Lovely overview of political dynamics in SA. We are visiting for 3 weeks early next year and look forward to observing the social atmosphere ourselves. Fortunately, every place we are staying has backup protections for “load shedding” (power outages), as sadly the government can’t figure out how to keep the lights on, unlike even the poorest countries on earth. Odd…
As a SAFA, I can say that you will love here. Don’t worry about loadshedding. Rather just don’t take chances with your personal safety. Leave your expensive belongings hidden or at the hotel and don’t carry large sums of cash around. And don’t stick to the touristy things, there is much to be discovered in SA by going off to quieter and less flashy places. Enjoy.
As I’m from South Africa many go on a 2 week holiday, which is not the same as trying to survive and work there. Far from. People go to Cape Town on a 2 week holiday and tell everyone they’ve been to ‘South Africa’. No. You’ve been to a city and surroundings. And many tourists with a nativity to enjoy the beautiful nature, forget that they are in the murder and rape capital of the world. Many finding out the hard way, and MSM brushing it under the carpet.
South Africa has a lot of good things, beautiful nature, and opposite of the MSM narrative as most people, even DURING Apartheid of all races go along quite well. MSM loves to control narratives and focus on isolated stories, ignoring the bigger story, for clickbait. During Apartheid was no different, than today with the same media. Corrupt.
Samuel Ross
1 month ago
The black man votes for the black man in SA. Do we blame the white man for voting the same way?
Of course they do, the Blacks at least are still at the tribal level. It would be absolutely stupid in their view to not favor the tribe.
Kerry Davie
1 month ago
Interesting article; but I deplore the use of the term ‘reverse racism’. There really is no such thing: it’s racism or not racism, regardless of the perpetrator or the target.
Go on then smart-a*se, you explain what ‘racism’ is to me. Not Mars: Australia. Clearly I’m a bit thick, so it’d be helpful if you could use simple words and nice short sentences.
This is going to fun, I think.
Many of us left due to this racism. Except, we can’t say anything because we are ‘white’. Thus ‘racist’ by default even if we are not. Thanks to the Western narrative sold as the global view which is a distorted lie. We can also confirm, Apartheid never ended. It’s just under new management. The ‘cool’ type of racism. South Africa today, post 1994, has more racist laws against whites, than there was racist laws during Apartheid against blacks. But, this is the world we live in. The ‘anti-racist’ facade as we see with BLM etc. is more to do with useful fools used by Communists and Champagne socialists, than really being against racism.
Elon Musk is a great example of what will happen if a country retains its talent, rather than forcing people to leave due to stupid laws.Seems the ANC wants to re-invent the wheel, and we that can, will make sure they end up, with their pals, on the trash heap of history. Worse than what happened to the National Party. That’s a promise.
The first Western lie, sold as a ‘worldview’ that needs to be called out is that, minorities are not just black, and racists, are not just white. The sooner people can get to this realization, outside their ‘western worldview’ the better for everyone as human species.
Regards,
A Boer that had to leave my country of birth, in order not to end up in a ‘white squatter’ camp. Survival. Where whites that’s excluded from the job market due to these racist ends up. Racist laws with ‘nice’ names to make it justifiable. Lots of these videos on youtbe. (i was one of the lucky ones to have an option. Most are not so lucky)
Racist law called – (and nobody is spared, not even orphanages with ‘too many white children’ to get government funding)
BEE – Black Economic Empowerment (Pure racism)
The only country in the world using ‘AA’ to discriminate against a minority, and get away with it, due to black privilege.
All societies up until a high level of development are so naturally racist that it is transparent to them — as transparent as the air we breathe, so there wasn’t a need to give it a special name, and especially a pejorative one since they don’t think of it as a bad thing.
Also worth noting that it isn’t a zero sum game as the author states. What’s happened in Zimbabwe and South Africa looks far more like a negative sum game (one in which value is destroyed) to me.
That is a pretty harsh assessment. I am a born and bred South African and can say with truth that democracy is doing very well here. It’s not perfect, this article already states that. But to my mind, we are doing a lot better than numerous developed countries.
I like South Africa and wish them well (as part of the Commonwealth) but having the same party in power for 30 years and with no prospects of non-racialised voting in the near future I don’t think there is a case for it being either a modern or flourishing democracy. Such wasted potential. I am struggling think of a developed democracy with the same sort of problems.
