Still not a proud SA citizen after 25 years

IN the bad old days of apartheid one was reticent to say where one came from when asked.

One would say Australia or New Zealand rather than South Africa, which quite rightly was the pole cat of the world. But here we are 25 years after the end of apartheid and I have to say I am not a proud South African.

Why do we never learn from mistakes of the past? We were all so excited to become the Rainbow Nation with the world looking on. It could have been so much better, couldn’t it?

But corruption in every little hamlet, in every municipality, in every sphere of government has again turned us into one of the most corrupt countries in the world.

I am not even mentioning the highest rape rate, one of the highest murder rates, one of the highest crime rates, highest rate of violence against women and children…

Shall I go on? And sadly it seems crime pays in this country, particularly if one is a high-ranking government official.

They are named, they are shamed but they never see the inside of a prison! Where did we go so wrong?

BARBIE SANDLER Constantia