Cca Written Report South Africa (Demensions of Geert Hofstede)

The county of South Africa is an economically flourishing country and probably the most advanced country on the continent of Africa. However the entire continent of Africa is probably the most undeveloped part of the world. Why is South Africa so different from the rest of its continent? Karen Politis Virk explains that it is because of South Africa’s developed economy and diverse population (Virk 40). South Africa has three main ethnic groups: African, Afrikaners, and the mixed race. The Afrikaners and mixed races have many roots to Europe and Asia giving the nation even more diversity and a culture melting pot. This set the nation apart from the rest of the African nation in which the majority of the residents are of native African

Mandela was imprisoned in South Africa from 1964-82. During the period of his imprisonment his public reputation grew. Upon his release from prison, he was considered the most prominent leader in black South Africa and he was a strong symbol of resistance in the anti-apartheid movement. Nelson Mandela became South Africa’s president in 1994. His main leadership qualities characteristics were his determination, persistence, focus and will.

During many years, South Africa had its own system of racial segregation called apartheid, where white South Africans were separated from black South Africans because they wanted control over them. Unfortuanely, this type of segregation become law, and it took a while to remove it. The first person to take action about the apartheid was Nelson Mandela, an unique activism.

Race and subsequent racial discrimination has molded South Africa from its inception. Apartheid institutionalized racial discrimination and subjugation in order to further the notion of white superiority. Apartheid legitimized violence based on the perception of racial inferiority. Race, in and of itself, was the social and psychological reality through which repression and violence functioned. South Africans saw the world in “black” and “white” terms and violence was commonly used to maintain this status quo. However, during the Mandela era (1994-1999), a new mindset emerged to describe the social order. This mindset culminated in nationhood, unity, racial harmony and reconciliation.12 Reference to race entered a sensitive and delicate space. Choosing to downplay the role of race rendered the real, often violent, consequences of race invisible.11 This self-imposed cognitive dissonance was seen as a necessity in creating national unity. In the Mandela era, and during the TRC processes, there was little national debate on how race had influenced past human rights violations. In fact, the TRC had a direct and explicit focus on events post-1960s, which dismissed colonization and the historical build up to Apartheid. There is also little recognition that race continues to shape identity and interactions within contemporary South Africa.

Throughout history, Racial segregation has been used as a means to power and control, often for a minority, and South Africa was no different in any manner, almost a perfect, textbook case of oppression. Source 1 explains how the Apartheid first began in the 1940’s, developed and used due to economic and political instability. The English and the Dutch controlled South Africa, vying for its fertile lands, people, and its profusion of precious and strategic minerals, leading to Boer War. When South Africa gained its independence from England, there was an internal power struggle for decades until the Afrikaner National Party devised the apartheid, enacting it in 1948 as a means to control the economic and social landscapes that they had lost their grasp on. The Apartheid, however, did not instantly create the

Apartheid, the strict division between white and colored people, for South Africans has always been a big issue. The man who stopped difficult ways of life for people and communities in South Africa was also their president, Nelson Mandela. Nelson Mandela was a man who put his life on the line to bring people together. He was involved with organizations that would eventually help to end apartheid throughout his life and lead countless amounts of peaceful acts that put an end to this divide. Mandela was even arrested for what he was trying to accomplish. It was difficult, but once he was released from prison, he finished what he and many others had started, he put a stop to apartheid. Nelson Mandela caused for apartheid to be

Life in prison for Mandela was a time for change. His reputation developed as he was now widely accepted as the most influential black leader in South Africa. He became a symbol of resistance as

Nelson Mandela was the man who abolished Apartheid, freeing South Africa from the binds of racial segregation forever. However, it was not an easy road and Mandela needed patience, strength of character, focus, passion, understanding, perseverance, and most importantly, forgiveness, to achieve this. For more than forty years, black South Africans were subject to the harsh racial segregation of the Apartheid system; despite making up over 70% of South Africa’s population, they had little to no rights.

Many of the contemporary issues in South Africa can easily be associated with the apartheid laws which devastated the country. The people of South Africa struggle day by day to reverse “the most cruel, yet well-crafted,” horrific tactic “of social engineering.” The concept behind apartheid emerged in 1948 when the nationalist party took over government, and the all-white government enforced “racial segregation under a system of legislation” . The central issues stem from 50 years of apartheid include poverty, income inequality, land ownership rates and many other long term affects that still plague the brunt of the South African population while the small white minority still enjoy much of the wealth, most of the land and opportunities

