Just a week ago a young white male was mercilessly beaten at the University of Johannesburg by other white males for standing with a black girl. In February, the same university had an incident of a black male forced into a cold shower for some four hours. Now another race driven incident repeats itself, in the same university and in the same campus. Something sinister is at play here!
The assault on this young white male further confirms the long held suspicion that the University of Pretoria, the University of Stellenbosch, the University of Free State and the University of Johannesburg Kingsway (Former RAU) campus have appointed themselves as the defenders of racial chauvinism. This is found in their residence placement policies that promote segregation and humiliation far surpassing the plans of the Boeremag itself!
These universities have provided a safe heaven for racism and have acted as liberated zones for Afrikaner chauvinism right under the dusty noses of the Department of Education and its minister, Naledi Pandor. Of course, not all Afrikaners are in agreement with the tendencies of these groupings in the universities who have the support of the Freedom Front Plus. Most White South Africans, including Afrikaners, profess non–racialism; therefore several questions need to be asked.
Why is it that many white, but particularly Afrikaner, students in universities are notorious for racist attitudes and practices despite the defeat and collapse of apartheid? Why is it that these students have not grown oblivious of racial chauvinism and still persist in the manner their parents treated us blacks, in the past? Some might be tempted to say David Bullard’s articles did the trick, I think not. I am convinced the answers lie elsewhere. This is not to deny that David Bullard’s articles might have played a role, however…
The National Party, since 1948, won back to back elections until 1989 without any accusations of vote rigging. The voters of the racist National Party are still alive and well. Most have deflected to the Democratic Alliance. Some are hiding behind the woodwork of the Freedom Front Plus. Many of the National Party voters supported the NP as a result of its segregationist and racist policies. There is no way that they have repented and become born again and suddenly become non–racist. They are still racist as ever!
Despite the fact that many university students were born between 1983 and 1989 and may have no personal experience of apartheid, and are supposed to act in a non–racist manner, this is not the case. Their parents do not accord them that opportunity. They do their best to impart on their children what they suppose should be the status quo. They teach them the most hideous of racist rituals so as to ensure that they fix it firmly in the young white child that he is superior to blacks, despite the teachings of society to the contrary. The blame lies squarely with the parents and the untransformed grannies and daddies of the old apartheid order, not with the kids!
Wolves of the apartheid order are lecturing in the universities. They have found safe heavens within the woodwork of the UOFS, UJ, UP and Stellenbosch. They continue to lodge and hide behind the curtains of our universities, imparting racism to every Afrikaner child that sets foot there. Institutional autonomy remains their strongest shield against the advances of the democratic government, which is often too weak and toothless to take on these organized factions.
Racist incidents in these universities are so constant that they could even result in vigilante type responses that could lead to injuries of innocent black and white kids who may find themselves crossing paths with angry mobs who seek to impose justice on their own terms and methods. At the same time, the Department of Education shall continue to send commission after commission and when it’s too late they will wish they acted earlier.
Cancer follows smoking even if you stopped fourteen years ago. Consequences of apartheid follows it although apartheid was abolished fourteen years ago. As the Bible says, as you sow, so shall you reap!
@Lyndall Beddy,
South Africa holds the world record for highest incidence of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome in certain communities.
Average in developed world
0.97 per 1000
South Africa: one study:-
Method: Active case ascertainment, two-tier screening, and Institute of Medicine assessment methodology were employed among 857 first grade pupils, most born in 1993.
results: 65.2-74.2 per 1,000 children
These rates are 33-148 times greater than U.S. estimates
In high-risk American Indian reservation communities in the United States, the rate of FAS derived from active case ascertainment methods seldom exceeds 10
In African Americans of low socioeconomic status (SES) from a few inner-city areas is 2.29 per 1000
In another study, it was found that Significantly more FAS exists among children of women who were rural residents (odds ratio: 7.36, 95% confidence interval: 3.31-16.52), usually among workers on local farms.
ref: article at http://goliath.ecnext.com/coms2/gi_0199-4798848/Fetal-alcohol-syndrome-epidemiology-in.html
The Tot/Dop system was only finally eliminated in the W. Cape a few years ago (according to the article at http://www.wineland.co.za/0403dop.php3 ), and only due to concerted efforts by associations such as Dopstop and other NGOs.
