‘Do White South Africans Miss Apartheid?’ (short 300-word response)

‘Is religion a threat to Africa’s unity?’ (short 300-word Response)
‘Which religions are not patriarchal?’ (short 300-word response)
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Among the older generation, one finds some who do: “The good old days”.

In their view, their lived existence under the apartheid system was good. The system not only privileged them in terms of religion, job opportunities, access to resources such as land and funding, and urban lived space in close proximity to work but also afforded them what is lacking in SA today, such as safety.

Fast forward 30 years and this generation is aging and dying out. However, among the younger white population who did not live during apartheid and were born after it collapsed, the consensus is that it was an immoral system that violated the rights and dignity of blacks, coloreds, and other race groups.

In my experience, I have never come across a white individual in this younger generation who thinks apartheid was good in any way. In fact, it has been the opposite in young whites who condemn the racism of their parents, for example. In cases where there is legitimate racism, the media sensationalizes it for clicks which gives the impression that it is a common daily experience when it is not (surveys show that racism is a much lower concern on the ladder of social issues to corruption, safety, sanitation, etc).

However, many among the white younger population today are frustrated. The pressure on them is enormous. There are quotas (sometimes collectively called “positive discrimination”) across almost all domains of society: work opportunities (black applicants will be placed ahead of white ones in a queue), lower chances of attaining funding (the NRF only allocates 10% of its funding budget to white students), sports participation at the professional level being threatened by race quotas, quotas for access to tertiary education, and more. This is heavy on younger whites who did not live under the apartheid regime, which has led to a large number of professionals with important skills emigrating overseas, especially to Australia (hundreds of thousands of former SA whites now live in Sydney, for example), the United Kingdom, and the United States.

It is quite staggering that the majority of white families I have known, one or more members are living permanently overseas. Among my relatives, a whole family has emigrated, dogs and all. This is not only because of quotas and crime in SA but also a result of a failed corrupt state government at all levels of society.

Unfortunately, post-apartheid SA has given a strong public voice to black nationalist and communist groups who propagate anti-white racism and sentiments in the public space. This ranges from the extreme (statements about killing whites) to condemning and demonizing them as “settlers” and aliens in the land who need to be expelled.

Long story short, most whites do not miss apartheid. The number that do declines rapidly. In addition, post-apartheid South Africa exerts huge pressure on whites, many of whom are leaving the country.

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