The origin and consequences of cultural and historical differences in South Africa - Who should take responsibility

The origin and consequences of cultural and historical differences in South Africa

Who should take responsibility

                                                                                                                                                          Stes de Necker

The meeting between whites (mainly of European descent ) and blacks (mainly African descent) , in the early 19th century, was also the beginning of the race issue in South Africa , which later would result in serious conflict , segregation and the subsequent policy of apartheid in South Africa.

With this meeting, two different, almost directly opposing cultural systems came together which would, for the next 170 years, lay the foundation of the political developments in South Africa .

Maintaining a Eurocentric social order by the whites , and keeping with the traditional Afro centric norms and values ​​by the black people of South Africa , represented the struggle of this two traditional cultural systems that practically opposed of each other head on. That which was traditionally and culturally acceptable and correct for the one group, was totally unacceptable for the other, and vice versa.

Political ideologies are not only shaped by social and religious norms and values ​​, but also by a sense of nationality and solidarity expressed in terms of power and political survival. The longer the population is exposed to these aims of power and survival, the more these goals are elevated to a collective value system. Once it has become a collective value system, it becomes more and more difficult for the individual to be objective towards the system, which he / she is now an integral part off.

For the English speaking white leadership in the late 19th century and early 20th century, the primary objective was to secure a distinct white ( Eurocentric) system in South Africa. The main goal was the preservation of a system of European values ​​and norms. These aims later led to the establishment of the " South African Republic " (Transvaal) in 1852 , and the Orange Free State Republic in 1854 .

Until 1910 the political and economic power were vested mainly in the Cape and Natal, which at that stage, were still under British control. With the discovery of diamonds in 1867 and gold in 1886, the British government decided to annex the entire South Africa  territory which led to the ‘first’ Anglo-Boer War from 1880 to 1881 .

However, the Boer Republics defeated the English, and in 1899 , despite strong opposition from the Liberal Party in the British Parliament, England decided to again invade South Africa, but this time they returned in far greater numbers than was the case before. 

The subsequent Anglo - Boer War which started in 1899, and the subsequent establishment of the Union of South Africa in 1910, the need for unique self - preservation among the Afrikaans - speaking whites only grow stronger.  After Unification, England retained the economic power in South Africa and the vast majority of Afrikaans - speaking South Africans , who previously have been making a living mainly from farming, were left poor and unskilled, and had to find work as labourers in a new and unfamiliar industrialized environment.

The exclusion of white South Africans from the economic power base and the continued strive among white South Africans for a unique (Eurocentric ) social dispensation, was the main driving forces that led to the formation of the National Party, (at that time a coalition between the National Party Dr . Malan and African Party of Mr . Klasie Havenga ). With the election of 1948 , the United Party of General  Jan Smuts was defeated and the South African National Party took over the political power in South Africa . This coalition later became known as the National Party . The continued preservation of the white culture after 1948, led to the promulgation of a number of segregation Laws aimed at exclusive political participation , freedom of movement , protection of employment for whites , and blocking social integration of blacks, which were already accounted for the majority of the population at that stage.

In 1960, South Africa left the British Commonwealth, and in 1961 the Republic of South Africa was established.

Due to the overwhelming imbalance in the numbers of the white and black population , and for fear of black domination in a Western democratic political system, the South African government, under the leadership of Dr . HF Verwoerd, decided to introduce a system of separate development , where each distinctive community can develop independently and separately within its own territory. In order to facilitate this concept, a variety of " homelands " were created to accommodate the various ethnical communities .

The implementation of these policies, however, leads to the expropriation of land for the creation of such homelands and the subsequent forced relocation of communities, displacement, alienation, and the subsequent disintegration of families. Breadwinners were now forced to find jobs far removed from their homes and were separated from their families for long periods of time .

While there was principally nothing wrong with the concept of separate development, the National Government did not took cognisance of the practical implications atrocities’ which the implementation and execution of this policies would harbour. Deeply rooted Afro centric values ​​of the black people, mainly because of ignorance on the side of white South Africans, were not taken into account. The result was that infinite and irreparable harm was imposed on millions of black South Africans, affected the system.