The practice may be continuing in the Northern Cape.
Another article said the tot system is still practiced on 1.4% of wine farms
The tot system is blamed for the extremely high incidence of FAS in many coloured communities. Fortunately farmers are co-operating with the NGOs to reduce alcohol abuse (i.e. where tot system no longer used, but workers continue with the patterns of alcohol abuse). Unfortunately FAS causes permanent brain damage, and the victims are a burden on society, and will not progress beyond primary school.
Paul (or must we now call you John, naughty naughty!)
Firstly, you were not just asking, we both know fine well what you were doing, but in the spirit of recent posts, lets just move forward.
I am no more keen to re-write history than you. One thing i have learned in South Africa is that history is neither exact nor linear, and the reality is that often, for example, Sbu and consulting engineer can both post 100% accurate posts that completely conflict with each other.
Sbu can say he had an inferior education, was disadvantaged by apartheid, may have had his family relocated, all of which would be correct. On the other side CE, could be also completely correct in saying the the black man had no education before the arrival of the white, that the land properly belonged to the whites who won it fair and square. I can claim that under white rule all the major indicators of the state of development in a country, ie Life expectancy, Literacy rate and GDP per capita, or people living below the $1 poverty line showed a massive improvement. We are all factually correct.
I really have never wished to deny apartheid or its consequences, it is just that it is but one piece in the puzzle and not the whole picture.
You mention in your post to Lyndall that 80% of the population was allocated 13% of the land. Did you know that in the UK that 1% of the population own 70% of the land, and that 90% of the people live on 10% of the land.
http://www.landroots.co.uk/landivis.pdf
To allow one group, using their perspective of history, to claim privilege and advantage over other sections of our community, is highly divisive, unjust, creates a total destructive sense of entitlement, and frankly is neither helpful or necessary to solve the problems that we face.
We cannot turn back the clock, and since our past is so divisive, it makes no sense to dwell on it, when it is so easy to agree on our future (providing no group claims the right to special privilege).
We can focus on all the main issues, without having to go back in history and take sides.
Land reform (as opposed to land restitution) is about wealth and not land. If we have a more equal distribution of capital, we will automatically get more equal land distribution.
In many ways i agree with you economic assessment. I know you have scoffed at my suggestion before, but it really is not hard to lift people out of poverty in SA. In world terms, and as a developed country the bar is so low, 4% growth is absolutely pathetic. The trouble is we simply do not have the fundamentals in place. and this is where we absolutely differ.
The reason we do not have the fundamentals in place is due to the political desire to be compensated for the past, above all else, whatever the cost. Sbu summed it up perfectly. You owe me, and when i didn’t then my Oupa did. How is that going to solve anything?
We have less skilled people, we have less jobs, we have an electricity crisis, we have declining standards in our education system. (Ignoring the indirect consequences of Crime and health.)
You have to look at what is causing the decline in the fundamental requirements to create growth. I was suggest that AA is the major factor behind at least three of the four and possibly all of them. How then does it serve the future of SA?
BEE is more complicated, but at very least, it means that our best and brightest black entrepreneurs are spending time focusing on the redistribution of wealth than creating new wealth. It would be more cost effective to give R10m to the top 100 black graduates from business school (not that i am advocating that as a policy).
Until we get these fundamentals in place we are destined for failure. You can’t bake a cake without half the ingredients.
This is the reason i wish to argue against the ‘you owe me brigade’, because they, unwittingly i am sure, are going to destroy SA if we let them.
@ amused
Brilliant post. The BEE situation is actually worse as many of our black entrepreneurs are given contracts which they do not have the expertise to conclude successfully. They get allocated contracts purely on their skin colour.
The business world is riddled with instances of black entrepreneurs who have been paid millions and sometimes hundreds of millions, but have disappeared leaving uncompleted or even untouched contracts.
