Comments on: South Africa, 10 years on.

South Africa, 10 years on.

edgeways — Thu, 30 Dec 2004 13:30:29 -0800

10 years of freedom. This past year marked a full decade since South Africa held true elections. The CBC held interviews with four prominent S. Africans. Writer Zakes Mda, Leader of the Independent Democrats Patricia de Lille, Albie Sachs - judge on the Constitutional Court of South Africa, and Bulelani Ngcuka - The National Director of Public Prosecutions.
There are problems (of course), first hand reports still indicate rampant racism (As mentioned from Wired to AllAfrica.com) Some serious corruption charges have been leveled against members of the ANC. Poverty and AIDS both remain high. Despite these issues I cannot but have hope, and believe that this was the way a people should seek liberation. Congrats S.A. I hope the future continues to improve for you.

By: skaffen42

skaffen42 — Thu, 30 Dec 2004 14:30:58 -0800

Funny how things change. I left South Africa about six years ago to work in the UK and later in the US. Ended up marrying a US citizen and settling down in New Jersey. I left South Africa because I wanted to see more of the world. Now we are considering moving to South Africa because we don't want to live in country that is headed in the direction the US is. The US feels more and more like apartheid South Africa. Even the rhetoric is the same - everything is allowable because it protects us against the terrorists. Hell, Dubya even reminds me of P.W. Botha.

By: tcp

tcp — Thu, 30 Dec 2004 14:51:05 -0800

Nice one, edgeways.

By: amberglow

amberglow — Thu, 30 Dec 2004 17:57:44 -0800

whatever happened to Pig Botha anyway?

By: yossarian1

yossarian1 — Thu, 30 Dec 2004 22:35:25 -0800

skaffen42... as much as I don't like where this country is currently heading, I totally disagree with you that it's anything like apartheid South Africa! Apartheid was bad from day 1! At least here they are easing into an evil regime... it's slow boiling, which allows you to leave when it gets too hot as opposed to the absolutely evil, backward, and ridiculous Afrikaner (not all Boers I mean, just the appartheid supporting ones) government that pretty much ostracized and persecuted the indigenous people of a country that was not theirs to begin with!! (yeah yeah... I know America did that to the Native Americans) I'm not an American, but I'll never compare it to Pre-ANC SA because to be honest it's just not that bad. And I hate GWB, but he's definitely no Botha, Smuts, or Hitler... let's not get ridiculous here!

By: alumshubby

alumshubby — Fri, 31 Dec 2004 02:58:57 -0800

I remember when my sister blew a knee playing basketball and had it fixed at the local hospital in Columbia, SC, which had a colored ward in 1969, fer Crissakes. We used to be a little bit like apartheid Africa, and our racial issues are far from resolved, but we're at least pointed in the right direction. Lord knows we're having serious civil-liberties issues thanks to these wars on common sense, but .... well, yossarian, you said it already.