The policy of separate development also had a suppressed secondary objective namely, once  the policy had been successfully implemented and every ethnic group was officially recognized within their own territories, there could no longer be talk of a white minority government in South Africa.   Whites would then have been the majority in the allocated " white " area, just as every other ethnic group would have been the majority in their separate areas .

In addition to the ‘draconian’ apartheid laws, the National Government , especially under the leadership of Adv . John Vorster and later PW Botha ( with the active support of the State Security Council ) remained steadfast in their resolve to ensure that the Government’s policy of separate development was implemented and executed at all levels of society. Patriarchal social structures like Universities, Schools, Churches, Government  Institutions, organized Trade and Industry, Sports, Agriculture, Military, Police , Security Police, etc. . etc. . were tactfully yet seriously cautioned not to tolerate any rebellion against, or opposition to, the policy of Apartheid, and were placed under immense pressure to ensure that all requirements and regulations of the government were meticulously carried out and adhered to.

As a child, during the fifties and sixties, growing up in a strict Reformed house and attending a purely Christian National school, I was never allowed to think for myself, leave alone criticize the Government! And watch out for the poor youngster who did try to think for himself or herself. Such a youngster was quickly singled out as being " different " and being labelled  as different  was simply not acceptable .

At university I once seriously disagreed with a lecturer on a certain economic theory, and despite three subsequent attempts, I could never pass in that subject !

It was certainly never needed of me to think for myself, because :

The school decide how I had to cut and comb my hair and what school uniform I will wear ;

The teacher decided for me what I will learn or will not learn in school ;

Government Regulations decided for me in which rows I should stand at which entrances and parks I could go ;

The church decided for me which sport I practise on what days;

The Publications Sensor Board decided for me what I could read and I cannot read and what I could  see or could not;

The University decided for me what I need to study ;

And finally, my first employer decided for me how I should do my job.

By the time I was 25 years old, I was a professional conformist! 

I am convinced that there are today thousands of South Africans ( White and Black ) walking around with the bitter feeling that were openly and blatantly cheated and deceived by the previous National Government. 

Besides the protection of political power, the second goal of the National Government was to secure the economic power, which at the time vested mainly in the hands of English-speaking South Africans, as soon as possible .

After 1948 , and with the support of the National Government , a number of major Afrikaans  organizations such as Nationale Pers, Sanlam, Volkskas and Rembrandt, were established.

Achieving the Government 's economic objectives lead to the promulgation of a further number of apartheid laws including the employment limitation of blacks in the public service and prohibition of certain technical trades .

This legislation caused many whites, especially unskilled and illiterate individuals, finding their security politically entrenched and abnormally privileged. In most cases, skin colour, and not qualifications or technical skilling, secured their survival in the labour market. 

The subsequent isolation and marginalization of black people was the main reason that there came an awakening of an Afro centric self - preservation among black South Africans and the ANC became the official representative of the black people in the struggle for political and economic self - preservation.

In 1960 , the ANC and the PAC were banned from South Africa and previously non - violent black consciousness organizations, were forced to become militant " underground " movements.

As mentioned before, the segregation Laws which would later become widely known as the apartheid policy of South Africa , inflict endless suffering on millions of black South Africans . Black people, by far the majority of the population, was excluded from almost every measurable standard of living, including income, education, accommodation, housing and health.

The apartheid policy, both within South Africa and internationally, became so controversial that South Africa was almost totally isolated from the rest of the world in the late seventies.

Meanwhile, the collective need for self - preservation and survival among the black people, increased to such an extent that, in the early eighties,  it spilled over into violent unrest in the Witwaters Rand and other parts of the country . Most of these riots were violently suppressed and in 1984-1985 the South African government reacted with more severe countermeasures. These in turn lead to more and harsher resistance by the anti -apartheid movements , especially the ANC.

For the black leadership, the only goal was the self – preservation and survival of the black people.

