Amidst city violence, xenophobia and apartheid hang over, South Africa is the hope of AFRICA

Amidst city violence, xenophobia and apartheid hang over, South Africa is the hope of AFRICA



BY GEORGE KAGAME
JOHANNESBURG

"You cannot find forgiveness in the past, but in the future lies progress," goes a copy text of 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 of the 'white' people in Africa, 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 that 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 in her past, but today, even with the leader of that commission winning a nobel prize, unity and reconciliation remains largely elusive here.

At the Apartheid museum on the outskirts of Johannesburg the reality and weight the advert expressed above begins to sink in.
The museum, quite bigger in size and therefore more detailed than the Gisozi based Kigali Genocide memorial-in tribute to Rwanda's sad history- is a long maze of rooms with almost 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, coloureds races, each colour attracted specific benefits. With black being at the bottom of the rung. But that was not enough, many times the yardstick would be liberal and other considerations put into place to identify where one belonged, these varied from the thickness of hair, size of nose and length of face.

But at the exits of this well documented museum lies the hope in the promise of the future. Not only do the seven pillars symbolizing the tenets of the new South African constitution announce the new ideology of the country, that of respect, democracy, diversity, unity and Human rights, 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 the sports cars while the bikers carry curvaceous young women behind them. All the occupants are young urban looking Black South Africans. It is not clear what the convoy is all about but explanations by locals vary.

On another note, as the advert goes this African economic giant has a past in which search as you may find, 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 Cups, the progress of this country cannot be overemphasized.


Locals explain 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 didnot see any need to advertise in areas occupied by Black Africans because Blacks were not allowed to buy certain products and so they were never considered in most informercial campaigns, apart from ones where the government had interests. Also because many could-not afford these products. As a result, people that lived in places like Soweto didnot know most companies existing in their own country. It is today that these companies are getting familiarized with the black South Africans.


Today, the businesses are just beginning to break ground in such areas, which are in a distance forty kilometre in circumference. Some locals state that the convoy today is one of the raise of a certain South African class that were known as 'Cheese Boy in Johannesburg during the struggle to topple the white supremacists that reigned during the era of Apartheid.
The cheese boys were equally affected by apartheid as everybody in South Africa and lived in the 'townships' but these ones were either indirect benefactors of the system or they beat it and afforded cheese for their school going children. The cheese boys developed round chubby cheeks because they never ate the meagre meals that served during school days during Apartheid. Those children are the ones running the country now and their children are the driving four wheel drive Audi cars cruising fast on the elaborate roads of South Africa. 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. The other explanation is that these cars were going to attend a wedding of a fellow biker, biker clubs are a very common feature of Johannesburg's social fabric.


At a simple interpretation the meaning of the television advert is evidence of the new South Africa. They represent everything new about South Africa, perfect roads running through all parts of the country, affordable European brand vehicles, manufactured in the country and the government policy of Black empowerment for the Black South Africans, what their white countrymen call 'Bending over'.
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 getting serious employment. The boy is more interested in singing with a pop band however.

The movie tries to picture the white community struggling to fit in the new South Africa, where the ANC and black people are in power. In one incident, a black state agent tells off the white boy: "Things changed, you can go back to America or Europe". The 'white' boy struggles to remain in school and complimenting his parents income by getting a part time jobs. In one hilarious episode he is chased from a pop competition run by the 'Black' TV channel-SABC-on the account that 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-but after beating his white interviewer in an apparent depiction of an identity crisis.

In another scene a black state agent tells his white countryman: "things have changed, you are no longer master here. Go back to Europe or America." His victim responds, " i hate the government, i hate the ANC. It is no-longer possible for a white person to get a job in South Africa now, they say it is Black Economic Empowerment to help the blacks catch up. Or easily translated, that we have to 'bend over'."
The comedy attempts to highlight the government's on going official policy of unity and reconciliation prevailing in the country and challenges of readjusting. But like so many others things in this beautiful country, most things are about surface image and even big phrases cannot clearly put them into their proper perspective.


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. Its here that most interaction takes place. However, for 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 maintain interaction according to their different colours. This is seen in restaurants, night clubs and suburbs to a small extent. 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?".

Yet, the division between in South Africa is on close scrutiny colour blind, earlier this year, Black South Africans mobilized and organized 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 target 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 fairs 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 African National Congress is involved in a 'make ups to break ups' 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, maintaining fairly considerable influence in world politics, and hosting the 2010 World Cup-being forced out of the presidency on accusations of 'influence peddling'. The new party which goes under the name of SANC-South African National Congress party will tussle it out with the ANC for votes, SANC however has taken some crucial members of the ANC and the presidential elections next year promises a big battle. And this great country has overcome so many battles.