Life in South Africa
TIME TO GO HOME
2/09/2000
Saturday 2 September 2000. The final day of South Africa's first conference on racism, nominally hosted by our Human Rights Commission (HRC). In reality just another opportunity for the ruling ANC party to spew its racist filth. White South Africans have once again been accused of being racist, of failing to grasp the Rainbow Nation concept, of wanting to isolate themselves from the rest of South Africa.
Well so be it! Why is it that white South Africans should be subjected to this diatribe day after day after day? Why should we be forced to pay the salaries of those who continue to berate us, who live in virtually the only functioning democracy left in Africa, drive luxury vehicles, only fly first class and quaff Cuban cigars while championing the cause of "the poorest of the poor".
Some white South Africans have offered tearful apologies for all the hurt they have caused their (black) fellow South Africans. Well I'm sorry too. I'm sorry about working for starvation wages so that some poor black bastard can work three days a week, drive a BMW and chat on his cellphone all day long. I'm sorry about my part in building schools and universities so that poor black children can further their education. I'm sorry for my part in building hospitals so that black people could live longer and healthier lives. I'm sorry for my part in contributing to the South African economy so that Minister's wives can drive around in the style poor black South Africans ("our people" hahahahahahahaha!) can scarcely imagine.
Why should this be? My ancestors are English, my outlook is English and my home language is English. I am never going to get used to the idea of slaughtering goats for the ancestors, making fires in my room, raping my grandmother or stealing my neighbour's TV. Why don't I have a right to live in my spiritual home? If thousands of people of Asian and African descent can be allowed to call themselves British, why can't thousands of whites of British descent?
Urban legend has it that there are 500 000 South Africans living in London alone. Those still here with an ancestral visa are regarded with awe by those of us condemned to live out our days in Thaboland. Those without sneak around England doing odd jobs until caught out and sent back. Websites tell us how to get into England and stay there.
This is all kak. If England can offer millions of pounds to resettle millions of landless black Zimbabweans on land thet didn't occupy in the first place, why can't she offer millions of pounds to resettle the descendants of the colonists who helped make it into the world's greatest empire?
The honeymoon's over!
On the capture of
wild dolphins
So Mandela's
gone: What Now?
When is Racism Racism
?
The Politics of
Poverty
On feminism
The Beauty of Cricket
Port Elizabeth
More topics ...
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