, but hated for it to end and still to this day continually mistreat the native africans of that country, denounce them as flithy dogs and do not want to live or educate themselves anywhere near a "kaffir".

The way you are writting you opinion to me, seems just a little bit biased. The native blacks are not perfect, and of course there will be bitterness and hate, how many thousands upon thousands were killed, forced to live in shanty towns, had no running water, spit on, beat, raped in that country. I'm sorry, but I remember marching against South Africa and Apartheid and there is no way you can minimize that cruelty. The fallout of all of it, falls directly on the shoulders of the people who killed all those innocent men, women and children, raped those young girls, beat their grandmothers for way too many years. I want to feel something for any amount of Karma that they may be feeling because of their hate and brutality, but quite frankly I don't.

Is apartheid really dead?

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