South Africa

South Africa; A Lost Cause?

“Today South Africa is not for the faint-hearted. Everything is in flux and nothing is certain. But a new, better-educated and less racially obsessed generation is coming through.” The Economist. This is a special report on South Africa and can be found in the June 5th-11th issue of The Economist. A list of sources can be found at Economist.com/specialreports.
“Since embracing full democracy 16 years ago, South Africa has made huge strides, but not everything has changed for the better.” (Geddes, 3). Once arriving in South Africa’s airport, Africa’s first high speed rail link, the Gautrain, will transport passengers to the city. One might be astonished of this developing country from the surface. Infrastructure, including hotels, restaurants, sports stadiums, and hospitals in Johannesburg are among the world’s finest. South Africa even attracted the 2010 FIFA World Cup, the world’s biggest sports tournament. While much progress has been made in certain sectors of South Africa’s economy, many new problems have formed, while existing ones have escalated or have gone untreated.
During the apartheid era, whites were deemed superior to blacks. The blacks were severally under-privileged. The politicians that ran South Africa were all white. Blacks were seen as servants, and had to use different restaurants, residences, hospitals, schools, and beaches. In 1996, new constitution was passed peacefully, guaranteeing equal protection and opportunity under law, regardless of color. Nowadays things have swayed in the opposite direction; most South African politicians are black, and many whites are disappointed at the lack of political power. “Yet many whites no longer feel entirely at home in a country ruled for the past 16 years by a single all powerful black-majority party that looks to remain in office for the foreseeable future-“until Jesus comes(Zuma,4)”The Economist. Can South Africa fulfill Nelson Mandela’s dream of becoming a... [continues]

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