Are we still living in Apartheid?

Are we still living in Apartheid?

Hi, from the Umlungu in Mamelodi.

As a white Afrikaner living in Mamelodi the last 3 years there have been many things that I’ve observed and question prompted by these experiences. Questions like: why is there such a massive inequality economically in our country? How do we break the cycle of poverty? How can I make a difference?

As I’ve delved deeper into these questions I’ve realized for me to really understand the state of affairs I need more context. Growing up in an Afrikaans family in the wake of Apartheid, I did not see the full picture. This desire to truly understand has propelled me on a journey to inform myself about the history of our country.  

One of the most informative books I read this past December was “The Super Afrikaners” - the book that exposed the Broederbond back in 1978 . The secret organization that was pulling the strings behind the scenes of both church and state to dance to their agenda of Afrikaner Nationalism from 1948-1994. They were also the think tank that formulated the policies and implementation of Apartheid. What makes this hit even closer to home is the fact that the list of the 7500 active Broedersbond members in the book contains the name of my grandfather.

The thing I’ve found most interesting about the book was how it described the initial conception of Apartheid. Of course just the word Apartheid is enough to send shivers down the spine of most people (I suppose depending who you are, some Afrikaners still view it as “the good old days”) conjuring images like the Sharpeville protests and military response to township unrest. Images of Hendrik Verwoerd, which if you can akin Apartheid to Nazi Germany (not a very big leap), he would be Hitler. Post 1994 we have been programmed, and rightly so, to view Apartheid as bad.

But when Apartheid was conceived it was also called “separate development”. I was intrigued, I’ve never heard this name for Apartheid. Separate development? I started pondering. What if our country was equally divided between ethnic groups, each had their land and right to rule themselves independently. Would I want to live in that South Africa? I started pondering how Africa has been colonized and exploited by Europeans. How, going from monarchical/tribal governments to European-style governments, has given rise to corruption, further exploitation of minorities and wars. The sometimes tedious and frustrating process of building an integrated society and its inherent complications. Maybe separate development doesn’t sound that bad.

Now, I’m not agreeing with Apartheid and we all know that the land and power and just about everything else was not equally divided. And to even use the word “development” to explain anything that happened during Apartheid sounds like a bad joke. But for a moment I caught myself swallowing the bait of “separate development”. I asked myself why? Why does this sound like such a good idea?

I think it's just part of human nature. We want to belong. We want to care for our in group. We want to push the agenda and wellbeing of our group. A crime against my people is a crime against me. We don’t want to harm other groups until they encroach on the happiness of our group. In a way “separate development” is part of our DNA. The very reason for the existence of the Broederbond was because Afrikaners were economically and politically ruined after the Anglo-Boer wars. This was the reason my grandfather joined the Broederbond, after growing up impoverished and oppressed as an Afrikaner in a British colony.

So while continuing my reading, there was this battle within me. Do I really believe in “separate development”? Is this not the way forward for South Africa? The tug of war between my in-group allegiance and my Christian convictions finally started sliding the way of the latter a few chapters later. The chapter dealt with the way the Broederbond manipulated the Afrikaans churches to push the agenda of “separate development”. 

After the Afrikaans churches were excommunicated from the WCC (World council of churches) in 1963 for not opposing Apartheid, the Broederbond consulted two Theologians to conduct a Biblical study to plead the case for Apartheid, obviously both Broederbond members. One said that he didn’t want to continue the study after just a few months. The other presented his study months later, concluding that there is no Biblical basis for Apartheid and that it is heresy, with which he ended his membership to the Broederbond and Afrikaans church.

Consequently he was persecuted by the Broederbond, his name was Albert Geyser, he is probably one of the biggest unsung heroes of our nation. He led the exodus out of the Broederbond of men like Beyers Naude, Nico Smith and Johan Heyns. All these men fought the fight against Apartheid at the cost of their careers, reputations and some to the cost of their lives. The persecution they faced was all at the hands of their “Broeders”, their own people, their own blood. They saw something bigger than culture, than the warm fuzzy feeling of belonging to an in group, bigger than their own privilege and wellbeing, something they were willing to lay their lives on the line for, something transcending basic human nature.

What did they see?

I can’t be 100% sure what they saw but I’m almost 100% sure where they saw it. They saw it in the Bible. 

The Word of God. 

They did not find the idea of “separate development” attractive anymore. They did not buy the lie that this is the will of God anymore. Because they did not find it in the Bible. And neither do I. That pretty much settled it for me. I do not believe that “separate development” is Biblical. Separating yourself and your group from other groups to ensure your prosperity is highly unbiblical. The picture of heaven in Revelation 7:9 is one of integration of all people and languages, submitting themselves to God and worshipping together. 