One very important aspect that is often overlooked, is the fact that the black people of South Africa do not represent one homogeneous group. One of the many consequences of the Nationalist Government 's apartheid policies , was that it marginalized most so-called non- white population groups, namely the Blacks, Coloureds and Indians, which in turn forced these groups into a United front.

This brings me immediately also to a second very important aspect that so often overlooked , and that is that the ‘white’ population of South Africa is also not a homogenous community!

In 1990 the previous President of the ANC, Nelson Mandela , after an imprisonment of 27 years, was released from prison, and in 1994 the first multi-racial democratic elections were held in South Africa which lead to the overthrown of the National Government, and the political takeover by the ANC.

The outcome of the 1994 election went more or less as was expected. 

Aside from the dozens of political groups which contested the election, two major trends manifested after the election i.e. a pluralistic Afro centrism and a pluralistic Euro centrism. ( various separately identifiable groups that form a single unit ). White voters largely sided with the traditional white political groups, while the black voters sided predominantly with the black political groups.  Coloured voters were more or less evenly divided between the main trends, while the Indians sided mainly behind the Indian leadership.

Today in 2013, whites South Africans  not only find themselves  in a predisposition regarding their political identity , but also run the risk of political isolation if they are not prepared to switch to a diversified political group.  The possibility is increasing that the longer the status quo continues, the black youth 's collective values ​​and norms system, will be influenced to the extent that they will eventually no longer be able to remain objective  against the communist -inspired values ​​of the current government. 

As I mentioned before, during the late 1990 and early 2000, the main objectives for the black leadership was about self - preservation and survival. After political self - preservation was achieved in 1994 , there is now , as was the case with the whites after 1948, a concerted assault on the traditional white possession of the economic power base.

Claims for the nationalising of mines as well as the nationalisation of land and financial institutions on the part of a largely untrained and unqualified black youth, is characteristic of the immature understanding among the youth and most people in South Africa, of the economic realities of Africa.

Frustration among black youth as well as the current government's inability to sufficient progress in their aims for economic self-determination and sustainable development, is certainly today the main cause of the spate of senseless violence and crime committed by (mainly) the black youth.

I maintain that one can assume that the adult black population and the young black people feel the same about the state of affairs; They just differ in essence how to go about achieving their objectives.

Crime and violence in South Africa is therefore not a systemic phenomenon , but rather a symptomatic manifestation of a deeper cause, namely frustration . The only way to eradicate this evil is to solve the underlying cause; a larger police force or bigger prisons will not solve the problem.

In the hierarchy of basic needs, there is in fact no significant difference in the basic needs of the White and Black people of South Africa . ( See Abraham H. Maslow 's hierarchy of human needs. ) The major differences lie in the Eurocentric and Afro centric norms and value systems to satisfy these needs, and the mechanism necessary to achieve these objectives. 

The tragedy is however, that white people and black people lived together for more than three centuries in this country , and after all this time they never really got to know and understand each other!

The following table shows a number of basic differences that exist in the more common social practices of White and Black people in South Africa.

Keep in mind that not all Black ethnic groups have the same customs. Customs may differ even within a group as a result of geographical distribution .

