Lately I’ve been going through a lot of stuff, trying to clean and sort various things out. Cleaning usually happens over the winter; I never understood why people did “Spring Cleaning”. I am always happy when its springtime outside; that means I can go biking again. So as I keep on seeing snow pile up or just rest there, painfully slow dissipating into nothing, I go through various little pieces of what makes me who I am. That includes old essays I wrote, pictures I’ve taken, etc.
I can’t express the joy upon discovering one particular thing I wrote, for my “History of South Africa” class. The teacher ended up being one of my favorite teachers of all time. Each day he wore a pink shirt with unkempt hair and dared you to keep up with his train of thought. Most of the students said it was near impossible to follow him, but then most students can’t take notes worth a damn and need it spoon-fed to them, like they are unable to listen and write down the important points.
Anyway, the final essay I wrote for him remains one of the best things I think I’ve ever written. Every page is filled with notes from the professor complimenting me. What makes those compliments even better is how hard I worked on this, and how it paid off. Usually it takes a long time for something to pay off in that way, even writing-wise. Sometimes the amount of effort never pays off, and I’m just waiting there, hoping.
My essay was about the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and South Africa in general. I hope someday I can go to South Africa, and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t keep abreast of the news that comes out of there, despite never having been able to go. Below is my essay. I post this more for personal reasons than for anyone else’s. I’m lucky I still have the original copy of it, but I took great care in preserving this as best as I could. I hope you’re able to enjoy it, even if you’re not interested in South African history. This is the most personal thing I’ll ever share on here. Here goes:
“Truth and Reconciliation Commission: Coming to Terms with the Past
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission showed South Africans what apartheid had done in the name of “security”. Testimony from both victim and perpetrator brought uncomfortable facts into the mass media. Country of my Skull did a particularly good job of describing the reactions of the different sections of society. Antjie Krog wrote about the white reaction to the release of the brutal actions taken against the black majority. Her co-workers varied on how they coped with the rush of information. Africans were relieved to see that the cruelty they had faced was finally being acknowledged. Whites (herself included) had difficulty accepting what their government to the majority of its citizens. Each one had to take time off in order to cope with the stress that such information created. Some of them suffered from physical and psychological ailments where they could no longer take reality seriously, since it seemed to be so awful. She included an example of her desensitization while she listened to the testimony of a horrible act of cruelty and began laughing uncontrollably.
Testimony was the key piece to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s purpose. This was why many whites like Antjie Krog had difficulty in confronting the past. Whites like Antjie did not participate in the violence of Apartheid (either for it or against it) and they experience the greatest shock when the Commission brought forth the details of the period. They felt guilty for doing nothing to prevent the cruelty of Apartheid and also did not fight against the unfair system they benefited from. Apartheid provided jobs to whites to make sure that they lived comfortably. The government succeeded in raising the quality of living for whites, in particular Afrikaners like Antjie. Afrikaners benefited from a system that was deliberately unfair to protect a small minority of the people by the oppression of the majority.
Country of my Skull deals directly with the TRC and its immediate aftermath. Antjie shows the process as positive since it has created an initial reaction from most of the population. The Africans are pleased with the outcome of finally letting the cruelty they face being heard. Afrikaners argue with her as to why she decided to bring up events that they felt were better left forgotten. Considering that in the beginning of the trials most whites viewed them as a joke and waste of money, the change of attitude shows they are doing the right thing. Optimism shows through the book to show that although some parts of the commission have led to additional violence (some of her relatives protect themselves with guns since they do not trust the government) it is allowing the history to be told. Truth from the testimony gives creditability to the claims that South Africa can only heal after it is able to accept its history and for all groups to amend their ways of thinking.
The only way that the truth and reconciliation could be reached was by creating as unbiased a commission as possible. Making the trials more like truth and less like justice was the most important in reaching the reconciliation of society. Had justice been the focus of the trials more information could not be uncovered. I initially did not like the fact that by simply applying for amnesty the perpetrator could avoid legal action against him. Red Dust and Country of my Skull changed my opinion along with the class lecture itself. Victims appeared to be the only people who deserved justice and sympathy; perpetrators were those who were inhumane and took away the humanity of others (either physically or mentally).
The beginning of our discussion seemed to confirm my idea of no sympathy for the perpetrator. Descriptions of what occurred to some of the ANC (African National Congress) members who fought against the system supported the idea that only the victims were human. The trials that some of the ANC activists faced during Apartheid showed the oppression they constantly faced from the government. With the beginning of the TRC, I realized a different sort of trial than the usual “Victor’s Justice” I read about. The first human rights trial I read about was Nuremburg in Middle School. Nuremburg taught me that the perpetrators were inhumane since what independent-minded person would commit horrible deeds. Victims should be the only ones to get sympathy since they had been deemed honorable. Actually taking this course has shown me that things are not quite as simple. It’s a bit embarrassing that it took me nineteen years to come to this conclusion, but I am glad I have discovered it.
