South Africa 2025 – where Worlds collide - not really a travel blog:

The Three Rondavals

I've done travel blogs on South Africa before but this time, having just spent six weeks there, my longest time yet, I can probably do a more in-depth look at or analysis of the country. I'm calling this article ‘where worlds collide.’ It may sound dramatic but it's not. The message I'm trying to get across say is that it is probably the only country I have visited which has strong evidence of first, second and third world elements to it.

We all know the history. Briefly, the country was governed by a white minority under an apartheid regime for centuries. The black majority and a coloured minority were disenfranchised and many were imprisoned, most notably Nelson Mandela. All changed in the 1990’s and the first free elections were held in 1994, electing Mandela in a landslide.

It goes without saying that the white minority was largely wealthy and very little of this filtered down, with the blacks largely employed mainly in physical work and as servants. Coloured people fared somewhat better but both black and coloured communities were largely uneducated.

A lot of the regime change came about as a result of international pressure and economic isolation but the push for change came from internal unrest also. There was a huge appetite for ‘freedom’ particularly amongst the black community, freedom from the oppressive regime which not only disenfranchised them but treated them as second class citizens in every sector of society.

The election of Mandela was seen as a watershed moment in South African history. People have told me that the election days were almost a celebration. Voting took place over four days and people travelled huge distances and queued for long periods to cast their vote. Black, white and coloured queued together, with many white people also voting for Mandela. The incumbent President, F.W. De Klerk, who had had the courage and foresight to allow the change, polled well, but effectively the election was a coronation. And therein arguably is the kernel of the problems of today’s South Africa, thirty years later.

Because the regime change was so enormous, forty million disenfranchised people suddenly free, the expectations were huge and could never be realised. I think it was Thabo Mbeki, the man who succeeded Nelson Mandela as President, who said: ‘some people in South Africa have unreal expectations; there was a belief that all we had to do was elect Mandela and every South African would have a good job and their own four bedroom house with two cars in the driveway.’

Obviously, this was never going to happen. To be fair, there has been progress, particularly in the area of education. But South Africa doesn’t have the natural resources or the strong industrial base needed to drive its economy and take care of all its people. Perhaps the inventors of apartheid knew that so they built a false regime which would only benefit a small minority. There are also other factors. The population has grown from 44 million in 1995 to over 68 million today. There are huge imbalances between regions which encourages people to move to large cities in search of employment. They usually arrive there with nothing except a few personal possessions. If they are lucky enough to find work, they may be able to afford to live in a township, where there is a free-for-all culture and dwellings can be erected in an ad-hoc manner. These townships can be dangerous and unhealthy. That said, the people who live there are arguably the lucky ones as there are thousands more who just live on the streets. There are of course many voluntary agencies doing good charitable work but it is an almost impossible task and sadly, many people fall through the cracks.

Now, contrast this with how the white population still lives. I realise that change can take generations to bed in properly but it seems that the majority of the white population still live in relative comfort. That is not to say that there are no wealthy black or coloured people – of course there are but the majority of wealth still seems to rest with the white population. I visited a shopping centre called ‘Canal Walk’ in Cape Town and I was astonished at the standard. It is an absolutely beautiful mall in terms of the architecture, the design, the furniture and the lay-out and can bear comparison with any mall anywhere in the world. The Aventura mall in Miami is listed as one of the top five in the U.S. but Canal Walk is superior to it in many ways. We are talking about beautiful hand carved highly polished benches between the shops, spotlessly clean common areas and pristine shops. Even the toilets are similar to what you might experience in a five star hotel.

Now I have travelled widely and I’ll acknowledge that there are wealthy people and poor people and a middle class in every country but I cannot recall anywhere I’ve visited where the contrast is so stark. This is not in any way a criticism of South Africa. The Canal Walk is only one of very many similar centres and there is no restriction on anyone visiting them. I long for the day when everyone can afford to. Unfortunately, all you have to do is go a short distance outside one of the malls to see people begging or trying to sell all types of products on the street or at traffic lights. Obviously you will find people begging in every country but I found more of them here.