I don’t think this is an honest comparison. Every democracy has problems but the fact that Republicans and Democrats have exchanged wins in the last 30 years (with another change soon to come) is a good sign. Hotly-fought elections are a positive sign. I don’t see that in South Africa where the ANC is just so dominant; “losing” the last election with 40% of the vote and their man still in power. Apart from African-american voters there isn’t a racialised voting block and even there with Black men this might be changing because of Trump.
Maybe that’s because blacks are 80% of the population and whites only 7. And real democracy has only been in place for 30 years in South Africa where blacks could vote. It takes decades to recover from oppression on that scale, and huge inequalities remain.
The fact that on “losing” the last election, the ANC said “we’ll have to form a coalition” rather than “we’re staying in power anyway” is a good thing.
As a SAFFA (Correct spelling) many of us escaped that s-hole and not looking back. Just a pity many tourists fall for this lie and get caught up in the process. Many with their lives. Life lesson.Never, BS yourself. The biggest lot that does this are the privileged, hiding in their secure estates. South Africa has more racist laws than during Apartheid, and is the crime and rape capital of the world. The ANC is in alliance with the sacp org za. The Communists. (Hint) Those living in a safe secure space, is not the reality of most out there. Apologies for this cold hard fact. You are only ‘doing much better’ if you follow MSM who does not represent reality, except controlling a perception. Nothing beats to travel and compare apples with apples. In that regard, sorry, but i care to differ. SA is not doing quite well and it won’t last. Most privileged disconnected from reality, hate hearing this.
the usual crumbling black African totalitarian state, going backwards fast, like all the others who have not even reached Roman levels of 2000 years old plus… but no one has the backbone or guts to say so.
Maybe slavery, colonialism, extreme racism and massive exploitation of people and resources had something to do with it. Your comment is so shallow and ignorant of history
Well it’s pretty tame compared to what it was when they were on the receiving end of things, it’s quite surprising that it’s not worse than it is given the history.
Is it racist to say that black sprinters are faster than white ones?
Hendrik Mentz
1 month ago
Comparison are odious, yet, I shudder to think where white South Africans would be today had they not voted for a unified non-racial South Africa in 1994. This against the Ash Sarkar interview in which Avi Shlaim sets out: ‘I used to support a two-state solution but Israel killed it, and therefore the solution I advocate today is one democratic state from the River to the Sea with equal rights for all the people who live there regardless of religion and ethnicity.’ (Source: YouTube: ‘Arab Jews: the hidden history. Ash Sarkar meets Avi Shlaim’ >01:05:04.)
Or how about the original two-state solution, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and the Republic of Ireland (and, yes, I know the Irish constitution says “Ireland” is the name of the country before some pedant tries to chime in on that).
No Hindus, Sikhs or other minorities left in muslim majority Pakistan.
Rampant “secularism” and special rights for muslim minorities in Hindu majority India.
Many of us left due to this racism. Except, we can’t say anything because we are ‘white’. Thus ‘racist’ by default even if we are not. Thanks to the Western narrative sold as the global view which is a distorted lie. We can also confirm, Apartheid never ended. It’s just under new management. The ‘cool’ type of racism. South Africa today, post 1994, has more racist laws against whites, than there was racist laws during Apartheid against blacks. But, this is the world we live in. The ‘anti-racist’ facade as we see with BLM etc. is more to do with useful fools used by Communists and Champagne socialists, than really being against racism.
Elon Musk is a great example of what will happen if a country retains its talent, rather than forcing people to leave due to stupid laws.Seems the ANC wants to re-invent the wheel, and we that can, will make sure they end up, with their pals, on the trash heap of history. Worse than what happened to the National Party. That’s a promise.
The first Western lie, sold as a ‘worldview’ that needs to be called out is that, minorities are not just black, and racists, are not just white. The sooner people can get to this realization, outside their ‘western worldview’ the better for everyone as human species.
Regards,
A Boer that had to leave my country of birth, in order not to end up in a ‘white squatter’ camp. Survival. Where whites that’s excluded from the job market due to these racist ends up. Racist laws with ‘nice’ names to make it justifiable. Lots of these videos on youtbe.