The reason we do not have the fundamentals in place is due to the political desire to be compensated for the past, above all else, whatever the cost. Sbu summed it up perfectly. You owe me, and when i didn’t then my Oupa did. How is that going to solve anything?
We have less skilled people, we have less jobs, we have an electricity crisis, we have declining standards in our education system. (Ignoring the indirect consequences of Crime and health.)
You have to look at what is causing the decline in the fundamental requirements to create growth. I was suggest that AA is the major factor behind at least three of the four and possibly all of them. How then does it serve the future of SA?
BEE is more complicated, but at very least, it means that our best and brightest black entrepreneurs are spending time focusing on the redistribution of wealth than creating new wealth. It would be more cost effective to give R10m to the top 100 black graduates from business school (not that i am advocating that as a policy).
Until we get these fundamentals in place we are destined for failure. You can’t bake a cake without half the ingredients.
This is the reason i wish to argue against the ‘you owe me brigade’, because they, unwittingly i am sure, are going to destroy SA if we let them.
Well amused
I hate to say it but I agree on the fundamentals of what needs to be done. As Ihave said my issue is on the airbrushing of history.
The current way BEE and AA are implemented are problematic. We do need to improve an dimport skills. A redistributive BEE is required. One where money and infrastructure are pushed into local communities not share options given to wealthy carpet baggers. Unfortunatley sicne teh 1990′s I would suggest that corporate profit has been placed before social responsibility and that is a major problem. Look how GM moves its factories to Mexico in search of profit and destroys teh old heartland of the USA. Visiting Burnely and seeing idle smokestacks and unemployed people reminds one how teh industrial heart of the UK has died. A lot has to do with teh casion style of financial markets. Ever since Nixon floated the dollar back in 1973 he disprupted the fine balance created by Keynes with the Brettonwoods institutions. How does SA respond to that. Well in truth I don’t know but I don’t think allowing Anglo American to run off to London was a great idea
Paul
“My beef is with people trying to rewrite history”. So is mine. Both the Nats and the ANC dio it.
The destruction of District Six destroyed a vibrant community. IF they were moved to Mitchells Plain, as I remember, they are better off TODAY. IF they were moved to Bonteheuwel or Elsies River they are not. However I was very young – I might be remembering wrong. I have no book reference about where the population was moved to.
Oldfox
These are websites of NGOs like the ones I referred to. Do you have a government website with stats or any book reference? I have heard people such as representatives of Agriforum phone in and ask NGO represetatives for the names of farms where this is taking place – they can never give them.
Alcoholism and Feotal Alchol Syndrome is a massive problem in SA – but it is not confined to the farms. It is also a chicken and egg situation. Do the farmers employ drunks because no-one else is available, as any competant person can get a better job, or is it the other way around?
amused reader
Am I right to conclude that by now you are
no longer an ‘amused but bemused reader’.
@ Cool Down
Shall we say it has been an interesting ride.
In all honesty, these exchanges are actually very positive, and to give PaulJohnBilly??? credit, at least he has stuck around and fought his corner, which is better than the usual ‘liberal’ brigade, who run for cover once the facts start flying.
Once you have a continued engagement you usually can end up working towards common ground without having to give up your position, since i really do think ultimately we (South Africans in general) want to achieve much the same thing, it is the how that is troublesome, and ultimately it becomes a personal issue to us all.
@ Paul
I don’t think anyone would have much of an issue if BEE was focused on creating growth.
I do wonder if it isn’t completely back to front and instead of asking businesses to take on black shareholders under duress, maybe they should actually be incentivising businesses to transfer their skills to black (and coloured) individuals and entities.
How many highly skilled whites would be willing to start a business with a black partner, if they were afforded assess to government funding/capital? It would also mean that small and micro businesses would benefit from BEE not just big business.
I also agree with the infrastructure bit. Building housing always strikes me as the most ridiculous example.
The ANC government, when in power in cape Town, only managed to spend 50% of its’ housing budget. Why? There is a need, there is land, there is money, there are workers needing work? There are only 2 possibilities, ineptitude and a lack of skilled labour. It was probably both.
