Racial Divide

Rainbow Nation? While a rainbow nation is a noble idea dreamt by our respected Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu, it remains just that, a dream.

These respected elders have played a major role in trying to reconcile the past injustices for a better South Afrika for all. While many people buy into this idea of reconciliation, it has failed to take root in the hearts of many. The problem is that black people are expected to reconcile with whites, while the white people are largely left to their own accord regarding South Afrika's past. Black people are told to forgive and forget, hence the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

The question that must be asked by many people is why must black people be expected to make amends while white people were the ones mostly guilty of apartheid? Why am I, as a black child, expected to extend a reconciliatory hand while white people generally don't care about reconciliation? Shouldn't white people of this country make the first attempt at reconciling with the black people?

South Afrika, two worlds in one country. One world is white and rich, while the other is black and poor. Although much work has been done in improving the lives of black people since the dawn of democracy, a lot more remains to be done. The problem with race relations is that black are generally more willing to reach out to other races.

The white society remain widely unreformed. Take the working environment for instance. White people still see themselves as superior to blacks. Black people are expected to fit into a white culture at work while their white counterparts make no effort in learning/accomodating the black culture, even if the majority of worker are black. Generally white people expect black people to speak English while at work. Even if black people are conversing among themselves, whites expect them to speak English so they can understand what is being said. Whose fault exactly is it that white people can't understand a single black language?

People are still grouped by race than interest. In any form of gathering, you will observe that the groupings will generally be racially based. Blacks find it easy to mingle with other black people. Whites with other whites, and so on. Perhaps the issue of prejudice also play a role here. Many people still label others names when those associate with people of other races.

The question of the Coloured people. Who are Coloured people? Unfortunately the Coloured people have isolated themselves from society as an exclusive race. Years of freedom fighting have sought to declassify people under the single generic term Black. But sadly many Coloured people see themselves more superior than Black people, hence their refusal to be called Black. There are Coloured people who desperately aspire to be White, at all costs. This state has led to tension in some areas where Black people blatantly refuse to accept Coloured people into their fold. And the racist remarks and treatment of Black people by the Coloured people is not helping either. Many in the Coloured community have cried that Coloured people are ignored in the new South Afrika. This said out of ignorance that the term Black is an all encompassing for the Black races of South Afrika.

Who are the Indians in South Afrika? The Indian people are the worst practioners of Black on Black racism in South Afrika. For some uknown reason, Indian people see themselves as being better than the African race. They aspire to be White at the expense of the African people. Due to the historical better treatment of Indians by the apartheid regime, they have remained better off than most Black races in the country. Indian employers are among the worst of people you can work for as a Black person. This is somewhat puzzling as many of the Indian people played a crucial role in the struggle for democracy. To this day in South Afrika, Indians will favour Indians, Whites and Coloured over Africans; exactly in that order.

It is through these unfortunate events that you will find Durban the worst city for African people. African people live in the worst of areas in Durban city due to this entrenched racism. The city centre is home to White and Indian South Afrikans. Cape Town is the worst city where I have seen racism, fifteen years into democracy. Cape Town is where discrimination has been systematically entrenched, yet I rarely hear people complain about it. Cape Town city is reserved for White people. Blacks, Africans and Coloured, are relegated to the outskirts of town where life continues under some of the worst humanitarian conditions I seen in my country. Cape Town is a sharp contrast of riches and poverty. It is a shame that people who were born and raised in Cape Town has never set foot to the Table Mountain nor to Robben Island.