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