We live in South Africa, the great ‘rainbow nation’ people are always talking about. To the outside world it may appear that with the demise of the great oppression during the apartheid era, racism was thrown out the window; the real story is however, far from that.
At first glance when we look at social grouping, it appears as if black, white and Indian people are tolerant if not friendly towards each other and interracial relationships are on the rise. However the post-apartheid era has brought about a new phenomenon, BEE (black economic empowerment). This is a simple system really and it was implemented with the most sincere intentions – help the previously disadvantaged by adapting the social environment in such a way so as to make it easier for those in poverty to escape it. This can be equated with a ‘take from the rich and give to the poor’ philosophy, however unlike the Robin Hood principle; in South Africa this has a distinct flaw; the principle has assumed that everyone white is rich and everyone black is poor.
As with the transitional communist economies in the late eighties and early nineties, there are always individuals who will benefit from drastically changing economic policy because of the loopholes that are likely to form. I do not believe that black people have been informed of all the benefits and opportunities available to them through BEE and because of this, those that do understand have managed to accumulate great wealth through the share options and other BEE wealth creation opportunities, whilst the great majority of black South Africans are still living in extreme poverty.
The system has also failed to accommodate for a now very bitter and irate white middle-class that is struggling to understand why they can not find a good job as most large companies are now only hiring black employees in certain departments. They can not understand why their kids have to achieve outstanding grades to get into university, whilst fellow African students can get in with nothing more than a pass. They are struggling to come to terms with the fact that if they want to open a business they will not get a loan or any assistance unless they have a black business partner. Human nature is deep and murky water and I think the policy makers merely looked at the surface issues when deciding on their plan to eradicate poverty.
I know it is always much easier to discuss these things with hindsight but BEE is not something from our past; it is a part of our present and seems to be a potentially big part of our future. The 2010 World Cup is just around the corner and the opportunities for economic growth AND development are vast. It therefore does not make any sense to implement and maintain policy that is impeding our growth rate. I do agree that it is necessary to encourage the development of the black population, but I also think that such a colossal task needs policy that is detailed and has a specific plan for each social and racial group in our society. The white middle-class group is a minority in South Africa, but those men and women are the professional heart of this country; doctors, engineers, architects, lawyers, accountants etc. The South African government has publicly acknowledged their failure to prevent the ‘brain drain’ which saw thousands of professional men and women leave the country with their families in search of a better life and opportunities; men and women that have now made Australia, England, America, their home. Publicly acknowledged? Of course not in the traditional sense; they tried to be clever and outsmart everyone as politicians always think they can do; their ‘home coming revolution’ campaign is now urging South Africans to convince their loved ones to come back, but is it not all too late; can the fire of patriotism fight and win its battle with the fear of change?
Not forgetting what this is all about, the racial venom that still haunts our veins; the anger we all feel towards each other; the black generation that still won’t forgive their white oppressors and the young white generation that can not understand why they now have to suffer the consequences of their parents’ mistakes. Yes, we are a rainbow nation and perhaps in many years history books will point out that it was not all happy colours in the early part of the century in South Africa – but, what economists would call ‘shock therapy’ was the only policy that would insure that future generations will not know the hatred that racism induces, perhaps the future will be one of an idealistic society where skin colour means nothing more than the colour of our eyes and hair.
