An Opinion: A Brief Look at Post-Apartheid South Africa

9th February 2010

An Opinion: A Brief Look at Post-Apartheid South Africa

Last Tuesday, South Africa celebrated the 20^th anniversary of then-President FW de Klerk’s announcement, given during the opening of Parliament, that the ban on political organisations such as the ANC, the South African Communist Party, and the Pan-Africanist Congress would be lifted. FW de Klerk had been in office for only five months when he made the announcement which shocked not only South Africa, but the entire world. The announcement of the end of apartheid was followed a few days later by the release of Nelson Mandela from Victor Verster Prison. The lifting of the ban was immediately clear for all to see, with crowds waving ANC flags gathering along the Grand Parade and in Greenmarket Square that very same afternoon. Whilst de Klerk’s lifting of the ban, by his own admission, threw the country into a state of uncertainty, it was undoubtedly a momentous occasion for South Africa.

Indeed, until the early 1990s, discrimination was ingrained in South Africa’s laws and regulations, and human rights abuses were widespread. The abolishment of apartheid led to the holding of free and fair general elections based on universal suffrage, as well as the enactment of a liberal constitution, which affirmed the principles of human dignity, equality and freedom, and entrenched the prohibition of discrimination on any grounds. A Constitutional Court and a Human Rights Commission were also set up, whilst the government also established a Truth and Reconciliation Commission to investigate human rights abuses which had allegedly taken place during the apartheid era. Whilst this clearly highlights a certain commitment to the upholding of human rights by the South African government, this commitment has been questioned as a result of South Africa’s stance with regard to human rights violations by other states. Indeed, in 2007, in what Archbishop Desmond Tutu referred to as a betrayal of South Africa’s ‘noble past’, South Africa voted against a proposed UN Security Council Resolution calling on the Myanmar government to end human rights and humanitarian law violations, and to begin a political dialogue that would lead to a genuine democratic transition. Similarly, South Africa has been criticised as a result of its refusal to address or respond to the Mugabe’s Government’s alleged violation of human rights in Zimbabwe.

Furthermore, whilst South Africa’s economy has made great strides, the gap between rich and poor has continued to widen, with around 50% of the population living under the poverty line. The burden therefore falls on the South African government to address the increasing poverty levels and the social inequalities present in South Africa. Furthermore, in a country which has around 5.7 million people living with HIV/AIDS, making it the country with the biggest HIV/AIDS population in the world, it is clear that this should remain a priority. Indeed, Jacob Zuma’s policy with regard to HIV/AIDS should definitely be commended as marking a clear departure from that of his predecessor, Thabo Mbeki, who apart from refusing to accept free Anti-Retro Virals and grants to treat AIDS, also questioned the link between HIV and AIDS. South Africa should continue to enhance its position in the fight against HIV/AIDS, perhaps to the point of becoming a leader for the developing world.

Whilst the struggle against apartheid was won twenty years ago, and indeed South Africa has made enormous progress over the last twenty years, we must not forget that the anti-apartheid struggle has now been replaced by other struggles, namely struggles against other inequalities, poverty and AIDS. By no means are these easy tasks, but then certainly neither was the fight against apartheid?