What problems did the Apartheid of south africa create for the different races of people?
black people weren't entitled to the same healthcare, the same housing, the same income, the same jobs, the same education, even the same transportation. black people were subjected to horrid treatment and were not allowed to voice their own opinions. they were also forced to live in shanty towns, many of which had no water or electricity. here's the wikipedia link for it: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apartheid
What do you understand by apartheid? How was apartheid practised in South Africa?
Apartheid (“separateness” in Afrikaans), was a set of laws promulgated in South Africa starting in 1948. These laws included:The group areas: The law determining that Black, Whites, Asians and Coloureds all had to live in separate areas. This led to forced removals where people living in the “wrong” area were removed to their designated area.Separate amenities: Public facilities like transport, park benches, toilets, beaches, were not shared by blacks and whites.Bantu education: The Apartheid Government did not believe that black people were suitable for anything other than menial labour and educated them accordingly.Apartheid Laws were not the first racist laws in South Africa, but it was a massive step in the wrong direction.
Was the life of the average black South African actually better under apartheid?
Thanks for the A2AShort answer: no!Longer answer: Hell no!!Even longer answer: Let's consider - I m white and a self identified Afrikaner over 50 so thus you would expect me be less than pleased about the state of South Africa now. And you would be correct: South Africa NOW is not what I signed up for. But then you have to compare it to what I had 20 + years ago. There is no question that SA today (as bad as what it is) is light years ahead of what we had then. Our challenge in SA today is that we compare the Mandela and Mbeke years to the Zuma years and (correctly) say that things are bad - but compared to apartheid? not even close.Lets compare:1)Low level civil war - troops in the black townships - my kids expecting to do 24 months in the army and I would have expected to spend a further 4 years of 3 months a year IN A UNIFORM - gone2)I would have expected to pay in excess of 60% in income tax - I pay 25%3) No way I could have visited Switzerland, Europe or Africa (north of SA) - done4) no self respect (inferiority complex) - sorted5) cricket/rugby/soccer world cup - you kidding right?Of course there are negatives - but they are the "normal" negatives that, broadly speaking, are present in different degrees in ALL countries
Question about post-apartheid South Africa?
Hi M M! I am not going into all these things that others have mentioned already! I think all the answers are worth reading. Speaking for myself, as a young professional, I left not because of the fear of not being able to control the government, but the fact that the government can't control - or don't even attempt to - control the crime. It's just easier for them to deny it. I would love to have my family here with me in the UK, but they are too old and patriotic. :-) Most of all I would love to go back to SA with my little one year old, but I am simply too scared that something will happen to him. I don't want or need to live in a country where apartheid exist. To my knowledge I have never done anything bad to a person because of their skin colour. A lot of black people near where my parents live, cry every time my visits there draws to a close. I'd like to think that I am a caring and generous person, and that they care about me. The only reason I mention this, is because you seem to think that it is only racist hooligans who left SA because they can't stand living without apartheid. Not true at all. I'd love to go back and help build a prosperous and peaceful country - but not if my son and I are going to get killed for it.
Was South Africa better off under apartheid?
Let's look at the new South Africa: There are 15000 murders a year. The violent crime rate is a massive 8 times higher than the world average. Rapes are the norm and have only a 5% conviction rate. The Safety and Security minister's "solution" to crime is to tell people to get out the country. The AIDS epidemic is ravaging the country, 12.5% of all South Africans have the virus. The ex vice-president believes that a shower could prevent the risk of contracting AIDS. Millions of tax-payers money is blown on bullshit. The country is held to ransom by Cosatu whenever they feel like it (watch out for this during the 2010 WC) Public Transport is falling apart. A favourite past-time of some groups of people is to burn trains, or even more fun, to throw people off them. The President seems oblivious to all the problems. Children are raped since it "cures AIDS" BEE has resulted in people not yet capable of doing the job being forced into a position thus resulting in a set-back to the economy. Morals towards other people and animals seem to be non-existant in large sectors of the population - The recent case of a policeman killing a goat in front of a police station with a blunt butter knife serves to illustrate here. A walk through most city centres or areas which were previously a hub of entertainment places will reveal a disgusting situation where crime is rampant, with filth and litter everywhere. Hillbrow, Sunnyside and Church Square are classic examples. Many children do not have schools. The rate of poverty affecting children is sitting at 50%. That means that half of the "future of South Africa" are starving to death. The white population of SA is being eradicated through murder and the goverment feels it necessary to take the means away for whites to defend themselves. The list goes on and on. So is South Africa better now than 20 years ago? No.