Now what if i wanted to establish a building firm, with the goal of erecting low cost housing. I am willing to run apprenticeship schemes and train my own labour. Lets us also say i am willing to give 49% (more providing i can keep management control) of the company to my workers. In return i want funding (soft loans, social grants for those under training..) and access to the contracts for the work.
I am now increasing the supply of skilled labour, i am reducing unemployment, I am creating genuine broad based empowerment, and i am dealing with the housing shortage. We know the funding is available, as the ANC couldn’t get to spend it.
Ah, but i am white, sorry, show is over, lets all go home. I didn’t suffer, i am not entitled, it doesn’t matter if i uplift 100 or 1000 people, i am just not entitled.
Doesn’t make sense does it?
amused reader
you wrote: “..He also took part in the Jarrow Marches to protest about the extreme poverty of the people of the North East of England. You don’t have a monopoly on poverty and deprivation,…”
I read the Jarrow March info. The poverty was not caused by deliberately holding people back, blocking opportunities or other such grossly unfair practices, it was a result of economic forces resulting from the Greet Depression.
The Great Depression affected people in all parts of the world that were integrated into the world economy at the time, including parts of SA. I knew a lady who at times, ate grass during the Great Depression, such was the shortage of food at the time – I think she lived in a small South African town then.
I have provided some references in previous TL posts of how SA governments from 1910 until the end of the rule of the Nationalist Govt. impeded economic development of blacks in particular, and also coloureds and “Indians”. (and discrimination certainly existed before then, but its harder to find reputable references pre 1910).
Blacks were not allowed to work as artisans in white areas. Indians were not permitted to get a Government Certificate of Competency during the 1970s (this exclusion applied only to them, not to other races), so Indians who qualified as engineers (few, as they battled to get vacation employment as students, which is essential in order to get the degree) were not able to get senior posts in mines or factories.
I know of several coloureds and Indians, who trained whites during the 1970s – 1980s , only to have these very same whites later become their managers.
It was govt policy that “non whites” should not become managers of whites.
Neither in SA nor in the UK were whites subjected to such economic discrimination.
Sbu,
“Education (the gradual process of acquiring knowledge) was not a white man’s phenomenon or invention, but western education was. And in a world that is so westernized, one needs western education…”
You are partly correct – agrarian and/or pre industrial societies including in Southern Africa had ways of teaching/educating youth, and this informal education goes back, for some societies, thousands of years.
Western education got ideas from other (non Western) areas too. And the subjects taught came from around the world – algebra and chemistry come from the Arabs in the middle ages.
India had a “university” 2400 years ago with some 10 000 attended by students from India as well as students from various countries in Europe, the Middle East, Persia and China.
First Universities in the world: If one refers to an institution of higher education and research which issues academic degrees at all levels (bachelor, master and doctorate) like in the modern sense of the word, then the medieval Madrasahs known as Jami’ah (”university” in Arabic) founded in the 9th century would be the first examples of such an institution.”
(source: wikipedia)
Western Education depends upon examinations. Both the examination system and the reason for such a system (to allow meritocracy) are from the Chinese. Some have claimed that the examination system+meritocracy constitutes the 5th gift of the Chinese to the world (the other 4 great inventions/”gifts” being paper, printing, gunpowder and the magnetic compass).
The Chinese Imperial examination system evolved over hundreds of years, and the system used during the Sui Dynasty (AD 581-618) remained unchanged until the fall of the Qing Dynasty in 1911.
Each candidate was issued with an examination number (to eliminate favouritism, or class/ethnic group discrminination), and to avoid recognising candidates by their handwriting, each candidate’s exam scripts were rewritten by a scribe. See http://www.chinatoday.com.cn/English/e2008/e200802/p54.htm for more details (it also has a picture of an ancient miniature “crib note” book used by a cheat, with Chinese characters one eighth of the size of a grain of rice!)
China also had outstanding books for educating primary school children since ancient times, especially ones to teach morals and ethics. Three of the most famous primers date to the 6th, 7th and 13th centuries, and were used unchanged until the latter half of the 19th century, when modern education systems were put in place.
