Releace Statue from We Waste Times
Blog Post. [Photo]. Retrieved from http://wewastetime.files.wordpress.com/2012/11/mandela21.jpg. Howick, South Africa by unknown. “Releace” is a monument located @Howick,
South Africa, dedicated to peace icon Nelson Mandela by South African artist Marco
Cianfanelli.
Remnants of Apartheid and social class
In order to communicate competently, it is also important to understand the historical context and social and institutional structures that create power dynamics among the various people living in South Africa. Therefore, to better understand modern South Africa today, one has to understand the effect that racial segregation in colonial times and later Apartheid had on the social and institutional structures, as well as many South Africans, and its long lasting effects on the country even today. Apartheid, “the state of being apart”, was a system of racial segregation in South Africa from 1948 to 1994. It was developed after World War II by the Afrikaner-dominated National Party and maintained through government authority. Under Apartheid the rights, associations, and movements of the majority black inhabitants were denied and the Afrikaner minority rule (white Dutch colonists) was maintained (“Apartheid”, 2014). Under Apartheid, the government segregated neighborhoods, education, medical care, beaches, and other public services, and provided black people with services that were often inferior to those of white people, such as subpar education systems. Apartheid also introduced a series of legislation that classified South Africans into four racial groups-“black”, “white”, “coloured”, and “Indian”, with the last two categories divided into several sub-classifications (“Apartheid”, 2014).
The forcible segregation of neighborhoods marked a 28 year period from 1955-1983 in which “more than 3.5 million non-white Africans were removed from their homes, forced into segregated neighborhoods, and areas known as “homelands” or ‘Bantustans’” (similar to America’s reservations for Native Americans) (“Apartheid”, 2014). In 1970, additional legislation was introduced that also “banned non-white political representation and in the same year black people were deprived of their South African citizenship-legally becoming citizens of one of ten tribally based self-governing homelands or “bantustans” (“Apartheid”, 2014). Although Apartheid officially ended during the 1994 democratic general elections, the vestiges of apartheid still shape South African politics and society. In 1994, South Africa’s four provinces were divided into nine provinces and the “homelands” or “Bantustans” were reintegrated into the various provinces (“Apartheid”, 2014).
The forcible segregation of neighborhoods marked a 28 year period from 1955-1983 in which “more than 3.5 million non-white Africans were removed from their homes, forced into segregated neighborhoods, and areas known as “homelands” or ‘Bantustans’” (similar to America’s reservations for Native Americans) (“Apartheid”, 2014). In 1970, additional legislation was introduced that also “banned non-white political representation and in the same year black people were deprived of their South African citizenship-legally becoming citizens of one of ten tribally based self-governing homelands or “bantustans” (“Apartheid”, 2014). Although Apartheid officially ended during the 1994 democratic general elections, the vestiges of apartheid still shape South African politics and society. In 1994, South Africa’s four provinces were divided into nine provinces and the “homelands” or “Bantustans” were reintegrated into the various provinces (“Apartheid”, 2014).
One
of the most long lasting effects of Apartheid has been the education system
that maintains and reinforces inequalities among various groups, especially the
Black Population; however, poverty can be found among various groups living in South Africa, including Whites, Asians, and Coloureds, as well. According to an
article in the Economist called South
Africa Over the Rainbow, in the "20 years since black-majority rule began
and South Africa became a full democracy, its people have made some progress--like
more access to clean water and electricity; however, inequality still exists. Poverty is also a huge issue, although some improvements have been made. For example, between 1996 and 2010 the
proportion living on less than $2 a day fell from 12% to 5%” (“South Africa
Over the Rainbow”, 2012). However, in many
other ways South Africa is in a worse state than at any time since 1994 with a
widening gap between rich and poor.
During apartheid, such inequality was by design, yet since apartheid
ended only a tiny black elite has accrued great fortunes (“South Africa Over
the Rainbow”, 2012). In fact South
Africa’s “Gini coefficient—the best-known measure of inequality, in which 0 is
the most equal and 1 the least—was 0.63 in 2009. In 1993, before apartheid ended, it was 0.59,
yet after 20 years of democracy South Africa still remains one of the most
unequal countries in the world" (“South Africa Over the Rainbow”, 2012).
Persistent inequality is in part due to the government’s failure to educate young South Africans, particularly black ones. “In the World Economic Forum’s Global Competitiveness Report, South Africa ranks 132nd out of 144 countries for its primary education and 143rd for the quality of its science and math. In the Department of Basic Education’s national literacy and numeracy tests last year, only 15% of 12-year-olds (sixth graders) scored at or above the minimum proficiency on the language test. In maths, just 12% did” (“South Africans Over the Rainbow”, 2012).
According to David and Pamela Ramushu (2014), success is dependent on being able to afford a good school and for many poor Black South Africans this is just not possible. In South Africa, only “three-quarters of white pupils complete the final year of high school, yet only a third of black pupils end up completing their final year of high school” (“South Africa Over the Rainbow”, 2012). The lack of education and employment opportunities for many Black South Africans has led to a rise in crime in order to make a living. The terrible crime rate, and the police's trouble with dealing with rising crime rates, has lead to a booming industry in Private Securities for the people who can afford a Private Security company.
The standard of teaching and teacher training is also inadequate in public schools. According to Pamela Ramushu (2014), the poor state of education is due to the remnants of apartheid and subpar education and teaching standards during the apartheid era that still are affecting South Africans, especially the black population. In fact, Pamela mentioned that teaching degrees are becoming a dying field with very few young South Africans willing to study to become a teacher. Although the government, according to Pamela, has tried to entice young South Africans into the teaching field by paying their entire university tuition South Africa still needs “25,000 new teachers a year, yet only around 10,000 qualify” (“South Africa Over the Rainbow”, 2012).
