Ponderings on life in South Africa so far ...

Now that I've shared some of the beautiful sights we've seen and fun experiences we have had in Durban, I'd like to share about some of the issues facing this nation in transition. As a newcomer to the country, I hardly feel qualified to try to explain what is going on, much less to have an opinion about it. So I'll try my best to be accurate and objective.

If you would like to do more reading to understand the history behind South Africa's racial struggle, I would recommend three books that I've read: "Cry the Beloved Country" by Alan Paton, "Kaffir Boy" by Mark Mathabane and "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela (I'm still reading this one ... it's quite long and detailed but very interesting).

When it comes to racial equality, I wonder if South Africa today resembles the United States of about 40 years ago -- 15 or so years after the civil rights movement was at its peak. Here you still see blacks doing most of the menial labor, and Indians and Coloreds (light-skinned blacks) predominate in the service sector. The main difference between South Africa and the United States is that blacks make up 80% of the population here, Indians and Coloreds 10% and whites 10%.

In an effort to correct the past injustices of Apartheid, the BEE (Black Economic Empowerment) initiative is forcing major changes in the hiring and education of the segment of the population termed "the previously disadvantaged" by the current black majority government. Many whites are being laid off from their white collar jobs to be replaced by blacks. Some whites complain that they are being replaced by "unqualified" blacks who haven't been educated or trained properly and as a result many formerly well-managed institutions such as the utilities companies, banks, etc. are now experiencing major problems. For example, the electric company here, Eskom is so overloaded that they have had to enforce nationwide "load shedding" -- scheduled power outages for 2+ hours at a time at various times throughout the week.

A friend told me that by the year 2010, all public universities in South Africa will have to accurately reflect the make-up of the population. In other words, 80% black and so on. This will force many whites and previously advantaged blacks to have to look outside the country for their higher education.

Then there is the problem of crime, which most people would describe as South Africa's biggest problem. We feel very fortunate to live in a highly secure estate where break-ins are practically non-existent. We have met some people here who have either been burglary victims or know someone who has ... some repeatedly depending on the level of security in their home. Just last Sunday while we were sitting in church, the worship leader's car was stolen right out of the church parking lot. As I get out and about through town, I feel an awareness verging on paranoia that is new to me.

I guess it's going to take time for past wrongs to be righted, and some aggressive actions are necessary to level the playing field. It would appear that the struggle for racial equality here has become a universal one ... a struggle for all South Africans to be able to find a hope and a future in the midst of these turbulent times.