The origin and consequences of cultural and historical differences in South Africa
Who
should take responsibility
Stes de Necker
The meeting between whites
(mainly of European descent ) and blacks (mainly African descent) , in the
early 19th century, was also the beginning of the race issue in South Africa , which
later would result in serious conflict , segregation and the subsequent policy of
apartheid in South Africa.
With this meeting, two
different, almost directly opposing cultural systems came together which would,
for the next 170 years, lay the foundation of the political developments in
South Africa .
Maintaining a
Eurocentric social order by the whites , and keeping with the traditional Afro
centric norms and values by the black people of South Africa , represented
the struggle of this two traditional cultural systems that practically opposed of
each other head on. That which was traditionally and culturally acceptable and
correct for the one group, was totally unacceptable for the other, and vice
versa.
Political ideologies
are not only shaped by social and religious norms and values , but also by a
sense of nationality and solidarity expressed in terms of power and political survival.
The longer the population is exposed to these aims of power and survival, the
more these goals are elevated to a collective value system. Once it has become
a collective value system, it becomes more and more difficult for the
individual to be objective towards the system, which he / she is now an
integral part off.
For the English
speaking white leadership in the late 19th century and early 20th century, the
primary objective was to secure a distinct white ( Eurocentric) system in South
Africa. The main goal was the preservation of a system of European values and
norms. These aims later led to the establishment of the " South African
Republic " (Transvaal) in 1852 , and the Orange Free State Republic in
1854 .
Until 1910 the political
and economic power were vested mainly in the Cape and Natal, which at that
stage, were still under British control. With the discovery of diamonds in 1867
and gold in 1886, the British government decided to annex the entire South
Africa territory which led to the ‘first’
Anglo-Boer War from 1880 to 1881 .
However, the Boer
Republics defeated the English, and in 1899 , despite strong opposition from
the Liberal Party in the British Parliament, England decided to again invade
South Africa, but this time they returned in far greater numbers than was the
case before.
The subsequent Anglo -
Boer War which started in 1899, and the subsequent establishment of the Union
of South Africa in 1910, the need for unique self - preservation among the
Afrikaans - speaking whites only grow stronger.
After Unification, England retained
the economic power in South Africa and the vast majority of Afrikaans -
speaking South Africans , who previously have been making a living mainly from farming,
were left poor and unskilled, and had to find work as labourers in a new and unfamiliar
industrialized environment.
The exclusion of white
South Africans from the economic power base and the continued strive among white
South Africans for a unique (Eurocentric ) social dispensation, was the main
driving forces that led to the formation of the National Party, (at that time a
coalition between the National Party Dr . Malan and African Party of Mr .
Klasie Havenga ). With the election of 1948 , the United Party of General Jan Smuts was defeated and the South African National
Party took over the political power in South Africa . This coalition later became
known as the National Party . The continued preservation of the white culture
after 1948, led to the promulgation of a number of segregation Laws aimed at exclusive
political participation , freedom of movement , protection of employment for
whites , and blocking social integration of blacks, which were already
accounted for the majority of the population at that stage.
In 1960, South Africa
left the British Commonwealth, and in 1961 the Republic of South Africa was
established.
Due to the overwhelming
imbalance in the numbers of the white and black population , and for fear of black
domination in a Western democratic political system, the South African
government, under the leadership of Dr . HF Verwoerd, decided to introduce a
system of separate development , where each distinctive community can develop
independently and separately within its own territory. In order to facilitate
this concept, a variety of " homelands " were created to accommodate
the various ethnical communities .
The implementation of
these policies, however, leads to the expropriation of land for the creation
of such homelands and the subsequent forced relocation of communities,
displacement, alienation, and the subsequent disintegration of families. Breadwinners
were now forced to find jobs far removed from their homes and were separated
from their families for long periods of time .
While there was principally
nothing wrong with the concept of separate development, the National
Government did not took cognisance of the practical implications atrocities’ which
the implementation and execution of this policies would harbour. Deeply rooted Afro
centric values of the black people, mainly because of ignorance on the side
of white South Africans, were not taken into account. The result was that infinite
and irreparable harm was imposed on millions of black South Africans, affected
the system.