BEE – Black Economic Empowerment (Pure racism)
The only country in the world using ‘AA’ to discriminate against a minority, and get away with it, due to black privilege.
Seems the West adopted this post-apartheid 1994 model and blueprint with OPEN arms.
Surely infinitely preferable to the trauma, brutalisation, suffering inflicted and experienced, and that will reverberate for generations of Israelis and Palestinians to come.
All that suffering of what’s to come can be seen in South Africa. If Israel adopts the 1994 Strategy the West forced on it, for their enemies, Communists and Marxists, to become the government. Then what does people think will happen with Israeli’s when they are forced to adopt Humus as a shared government? An opposing culture, opposing views, as in the case of South Africa 30 years later, a huge disaster. Not mentioned by MSM who wants to control the narrative. Because then people will adopt the lunacy more easy.
Campbell P
1 month ago
A lesson the Church of England could well learn! DEI should never be allowed to trump merit; otherwise everyone suffers.
Geoffrey Kolbe
1 month ago
It was all General Montgomery’s fault. If he had acceded to Jan Smuts’ request for leave for South African troops in the Western Desert, Smuts would have won the election post war and the democratic aspirations of the indigenous races would have been accommodated.
Frances Killian
1 month ago
Sadly a disaster based on woolly socialist politics and rampant corruption. A combination we have no reason to be complacent about. Coming soon!
There is a school of thought that says that the reason sub-Saharan Africa as a whole is in such dire economic straits is that too many of its governments adopted Socialist Constitutions on gaining independence.
John Dowling
1 month ago
I visited SA recently and found everyone I met friendly and welcoming. Just the corrupt politicians who muck it up.
Justin Ashley
1 month ago
South Africa sure has its problems and the author’s analysis of why is spot on. But I love living here. You have to keep your wits about you but there’s a freedom and joy here that is fierce. Hulle weet nie wat ons weet nie.
Chipoko
1 month ago
“But the policy of separation, Apartheid, was only officially crafted in 1948.”
Let it not be forgotten: South African politicians constructed their Apartheid policy on the basis of the racist politics of the southern United States in the first half of the 20th Century. There apartheid existed in all but name. Moreover, it was a more vicious form of apartheid as it involved the custom of lynching – i.e. extra-judicial ‘street’ killings, which were ignored if not condoned by the prevailing legal system. What existed in the southern USA was worse than the system introduced into South Africa where the rule of law was intact and largely uncorrupted.
Sean Lothmore
1 month ago
Support for the MK was not just mainly black, it was mainly Zulu. An example of one of the problems of multiculturalism, tribal voting. A sense of Zulu nationalism is something that has been growing for a while.
UnHerd Reader
1 month ago
Tut, tut — You can’t be racist unless you are white, don’t you know?
J Arthur Rank
1 month ago
Not being a South African and never having been to SA, how can I comment? An interesting article and more interesting readers comments. An observation is that those who read UnHerd define the strata of society from which these opinions arise. Personally, I have met many white South Africans and a few educated Black South Africans. I really enjoy the sensibility and down to earth views and opinions of all the South Africans I have met. They are tough, resilient, and self-assured. If one said that was the Dutch genes shining through, one would be called a racist. A beautiful country one is assured, circling the drain of native destructive tribalism, a.k.a. identity politics as it is known here in the western democracies, both ideologies are no different and could ensure financial and political disaster sometime in the future? Well, yes. But haven’t the Western democracies all been gaslighted by their ruling classes, into believing all this Wokery, DIE, colonialism, can only be reversed by constant generational guilt? Seems like the rigidity of only Islam is the only constant ideology. So, for the rest of the Western world S.A. included, has been flung into turmoil – the West by all this Wokery, SA by its own “identity politics,” that of overt tribalism? “Those who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones.”
Main Edition
US
FR
Lovely overview of political dynamics in SA. We are visiting for 3 weeks early next year and look forward to observing the social atmosphere ourselves. Fortunately, every place we are staying has backup protections for “load shedding” (power outages), as sadly the government can’t figure out how to keep the lights on, unlike even the poorest countries on earth. Odd…
Good news. Load shedding is over and has been for almost a year
Bad news. NetZero load shedding is coming to a UK town near you…
As a SAFA, I can say that you will love here. Don’t worry about loadshedding. Rather just don’t take chances with your personal safety. Leave your expensive belongings hidden or at the hotel and don’t carry large sums of cash around. And don’t stick to the touristy things, there is much to be discovered in SA by going off to quieter and less flashy places. Enjoy.