Red Dust first presented me with the idea that the perpetrator had problems with what they did. Dirk Hendricks explains to the courtroom in Smitsrivier of the violence he carried out in his job led to the disintegration of his marriage. One night he woke up to discover that he was choking his wife. The actions he took against prisoners in jail destroyed his ability to cope with reality. He applied to avoid being charged with any additional crimes as long as he gave the truth to the victims. Each character in the book is representative of the different sections of society and how they cope (or can’t cope) with the new South Africa. Pieter Muller represents those unable to adapt to the future. His dedication to the old system and the unwillingness of his superiors to protect him leads to his eventual suicide. Dirk Hendricks show how some used amnesty to bring themselves out of trouble. They can understand that what they did was wrong or realize they can be protected if they change. Pieter could be shown as a heartless human but instead is shown as someone who doesn’t want to integrate himself into the new system since he did what he was told. Ben Hoffman is given as proof that not all whites accepted the conditions of Apartheid. Alex Mpondo brings the idea of transition from rebel to the establishment into the book. His guilt appears in the form of grief he had for his friend and comrade against the system, Steve Sizela.
The ideas expressed in the book could be viewed as unoptimistic. I tend to believe that the writer’s view on South Africa’s future is optimistic. She does not go so far as to say that the process is easy but rather that even by the willingness of the new government to address the past events is a step towards the reconciliation of the many groups within South Africa is an accomplishment. Justice should not play a major role in the process since the difference between truth and justice is incompatible. Using truth instead of justice leads to more informative facts. If justice was used, there would be the inclination of the perpetrators of this violence (on both sides) to not go to court and tell what they did. Reconciliation worked with the truth through the idea of Amnesty for those accused. If the perpetrator showed that they were sincerely sorry and told the entire truth then they would not face charges for other crimes as long as they admitted the whole truth. I felt this was an important step in bringing the different ethnic groups together under the idea of one nation.
One nation is not always what people referred to South Africa. Indeed, whites had decided that segregating the different groups would allow everyone to develop under their own terms. Realistically this policy could not work due to the unfair way in which the land was distributed where the Africans received 13% of the land for roughly 80% of the population while the whites received 87% of the land for about 20% (later less) of the population. The different parts of the country were divided into separate countries, but since the African portions were over-crowded and received little economic investment, they became ineffective. Separate countries of South Africa were not recognized by any other country besides South Africa itself. White portions of South Africa had the most mineral resources and best farmland so they attracted the most international investment.
Reconciliation, then, is not just an abstract idea of receiving acknowledge for the crimes committed by both the government and the ANC during apartheid. It has an economic dimension as well in the redistribution of wealth to make society more equitable. Crimes committed do have importance in South African society since coming to terms with the past requires that people who were involved in these events are able to come to terms with what happened. Economic inequality is probably one of the biggest issues that the ANC face in rebuilding the South African economy. Many companies who disinvested their assets from South Africa have yet to return to their previous commitments. The hardships that this collapse of international financial support had for the South African government is part of what led to the end of apartheid.
Businessmen complained of the boycott they experienced from the ANC’s organization of people and of the flight of international capital. Militarily, they were winning but the average white South African saw only their living standards decreasing by the collapse of much of the economy.
The future of South Africa relies heavily on the improvement of the economy which has yet to recover from the late 80s/early 90s. Violence during that time scared away all the remaining investors and violence remains a huge problem now. The use of it was of importance to both the ANC and the Apartheid government to fight the other. It seems to be a valuable tool in venting much frustration at the apparent inability of the government to handle its economic problems. Many whites blame the ANC government for creating these problems, but they fail to realize that much of this was inherited from the Apartheid government policies. In fact, the ANC government is more economically liberal than its predecessor. Violence continues unabated since many of these reforms have not had as much impact as the ANC would have liked. The low rate of prosecution makes the decision of committing a violent crime easier.
Reconciliation requires the settling of several factors then. The ability to come to terms with the past events and violence is an important first step and one which was successfully addressed by the TRC. It will take time before South Africa can become a peaceful multiracial society but the cooperation between the ANC and former Apartheid government shows that it is possible. Economics plays an important link to the past and remains a constant reminder of the oppression face by the African majority. Unemployment levels for blacks and whites are good examples of this uneven distribution, with the levels for whites at industrialized nation levels while the majority of blacks still seeking employment. The frustration experienced by the majority has led to racial tensions translating themselves into making South Africa one of the most violent nations on Earth. Only by improving educational standards can blacks obtain more equitable economic standing through training for better paid jobs. The truth of this problem has already been acknowledged, what remains is for something more substantial to be done about it.