The policy of separate development
also had a suppressed secondary objective namely, once the policy had been successfully implemented and
every ethnic group was officially recognized within their own territories, there
could no longer be talk of a white minority government in South Africa. Whites
would then have been the majority in the allocated " white " area, just
as every other ethnic group would have been the majority in their separate
areas .
In addition to the ‘draconian’
apartheid laws, the National Government , especially under the leadership of
Adv . John Vorster and later PW Botha ( with the active support of the State
Security Council ) remained steadfast in their resolve to ensure that the Government’s
policy of separate development was implemented and executed at all levels of
society. Patriarchal social structures like Universities, Schools, Churches,
Government Institutions, organized Trade
and Industry, Sports, Agriculture, Military, Police , Security Police, etc.
. etc. . were tactfully yet seriously cautioned not to tolerate any rebellion
against, or opposition to, the policy of Apartheid, and were placed under immense
pressure to ensure that all requirements and regulations of the government were
meticulously carried out and adhered to.
As a child, during the
fifties and sixties, growing up in a strict Reformed house and attending a
purely Christian National school, I was never allowed to think for myself,
leave alone criticize the Government! And watch out for the poor youngster who
did try to think for himself or herself. Such a youngster was quickly singled
out as being " different " and being labelled as different was simply not acceptable .
At university I once
seriously disagreed with a lecturer on a certain economic theory, and despite
three subsequent attempts, I could never pass in that subject !
It was certainly never
needed of me to think for myself, because :
The school decide how I
had to cut and comb my hair and what school uniform I will wear ;
The teacher decided for
me what I will learn or will not learn in school ;
Government Regulations decided
for me in which rows I should stand at which entrances and parks I could go ;
The church decided for
me which sport I practise on what days;
The Publications Sensor
Board decided for me what I could read and I cannot read and what I could see or could not;
The University decided
for me what I need to study ;
And finally, my first employer
decided for me how I should do my job.
By the time I was 25
years old, I was a professional conformist!
I am convinced that there
are today thousands of South Africans ( White and Black ) walking around with the
bitter feeling that were openly and blatantly cheated and deceived by the previous
National Government.
Besides the protection
of political power, the second goal of the National Government was to secure the
economic power, which at the time vested mainly in the hands of
English-speaking South Africans, as soon as possible .
After 1948 , and with
the support of the National Government , a number of major Afrikaans organizations such as Nationale Pers, Sanlam, Volkskas and Rembrandt, were
established.
Achieving the Government
's economic objectives lead to the promulgation of a further number of
apartheid laws including the employment limitation of blacks in the public
service and prohibition of certain technical trades .
This legislation caused
many whites, especially unskilled and illiterate individuals, finding their
security politically entrenched and abnormally privileged. In most cases, skin
colour, and not qualifications or technical skilling, secured their survival in
the labour market.
The subsequent
isolation and marginalization of black people was the main reason that there came
an awakening of an Afro centric self - preservation among black South Africans
and the ANC became the official representative of the black people in the
struggle for political and economic self - preservation.
In 1960 , the ANC and
the PAC were banned from South Africa and previously non - violent black
consciousness organizations, were forced to become militant " underground
" movements.
As mentioned before, the
segregation Laws which would later become widely known as the apartheid policy
of South Africa , inflict endless suffering on millions of black South Africans
. Black people, by far the majority of the population, was excluded from almost
every measurable standard of living, including income, education,
accommodation, housing and health.
The apartheid policy,
both within South Africa and internationally, became so controversial that South
Africa was almost totally isolated from the rest of the world in the late
seventies.
Meanwhile, the
collective need for self - preservation and survival among the black people, increased
to such an extent that, in the early eighties, it spilled over into violent unrest in the
Witwaters Rand and other parts of the country . Most of these riots were
violently suppressed and in 1984-1985 the South African government reacted with
more severe countermeasures. These in turn lead to more and harsher resistance
by the anti -apartheid movements , especially the ANC.
For the black
leadership, the only goal was the self – preservation and survival of the black
people.