Western Custom	Black Custom
1. The lesser must greet the greater, first	1. The lesser is not allowed to speak before he/she has been given the right to speak.
2. The greater’s head can be lower than that of the lesser.	2. A lesser’s head may never be higher than that of a greater.
3. A lesser is not allowed to sit unless the greater has given him/her permission to sit.	3. The lesser will always also sit when the greater is sitting, purely because his/her head may not be higher than that of the greater.
4. Females are always afforded the opportunity to enter a door first, or a vehicle door is always openened first for a lady.	4. A male is expected to enter through a door first in order to indicate that he trusts the female behind his back and also to ensure that the room entering into is safe.
5. Males normally stand during prayer.	5. Males and females must be seated in order to lower themselves as much as possible before God.
6. People talking loudly are considered ill-mannered.	6. When someone whispers it is regarded as that person gossiping.
7. When the greater address a lesser, the lesser is expected to look the greater in the eyes.	7. When a greater addresses a lesser, the lesser is not expected to   look the greater in the eyes because it is a sign of aggression.
8.The lesser is hardly ever given the opportunity to state his/her side of a case.	8. The lesser must always be given the opportunity to state his/her side of a case.
9. When visiting someone’s office, you must first knock and wait to be allowed in.	9. When visiting a greater, you must enter the office quietly and go to sit until you get noticed by the greater and given the approval to speak when it suits the greater.
10. When you greet someone with a handshake, you are expected to give that person a firm grip.	10. When you shake hands with someone else, you don’t grip the other person’s hand tightly out of respect and to show peace and submission.
11. It is regarded rude to address someone by his last name only.	11. To address someone by their last name only is to show respect for his origin.
12. Someone arriving at a function usually waits to be greeted.	12. A person arriving second, must greet the others first.

By the end of the last century , South Africa , mainly because of the development in the field of transportation and communication technology , became part of the " Global Village ".

Globalization placed South Africa 's development under the new ANC government squarely under the spotlight of the international community.

The latter was largely responsible for the fact that the South African youth ( black and white ) have abandoned many of their traditional value systems in favour of associating with their oversees counterparts, mainly in Europe and America. The result is that many traditional habits and customs are no longer regarded as important and may even completely disappear over time.

The fact of the matter remains that the youth of today grows up with the founders of these cultural norms and values ​​systems , namely the older generation white and black people, and in this way still learn and inherits the historical differences between black and white people. It was after all the older generation that failed to reconcile the Western and African social customs! 

If we want to avoid a future intensification of this cultural struggle in this country, we should as soon as possible ( if it is not already too late ) learn and respect each other’s  traditions and customs and to build a new, ‘ism’, what I want to call, Africanism. 

Fortunately, some of our schools are already working in the direction to meet these requirements.

The challenge for the opinion and policy - makers in South Africa today,  is to find a commonly accepted ( collective ) value system that allows for our unique ‘unity in diversity’. Recognition and respect for the identity and preserving the cultural values ​​and norms of all groups in South Africa , must be ensured. Only when we achieve that it will no longer be necessary for so many people to leave this country for fear of losing his / her self - preservation.

One of the biggest mistakes the ANC Government could ever make was to attempt to ‘melt’ the different origins , identities , religions , cultures and languages , in one common society. 

America is an example where groups of different and diverse identity , live peacefully and un-troubled with each other , but still are proud of their common American identity .

In South Africa, this ideal will only be realized only if everyone is willing to learn, understand and respect each other's values ​​, norms and standards. 

The "winner - takes - all” mentality of the past and will no longer succeed in South Africa.  The question everyone should ask him or herself is, who is the true Africanist, to have the mandate to be ruler? South Africa is a land of minorities and there is no group which can elevate themselves to be the representatives of another.

The current ANC Government, believe it or not, is in fact also a minority government; It only depends what the criteria is to measure representation.

Escape from the current unbalanced distribution of economic wealth in South Africa, can only be achieved if the current ANC government, can succeed to distribute aid to the economically impoverished part of the population, in an economically viable and sustainable manner.

In a democratic pluralistic society such as South Africa, where both poverty and wealth should not be characterised by colour or creed of any kind, the challenge lies in developing the poor, without impoverishing the affluent.

If the current government is willing to learn one lesson from the previous order, it is how not to solve the “poor black problem “in South Africa by creating a new (colourless) "poor class". 

Job creation and mother tongue education has always been the foundation of economic development worldwide and it appears that the current government is busy making great strides in this area. The only negative aspect of this development is the fact that the government will have to seriously guard against the creation of a welfare state.

South Africa has the world's largest welfare system currently, and although recognition should be given to the fact that millions of people are at least able to survive because of the welfare grants they receive monthly from the State, these allowances do not create jobs. ( except of course for the number of civil servants to administer the system ! )

One wonders what the result would be if the money currently spent on social grants, were rather spent on job creation.