Tag: reconciliation

‘92% of South African whites are racist’

I read the previous column by Jonny Steinberg on Oscar Pistorius. In my view that article was too general and gave an incorrect view on the opinions of blacks.

Though I now stay in an upmarket suburb, I spend lots of my time in the townships. In those circles, the majority of people I have spoken to are not really concerned about Oscar but are concerned about the judgment itself. It really confused them. It created more doubts than certainty about the legal system in our country and the interpretation of laws. In a nutshell, most middle-class and informed Africans were embarrassed by it. They are even reluctant to talk about it. However, the most fortunate part of our judicial system is its corrective mechanisms. To err is human.

On the current article I wish to remind Mr Steinberg that not all whites still live in the past. Maybe, about 92% of them still do. It is expecting too much from the 92% (this figure is an estimate) of white people to embrace reconciliation and not be racist. Why would they now do that? They have failed to do so in the past 600 years of the history of mankind. During those years most white people have enforced and supported slavery, racism, colonialism, apartheid and other forms of prejudices against blacks, and Africans in particular.

In my view reconciliation is too abstract a concept to embrace or even attempt to “enforce”. The best way would be for government to, among other things, enforce and implement laws that would make economic growth possible, make equitable economic redistribution possible, expedite cultural emancipation for Africans and outlaw any form of racism and/or prejudice in this country.

It is unfortunate that most of my fellow countrymen cannot define what racism is ( or other forms of prejudices such as tribalism, sexism ). It has become the most abused term; especially by the majority of white South Africans. Maybe it’s because they have never experienced racism. – Thulani Ngcobo Midrand (Originally published as a letter in Business Day)

Majority of white South Africans disagree ‘black poverty due to apartheid’

Buried in a recent report from the Institute for Justice and Reconciliation, is an indication that the media and educational inisitutions have largely failed in brainwashing white South Africans about the country’s past. A majority of whites (54,3%) disagree with the statement that “many black South Africans are poor today as a result of apartheid’s legacy”. A significant proportion of whites (37,7%) disagree that “apartheid was a crime against humanity”.

reconciliation_table23

Table 23 summarises youth and adult agreement (across historically defined race groups) with three historical truths about the nature and  legacy of apartheid.

‘Concerning’

 

According to Kim Wale, author of the 2013 SA Reconciliation Barometer Survey, “It is positive to note that across these three questions South Africans report high agreement with historical truths, but it is concerning to note that white South Africans are much less  likely to agree with the rest of South Africa. Youth are slightly more likely than adults to agree with historical truths by 3–4%. In terms of  the statement that apartheid was a crime against humanity, 76.4% of  South Africans agree, but only 52.8% of white South Africans agree  compared to 70.4% coloured, 77.1% Indian/Asian and 80.9% black South Africans who agree with this statement. In terms of the  statement that the apartheid government wrongly oppressed the  majority of South Africans, about half of white South Africans agree with this statement and almost 40% disagree compared to 72.1% of South Africans who agree and 23.7% who disagree with it.

Black poverty in South Africa
Black poverty in South Africa

She went on to say: “When South Africans are asked whether they agree that many black South Africans are still poor today because of the lasting effects of apartheid, almost 70% agree that the poverty of the present is linked to the injustice of the past. However, less than half as many white South Africans agree (33.4%) with this statement. White youth are 5.6% more likely than white adults to agree with this statement which provides some hope that the younger generation of white South Africans may recognise the effects of the past on the poverty of the present. This is important as if South Africans do not agree on the connection between economic exclusion and our historical legacy, they are not likely to agree with the need to address that legacy.”

White resistance to affirmative action in South Africa is growing, especially amid widespread reports of government corruption and the ostentatious lifestyle of the country’s politically connected black elite. – praag.org and IJR report