Persistent inequality is in part due to the government’s failure to educate young South Africans, particularly black ones. “In the World Economic Forum’s Global Competitiveness Report, South Africa ranks 132nd out of 144 countries for its primary education and 143rd for the quality of its science and math. In the Department of Basic Education’s national literacy and numeracy tests last year, only 15% of 12-year-olds (sixth graders) scored at or above the minimum proficiency on the language test. In maths, just 12% did” (“South Africans Over the Rainbow”, 2012).
According to David and Pamela Ramushu (2014), success is dependent on being able to afford a good school and for many poor Black South Africans this is just not possible. In South Africa, only “three-quarters of white pupils complete the final year of high school, yet only a third of black pupils end up completing their final year of high school” (“South Africa Over the Rainbow”, 2012). The lack of education and employment opportunities for many Black South Africans has led to a rise in crime in order to make a living. The terrible crime rate, and the police's trouble with dealing with rising crime rates, has lead to a booming industry in Private Securities for the people who can afford a Private Security company.
The standard of teaching and teacher training is also inadequate in public schools. According to Pamela Ramushu (2014), the poor state of education is due to the remnants of apartheid and subpar education and teaching standards during the apartheid era that still are affecting South Africans, especially the black population. In fact, Pamela mentioned that teaching degrees are becoming a dying field with very few young South Africans willing to study to become a teacher. Although the government, according to Pamela, has tried to entice young South Africans into the teaching field by paying their entire university tuition South Africa still needs “25,000 new teachers a year, yet only around 10,000 qualify” (“South Africa Over the Rainbow”, 2012).
"Many current public school teachers arrive late to school and leave early, while many fail to turn up at all on Fridays. The teachers’ union is more concerned with protecting its members, even the incompetent ones, than with training them. There is little political will when it comes to improving education and few repercussions when those in charge perform badly" ("South Africa Over the Rainbow", 2012). Therefore, “chronically poor education means that thousands of jobs go unfilled. Almost half the 95,000 or so nursing jobs in the public sector are vacant, according to the South African Institute of Race Relations. Meanwhile, official unemployment is about 25% and the real figure nearer 40%. (In 1994 unemployment was 20%.). Unequal education creates unequal employment. The unemployment rate among blacks is 29%, compared with 6% for whites. Youth unemployment is over 50%. Young people who fail to find work by the age of 24 will probably never have a full-time formal job. These skills shortages are also a brake on growth for the economy and have wide ranging effects” (“South Africa Over the Rainbow”, 2012).
South Africa is also known for its many strikes within different industries. For example, in Marikana, 75,000 miners, chiefly of gold and platinum, went on strike. Industrial action has now spread beyond mining, including lorry drivers, affecting deliveries of petrol, coal, cash and other goods, textile workers, municipal workers, local government workers, and teaching that has put the countries industries and economy into a screeching halt. The strikes have also sullied South Africa’s reputation as a place to invest, causing some companies to even shrink their operations in South Africa (“South Africa Over the Rainbow”, 2012).
While a small population of Black South Africans have managed to rise above the systematic oppression of Apartheid, many are still suffering. The subpar education system for Black South Africans has had long lasting effects today, flooding the market with unskilled labor and impacting immigration policies. For example, according to the Consular: Civic and Immigration Services North Americas website, the Republic of South Africa wants to limit the number of immigrants entering that are part of an unskilled or semi-skilled occupation. “Therefore, foreigners in the unskilled and the semi-skilled categories will not be accepted as immigrant workers” (“Permanent Residence in South Africa”). The Republic of South Africa’s immigration policies encourage foreigners to apply for residency as long as they can create job opportunities for South African workers as well as for their training and development. South Africa’s immigration policies don’t necessarily influence how I think about immigration in the U.S., but there are similarities in the two policies. They both include/exclude people based on what they can do for the country, and bureaucracy defines how one is able to become a citizen-rather than values or some other characteristic focused on humanity. Interestingly, the bureaucracy in both cases both supports and reinforces the manner in which ‘Others’ are defined by the respective culture.
South Africa is also known for its many strikes within different industries. For example, in Marikana, 75,000 miners, chiefly of gold and platinum, went on strike. Industrial action has now spread beyond mining, including lorry drivers, affecting deliveries of petrol, coal, cash and other goods, textile workers, municipal workers, local government workers, and teaching that has put the countries industries and economy into a screeching halt. The strikes have also sullied South Africa’s reputation as a place to invest, causing some companies to even shrink their operations in South Africa (“South Africa Over the Rainbow”, 2012).
While a small population of Black South Africans have managed to rise above the systematic oppression of Apartheid, many are still suffering. The subpar education system for Black South Africans has had long lasting effects today, flooding the market with unskilled labor and impacting immigration policies. For example, according to the Consular: Civic and Immigration Services North Americas website, the Republic of South Africa wants to limit the number of immigrants entering that are part of an unskilled or semi-skilled occupation. “Therefore, foreigners in the unskilled and the semi-skilled categories will not be accepted as immigrant workers” (“Permanent Residence in South Africa”). The Republic of South Africa’s immigration policies encourage foreigners to apply for residency as long as they can create job opportunities for South African workers as well as for their training and development. South Africa’s immigration policies don’t necessarily influence how I think about immigration in the U.S., but there are similarities in the two policies. They both include/exclude people based on what they can do for the country, and bureaucracy defines how one is able to become a citizen-rather than values or some other characteristic focused on humanity. Interestingly, the bureaucracy in both cases both supports and reinforces the manner in which ‘Others’ are defined by the respective culture.