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When Nelson Mandela was sworn in as the first President of a truly democratic South Africa, many believed the nation's dark chapter had come to a close. The people of South Africa had clearly expressed that racial segregation was not okay, and that racial equity must begin. In a country where racial minorities made up 90% of the population but 0% of the political power – the transition to a multiracial democracy was supposed to bring results. Today, the white settlers of South Africa, who make up 9% of the population, own 70% of private land. Despite apartheid legally void, it still is very much in effect.
South Africa is very far from Europe. So in order to answer why there was racial segregation between white, Black, coloreds, and Asians we have to answer why there were white people in South Africa in the first place.
Initially, the Dutch settled the area around Cape Town so that they could use it as a refueling point for its ships traveling between Europe and Asia. To them the inland held little value, so the Boers – Dutch settlers – did not expand much beyond the Cape area. That was, until the British arrived. To cut a long story short, the British pushed the Boers further inland as they expanded into the south of Africa. As they expanded, they realized the economic possibilities of the diamond deposits. To ensure as little friction as possible, the British began relocating many African tribes and people's to confined areas to not impede railway infrastructure now used to transport inland diamond mines to the ports of Cape Town.
With the precedent of arbitrarily displacing the people of Africa, the British now decided to codify into a series of laws in 1913 that stripped African peoples of voting rights, property rights and provided the foundation of racial segregation.
Things only got worse in 1948 when the British gave independence to the white nationalist
parties governing South Africa. As soon as the British left, even more laws were implemented, affecting daily life in every way imaginable.
The white nationalist government established "black republics" in South Africa that nominally gave rights to the rightful inhabitants of the nation. They moved many into just 8% of the total land of South Africa, seizing roughly the other 90% for whites only. With the Black people of South Africa now officially no longer citizens, the white supremacist government continued to consolidate power and provide the best amenities to people of European blood.
The African National Congress was formed to combat this discrimination and human rights
abuse. Initially created to lobby against the 1913 Native Lands Act, the ANC now took on
peaceful demonstrations to pressure the government. In the 1960s a number of nonviolent
protests took place throughout South Africa. A noteworthy event was the Sharpeville Massacre when 69 people were brutally killed without warning. The point of the protest at Sharpeville was to protest the passbooks that all Black people were forced to carry if they were working outside of their “black republics”.
Many at the protest were willing to be peacefully arrested by the racist police. They thought if thousands of people were suddenly imprisoned, the government wouldn’t be able to handle the influx and have to release political prisoners. Instead, as the protesters made their voices heard outside a police station, they were met with gunfire. Without calls to disperse, police began to fire on the crowd.
Acts like this began the international boycott of South Africa.
Starting in the 1970s South Africa was increasingly shunned by the world. They were banned
from the Olympics – because they didn’t even let Black athletes compete for South Africa. Many international companies also stopped investing and pulled out of the nation.
Facing pressure, in 1983 the government rewrote the Constitution to implement a Tricameral Parliament – one parliament for the whites, coloreds, and indigenous people.
Remember, Black people were “no longer part of South Africa”, they belonged to “independent Black republics”.
This was seen as a step in the right direction, however critics just saw this as a divide and
conquer strategy set out to extend the lifespan of apartheid.
Continued dissatisfaction with living conditions by the Black people of South Africa was finally recognized and starting from 1989 to 1994 political prisoners like Nelson Mandela were released from prison. The apartheid government began repealing laws and setting up a multiracial election and peaceful transition of power.
In 1994, Nelson Mandela was elected the first President of a democratic South Africa.
The new government began working on a new Constitution for South Africans, which notably:
Guaranteed adequate housing to all citizens
Banned discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation (a first for Africa)
And Promised a clean environment
The Constitution was considered one of the most progressive in the world, and the government set out to accomplish just that. Today, however, many still are not able to experience these promises.
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As soon as apartheid ended, many Black people flocked to urban centers in search of jobs.
Back in their “black republics” around 40% were unemployed. With the restriction on movement now lifted, the outskirts of cities flooded with eager Black workers. There were so many that there wasn’t enough housing to accommodate these new migrants. Instead, the migrants took whatever they could find and made makeshift structures to live in. The areas now occupied by the migrants are called townships, where a majority do not have piped water, internet access, or electricity.
Although the government is working hard to build affordable housing as much as possible,
townships continue to grow as thousands of workers arrive daily (even today). The government now has resorted to providing the township's amenities rather than build proper houses because demand vastly outweighs supply – yet they still fall short.
Despite apartheid no longer legally in force, neighborhoods are still overwhelmingly segregated alongside access to services. While white neighborhoods have access to clean water, internet access, and electricity, many black neighborhoods struggle to even have 50% coverage.
Additionally, Black South Africans are demanding the government redistribute lands owned by white farmers. Although the intention is to reclaim land forcibly and illegally conquered by white people, South Africa has seen a decrease in farming production since land reclamation efforts began. This is because white farmers had been farming for generations and had consistent support from large corporations. When the government started giving land to prospective Black farmers, many did not know how to farm effectively and lowered crop yields. There also have been reports that many white farmers are leaving the country and selling their land as quick as possible – the government offers inadequate to no compensation, so farmers are trying to leave while they can still get a fair price for their land. In fact, many white people have started voting for extremist right-wing parties that are attempting to protect the white population – scaring many at the thought of backsliding into apartheid.
It is evident that the issues in South Africa surrounding apartheid can still be felt to this day.
While many activists push for Black people to reclaim what was stolen from them, they also risk putting the nation’s economy on collapse. Because South Africa’s wealth is still largely concentrated within the white population, the government has to balance social justice and creating an environment where the white population still wants to stay.
We can only hope that South Africans can work together for a more prosperous future.
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