The contrast between South Africa and other African countries that I visited is stark. Yes, there is poverty in most parts of the African continent but for a highly developed nation, there seems to be an inordinate amount of it here. Thankfully, there is no evidence of any tension between races and there appears to be a mutual respect between all as well as wide interaction and friendships between races. Although Mandela only served one term as President, I think he is largely responsible for this peaceful co-existence. His influence is still pervasive throughout South Africa. In fact, many people still vote for his party, the ANC, although not all of his successors have adhered to his vision or his honesty, with widespread allegations of corruption. Many black people blame the Government (still run by the ANC), calling them corrupt and apathetic about caring for their own people. While there may be a grain of truth in that view, I think the country’s economic base and possibly the management of it is largely the issue.

There is also the issue of inward immigration. South Africa, despite its problems, is seen as a prosperous country by many other nations in the African sub-continent. Large numbers of people have immigrated from Zimbabwe, Zambia, Mozambique, Botswana, Namibia and even the Congo. Some come legally but many are without work permits. I met a lot of these people and all were employed, with many doing very well. Some of them would say that black South Africans are unwilling to do some menial jobs and are not as enterprising in general as immigrants. I can’t comment on the credence of this but I’m sure it doesn’t help the unemployment rate which currently stands at a worrying 33%.

Inevitably, lack of employment and poverty tempts some people to turn to crime and South Africa is listed as one of the more dangerous countries in which to live or visit. I have visited the country on four occasions and I’ve seen no evidence of this. Each time I’ve been welcomed warmly by all races and I have found people to be most friendly and helpful. But perhaps I’ve been lucky. There are dangerous areas and the statistics don’t lie. South Africans tell me that there are places where I can walk and places I should definitely avoid. Sadly, this has led to an exodus of large numbers of (mainly) white people, who have emigrated to Europe, Australia and elsewhere, in search of a more peaceful existence.

But enough of the negatives; let’s look at a potential solution to these problems. Many Irish people attributed part of our country’s economic success to our victories at international football, stating that it gave us confidence as a nation. I’m a huge sports fan and I’m always fascinated at how united South Africa becomes when their national team is playing any sport. Rugby is their specialty and they now stand alone as the only country to have won the World Cup on four occasions, one more than even the legendary All Blacks. I love the philosophy of the team –they are very clear that they never play for themselves, always for the country. Personal ambition is put to one side and everything is focused on the collective. It’s the way every team should play but it can be very difficult to implement, particularly with a squad of over 40 players, each laden with talent.

South Africans will admit to you that in the last World Cup, they barely staggered over the line but it was the team ethic and the sense that they were trying to unite the country which carried them through. The team manager, Rassie Erasmus, emphasised very strongly that the victory was for the entire country. He then stated that it would be great when they returned home if everyone in South Africa stopped criticizing the country, saying that everything was a mess, and worked together collectively for change and to put things right. He said the rugby team was a prime example; apparently some people had sought to divide them and spread dissension, particularly when they appointed a black captain, but this only made them stronger and gave them that extra push to succeed.

There’s a lot of truth in his words. If you could transfer the collective effort and honesty of the rugby team into every sector in the country, you’d inevitably achieve stability and success. There is also a parallel in that before Rassie took over as manager in 2017, South African rugby was at rock bottom, shipping record defeats. To change the entire philosophy and to win the next two World Cups was nothing short of miraculous.

Realistically, it will take a lot of work and possibly another generation to achieve permanent economic success and it will take all the efforts of everyone working together to achieve it. I’d like to think they’ll succeed so don’t give up on South Africa yet.

I’ve credited Nelson Mandela with the peaceful culture that has evolved since his brief period in power. South Africans tell me that time there is measured as pre-Mandela, a time of strife, civil unrest, apartheid, murder and mayhem and post-Mandela, while not perfect, is a time of peace and mutual respect. There is one other factor, which mainly black South Africans will point to: It is the philosophy of ‘Ubuntu,’which is a way of life that emphasises the interconnectednessof all people, often summarized as “I am because you are.” It is a belief in a universal human bond that means ones humanity is realized through community and the relationships with others, regardless of race, fostering values like compassion, kindness, respect and a sense of a shared humanity.

While this philosophy is wonderful and promotes peace between the different strands of population, realistically, it will take a lot of work and possibly another generation to achieve permanent economic success and it will take all the efforts of everyone working together to achieve it. I’d like to think they’ll succeed so don’t give up on South Africa yet.