The Republic of South Africa had gained independence from Great Britain in 1910, but the majority of the people were still not free. When Great Britain ceded power to the country, they handed over power to a government that represented only twenty percent of the population. It was a white government, also know at the time as Boers, or Afrikaners (white african). This white minority came from Dutch Settlers. Under this government, blacks and coloreds, were not treated fairly and not given the same job opportunities. It wan't until Nelson Mandela's ANC political party liberated the country. In 1994, South Africa held it first truly free elections.
I have lived in South Africa for a short period of time and I am married to a South African, and from what I have heard about apartheid, is that people had it better off during apartheid then now. Of course, the horrible treatment of black people during this time should never have been condoned. But now crime is every where in South Africa, murder and rape is commonplace and the police are not capable of solving the crimes. I have heard from black people in South Africa that they felt safer under Apartheid then they do now. The problem with the country today is the high level of corruption within the government and the lack of education for the country's citizens and leaders. Their current president Jacob Zuma never made it passed the 4th grade. What seems to be happening of there is that once you make it into a high ranking postion you get all of your friends and family members jobs in government, which no one is qualified in doing.
What is happening now in South Africa is that the people in charge continue to blame poverty, lack of jobs, crime, housing issues, on the effects of Apartheid and because the majority of the country is not educated they believe them. When the leaders are just distracting the citizens of the truth that the leaders are stealing from them. South Africa is a beautiful place to live, but it is walking a tight rope right know, it will either succede in it goal of being a true "rainbow nation" no longer using race as a political tool or it will fall down the same path that it's neighbor to the north is going down, Zimbabwe. Only time will tell.
