The Truth about South Africa

A BRIEF HISTORICAL OVERVIEW

South Africa has a long history of repression and internal conflict which started in the 17th century with colonialisation by the Dutch in 1652, followed by British occupancy in 1806 and later again in 1895 - 1910.

This influx of Europeans led to a land hunger that resulted in white people migrating into the areas occupied by mainly black indigeneous peoples. The conflict over land rights gave rise to bloody wars that were dominated by the white people with their superior weaponry
(Colliers 1995: vol 21).

Black Labor White Wealth:
After the discovery of diamonds in 1867 and gold in 1886 South Africa began to go through an economic and social revolution. This increased the need for manual labour and black workers were readily available to work in the mines and factories.
The revolution brought about by mining and the conflict with the British Empire at the turn of the century roceeded rapidly and progressive urbanisation of both the Afrikaners and the Africans resulted. South Africans called for a secession from the British Empire and this was achieved just after the First World war.
One of the great statesmen of South Africa, General Jan Christiaan Smuts, is regarded as one of the architects of the Commonwealth of Nations and played a leading role in the drafting of the constitution of the United Nations following the Second World War (Colliers 1995: vol 21).

The South African government started to act through the introduction of repressive legislation,policies that protected the interests of the white people at the cost of the blacks, coloureds and Indians. For example, in 1913 the Native Lands Act was introduced that established the principle of separate areas within which white and africans were permitted to own land. This was later followed
by various repressive acts like the Immorality Act in 1927; the Group Areas Act in 1950 and in 1959
the Bantu Self-Government Act (Colliers 1995: vol 21).

This legislation led to institutionalised discrimination against every person in the country that was not white. Apartheid (or racial segregation) was officially introduced in 1948 with the coming to power of the National Party.
Resistance mounted in the country amongst the repressed peoples to object against apartheid. A campaign of non-violent resistance began in 1952 during which 10,000
Africans were arrested and imprisoned. The campaign was defeated by the government which enacted legislation extending its powers.

The Unequal distribution of wealth:

Nearly 95 percent of South Africa's poor are Africans, five
percent are Coloureds and less than 1 percent are Indian or white. Wealth in South Africa is unequally distributed.
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