The most famous of this trio, San Zi Jing, was written by Wang Yinglin, the great 13th-century Confucian scholar and educator, for children in his clan. It is composed of three-character rhyming stanzas, four stanzas forming one sentence. San Zi Jing’s 1,415 characters capture succinctly the essence of the Chinese value system and code of ethics. This masterpiece has always been generally regarded as a humanities encyclopedia for children, a systematic pedagogical aide for teachers and an indispensable reader for parents.
It was introduced to Japan and Korea centuries ago, translated into Russian in 1727 and later became available in English and French. UNESCO listed the book in its series on moral education for children in the autumn of 1990. It has since been promoted and published throughout the world.
http://www.chinatoday.com.cn/English/e2007/e200712/p64.htm
@ Oldfox
Thank you for reading the info.
I am not justifying deliberately keeping people in poverty, that is clearly not just.
People were also held back in the Uk, it was called the class system, but it was not along racial lines, and it probably was not as calculated and comprehensive. In those days England had 2 changing rooms for the cricket team, and the working class players were not allowed in the same dressing room as the upper class ones.
However, what difference does it make how your ancestors were put/kept in poverty? That is my point. The fundamentals for getting out of poverty are the same.
My point still stands. You have to take responsibility for your own destiny, you cannot sit and demand that everything be made right for you on account of your past, and Africans are not the only ones who have suffered. Most everyone else has already managed to save themselves. Most African countries are still less developed than at the end of colonialism, and still have their begging bowls out, sometimes 30, 40 or even 50 years later. Apparently we still owe them.
That is there fault, not ‘ours’, and they need to take responsibility for us. In 100 years are our great grand children still going to be arguing about what black people are owed because of apartheid?
Allowing this victim mentality rather than promoting self development, and the ability to ‘save oneself’ is incredibly destructive.
Nothing can lesson the injustices of the past, but we can create a brighter future, and taking control of ones own destiny is not a weakness, it is a strength.
@ amused reader
Good points my friend.
Lazola
Let’s now have an article about why your black brothers are killing and punishing their other black brothers form Zim and Malawi.
Or are people getting picked on and embarassed at schools and universities more serious.
Let’s have it
@Lazola
It’s fine to speak about your own experiences, but it shows the shallowness of your character to repeat the same old thing that is said in the media every single week.
How about you do something different and ask the question: why are all races racist?
Where does it come from?
Why does it exist in nature?
How were certain races also subjected to this before they subjected other races to this (Afrikaners, Jews, Hutus?
How about allowing yourself to be objective as I used to think journalists to be.
Oldfox
What a fascinating link about Chinese education. The advantage of a pictoral, non alphabetical language, is that they can read writings which are 2000 years old. No-one who speaks English, or any alphabetical language, can do so. I studied English at university – Old English and Middle English are like studying Latin – and further back is impossible.
Someone Else
If I remember correctly the Great Depression in America was because of 10% unemployment! We should be so lucky.
@Lyndall Beddy,
The other, far more important advantage of the pictoral language, is that it is understood by all 55 Chinese minorities (who possibly speak more than 55 different languages, and even the Han speak several languages).
90% of Chinese are literate. If two Chinese with mutually unintelligible home languages cannot speak the common Mandarin language (possibly some old, rural Chinese) they can communicate via the written Chinese language. So it fosters unity, in a country of diverse people and cultures.
This of course also fostered trade in ancient China (after the language was unified around 200BC) and the spread of ideas.
Oldfox
Yes – true. But the disadvantages are that to get all the characters on a computer needs one the size of a ping pong table, and nothing can be filed alphabetically. Also no scrabble, word games, dictionaries, encyclopedias etc. And when the boss’s secretary dies no-one can find a file.
That is why the Chinese are learning English.
Lazola
The violence in the townships this week – do we blame the parents?
Lyndall,
Dictionary lookups are harder for Chinese and Japanese. Chinese have however had dictionaries for almost 2000 years. see e.g. http://www.csse.monash.edu.au/~jwb/kanjindx.html
Oldfox
Those re very complicated dictionaries – and as soon as you go phonetic you go into one of the 500 different languages and dialects that use the same script.
Read “Mother Tongue” by Bill Bryason. He explains it better than I can.