The paradox that is South Africa

Amidst the violence and xenophobia South Africa is the hope of the continent “You cannot find forgiveness in the past, but in the future lies progress,” says a South African national television advert. The advert promotes the use of a certain financial credit card. This is to a large extend a credit economy, it is also a place of big phrases, big people, and even bigger issues. This is South Africa. Where the past invokes memories of the brutality, a past of violence of the worst kinds from a tyrannical apartheid regime, and its most gracious of victims. Beginning its road to recovery in 1994 like Rwanda, South Africa has undergone enormous recovery since. Even if those guilty for the injustice in her past cannot be forgiven, its present filled with huge challenges, there is no doubt about the future promise of this great nation. The government set the national truth and reconciliation commission of South Africa in 1994 to try and find forgiveness and healing in her past, but today, even with the leader of that commission winning a nobel prize, unity and reconciliation remains largely elusive. Captured in a museum At the Apartheid museum on the outskirts of Johannesburg the reality and weight the advert expressed above begin to sink in. The museum, bigger in size and therefore more detailed than the Gisozi based Kigali Genocide memorial, is a long maze of rooms with similar grotesque images about the different paths of history in Africa. Hilariously presented is a stone baked news story that appeared in October 1986 in the famous The Star newspaper of Pretoria. The story starts with the famous ‘chameleon’ dance where black Africans were measured according to appearance to determine which one belonged to what colour stratification, depending on you belonged to black, chinese, white, coloured, each colour attracted specific benefits. Black was at the bottom of the rung. But that was not enough, many times the yardstick was liberal and other considerations were put into place to identify where one belonged, these varied from the thickness of hair, size of nose and length of face. It is at the exit of this well documented museum that the hope in the promise of the future lies. Not only do the seven pillars symbolising the tenets of the new South African constitution announce the new ideology of the country: democracy, diversity, unity and human rights, but a long convoy of 30 BMW ultra modern sports cars that cruises by followed by another one of 20 powerfully built motor bikes, drive the point home. There is only person inside each sports cars while the bikers carry curvaceous young women behind them. All the occupants are young, urban, black South Africans. It is not clear what the convoy is all about and explanations by locals vary. Rags to riches On another note, as the advert goes this African economic giant has a past in which search as you may, there is no chance of forgiveness. However, today South Africa is a symbol of a nation’s ability to raise from destruction to greatness. For so many reasons, the concept of forgiveness remains hard to conceive, but with ‘Azania’, hosting the next Confederations’ and World Cup, the progress of this country cannot be overemphasised. One local explains that BMW and many of the prestigious corporate companies in Johannesburg send their products for drive-by promotions to many parts of the city especially Soweto, this is because in the past, corporate companies did not see any need to advertise in areas occupied by black Africans because blacks were not allowed to buy certain products. As a result, people that lived in places like Soweto did not know most companies existing in their own country. It is today that these companies are getting to know all South Africans. Today, the businesses are just beginning to break ground in such areas, which are in a distance 40km in circumference. I am told that the convoy proves the rise of a certain South African class that were known as ‘Cheese Boys’ in Johannesburg during the struggle to topple the white supremacists that reigned during the era of Apartheid. The cheese boys were affected by apartheid as everybody in South Africa but these ones were either indirect benefactors of the system or they beat it and earned cheese for their school going children. The cheese boys developed round chubby cheeks because they never ate the meagre meals served during school days during Apartheid. Those children are the ones running the country now and their children are driving four-wheel Audis. The new breed of Cheese Boys is the one that formed the convoy driving about and through Soweto with very loud music booming with bass. Another explains that these cars were on their way to a wedding of a fellow biker. Biker clubs are a very common feature of Johannesburg’s social fabric, I’m told. It’s not black and white In the evening another national television screens a white comedy in which an urban lower class white family struggles to keep their teenage boy in school in the hope that he will pass his exams and bring the family good fortune after gaining serious employment. The boy is more interested in singing in a pop band. The movie tries to picture the white community struggling to fit in the new South Africa, where the African National Congress (ANC) and black people are in power. A black state agent tells off the white boy: “Things changed, you can go back to America or Europe”. In one hilarious episode the boy is chased from a pop competition run by the black TV channel, SABC, because he is white and therefore should go to Mnet channel, a white pay per station also running a pop music contest, where he is also chased after beating his white interviewer in an apparent depiction of an identity crisis. The comedy attempts to highlight the government’s on going official policy of unity and reconciliation prevailing in the country and challenges of readjusting. South Africa is a credit and shopping economy. Most of the shopping here takes place in huge malls that seem to occupy all available space in many business districts. In one mall a shopper finds all the necessities that money can buy. Most eating and social places are found in or near the malls. It’s here that most interaction takes place. However, to a stranger, these social places also seem to be separated by a colour line. There are those of blacks and others exclusively for whites. Apart from the fashion, grocery, and any other kind of shops blacks and whites still interact with others according to their colour. This is seen in restaurants and night clubs. In one up-market night club there was a lone ‘whiteman’ inside and all the patrons looked at him with gestures of disapproval. One patron asked openly, ‘What is he doing in a black club?” More than colour Yet, the divisionism in South Africa was closely scrutinised earlier this year. Black South Africans mobilised and organised themselves into gangs. These gangs went on a nationwide rampage attacking blacks from other parts of Africa killing 66 in a campaign that took less than two weeks. The targets of the gangs were Africans that were taking away jobs from the native blacks. The Africans were accused for working for smaller wages making them a favourite for many employers in South Africa. Many argue, however, that this current state of affairs is a result of Mbeki’s leadership. The ANC is now involved in controversy and an influential group of members from the party have formed a rival party that is likely to contest for the next presidential elections in November 2009. The xenophobic attacks were labeled by The Star, a respected broadsheet in Johannesburg, to have been led by angry people. The people supposed to manage these issues are not in a state of confusion currently. The ruling ANC is involved in a ‘make up to break up’ series. Recently, the power struggle between Jacob Zuma and Thabo Mbeki reached boiling point when influential members of the ANC decided to break away and form a new party to rival ANC for power in November 2009. The struggle between Mbeki and Zuma had seen Mandela’s successor and one credited with impressive economic growth figures and indicators, who maintained considerable influence in world politics, forced out of the presidency on accusations of ‘influence peddling’. The new party which goes under the name of the South African National Congress (SANC) party will tussle it out with the ANC for votes. SANC has taken somecrucial members of the ANC and the presidential elections next year promises a big battle. And this great country has overcome so many battles. Ends