AFRICA	Caribbean
South Africa	Jamaica
Burundi
Rwanda
Kenya
Uganda

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South Africa

History

The Apartheid system in South Africa lasted from 1948-1994. The word “Apartheid” is an Afrikaans (language spoken by Dutch settlers in South Africa, now an official language in South Africa) word meaning “separatism.” After the National Party was elected in 1948, they began to devise a series of laws forcing different races to be completely separate. There were separations in every aspect of life between white and non-white people. Separate schools, hospitals, buses, train cars, ambulances, living areas, etc. All of the institutions provided for non-white people were made and kept to extremely poor standards.

There were even separations within the non-white majority: Indian, “Coloured,” and Black. Each person had to be legally classified in a racial group. The “Coloured” race (as they are still called) is a group of people that generally have lighter skin than the black people of South Africa. Their lineage comes from Khoi Khoi Bushmen that were the original people in South Africa. Although they were given more rights than black people, they were very harshly oppressed as well. There were separate living areas for each race and to enter the living area of another race one had to have a pass.

If whites decided that they wanted to live in a certain area, all non-whites were evicted from their home with no compensation and no place to go. The government decided that 83% of the land should belong to whites although they were less than 10% of the population and 13% of the land should belong to the black people who were 80% of the population. This land never actually “belonged” to the black people; they were just forced to live there. These “forced removals” were happening for decades, one of the most publicized “removals” was in the 1950’s in Johannesburg when 60,000 people were moved into the new township of Soweto. Today, Soweto in one of the most impoverished areas of the country and has the highest murder rate in the world. These townships were set up all over the country and today are still extremely impoverished, most of them have no electricity, water, or plumbing.

The Bantu Education Act was established in 1953 by the Apartheid government. This law did not allow mathematics or science to be taught to black children. They were required to receive only the basic education to “prepare” them to become agricultural, factory, or mine workers. The government did this to ensure white domination. This act even affected universities, only allowing them to teach certain things to black students. This is one of the many laws that were put into place during Apartheid that has had catastrophic effects and it still does today. It is extremely difficult for black people to rise up out of poverty when entire generations were given no options and little to no education.

The Apartheid system finally ended in 1994, after political parties such as the ANC (Nelson Mandela was a party leader, the current government is run by the ANC) and the PAC fought for decades for the freedom of their people. Many people were killed and imprisoned. Nelson Mandela himself was in prison for 27 years for being a member of the ANC and opposing the government. There were thousands of others imprisoned or killed for similar charges. The final blow to the Apartheid government was the pressure from the international community. There were protests all over the world and many countries refused to do business with South Africa until there was a free multi-racial system in place. In 1994 the first multi-racial government was established and Nelson Mandela was elected the first black president of South Africa. Ever since then the people of South Africa have been trying to erase the devastating legacies of Apartheid.
   Read more detailed information on the Apartheid system.

Today

South Africa today is a country full of staggering beauty and immense pain. Many of the people there find hope and joy in the midst of so much suffering. It is inspiring. Here are some devastating statistics of South Africa today:

  » 5.5 million people are living with HIV/AIDS

  » 3.1 million of those are women (ages 15-49)

  » 240,000 children are living with HIV/AIDS

  » 320,000 AIDS related deaths in 2005 alone.

  » 1.2 million children have lost one or both parents to AIDS.

  » 22 million people are living in poverty

These startling statistics only scratch the surface of the problems. While the poverty that encompasses most of the world is horrifying, the effect that the AIDS virus has had on the country of South Africa alone is staggering. The youth of the world are suffering the most, many being born with the virus or are raped and contract it that way. We must all work together to help fund ARV treatments (AIDS medication that supports the immune system) and come up with better solutions. We must all do what we can to help. Become a part of Restore Humanity and help us make a difference. Help us heal the wounds that Apartheid left and get control of the AIDS epidemic.

Suggested Reading about South Africa

A Long Walk to Freedom an autobiography by Nelson Mandela
Cry the Beloved Country a novel by Alan Paton

Suggested Movies about South Africa

"Catch a Fire" based on the life of Patrick Chamusso, an political freedom fighter in South Africa that was imprisoned and tortured for fighting for his rights.

"Yesterday" a South African woman struggles with the AIDS epidemic in her community and her own home.

"Tsotsi" the story of a young Zulu (tribe in South Africa) man living in the devastating conditions of the Soweto Township.

"Beat the Drum" a movie showing the effects of the AIDS epidemic and some of the stigmas attached to it.

"The Power of One" a story of an English boy growing up in the Apartheid system based on the novel by Bruce Courtenay

"Cry the Beloved Country" based on the classic South African novel by Alan Paxton

Sources

www.globalhealthreporting.org/index.asp
www.africafocus.org/docs04/big0411.php
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apartheid
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/southafrica

*Map 1 courtesy of Wikipedia, map2, CIA, both public domain