I used the term SAFA incorrectly there, sorry. Still living here!
As I’m from South Africa many go on a 2 week holiday, which is not the same as trying to survive and work there. Far from. People go to Cape Town on a 2 week holiday and tell everyone they’ve been to ‘South Africa’. No. You’ve been to a city and surroundings. And many tourists with a nativity to enjoy the beautiful nature, forget that they are in the murder and rape capital of the world. Many finding out the hard way, and MSM brushing it under the carpet.
South Africa has a lot of good things, beautiful nature, and opposite of the MSM narrative as most people, even DURING Apartheid of all races go along quite well. MSM loves to control narratives and focus on isolated stories, ignoring the bigger story, for clickbait. During Apartheid was no different, than today with the same media. Corrupt.
The black man votes for the black man in SA. Do we blame the white man for voting the same way?
Of course they do, the Blacks at least are still at the tribal level. It would be absolutely stupid in their view to not favor the tribe.
Interesting article; but I deplore the use of the term ‘reverse racism’. There really is no such thing: it’s racism or not racism, regardless of the perpetrator or the target.
I don’t even think ‘racism’ exists, so I’m reluctant to dispute you.
Do you live on Mars?
It was a South African who might have gone there first, but the country lost him too.
Go on then smart-a*se, you explain what ‘racism’ is to me. Not Mars: Australia. Clearly I’m a bit thick, so it’d be helpful if you could use simple words and nice short sentences.
This is going to fun, I think.
Just google it, no time to waste on nonsense like this
Many of us left due to this racism. Except, we can’t say anything because we are ‘white’. Thus ‘racist’ by default even if we are not. Thanks to the Western narrative sold as the global view which is a distorted lie. We can also confirm, Apartheid never ended. It’s just under new management. The ‘cool’ type of racism. South Africa today, post 1994, has more racist laws against whites, than there was racist laws during Apartheid against blacks. But, this is the world we live in. The ‘anti-racist’ facade as we see with BLM etc. is more to do with useful fools used by Communists and Champagne socialists, than really being against racism.
Elon Musk is a great example of what will happen if a country retains its talent, rather than forcing people to leave due to stupid laws.Seems the ANC wants to re-invent the wheel, and we that can, will make sure they end up, with their pals, on the trash heap of history. Worse than what happened to the National Party. That’s a promise.
The first Western lie, sold as a ‘worldview’ that needs to be called out is that, minorities are not just black, and racists, are not just white. The sooner people can get to this realization, outside their ‘western worldview’ the better for everyone as human species.
Regards,
A Boer that had to leave my country of birth, in order not to end up in a ‘white squatter’ camp. Survival. Where whites that’s excluded from the job market due to these racist ends up. Racist laws with ‘nice’ names to make it justifiable. Lots of these videos on youtbe. (i was one of the lucky ones to have an option. Most are not so lucky)
Racist law called – (and nobody is spared, not even orphanages with ‘too many white children’ to get government funding)
BEE – Black Economic Empowerment (Pure racism)
The only country in the world using ‘AA’ to discriminate against a minority, and get away with it, due to black privilege.
Farther out, Jupiter maybe.
All societies up until a high level of development are so naturally racist that it is transparent to them — as transparent as the air we breathe, so there wasn’t a need to give it a special name, and especially a pejorative one since they don’t think of it as a bad thing.
Could someone please explain this comment to me?! Thanks….
Now there’s a clue, isn’t it.
I agree – Dr King understood that well; so should we.
Also worth noting that it isn’t a zero sum game as the author states. What’s happened in Zimbabwe and South Africa looks far more like a negative sum game (one in which value is destroyed) to me.
its patently not a zerosum game-quite the opposite as measured by every available metric.
wrong.. its racialism.. which in itself is a meaningless term
A “functioning modern democracy” it is not.