One very important
aspect that is often overlooked, is the fact that the black people of South
Africa do not represent one homogeneous group. One of the many consequences of
the Nationalist Government 's apartheid policies , was that it marginalized most
so-called non- white population groups, namely the Blacks, Coloureds and
Indians, which in turn forced these groups into a United front.
This brings me immediately
also to a second very important aspect that so often overlooked , and that is
that the ‘white’ population of South Africa is also not a homogenous community!
In 1990 the previous President
of the ANC, Nelson Mandela , after an imprisonment of 27 years, was released
from prison, and in 1994 the first multi-racial democratic elections were held
in South Africa which lead to the overthrown of the National Government, and
the political takeover by the ANC.
The outcome of the 1994
election went more or less as was expected.
Aside from the dozens of political
groups which contested the election, two major trends manifested after the
election i.e. a pluralistic Afro centrism and a pluralistic Euro centrism. (
various separately identifiable groups that form a single unit ). White voters largely
sided with the traditional white political groups, while the black voters sided
predominantly with the black political groups.
Coloured voters were more or less evenly divided between the main trends, while the Indians sided mainly behind the Indian leadership.
Today in 2013, whites South
Africans not only find themselves in a predisposition regarding their political identity
, but also run the risk of political isolation if they are not prepared to
switch to a diversified political group.
The possibility is increasing that the longer the status quo continues,
the black youth 's collective values and norms system, will be influenced to
the extent that they will eventually no longer be able to remain objective against the communist -inspired values of
the current government.
As I mentioned before, during
the late 1990 and early 2000, the main objectives for the black leadership was
about self - preservation and survival. After political self - preservation was
achieved in 1994 , there is now , as was the case with the whites after 1948,
a concerted assault on the traditional white possession of the economic power
base.
Claims for the nationalising
of mines as well as the nationalisation of land and financial institutions on
the part of a largely untrained and unqualified black youth, is characteristic
of the immature understanding among the youth and most people in South Africa, of
the economic realities of Africa.
Frustration among black
youth as well as the current government's inability to sufficient progress in
their aims for economic self-determination and sustainable development, is
certainly today the main cause of the spate of senseless violence and crime
committed by (mainly) the black youth.
I maintain that one can
assume that the adult black population and the young black people feel the same
about the state of affairs; They just differ in essence how to go about
achieving their objectives.
Crime and violence in
South Africa is therefore not a systemic phenomenon , but rather a symptomatic manifestation
of a deeper cause, namely frustration . The only way to eradicate this evil is to
solve the underlying cause; a larger
police force or bigger prisons will not solve the problem.
In the hierarchy of
basic needs, there is in fact no significant difference in the basic needs of
the White and Black people of South Africa . ( See Abraham H. Maslow 's
hierarchy of human needs. ) The major differences lie in the Eurocentric and Afro
centric norms and value systems to satisfy these needs, and the mechanism necessary
to achieve these objectives.
The tragedy is however,
that white people and black people lived together for more than three centuries
in this country , and after all this time they never really got to know and
understand each other!
The following table
shows a number of basic differences that exist in the more common social
practices of White and Black people in South Africa.
Keep in mind that not
all Black ethnic groups have the same customs. Customs may differ even within a
group as a result of geographical distribution .
Western Custom
|
Black Custom
|
1. The lesser must greet the greater, first
|
1. The lesser is not allowed to speak before he/she has been given the
right to speak.
|
2. The greater’s head can be lower than that of the lesser.
|
2. A lesser’s head may never be higher than that of a greater.
|
3. A lesser is not allowed to sit unless the greater has given him/her
permission to sit.
|
3. The lesser will always also sit when the greater is sitting, purely
because his/her head may not be higher than that of the greater.
|
4. Females are always afforded the opportunity to enter a door first,
or a vehicle door is always openened first for a lady.
|
4. A male is expected to enter through a door first in order to
indicate that he trusts the female behind his back and also to ensure that
the room entering into is safe.
|
5. Males normally stand during prayer.
|
5. Males and females must be seated in order to lower themselves as
much as possible before God.
|
6. People talking loudly are considered ill-mannered.
|
6. When someone whispers it is regarded as that person gossiping.
|
7. When the greater address a lesser, the lesser is expected to look
the greater in the eyes.
