Apartheid and I
At the end of 1980 and around 8 years old my family moved from the outskirts of Johannesburg, to the rural farming areas of the far west rand.
I noticed for the first time in my life that there were sign boards which said "whites only".
They had either not been very prevalent where we had lived before or there just weren't that many left around Johannesburg by that time, since it was more progressive than some of the surrounding areas.
There were a couple of areas that I first noticed these:
- The pay-phone at the post office where we used to wait after being dropped by the school bus.
- The restroom at the fuel station
- The bar across the road
The post office was a truly fascinating contraption to my young mind:
It was a wide building with a counter spanning the middle with a waiting area in front. The waiting area was partitioned in two and each side had a separate entrance. The same people services both sides of the divided counter with common services.
The side I was familiar with was the "whites only" side, the other side was "non-whites only". As a child this "non-whites only" side remained mysterious, kind of like the girls bathroom. I used to wonder what made it different and what mysteries lay hidden behind the forbidden doors of these "non-whites only" places.
I was perhaps a little disappointed as I got older to discover nothing different at all and that his was just part of a warped racial segregation policy that lingered and clung on more tightly in the more conservative and often right-wing farming communities.
My father, who was a medical doctor, would later open up a general medical practice in the community. He would soon discover that he would eventually have two have sets of consulting rooms and waiting areas, otherwise the white locals would not make use of his services.
Only scratching the surface of just how cruel and disgusting this system was, we can only be grateful for the quiet transition into a new democracy.
Now to deal with the devil and the deep blue sea in getting the country back on track again @gavvet too many in need.
Gratefully we seem to be "can do people" and many of the "can't do's" have left
i hate racism.
quiet, in the eyes of God all the same.
People should just live together in Harmony and mutual respect. Thanks for sharing.
Hello ! I'm from Kazakhstan. It seems to me that this can happen only in America. It is a pity that you have people divided into whites and others. It's a pity . Sorry if I offended anyone.
Sorry to say @gladnata this actually took place in south africa 4 decades ago and it was sad when you think of it but we prevailed. we are this great nation because of the heartache
You said it. I do believe that we are now in a new era, where we can, and must, take hands to work towards a new and beautiful future. I feel we should never forget, but also not vilify the past. As you say, we can only become stronger because we have a painful past.
Wow. Incredible pictures. Those were very different times!
We have been created differently, both paras, colors, tribes and nations. But all of us are human beings. So wherever, whenever we stay the same.
An injured white man should better be transfused with the blood of a black man within the same group, rather than with the blood of another white man with a different blood type.
Racial segregation is one of mankind's worst creations. How is it even conceivable to discriminate someone because they were born in a different part of the world and their skin has a different amount of melanin in it than yours. These learned behaviors are what will make certain cultures obsolete.
When you put young children together, from a number of different backgrounds, they have no idea what racism or prejudice is, they simply play together. Racism is a learned behavior and I am amazed at how poorly we sometimes treat each other based on nothing but our skin pigment
Apartheid was originally created to try to stop tribal wars. It didnt work but apartheid didnt start as a racist regime. It just ended that way.
segregation leads to more racism
Countries have borders. That's segregation. Apartheid started out the same. Each tribe had their own land. And the richer tribes pillaged resources from the poorest tribes. Perhaps the world needs to learn from South Africa and destroy their borders. And then appoint a corrupt government to rule over the entire thing.
like I said above, segregation leads to more racism
Lol im not arguing with you. Im expanding your theory.
This is false.
the irony is that the pendulum has swung completely the opposite way around. Nelson Mandela's dream for SA has been shattered.
The real scandal in South Africa is how the ANC and particularly Nelson Mandela were corrupted by the Rockefeller/Banking tentacle of international finance...
Today South Africa is hailed as a 'model' and the feel-good story of Nelson Mandela is all that people outside of South Africa have in mind when they think about Apartheid and how it came to an end...
In point of fact, it was all a complete sell out...
The poor dumb Afrikaans (who too often are poor and dumb) have been left to blame for the entire mess that was created in Africa, meanwhile the entire political elite of the country only cares about stuffing their pockets with looker meanwhile the country's social dynamics and cohesion continue to degrade...
With no change in the view, and a growing and bitter frustration and resentment fomenting among South Africa's many diverse communityies (after all, the English South Africans hate the Dutch South Africans, the Dutch hated the Blacks, the Blacks hated the English, the English hated the Indians...) It's this kind of stupid hatred, scape-goatism that is turning this most beautiful land into a living hell...
I think South Africa does have the potential to lead and be a positive role-model for other African emerging countries, but by God, not until all of this past division and racism is confronted and dealt with...
I still think the Peace and Truth Commission of Desmond Tutu was a step in the right direction but much more work needs to be accomplished...
I don't know... I've never been or visited South Africa, but having friends from there of every race and creed and having heard all of their disperse stories and opinions, what is clear is South Africa is still living in the Past and must move forward or forever remain stuck in the mess that it created...
Solidarity and cooperation will help set the people free...
It's no secret
Pray for this most beautiful land full of potential and opportunity for healing and transformation
Peace and Love
Xx
i saw many people are just commenting thanks for sharing wtf do you even read the post ?
There are so many robots or people searching by followers...
ahah you made me laugh
I knowwwwww lol
When I was young, the Gaza strip was one of the coolest places to go clubbing.