USA TODAY International Edition
‘ Dealing with past injustices ... is the basis for moving forward’
South Africa’s long racially divided political history made a breakthrough when Nelson Mandela became the first black and democratically elected president in 1994, following the end of the white minority apartheid state.
Today, the country remains torn by a gulf between rich and poor. Many residents say the government’s promise of better jobs and homes has not materialized amid high unemployment and corruption scandals. Meanwhile, the elite, made up of all races, flaunt their wealth. And racial divides continue, as seen after black pupils in the capital Pretoria accused their school of discrimination because they were forced to chemically straighten their hair.
Mandela’s African National Congress ( ANC) party dominated for two decades, buoyed by its role in securing majority rule. But in August, it lost power for the first time in Johannesburg, the largest city, where the rival Democratic Alliance prevailed in local elections. It was the worst loss ever for Mandela’s party.
One reason for that setback is anger over President Jacob Zu- ma’s role in various scandals since he came to power in 2009. One involves more than $ 20 million of taxpayers’ money spent to remodel his private home. Zuma’s office said he recently paid back more than $ 500,000 of the cost.
As dissatisfaction with the ANC grows, the country could face another period of bitter political discord leading up to the presidential election in 2019.
Kumi Naidoo is past director of Africans Rising, a government advisory and leadership group.
“If Trump is elected, it will be seismic. It’s partly a guess that Hillary’s going to be president and how will she heal all the damage that’s been done by Trump? ... The U. S. is a very divided society.
“The most important healing is ( needed) when very many people feel they are being disenfranchised. How do you address that? Of course, this is not easy but es- sential to do if the levels of fragmentation in the U. S. are not to continue. South Africa had to come out of a legacy of institutionalized racism, which was enshrined for many decades. The way we tried to deal with it was we set up a Truth and Reconciliation Commission after the first democratic election, which was chaired by Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who brought the nation together in a very painful conversation. It was not a perfect process, it did not do the full job, but it did actually lay the basis for a very open conversation about how do you place blame, how do you move beyond blame and how do you move toward healing?
“Having lived ( in the USA), I do not believe it has done nearly enough to deal with its legacies of injustice. America must deal with its past the way South Africa tried to deal with its legacies.
“The U. S. must deal with its genocide of the original peoples of North America. The other legacy is that of slavery. Dealing with past injustices with honesty, dignity and compassion is the basis for moving forward.
“Of course, this is not easy work but essential to do if the level of fragmentation in the U. S. is not to continue further.”