Final Thoughts

South Africa is an extremely beautiful country with a great climate but anyone visiting South Africa should be aware of the political climate and safety issues. 

Here are a collection of our thoughts.

Blacks and Whites

During apartheid the government was acting to control not only the blacks but the minds of the whites as well.  They did this by enforcing censorship.  People could not read about the political dissidents nor were they allowed to even speak of them.   Many South Africans learned about Nelson Mandela only when they traveled abroad to the US or Europe.

The biggest concerns among the whites is that their children will have no opportunities.  The affirmative action programs are stronger than they ever were in the US.  Many white professional people and/or their children are leaving South Africa.  We heard that a million whites have left out of a population of 8 million since 1994.  A second threat to the whites is that their land will be taken over and distributed to the black population as is happening in Zimbabwe. 

Most whites feel that things were better for them during apartheid and openly admit it.   They point at the rise in crime when they indicate that things were better even for the blacks.  They rarely however talk about the non-reported high crime statistics in the townships during apartheid.

The whites for the most part also admit that change had to occur, that is, that apartheid had to end.

The white people think that many blacks are being employed in jobs that they can't handle and that it is ruining many companies as well as the government.  However, the whites and blacks do get along at work.  Thy each show each other mutual respect.   Blacks and whites attend school together and in general the walls of segregation have broke down quickly.

The blacks feel that things have moved too slowly.  Some believe that land reform must occur.  They feel that they are better off now than during apartheid due to their new freedoms.  Blacks for the most part do not resent the white population.   There is much respect that they give to the whites which is amazing to see.   They have forgiven the whites for apartheid due to Mandela's and Tutu's efforts.  

In South Africa, there are clear distinctions between various black communities.   Prejudice among these tribes is very high and is especially evident when it comes to local politics.  There are also a group of people known as coloreds which includes Indians and lighter skinned blacks.  Tension can be high among all of these groups.   There seems to be more prejudice among the blacks that between the whites and blacks of the country.

Safety

A concern for everyone in South Africa is safety.  Many people, especially the whites, carry guns with them at all times.  Properties are walled and barred and people pay a lot of money for personal security services.  There are not many police.   Criminal activities and the criminals are known by the police but the police say that there are too few police to act on all cases.  Brothels are illegal but are widespread.

Censorship was dismissed after apartheid but has recently been brought back.   Today's government has a ban on the reporting of crime statistics.  This is rather unbelievable.  The government is trying to push their number one problem under the rug instead of trying to deal with it.  South Africa's rape, murder, car hijacking, and theft statistics are appalling.  People could actually benefit from knowing where crimes are occurring most frequently but the information is not allowed to be shared.

Crimes against blacks are higher that against the white population so the black community suffers the most.  There have recently been several protest marches against the government about its lack of response to crime.  These marches have been organized and led by the black communities.

We had approximately 50 families working in South Africa for 20 months.  We averaged about 1 crime per month against our American friends during that time.   Luckily, no one was hurt.  The crimes consisted of home break-ins, muggings, car break-ins.

AIDs

South Africa has the fasting growing occurrence of AIDs cases in the world.  The reasons are many.  Men, especially in the black community, dominate the society.   Single motherhood in the black community is not discouraged but is actually encouraged. Women get pregnant at a young age to show future prospective husbands that they are fertile.

AIDs awareness has only been increasing in South Africa during the past few years.   In South Africa there were many myths about AIDs (such as the one that AIDs can be cured by having sex with a virgin).  These were rampant in South Africa before the awareness of AIDs increased.

The government, for a long time, had a cover-up on the reporting of AIDs cases.   Doctors were encouraged to diagnose AIDs deaths as pneumonia or other sicknesses that took over the bodies of victims due to the AIDs virus.  This reduced the public's awareness of the seriousness of the problem. 

One of our favorite places to visit in South Africa was the Ardmore Gust farm in the Drakensberg Mountains.  The Guest Farm has an art studio where several black locals are employed making beautiful intricate ceramics are made.  It is sad to note that six of the original twelve artists have died of AIDs during the past several years.

Conclusion

It is clear that the government of South Africa has not stepped up o solving the countries biggest problems.  It almost appears that they are willing or want to reduce the poor population of the country by letting crimes against the blacks population as well as AIDs continue.

The government does not appear to understand the potential that the country has.   Safety and AIDs concerns are the main deterrent for foreign visitors and investors.   Solving those problems are key to bringing much needed money into the country.   South Africa is also the only country in the sub-Sahara area that can influence and help the rest of the continent.

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