Opinionistas

This is an opinion piece. The views expressed are not that of Daily Maverick.....

Confronting the legacy of apartheid and the urgent need for social cohesion in South Africa

31 Oct 2024

Children born 12 years after the dawn of democracy are still struggling with racism, and we can place most of the blame at the door of adults.

I grew up under apartheid. I experienced what it meant to be in a school “for coloureds only” without the most essential facilities such as sports fields, laboratories, a school hall, a library or a staff room for teachers.

I was shown the door of the local Post Office because I walked through the wrong door; and was asked to leave a restaurant because it was reserved for white people only.

I was refused entry to a municipal swimming pool located in the same street as my parents’ home in Wellington (where the mercury in summer often exceeded 40°C).

My young family and I (my children were only 6 and 4 years old) were chased out of a play park that was reserved “for white children only”. How do you explain apartheid to a child so young?

During a march in my student days at the University of the Western Cape I was attacked by the police, who beat me unconscious and left me for dead.

Thus, I had reason to be part of the burn-it-down brigade. But I was not. I chose dialogue. As I do with my columns. Since then, I have been very sensitive (maybe oversensitive) to anything that smacks of racism.

I remember one specific event: as a child I joined the Boy Scouts where I learned various skills and also achieved my first leadership role. In standard 9 (Grade 11 today) I was chosen to represent South Africa at the 1975 World Jamboree for Scouts in Norway.

On arrival my scoutmaster asked me to do a TV interview. I was nervous: South Africa did not yet have TV and my second language English was not great. It was noticeable that the other three South Africans in the interview with me were black, Indian and white.

Long story short: my first TV interview at 15 years of age was about the difficult issue of apartheid. I was just a child and not politically oriented. Without going into it too deeply, I returned as a disillusioned young person whose eyes had been opened. Which is why my contemporaries and I looked forward to democracy with great expectations.

But 30 years later we have been disappointed.

Forgive and forget?

I had much pain to process. Nothing upsets me more than when people say: let’s forget the past, it is over, let’s move on... Often I must force myself not to react and must first count to 10. I will forgive, I actually did that a long time ago. But forget? That is asking too much.

That is why it is disturbing that 30 years into democracy a number of incidents of alleged racism have been reported at schools. Allegations have surfaced in schools in Gauteng, and the Western, Eastern and Northern Cape. At first, I refrained from commenting, but I can no longer look away. The South African Human Rights Commission has also expressed concern.

Racism in schools

At Pinelands High School in the Cape, a number of learners were suspended after a video surfaced on social media showing how black learners in a cage were auctioned as slaves by their classmates. It makes one wonder how this traumatic history is taught in class. Not far from there, at Table View High School, a teacher allegedly used the K-word in a lesson.

At the interschools match between Rondebosch Boys High and Paarl Boys High it is claimed that Paarl learners made baboon-like sounds when black Rondebosch learners touched the ball.

At the Pretoria High School for Girls, 12 learners were suspended after allegedly posting racist comments on WhatsApp. At Kareedouw Primary in the Eastern Cape, parents closed the school in 2016 claiming that black people got preference in teacher appointments. And at the Duineveld High School in Upington in the Northern Cape, four learners were suspended after a video was shared in which one learner used the K-word toward another TikTok user. I can list many other examples.

At most schools, language and skin colour is the cause of the disagreement, an indication that not everyone is aware of the school’s language and admission policy. It is specifically these two aspects in the Bela Bill that have been referred back by the president for further negotiation, which is being discussed at the moment. I have written about the importance of this conversation on these pages before.

Social cohesion

It is clear to me that learners should be exposed to a programme to promote social cohesion. Teachers, officials and parents also would benefit from such a programme. It is they who are making a racial issue where none exists. Thus, the learners of the Pretoria girls school were all found not guilty on all charges. Clearly, the judgement of the officials who recommended suspension was clouded.

The damage done to these children’s souls and self-esteem can never be repaired. The days that officials of the government considered themselves the only supervisors of racism are over. ANC government officials who preach transformation, but have not changed their thinking, look at the matter through a racist prism that clearly affects their judgement.

As a part of democracy, we as citizens must insist that the government apply democratic principles. Therefore, I am opposed to the deputy president leading the Bela negotiations. The government cannot be both player and referee. My plea that a neutral person should lead the discussions has clearly fallen on deaf ears.

Race classification

Another matter that should be addressed is the fact that we as South Africans are still forced by the government to identify ourselves as white, black or whatever. I no longer comply.

Initially, 30 years ago, the excuse was that race classification should continue so that the progress with transformation (read: appointment of black African people) could be traced.

At the time it was accepted as such but after 30 years that excuse no longer holds water. The government obviously does this to favour its cadres when it comes to appointments and promotions. It has degenerated into a mechanism with which the ANC keeps its cadres in control of government institutions.

Introspection

Have we done enough to create a free and equitable society? With the exception of a few Model C schools and private schools, the majority of South African schools are still separated on racial grounds 30 years later. Our children are still growing up separately. Political leaders who still sing Kill the Boer are contributing to racial intolerance.

After 30 years of democracy, it is time for everyone to do serious introspection and ask ourselves whether we as adults set an example to our children. Children copy the actions of their parents and teachers. If children who never lived under apartheid are still calling one another the K-word, where did they hear it?

Ongoing racism in our schools requires honest introspection, a clear policy that we are all equal before the Constitution, and targeted social intervention. If we really want our children to respect one another at school, we must stop linking people to a specific race. It is nothing but brainwashing. The longer we continue doing this, the longer it will take to get rid of racism in all its forms.

After all, we are all South Africans! DM

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