God almost always shows up as the God of the oppressed in the Bible, we better humble ourselves and not cast ourselves in the role of the oppressor otherwise we will be at odds with God. And oh, how often the tables turn, in the history of our country first the Nguni tribes oppressed the San people, then the British oppressed natives and Afrikaners, then Afrikaners oppressed people of colour, who will be the next oppressor?

Who will be the next political party to fly the banner of “separate development”. Who will initiate the next Apartheid? Who is so angered by the wrongs done to them that they are willing to play God and seek revenge? Who can successfully foster the agenda of the biggest in group in our country and thereby gain influence? Currently the battlefront seems to be property rights. I believe finding a Godly solution to this question will be crucial to the vitality of our nation. So the question remains...

Are we still living in Apartheid? 

This is not a question of political dispensation, but rather one of personal disposition. Are we still living separate (apart) from other groups. Are we still exclusively concerned with our groups’ agenda? Have our hearts changed towards other groups? If not we are perpetuating Apartheid, we are willing its continued existence. 

I believe we have a choice.

Nelson Mandela also saw what all those Afrikaner dominees started seeing in 1963. But before he could see this he did the hard work of forgiving his oppressors. He also looked into the Word of God and he saw a God of forgiveness and redemption. He saw a rainbow nation, he saw people of different colours working together to form a beautiful symbiotic society. He saw us as the nation that God has designed us to be, not separate, but united. Not each seeking their own piece of heaven, but actually experiencing it in our unity and diversity. We need leadership like that. We need a government like that. We need churches like that. We need people like that. 

How do I become a person like that? 

I believe God is the creator and that He created every culture on earth. We are therefore to learn from each other. Each culture has inherent strengths. If we want to be a rainbow nation then we need to appreciate each other and learn from each other. We need humility. I want to challenge you to observe other cultures and learn from them. The big problem with “separate development” is that it is a sort of oxymoron, without integration our development will be very narrow, limited and lopsided. We need integrated development, learning from each other and enriching each other.

Here is today’s challenge. In the comments below, state your ethnic group and list a few things that your group is generally good at… Then list a few things that your group is generally bad at (we are learning humility), then complement another group on a few of their strengths, not their weaknesses (we are learning humility). Easy, I will go first.

Afrikaner

…we are good at organising, structure, persistent, very loyal, executionary strengths,

…we are tend to be individualistic, prideful, stubborn, overly authoritarian

Sotho people are good at doing community, sharing, very resourceful, great story tellers

An army of unsung heroes:

Anyone who knows me will know that I’m deeply passionate about racial reconciliation in South-Africa. We have a tainted past, but I believe that by the grace of God we have a bright future. But we must once again see and work towards that beautiful vision of a new South-Africa that Nelson Mandela showed us. And as much as we need a leader like him, full of humility and grace, we need the people of our country to believe again. We need an army of unsung heroes, people who will cross the racial divide with respect and care for the other.

Maybe I’m calling us to something that sounds impossible, but I still believe. I have two very good reasons to believe. Firstly I believe because I know such a leader. I have been following him for 13 years. He gave up a position of high privilege to live with filthy, undeserving people, to love and serve them. He healed the sick, gave wise council and mended broken hearts. But people still had hardened hearts towards him. They ended up conspiring against him and killing him. His name is Jesus and thankfully He rose from the dead, proving that He is God and now He offers forgiveness and He reconciles us with our Creator. I want to make it clear that my hope for our nation is deeply rooted in Christ.

Secondly I believe because I have seen the common people of our country working towards reconciliation. One of the most surprising but significant ways that this has happened in our country has been through domestic workers. My life has been deeply impacted by Sannie, our family’s domestic worker. Here is why... 

Every South-African is born into a world scarred by racism and we are handed a choice to walk towards reconciliation, or away from it on a daily basis. Many times this decision is strongly based on the representatives of other cultures in our immediate circles. For me this was our domestic worker, Sannie.

Pretoria, the city where I grew up, is still one of the least racially integrated cities in our country. In my younger years I didn’t know any black people except for Sannie. 

I was born in 1986 into a world at war. I was 7 years old when South-Africa had its first democratic election and its first black president, Nelson Mandela. During my formative years the atmosphere in our country between black and white was very tense. I remember some of my parents’ friends gathering non-perishables and growing increasingly tense as the April 1994 elections approached. I remember the fear in their eyes, bordering on paranoia, as they said “you never know what will happen”, implying that if black people were to take power of our country the white minority will have to “run for cover”. Because of the heroic leadership of Nelson Mandela these fears never became a reality, he himself setting the example of reconciliation. 

This was the world I was very familiar with growing up - it felt like racial tension was the undercurrent of my upbringing. So how did I end up in Mamelodi, a township with a 99,1% black population?

