SA leads US over race

SA has advanced further and faster than the US in terms of race relations. It is not surprising that former president Barack Obama tweeted a quote of former president Nelson Mandela about racism in the wake of Charlottesville, and it became the most popular tweet yet, liked more than 4-million times.

In the late 1980s I involved a West Indian anthropologist, Kenneth Tracey, in my efforts as a South African diplomat to understand and explain the South African situation in Frankfurt, Germany. Based on his first-hand studies and observations in SA, the US and other countries, he told me he was more optimistic about the future of blacks in SA than in the US.

His rationale was that although theoretically equal in the US, as a minority group US blacks still do not have equal opportunities in all spheres and as a result do not walk tall. Things improved somewhat under Obama’s presidency, but it sadly led to a white backlash, and the country is now exploding under a president who clearly sympathises with the right wing, including white supremacists.

On SA, Tracey said given their numbers black people have real power and equality, and therefore can walk tall. We have also timeously addressed symbolic issues such as the flag, national anthem and some of the most controversial statues.

Work remains to be done, especially if we want to avoid what is happening in the US. Both countries need leaders in the mould of Mandela and Obama to lead and unite our diverse nations, leaders who build bridges and not walls and do not use the race card to divide and rule.

The most valuable assets in both countries are strong and vibrant civil societies, effective constitutions, multiparty democracies and independent courts — effective tools to control wayward leaders. In both countries we see these instruments in action.

Dawie Jacobs Sterrewag