The Rainbow Nation is one of the biggest fairy tales we were told. The expectation that we would come together and paint pretty colours after decades of oppression and that we would all skip into the sunset holding hands and singing is laughable.
The harsh reality is that we may have fought and defeated apartheid but the hatred towards black South Africans is still prominent, and now racist white South Africans are openly sharing their racial supremacist views.
It’s no longer coming from past generations who believed that apartheid was right but it’s coming from the white people in your office, who work with you and smile in your face while applying for a visa to the US to get away from a black-run nation, which is too much for them to bear.
Lies being spewed by uneducated young white people is truly outstanding. The audacity to call apartheid an exclusionary democracy by disgraced former South African swimmer Roland Schoeman isn’t a surprise. He downplayed the meaning of apartheid by calling it an “exclusionary democracy” and yet asked a black president who fought for democracy for a job and lost it when the president didn’t respond.
This goes to show the level of white supremacy that is still thriving in South Africa, the attempt to rewrite history about one of the world’s biggest human rights violations and throw your toys when you are turned away.
There is a clear attack on South Africa via the US government, which in my opinion is due to Elon Musk not getting his way regarding Starlink. Every other international company based in South Africa must follow our rules and because he refused to abide by them, he wasn’t allowed to do business with us. Common sense wasn’t enough; he felt entitled to it, and being told “no” by blacks drove him to rage out and retaliate by using US President Donald Trump to punish us.
The blatant refusal to ensure equality in the workplace made him do what white supremacist do. If a person of colour says no, then they do what colonia-lists have done for centuries, they bully you and try to take your power away.
As if rewriting history isn’t enough, former DA federal leader Helen Zille is quick to criticise ANC leaders for hanging onto power while she refuses to retire from politics. It’s fine for her but when it comes to blacks, we are labelled as having overstayed our welcome.
In a recent interview with Daily Maverick, she talks about the downfall of Joburg and how Cape Town is running perfectly. The hypocrisy is astounding when you look at the state of the townships around Western Cape.
Then again, she doesn’t care about black people. If white people are happy that all that matters to her.
No one is saying the ANC government is perfect but even unity pisses white people off. The government of national unity was formed to unite various parties for a better future for all South Africans, but Zille has shared some issues with it because in her mind, the only power should be white power.
South Africa is a nation where black people can walk around without a dompas or move out of the way for whites when walking in the street. It’s a country where black people can work and earn a living, but this isn’t seen as fair when white people lose their power over us.
It’s clear that we were never truly united as a country. The apartheid government agreed to end apartheid under duress. It’s time that we remove our rose-tinted glasses and open our eyes to the fact that South Africa is still a majority racist and white supremacist nation that is tired of tolerating black people.
- Mhlanga is as a leadership and organisational development practitioner with more than 12 years of experience working in higher education, finance, project management, international relations, communications, and advocacy. He is also a senior lecturer at Milpark Business School
It’s interesting how the conversation around racism often focuses on one group’s experiences while overlooking others. The racism faced by Indians at the hands of some black individuals is a valid concern that deserves attention and discussion. We should strive for a more nuanced understanding of racism, acknowledging that it can manifest in various ways and affect different communities. By ignoring or downplaying certain instances of racism, we risk creating a narrative that is incomplete and unfair. Let’s work towards a more inclusive dialogue that addresses racism in all its forms.