Educational standards should be increased not just for economic reasons. Reconciliation can be met partially through economic improvement but also by education of what occurred in the past to much of the population. This would also help to end the violence that so many South Africans experience and take part in. The TRC addressed much of what happened in the past and they did a good job in remaining relatively unbiased in their assessment. To continue the integration of a multiracial society and to make it a fairer place, however, requires an improved educational base to improve life economically and socially. Education unfortunately suffered with the ANC government as they paid off many teachers to retire early. The teachers were necessary and now South Africa has a shortage of them. Ending the bitterness experienced by both the whites (for losing their political power) and the blacks (for the resentment at their under representation in the economy) would be an important step in reaching the reconciliation of all parts of society.
Reconciliation remains important at all standards of living but the point of public health is a problem that seriously needs the cooperation of all elements of society to work together to prevent losing millions of people. The AIDS infection rate in South Africa is leading to a decreased life expectancy and by people dying at younger ages deprives many children of their parents. Population growth has sunk down to remaining barely self-sustaining. Cooperation between all groups of people is necessary to prevent any further spread of the disease. The ANC government can create programs to stop the increase but these are only successful if the majority of the population participates in these programs.
The AIDS epidemic requires help from the international community. Infection rates decrease the population growth rate and at some point the population will begin to shrink. Already some demographic changes are apparent. The median age has shrunk down to 24, with 30% of the population under 15 years of age. Many parents have died due to the disease, which has left a large group of orphans living without supervision. Some dedicated grandparents have taken in their grandchildren, but the extended family solution is not a permanent solution. Neither is the campaign for abstinence, which seems to be the most popular program the United States is promoting. Violence and economic hardship both relate to the AIDS problem. People currently of working age are the most prevalent to die and without a large amount of skilled workers to replace them the economy will shrink. Parents who die leave their children with little choice but to resort to violence, or if they are lucky, live with relatives. The income the parents provided their children with is lost and much of these children have no other choice than resorting to criminal activity. This activity leaches off of what remains of the economy after a major demographic shift.
AIDS has to be addressed by the international community since they suffer from it too. It remains a large problem in South Africa because of the lack of use of contraceptives. This creates a huge group of young children and sickly parents. Life expectancy is under 50 years for the average South African. Violence from this change has convinced many white South Africans to leave the country. Their choice to leave the country is a sign that much of what they see is a decrease in standards of living not just in economic terms but also in terms of their own physical safety. Physical safety is a problem for all South Africans and the threat of disease remains large. AIDS has only recently become properly addressed and the health service sector of the economy is still grossly underfunded.
Welcome to Our Hillbrow discusses the problems facing the new South Africa. They show the world as resting on economic as well as tribal terms. A well-educated black man kills himself after grief and stress overwhelm his life. Sexual activity is a major part of the book and leads to much of the heartache. This book was sad and not particularly optimistic. Most of the main characters died of AIDS, suicides, or being burned alive. These show the problems within the black community in South Africa. Experiencing hardship and resentment that some members have been able to enrich themselves while the majority of blacks remain poor has brought accusations of corruption by public officials. Corruption is a problem in the current government as it was in the previous one, but the bigger problem is the combination of economic, social, and health problems.
My belief is that South Africa will continue to improve itself by adjusting to the many problems it now faces. Violence has answered nothing and will continue to do so. It did not end Apartheid, what ended that system was the frustration of both sides in the inability to win militarily. So they both found common goals and compromised. The economy in South Africa is improving and although it has yet to recover from the problems of privatizing many public utilities of the Apartheid era; it is taking the right steps. International investment has begun to return to the country as the ANC show they are a competent government. The TRC showed that South Africans have begun to accept their past and are willing to come to terms with what happened during apartheid. This is not only shown by the victims but also by the perpetrators in their realization that they did do something wrong. AIDS requires the end of violence, improvement of the economy, and cooperation of all South Africans to end. Through the tragedy of this terrible disease there can be forged a unity to improve people’s lives. Optimism can be felt through many of the books I have read about the Post-Apartheid period. Acknowledgments of part errors have been realized even by the strongest adherents of Apartheid. This is a greater accomplishment than the TRC could have expected. Problems like economic inequality, violence and disease can now be addressed since the history of South Africa has willingly been accepted. Now transforming South Africa into a peaceful, prosperous, and multiracial society can begin. I believe that the process towards addressing these problems has been started; all I hope for now is that they make the right choices.
At the very end of this (since I didn’t include all the teacher’s margin notes) is one of the simplest yet effective compliments I’ve received:
“Beach Sloth,
This paper incorporated the details and themes of the reading material, as well as a careful analysis of the TRC process in making social change in South African society. You had very strong arguments, good job. “
Hope you enjoyed it. Happy Valentine’s Day!