|
7. When a greater addresses a lesser, the lesser is not expected to
look the greater in the eyes because it is a sign of aggression.
|
8.The lesser is hardly ever given the opportunity to state his/her
side of a case.
|
8. The lesser must always be given the opportunity to state his/her
side of a case.
|
9. When visiting someone’s office, you must first knock and wait to be
allowed in.
|
9. When visiting a greater, you must enter the office quietly and go
to sit until you get noticed by the greater and given the approval to speak
when it suits the greater.
|
10. When you greet someone with a handshake, you are expected to give
that person a firm grip.
|
10. When you shake hands with someone else, you don’t grip the other
person’s hand tightly out of respect and to show peace and submission.
|
11. It is regarded rude to
address someone by his last name only.
|
11. To address someone by their last name only is to show respect for
his origin.
|
12. Someone arriving at a function usually waits to be greeted.
|
12. A person arriving second, must greet the others first.
|
By the end of the last
century , South Africa , mainly because of the development in the field of
transportation and communication technology , became part of the " Global
Village ".
Globalization placed South
Africa 's development under the new ANC government squarely under the spotlight
of the international community.
The latter was largely
responsible for the fact that the South African youth ( black and white ) have
abandoned many of their traditional value systems in favour of associating with
their oversees counterparts, mainly in Europe and America. The result is that many
traditional habits and customs are no longer regarded as important and may even
completely disappear over time.
The fact of the matter
remains that the youth of today grows up with the founders of these cultural
norms and values systems , namely the older generation white and black people,
and in this way still learn and inherits the historical differences between black
and white people. It was after all the older generation that failed to reconcile
the Western and African social customs!
If we want to avoid a
future intensification of this cultural struggle in this country, we should as
soon as possible ( if it is not already too late ) learn and respect each other’s
traditions and customs and to build a
new, ‘ism’, what I want to call, Africanism.
Fortunately, some of our
schools are already working in the direction to meet these requirements.
The challenge for the
opinion and policy - makers in South Africa today, is to find a commonly accepted ( collective )
value system that allows for our unique ‘unity in diversity’. Recognition and
respect for the identity and preserving the cultural values and norms of all
groups in South Africa , must be ensured. Only when we achieve that it will no
longer be necessary for so many people to leave this country for fear of losing
his / her self - preservation.
One of the biggest
mistakes the ANC Government could ever make was to attempt to ‘melt’ the
different origins , identities , religions , cultures and languages , in one common
society.
America is an example
where groups of different and diverse identity , live peacefully and un-troubled
with each other , but still are proud of their common American identity .
In South Africa, this
ideal will only be realized only if everyone is willing to learn, understand
and respect each other's values , norms and standards.
The "winner -
takes - all” mentality of the past and will no longer succeed in South Africa. The question everyone should ask him or
herself is, who is the true Africanist, to have the mandate to be ruler? South
Africa is a land of minorities and there is no group which can elevate
themselves to be the representatives of another.
The current ANC Government,
believe it or not, is in fact also a minority government; It only depends what
the criteria is to measure representation.
Escape from the current
unbalanced distribution of economic wealth in South Africa, can only be achieved
if the current ANC government, can succeed to distribute aid to the
economically impoverished part of the population, in an economically viable and
sustainable manner.
In a democratic
pluralistic society such as South Africa, where both poverty and wealth should
not be characterised by colour or creed of any kind, the challenge lies in developing
the poor, without impoverishing the affluent.
If the current
government is willing to learn one lesson from the previous order, it is how not
to solve the “poor black problem “in South Africa by creating a new (colourless)
"poor class".
Job creation and mother
tongue education has always been the foundation of economic development
worldwide and it appears that the current government is busy making great
strides in this area. The only negative aspect of this development is the fact
that the government will have to seriously guard against the creation of a
welfare state.
South Africa has the
world's largest welfare system currently, and although recognition should be
given to the fact that millions of people are at least able to survive because
of the welfare grants they receive monthly from the State, these allowances do not
create jobs. ( except of course for the number of civil servants to administer
the system ! )
One wonders what the
result would be if the money currently spent on social grants, were rather
spent on job creation.