That is a pretty harsh assessment. I am a born and bred South African and can say with truth that democracy is doing very well here. It’s not perfect, this article already states that. But to my mind, we are doing a lot better than numerous developed countries.
The question is, is SA getting better or regressing? I suggest the latter makes more sense now.
I like South Africa and wish them well (as part of the Commonwealth) but having the same party in power for 30 years and with no prospects of non-racialised voting in the near future I don’t think there is a case for it being either a modern or flourishing democracy. Such wasted potential. I am struggling think of a developed democracy with the same sort of problems.
You don’t think the US has problems with their democracy?
I don’t think this is an honest comparison. Every democracy has problems but the fact that Republicans and Democrats have exchanged wins in the last 30 years (with another change soon to come) is a good sign. Hotly-fought elections are a positive sign. I don’t see that in South Africa where the ANC is just so dominant; “losing” the last election with 40% of the vote and their man still in power. Apart from African-american voters there isn’t a racialised voting block and even there with Black men this might be changing because of Trump.
Maybe that’s because blacks are 80% of the population and whites only 7. And real democracy has only been in place for 30 years in South Africa where blacks could vote. It takes decades to recover from oppression on that scale, and huge inequalities remain.
The fact that on “losing” the last election, the ANC said “we’ll have to form a coalition” rather than “we’re staying in power anyway” is a good thing.
Try the UK. We’ve had the ConLabLib uniparty in power since 1997. Vote Reform.
As a SAFFA (Correct spelling) many of us escaped that s-hole and not looking back. Just a pity many tourists fall for this lie and get caught up in the process. Many with their lives. Life lesson.Never, BS yourself. The biggest lot that does this are the privileged, hiding in their secure estates. South Africa has more racist laws than during Apartheid, and is the crime and rape capital of the world. The ANC is in alliance with the sacp org za. The Communists. (Hint) Those living in a safe secure space, is not the reality of most out there. Apologies for this cold hard fact. You are only ‘doing much better’ if you follow MSM who does not represent reality, except controlling a perception. Nothing beats to travel and compare apples with apples. In that regard, sorry, but i care to differ. SA is not doing quite well and it won’t last. Most privileged disconnected from reality, hate hearing this.
the usual crumbling black African totalitarian state, going backwards fast, like all the others who have not even reached Roman levels of 2000 years old plus… but no one has the backbone or guts to say so.
Maybe slavery, colonialism, extreme racism and massive exploitation of people and resources had something to do with it. Your comment is so shallow and ignorant of history
So extreme racism is justified when it is retributive?
Well it’s pretty tame compared to what it was when they were on the receiving end of things, it’s quite surprising that it’s not worse than it is given the history.
Maybe the marked difference in IQ between races has something to do with it too?
Now that’s racism
Is it racist to say that black sprinters are faster than white ones?
Comparison are odious, yet, I shudder to think where white South Africans would be today had they not voted for a unified non-racial South Africa in 1994. This against the Ash Sarkar interview in which Avi Shlaim sets out: ‘I used to support a two-state solution but Israel killed it, and therefore the solution I advocate today is one democratic state from the River to the Sea with equal rights for all the people who live there regardless of religion and ethnicity.’ (Source: YouTube: ‘Arab Jews: the hidden history. Ash Sarkar meets Avi Shlaim’ >01:05:04.)
How did the ‘two-state’ solution work out in India-Pakistan?
Or how about the original two-state solution, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and the Republic of Ireland (and, yes, I know the Irish constitution says “Ireland” is the name of the country before some pedant tries to chime in on that).
It morphed into a “three-state” solution.
No Hindus, Sikhs or other minorities left in muslim majority Pakistan.
Rampant “secularism” and special rights for muslim minorities in Hindu majority India.
Many of us left due to this racism. Except, we can’t say anything because we are ‘white’. Thus ‘racist’ by default even if we are not. Thanks to the Western narrative sold as the global view which is a distorted lie. We can also confirm, Apartheid never ended. It’s just under new management. The ‘cool’ type of racism. South Africa today, post 1994, has more racist laws against whites, than there was racist laws during Apartheid against blacks. But, this is the world we live in. The ‘anti-racist’ facade as we see with BLM etc. is more to do with useful fools used by Communists and Champagne socialists, than really being against racism.
