South Africa - Literally Going to the Trash
In 1990 Nelson Mandela was released from Robin Island Prison as most of us already know.
I was merely eight years old at the time.
I remember, I think, being at my aunt's house and seeing President F.
W.
de Klerk addressing the nation.
It as I have learnt was one of if not the most covered events by the media in history.
Myself, and many other South Africans were a bit concerned but excited at the same time - what was this man who my fore fathers threw in prison for fighting for the freedom of his people going to do to the elect ('white') people of this country? Anyway, the whole country now knew change was at hand.
And we braced ourselves.
In 1992 a referendum was held in which the 'white' people of our country voted to see whether or not amongst other things apartheid should be ended.
I remember my farther stealing political posters saying portraying a 'black' man made to look like a vicious criminal asking, stating to some effect -"Would You like them in your house?" and putting them on his walls.
He always had a keen interest for African Art - especially those made out of garbage by street children.
My mom hated it - I respected it.
Anyway, back to the facts.
The referendum resulted in over 60% according to Wikipedia of 'White' South Africans voting: 'Yes'.
So now all people of our nation were allowed to vote in elections and apartheid was over.
'Black' children entered 'white' schools, there was, as can be expected, fighting and bickering, Chris Hani was assassinated in 1993, and the country carried on fighting amongst itself.
But in 1994 Mandela was elected president to much ovation.
The new South Africa had begun.
He taught a lesson of forgiveness - Just like Christ - forget about the past it's over let us move ahead together.
And what a good president he was.
It is a sad thing that he served 27 years behind bars, and only had the energy to serve one term as president.
Since then although our economy has basically held its own, the ZAR I mean, this country has slowly, then steadily and now under President Zuma's rule rapidly gone to trash.
Food is much too expensive, we make our own oil and produce our own petrol yet the price of this is still relatively high.
The 'RDP' houses are falling apart, in some parts of our country our garbage does has not been collected for weeks, months, politicians steel from the coffers, murderers do walk the streets, people rape babies - as some sangoma's say it is a cure from AIDS.
We have one of the highest HIV/AIDS rates in the world, The mayor of Johannesburg: "The City of Gold" (Egoli) charging 'blacks' and 'whites' extremely high rates for electricity which do not even correspond to the electricity meter.
Drugs have become ever more prevalent, and even some of the 'black' people are questioning if we were not better of in apartheid.
If I had to write more about the corruption I would have to write a whole book, we are literally living in one of the most violent countries in the world.
It feels like a warzone.
To conclude then as Jesus said: 'A tree is judged by its fruits'.
Mandela was a good president, good results, who is our president now - and what are the results? What more must happen to this country until we all wake up, examine ourselves, and make a change before we are living in a truly third world country?
I was merely eight years old at the time.
I remember, I think, being at my aunt's house and seeing President F.
W.
de Klerk addressing the nation.
It as I have learnt was one of if not the most covered events by the media in history.
Myself, and many other South Africans were a bit concerned but excited at the same time - what was this man who my fore fathers threw in prison for fighting for the freedom of his people going to do to the elect ('white') people of this country? Anyway, the whole country now knew change was at hand.
And we braced ourselves.
In 1992 a referendum was held in which the 'white' people of our country voted to see whether or not amongst other things apartheid should be ended.
I remember my farther stealing political posters saying portraying a 'black' man made to look like a vicious criminal asking, stating to some effect -"Would You like them in your house?" and putting them on his walls.
He always had a keen interest for African Art - especially those made out of garbage by street children.
My mom hated it - I respected it.
Anyway, back to the facts.
The referendum resulted in over 60% according to Wikipedia of 'White' South Africans voting: 'Yes'.
So now all people of our nation were allowed to vote in elections and apartheid was over.
'Black' children entered 'white' schools, there was, as can be expected, fighting and bickering, Chris Hani was assassinated in 1993, and the country carried on fighting amongst itself.
But in 1994 Mandela was elected president to much ovation.
The new South Africa had begun.
He taught a lesson of forgiveness - Just like Christ - forget about the past it's over let us move ahead together.
And what a good president he was.
It is a sad thing that he served 27 years behind bars, and only had the energy to serve one term as president.
Since then although our economy has basically held its own, the ZAR I mean, this country has slowly, then steadily and now under President Zuma's rule rapidly gone to trash.
Food is much too expensive, we make our own oil and produce our own petrol yet the price of this is still relatively high.
The 'RDP' houses are falling apart, in some parts of our country our garbage does has not been collected for weeks, months, politicians steel from the coffers, murderers do walk the streets, people rape babies - as some sangoma's say it is a cure from AIDS.
We have one of the highest HIV/AIDS rates in the world, The mayor of Johannesburg: "The City of Gold" (Egoli) charging 'blacks' and 'whites' extremely high rates for electricity which do not even correspond to the electricity meter.
Drugs have become ever more prevalent, and even some of the 'black' people are questioning if we were not better of in apartheid.
If I had to write more about the corruption I would have to write a whole book, we are literally living in one of the most violent countries in the world.
It feels like a warzone.
To conclude then as Jesus said: 'A tree is judged by its fruits'.
Mandela was a good president, good results, who is our president now - and what are the results? What more must happen to this country until we all wake up, examine ourselves, and make a change before we are living in a truly third world country?
Source...