Racism in South Africa

Farris Ahmad 

Racism in South Africa 

Last week, the National Assembly in South Africa voted overwhelmingly to seize land owned specifically by white South Africans. According to Newsweek, the vote was spearheaded by Julius Malema, leader of the Marxist-Revolutionary Economic Freedom Party, who in 2016 suggested “he was not calling for the slaughter of white people - at least for now”. The inherently racist vote sent shockwaves throughout South Africa. The agriculture industry is faltering and international investors have lost confidence in the country’s leadership. The vote to amend the constitution, to allow the government to seize the land without compensation, comes as a result of white citizens seizing land from black land owners nearly 100 years ago. Malema claims the time for reconciliation is now over. Recently, he advocated his followers to go after a white man, in order to “cut the throat of whiteness”. Sadly, his harsh rhetoric is in stark contrast of the great Nelson Mandela, who united the country and gave hope to the entire continent because of his strong belief in reconciliation. Mandela spent years in jail fighting against apartheid, and is seen as a hero by the world for his lifelong efforts in striving to eradicate racial discrimination, only to see it return in 2018.

The amendment, led by the African National Congress, has prompted comparisons to Zimbabwe, who in 2000 attempted to amend the constitution to steal land from its white farmers without compensation. When that plan failed, allies of Mugabe marched on white owned farms and killed white farmers on 7 different occasions, according to the Human Rights Watch. They inevitably stole the farms and distributed them amongst government officials. Mugabe awarded himself with 15 stolen farms, and government officials claimed ownership of thousands of farms in total. As a result of the theft and large scale corruption, thousands farmers were displaced and unemployed. Nearly two-thirds of the farming production fell in just five years, a dramatic fall which has had long-term consequences. Zimbabwe was once hailed as the bread basket of Africa, with tremendous productivity in agriculture. Since the theft, starvation rates have skyrocketed, the government has been put on a credit freeze, and inflation has hit levels never seen before. The Zimbabwean currency eventually became so worthless that they switched to the US dollar in 2015. Finally, the resilient people of Zimbabwe ousted the inept Robert Mugabe. After unemployment hit 90%, the government is going back to correct its fatal mistake, and has agreed to compensate its farmers nearly $11 billion. Sadly, South Africa is following in their footsteps with their catastrophic vote last week.

The motion to amend will need to pass one final barrier, a review from the country’s Constitutional Review Committee. 12,000 people have signed a petition asking President Trump to allow South African farmers to migrate into the country. President Trump has an opportunity to take a stance against racism, which he failed to do during the Charlottesville protest. According to a recent BBC investigation, farm murders are at the highest level since 2010. President Trump can express his concern regarding the theft and murder of farm owners solely because of the color of their skin, by encouraging Rex Tillerson to be vocal about the issue in the upcoming days. Furthermore, he can pressure newly elected President Cyril Ramaphosa to resist Malema’s efforts. According to NBC News, preparing for his upcoming trip to Africa, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said the continent’s rapid economic growth and growing population means its future is increasingly linked to America’s. If the administration truly believes this, South Africa’s economic future is a direct interest of the United States. Perhaps showing his lack of interest in the region, or a sign of incompetence, President Trump still has not named an ambassador to South Africa. If the United States wants to deviate South Africa’s government from the disastrous land grab, at minimum our President must appoint an Ambassador. Tillerson also announced half a billion dollars in aid to various countries in Africa, showing the administration is still committed to a stronger continent. Ensuring stability and prosperity in South Africa would require initiative by Tillerson on behalf of the United States.

Nelson Mandela famously said “Never, never and never again shall it be that this beautiful land will again experience oppression of one by another”. We must adhere to his wisdom and promote a free South Africa, and resist oppression and racism wherever it forms.




www.newsweek.com/thousands-sign-petition-asking-trump-allow-white-people-south-africa-migrate-826126.



https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/tillerson-heads-africa-explaining-do-trump-n854251