Imagine being systematically oppressed from the moment you exited the womb. All your civil rights, based on the amount of melanin in your skin. Drinking from the wrong water fountain, could even get you thrown into jail. Coincidently; this was the life, of black South Africans from the moment of Dutch colonization in 1652, to the first true democratic election in 1994. Apartheid, meaning “separateness” in Afrikaans; was legal segregation enforced by The National Party (NP) from 1948 to 1994. It legally imposed preexisting policies of racial discrimination on the Majority of the South African population. The entire basis of the racist policies, was the darker your complexion the less legal rights you had. Presumably this injustice, could have continued much longer if it weren’t for all involved in the fight against the NP, however the man who arguably contributed the most, was Nelson Mandela. He ended an apartheid, with both his philanthropy and political prowess. He united a nation that used to be segregated; which seemed a daunting task at the time, but through the sweat and bloodshed he achieved the impossible. This alone exhibited his heroic characteristics, but to be more precise: both his actions and inactions lead to his success. Furthermore, Mandela was both a strong leader and forgiving at the same-time. Being in the forefront of the abolishment movement, was an extremely risky move during the apartheid. He risked his life for what he believed in, and this personal

I have always thought that Nelson Mandela has been one of the most important people in history. I find it very fascinating that one man could end the Apartheid and that is why I want to find out more about this. South Africa is a country with a past of enforced racism and separation of its multi-racial community. The White Europeans invaded South Africa and started a political system known as 'Apartheid' (meaning 'apartness'). This system severely restricted the rights and lifestyle of the non-White inhabitants of the country forcing them to live separately from the White Europeans. I have chosen to investigate how the Apartheid affected people’s lives, and also how and why the Apartheid system rose and fell in South Africa.

South Africa is a country of diversity, with 11 languages that are officially recognized--Afrikaans, English, Ndebele, Northern Sotho, Sotho, Swazi, Tsonga, Tswana, Venda, Xhosa, and Zulu (Statistics South Africa, 2011). Although South Africa has diverse communities, much of its history has proven a lack of representation. Up until 1994, South Africa was ruled by a white minority government, which came into power in 1948 and enforced a racial segregation policy called apartheid—a policy that mandates that black and white communities live in separate areas, commute separately, etc. (“South Africa: Background,” n.d.). The corrupt government also stirred conflict around neighboring countries. Eventually, the apartheid government dismantled as a result of an interim constitution created by F.W. de Clerk and Nelson Mandela, both of whom led a multiracial forum called the Convention for a Democratic South Africa (CODESA) to transform the oppressive white government into a multiracial democracy (“South Africa: Background,” n.d.). However, the residual damage from the previous regime remains evident, with social problems such as poor education, high unemployment and poverty, and HIV/AIDS still rampant (“South Africa: Background,” n.d.). In fact, South Africa is home to the second highest number of HIV/AIDS patients in the world (“South Africa: Background,” n.d.). Despite the problems that South Africa faces, South Africa dominates in terms of the economy, with its economy being one

The effects of apartheid have long outlived the days of its existence and there seems to be no sign at this point of South Africa completely moving past it. There is, however, always hope, and solutions are much sought after. In August 2011, former Archbishop Desmond Tutu1 announced his suggestion to rectify the wrongs of the past by implementing laws that require all white citizens to pay a special tax. This would serve as reparation to symbolically account for the benefits that white people as a whole acquired as a result of the apartheid regime. My stance on the matter is that the apartheid laws were rules disadvantaging members of a certain race, and this act which violated human equality and dignity was deeply frowned upon. This suggestion by Desmond Tutu is essentially trying to seek revenge by enforcing rules on the beneficiaries of the past laws that disadvantage them based solely on their race. One instance cannot be described as horrific, while the same thing forced onto a different race is seen as justified. This ideal of reconciliation in South Africa will further be discussed by referring to the views expressed in ‘Transformative Constitutionalism’2 and ‘Transformative Adjudication.’3 The Constitution of South Africa4 will also be explored, with the intent of determining whether the perspective of Archbishop Desmond Tutu is justified.

According to Evans, Marissa K. “Apartheid is the name of the racial institution that was established in 1948 by the National Party that governed South Africa until 1994. The term, which literally means “apartness,” reflected a violently repressive policy designed to ensure that whites, who comprised 20% of the nation’s population, would continue to dominate the country. Although the policy began officially in 1948, the practice of racial discrimination has deep roots in South African society. As early as 1788, Dutch colonizers began establishing laws and regulations that separated white’s settlers and native Africans. These laws and regulations continued after the British occupation in 1795, and soon led to the channeling of Africans into specific areas that would later constitute their s0- called homelands. By 1910 the year that all of the formerly separate Boer Republics united with the British colony to become the Union of South Africa, there were nearly 300 reserves for natives throughout the country.”

South Africa is a unique country that has endured many hardships and the only way to overcome those hardships is through change. Although the ANC claims to have solely brought about change this however was not the case. What brought about change during Apartheid was that, the people came together and united! With one leader Nelson Mandela, whose aims were equivalent to YOU’s aims, which is that he saw the need for unity and because the people were united the weight of their pressure exceeded the governments scale and made it tip and therefore led to the end of Apartheid. So don’t let the fear of change overcome the need for balance and fairness because South Africa shall not know peace until it learns the art of equality.