If the former was the world I knew, God in His wisdom placed a person in my life to show me a glimpse into the world that I didn’t know.My big counter argument to racism was never an ideology, but rather a person:  our domestic worker, Sannie.

“Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.”

Sannie, like Jesus, is the absolute personification of these words. Sannie is hard-working, loyal, honest, friendly, kind-hearted and selfless. She is a woman of incredible character, the type of character that you could gladly imitate. Growing up, whatever accusation or racist remark someone would make would always simply be defeated by the response, “But Sannie is not like that.” 

Over the years Sannie has shared in my family’ struggles and we have shared in hers, well at least to an extent. I remember when I was young, her husband would come home drunk and beat her until she gave him the money that she earned to take care of their two children, so that he could buy alcohol. My parents helped her to get a restraining order against him. 

Through knowing Sannie I got to see a glimpse into the world I know much better now - a world of poverty, domestic abuse, political oppression and social injustice. I got to see a glimpse into the world of the marginalized. Despite all of this I never felt the slightest bit of resentment or entitlement from her. I just saw an honorable woman, who lived her life simply and gratefully. Having Sannie in my life was God’s grace.

Today I realize the impact that she had on my life and I want to honor her and all the domestic workers who gave up the best years of their lives to serve white families. Most of you have learnt our language while we might have gone as far as to learn how to greet you in your language. Many of you, like Sannie, have gone way beyond the call of duty to serve us. You have held our best interest at heart and prayed for us, sometimes being pseudo-mothers in our households, working for minimum wage, while being disconnected from your own families and culture.

I want to say thank you and I want to honor you. You have been and are some of the most powerful yet unnoticed agents of reconciliation between black and white in our country. To me you are an army of unsung heroes, those that history might not speak of but whose names are known in heaven. 

If you have a similar story or want to honor your domestic worker, in the spirit of gratitude tell them how much you appreciate them and please post in the comments section below.

Love. Umlungu in Mamelodi.

The Umlungu has a name:

I've decided to write a blog about my experiences living in Mamelodi (a township east of Pretoria) as a white Afrikaans male. I'm want to humbly submit my voice to the ongoing racial discussion in our country and hopefully bring some understanding and perspective.

Firstly a bit of background about me. My name is Gerhard Jacobs, I'm an thirty-one year old Afrikaans white male. I grew up just outside of Pretoria, approximately 15kms from where I stay now. Despite the Geographical proximity my life growing up had almost nothing in common with Mamelodi, the way of life here or it's people.

My only experience growing up with a person of a different race was with our stay-in domestic worker, Sannie, and her family. I went to an white Primary school, white Secondary school, played on white sports teams, went to a white church, I think you get the picture. And even though there would be a person of another race in some of these circles, I've never had a meaningful friendship with a person of a different skin color until the age of thirty. And I know this to be true for most of my peers.

Let me clarify a few things. The reason why I didn't have any friends of a different race is not because I didn't want to. I just didn't have enough contact to people of other races. This didn't have anything to do with me or my parents being racist, well at least not consciously. I just realised that I have to be intentional about crossing the racial divide that our country's history implies. The problem is that Apartheid was never just a political system, but a social construct that is still alive and well in the people of our nation.

I'm more and more convinced that we as South-Africans don't understand each other. We don't see each other as people.

What if we could stop arguing about whether there is or is not a genocide on white farmers. And have compassion for the family that lost a father, a brother, a son because of one of these crimes. And bring the criminal to justice. What if we could stop feeling guilty or trying to justify what happened during Apartheid. And respond to the needs of a mother that is desperately trying to provide for her children but because of generations of poverty she is failing and it is making her hopeless.

What if we became people again. Better yet, friends. It's easy to respond with pride on social media. Its easy to throw accusations at a computer screen or a cellphone camera. But I believe we are better than that. I believe we are wiser than that. 

So here is my challenge to you. Make a friend, not an acquaintance, of another race and listen to their story, listen to what happened to them and how it made them feel, how it formed them. Try to understand their struggles and their hurts. Leave your ideologies at the door, leave your opinions and listen.

Here is what will happen. You will learn something, you will learn that your current perspective might be very warped. You will learn that your responses and replies might have been very prideful and presumptuous in the past. You will learn that you can not respond to a friend like you respond to a Facebook status. You will by God's grace learn to be humble.

I beg you, please be brave our nation and its people need you to learn these lessons now. We can not wait for a political party or a system to save us. We need to take responsibility for our hearts, our actions and our words. We need to humble ourselves before God and be intentional about building these bridges between races and cultures.

This entry turned out a bit different than I planned but I feel like this is a critical mind shift that we need to make to walk the road of reconciliation. In the rest of my entries I will be sharing about my friends and some of my experiences here in Mamelodi.

God bless.

Umlungu in Mamelodi.