Ignore racist Aussies

IT WAS in the run-up to the country’s first democratic elections that a large number of South Africans decided to Pack for Perth.

Some were motivated by better job prospects, but many could not bear living under a black government.

Ironically, most of those who left were so-called liberals.

They were white and mostly English speakers.

There were blacks among them, too; a sprinkling of self-loathing African, Indian and coloured South Africans who knew they could not find it within themselves to refer to Nelson Mandela as their president.

These people made Australia their home.

They brought up their children there, and over the years, their numbers swelled.

Today this group numbers about 150 000, making them the second-largest South African expat community after that in the UK.

However, what never changed was their hatred for South Africa. We can only speculate on the reasons.

Perhaps it was the loss of their privileged existence when apartheid ended.

It’s also possible they felt cheated that their doomsday predictions never materialised and a democratic South Africa came peacefully into existence and continues to exist.

What we do know for sure is that for almost three decades we have had to put up with their ongoing attempts on social and other media to belittle South Africa and justify their decision to move to Australia.

This weekend we got a glimpse of a few of them when they marched through the Brisbane CBD in support of moves, by a few in Australia, to push for white South African farmers to be given preferential treatment for immigration.

The poster boy of Australia’s campaign is Peter Dutton, its home affairs minister.

He felt white farmers needed help “from a civilised country like ours” as they were being persecuted in South Africa.

It seems to make no difference to Dutton and those who follow him that there is no evidence whatsoever to support this claim.

As frustrating as it may be, the best we can do is ignore this racist bunch.

The logic behind this is summed up in a phrase that does the rounds on social media every now and again: never explain yourself to anyone because the person who likes you doesn’t need it and the person who dislikes you won’t believe it.