Elon Musk is a great example of what will happen if a country retains its talent, rather than forcing people to leave due to stupid laws.Seems the ANC wants to re-invent the wheel, and we that can, will make sure they end up, with their pals, on the trash heap of history. Worse than what happened to the National Party. That’s a promise.
The first Western lie, sold as a ‘worldview’ that needs to be called out is that, minorities are not just black, and racists, are not just white. The sooner people can get to this realization, outside their ‘western worldview’ the better for everyone as human species.
Regards,
A Boer that had to leave my country of birth, in order not to end up in a ‘white squatter’ camp. Survival. Where whites that’s excluded from the job market due to these racist ends up. Racist laws with ‘nice’ names to make it justifiable. Lots of these videos on youtbe.
BEE – Black Economic Empowerment (Pure racism)
The only country in the world using ‘AA’ to discriminate against a minority, and get away with it, due to black privilege.
Seems the West adopted this post-apartheid 1994 model and blueprint with OPEN arms.
Also seems, the West is now finding out…
Surely infinitely preferable to the trauma, brutalisation, suffering inflicted and experienced, and that will reverberate for generations of Israelis and Palestinians to come.
All that suffering of what’s to come can be seen in South Africa. If Israel adopts the 1994 Strategy the West forced on it, for their enemies, Communists and Marxists, to become the government. Then what does people think will happen with Israeli’s when they are forced to adopt Humus as a shared government? An opposing culture, opposing views, as in the case of South Africa 30 years later, a huge disaster. Not mentioned by MSM who wants to control the narrative. Because then people will adopt the lunacy more easy.
A lesson the Church of England could well learn! DEI should never be allowed to trump merit; otherwise everyone suffers.
It was all General Montgomery’s fault. If he had acceded to Jan Smuts’ request for leave for South African troops in the Western Desert, Smuts would have won the election post war and the democratic aspirations of the indigenous races would have been accommodated.
Sadly a disaster based on woolly socialist politics and rampant corruption. A combination we have no reason to be complacent about. Coming soon!
There is a school of thought that says that the reason sub-Saharan Africa as a whole is in such dire economic straits is that too many of its governments adopted Socialist Constitutions on gaining independence.
I visited SA recently and found everyone I met friendly and welcoming. Just the corrupt politicians who muck it up.
South Africa sure has its problems and the author’s analysis of why is spot on. But I love living here. You have to keep your wits about you but there’s a freedom and joy here that is fierce. Hulle weet nie wat ons weet nie.
“But the policy of separation, Apartheid, was only officially crafted in 1948.”
Let it not be forgotten: South African politicians constructed their Apartheid policy on the basis of the racist politics of the southern United States in the first half of the 20th Century. There apartheid existed in all but name. Moreover, it was a more vicious form of apartheid as it involved the custom of lynching – i.e. extra-judicial ‘street’ killings, which were ignored if not condoned by the prevailing legal system. What existed in the southern USA was worse than the system introduced into South Africa where the rule of law was intact and largely uncorrupted.
Support for the MK was not just mainly black, it was mainly Zulu. An example of one of the problems of multiculturalism, tribal voting. A sense of Zulu nationalism is something that has been growing for a while.
Tut, tut — You can’t be racist unless you are white, don’t you know?
Not being a South African and never having been to SA, how can I comment? An interesting article and more interesting readers comments. An observation is that those who read UnHerd define the strata of society from which these opinions arise. Personally, I have met many white South Africans and a few educated Black South Africans. I really enjoy the sensibility and down to earth views and opinions of all the South Africans I have met. They are tough, resilient, and self-assured. If one said that was the Dutch genes shining through, one would be called a racist. A beautiful country one is assured, circling the drain of native destructive tribalism, a.k.a. identity politics as it is known here in the western democracies, both ideologies are no different and could ensure financial and political disaster sometime in the future? Well, yes. But haven’t the Western democracies all been gaslighted by their ruling classes, into believing all this Wokery, DIE, colonialism, can only be reversed by constant generational guilt? Seems like the rigidity of only Islam is the only constant ideology. So, for the rest of the Western world S.A. included, has been flung into turmoil – the West by all this Wokery, SA by its own “identity politics,” that of overt tribalism? “Those who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones.”