A Country at War with Itself

Crime is tearing the South African Society into pieces.  The Apartheid Regime is much to blame for all this pent up anger that is causing all of this violence. The people of South Africa let the fear rule their lives. They either hide from it or join in on it.  The streets are nowhere to be and the homes they live in are not much safer.

Actually, I got a taste of South African crime while I was recently there. My roommate’s belongings were stolen right out of our room while she was asleep. This is not an uncommon happening. It is called fishing and happens to hundreds of people in South Africa everyday. Just as almost every African citizen can say they have experienced crime first handedly, I can say it as well.

In a country where there are approximately fifty murders a day , it is really hard to have any hope(Glanz 36).  The problem is that for the years under the Apartheid regime that is what the kids grew up around. Dozens of crimes where committed against their families everyday. They were actually lucky to live through that period of time.  Many children grew up with built in anger against government and authority. Now, after watching their friends and family being subjected to such crimes, they are only reacting upon them.

There is also a huge need for law enforcement. If there were more police on the streets, less crime would happen. The problem is the streets are so unsafe. Not many people want to be a member of the police force because it is so dangerous. Also, if there were more officers of the law, there would be more people in prison. Although it would remove many people from the streets, it would also be a drain on the country’s economy. Taxpayers would have to pay extra money to upkeep the conditions in the prison for more people, which would be just the same as the people being robbed by those prisoners. It would probably bring up the morale though. I think that is one of the main issues. Morale is very low because of the crime rates, so if we bring down the crime rates and the morale goes up, I think the crime rate would continue to drop. 

There are a few people who do not react negatively even though they have been trespassed against. Many of them are political figures and great examples to the public. Among many of them is a man named Eddie Daniels.  He was born a colored boy in District six. He was part of the Apartheid resistance. He was also a member of the Liberal Party of South Africa and the African Resistance Movement. This got him banned twice, detained, and imprisoned.  He also almost faced the death penalty. He refused to cooperate with the courts of South Africa and give away other members of the South African Resistance Movement. If he had cooperated, he would have been released from prison.  He served 15 years in prison alongside Mandela, Sisulu, and Kathraida among other political leaders.  Actually he and Nelson Mandela shared a cell for a few days. During these times, they were subjected to various torture methods and regular beatings. They never broke nor did they ever act against the people who had them in captivity. He also defied the marriage laws after being released from prison by marrying Eleanor.  He set great examples for freedom fighters. The best thing about his movement was that it was totally and completely peaceful.

Eddie Daniels was such an inspiration. When he spoke to my group, I was so amazed by the compassion that he had for the human race.  He held no hatred in his body for anyone, even the men who tortured him relentlessly.  He did not hate the white race for the crimes against his people. I think we can all learn a very valuable lesson from Eddie. Forgiveness is one of the most important things a person can experience. It allows for growth not only as a person but as a country as well. That is why the amnesty movement started by Nelson Mandela was such a great thing for the country.  The movement helped the African public move on from the horrible crimes caused by apartheid and now they are learning to cope with it.

The truth and commissions act set up by Mandela was one of the greatest steps towards peace. Although it allows for criminals to get away with horrible crimes, it teaches a valuable lesson to the people of South Africa.   To request amnesty meant to confess exactly the crimes a person has committed.  Once the person has admitted to all of their crimes they can finally be set free and forgiven.  Although this helped the South African public, it also caused many problems. A lot of people did not like the idea of cops getting away with countless murders without any consequences at all. It was hard for many families to watch the murderers of their sons confess to the brutal murders and then walk away like nothing ever happened.  The actual concept of the act was a great idea. Without forgiveness there is no way to ever get passed the murder. Revenge is an empty act, but forgiveness is something that stays with you forever. It is just hard for many of the victim’s families to understand that. That is why they have turned to crime.

This country has emerged out of the oppressions of colonialism and apartheid. It is now dealing with the disorder of a new government. There is so much settled in anger causing problems within the society. I know that a lot of people do not agree with some of the peaceful movement started by Mandela. The colored people wished there was more action taken against the white people who had taken such violent action against them.  They do not realize that this would solve absolutely nothing.  Violence solves nothing at all, and until the country realizes this they cannot move forward. The crime rate is dropping though.  In the mid nineties there were about seventy-five murders a day and now it is down to about fifty. This is by no means a good number, but it is a lot better than seventy-five.

South Africa has one of the most advanced constitutions in the world. It is actually even more advanced than the United States Constitution. They actually have a part in their constitution stating freedom for gay couples. That is what shows there is great potential for the country. If they would just stop the war it is waging against itself, it could really be one of the greatest places on earth. Even with the problems there right now, I actually loved it there.  I am seriously considering moving there and I have a lot of hope that the political situation will improve there. I think that as long as the next president maintains Mandela’s ideas, the country will continue on its way to becoming a safer place. It is only a matter of time before Apartheid effects will wear off.  This is one of the most key things that has to happen before South Africa can become truly free. They need to forgive who has trespassed against their people and move on to a more peaceful future.

There are few South Africans that have yet to become just another number in crime statistics. It is one experience that almost every citizen has in common. Whether they have been mugged, raped, or their home was the site of a burglary, it is all something they have shared.  A lot of this crime is due to the maltreatment of the colored people during Apartheid. Many people believe that it is acceptable for them to respond in such a violent way. They were made poor by the government and now they just have to take back what was rightfully theirs. That is the main problem. Apartheid was a horrible thing that happened and it takes awhile for a country to completely get over it. The United States society is still dealing with problems created by slavery and segregation that ended roughly fifty years ago so it is hard to expect South Africa to be over it in less than twenty years.

Forgiveness is something all people need to learn. Some people never learn it at all and I feel sorry for them. I know that South Africa is on its way to peace. Hopefully soon they can ultimately move on to a brighter future. It is time to end the war it has declared against itself.