I think many would agree that still to this day we continue to see the workings of racism and inequality in the United States. Even though laws have been passed and documents have been signed, we still are faced with the reality of disparity occurring in our country. How is this reality defined and described in our society? Is it job opportunities, living conditions or education? Personally, I think we still see inequality in all aspects of living whether that is within gender or the color of our skin. I believe this honest statement was truly influenced by what we have experienced in South Africa thus far. Having grown up in a very sheltered, educational and privileged neighborhood/ schooling system, I was led to believe that racism, inequality and the affects of the civil rights were long behind us. Since being here in this very country I have realized that the past continues to haunt the future. I have learned that it will take much more then governmental laws and time to cure the inequalities occurring all throughout the world.
It was Tuesday January 11th and we were spending our last view days in Cape Town. We began our day by visiting the township of Zwelithe. As with many of the other townships, we were amazed by the poverty and living conditions the people were experiencing. These townships were filled with homes the size of small garages, having little to no running water or electricity. And yet we were welcomed with smiling faces of children and teachers as we entered the local crèche (school) of Nomzamo. During our time at Nomzamo, we were able to play and interact with the children ranging from ages 0 to 5. As soon as we arrived everyone in the small school embraced us. They were truly appreciative that we had come to spend the day with the children. Initially, I thought the purpose of going to the school was to provide aid to them and yet I quickly discovered they were teaching us simultaneously. Within the short period of time we were there, I not only learned songs, dances, games but also an idea of what it was like to live in this very township through the relationships I formed with the children. They weren’t shy or afraid to let us in as Americans. Already, the children were becoming very comfortable with us. We were happily overwhelmed by the hugging, hand holding, and picture taking throughout our time in Zwelithe. As a class we provided them hotdogs, juice and cookies for lunch and after we were taken on a short walking tour of Zwelithe. It was here we saw the poverty magnified. The roads were made of dirt, the house walls were made of tin, stray dogs were walking the streets, trash was disposed everywhere, children were walking around without proper shoes and clothing, and houses were literally the size of what many would use for a bathroom. However, the township of Zwelithe couldn’t help but be hopeful and proud of what they had accomplished since the ending of apartheid. They weren’t only proud of what they had, but excited for the future and plans they had made for the place they called home. They looked beyond the physical and tangible characteristics of their townships.
As a class we left Zwelithe and drove off for Hermanus. Within a mile of leaving Zwelithe, the view from our bus windows drastically changed. I now was looking at beautiful homes, easily 20 times larger then the small shanty houses that we saw in the township minutes before. The houses were not only fully equipped with cars and amazing views of the ocean, but were surrounded by large walls and gates. Ironically enough, amongst the beauty and wealth, I felt so much less welcomed compared to when I walked into the crèche of Nomzamo. I can explicitly remember listening to our tour guide Calvin when he said that the wealthy community put up these large walls as a way to protect themselves from the townships. It was their way of not having to see the poverty and lifestyle the townships were living under. I think we all can put the pieces together as to who is living in these townships and the ones living in the wealthy upper class communities. The only hint I can offer you is, think back to the apartheid times.
It was between Zwelithe and Hermanus we saw the drastic contrast. In one area you have people living in severe poverty and others living high-class only miles away. This brings we back the idea of the past still continuing to haunt our present and future. Does apartheid still exist? It may not be legal or be controlled by a government, but in many ways it still does. How else do you explain the extreme difference in lifestyles of the blacks and colors compared to whites in many aspects of the country? Just as I had thought the affects of the civil rights was over and done with, I had similar assumptions that I would be coming to South Africa to see a “rainbow nation,” described as Nelson Mandela’s vision in “Chasing the Rainbow”. I truly believed I would be coming to learn about the apartheid as something of the past but not something of the present right in front of me.
As we spend our days in Johannesburg, I continue to see this trend of present day apartheid, especially in education. With the Adopt-a-student program, we have spent one day visiting the primary school of Ekukhanyisweni in Alexandra. We are currently struggling to decide what to buy the children whether that is uniforms or school supplies. We want to be able to provide them with everything they need, but with a minimal budget we must make conscious decisions as to what is the most important. These schools are filled with overcrowded classrooms, lacking necessary school supplies and resources needed to properly teach children. But I can’t help but think back to our time in Cape Town when we visited the World Cup Stadium. It was here we learned that the country borrowed money from outside areas to build the World Cup Stadium. Currently the country is in debt. Again we see this drastic contrast in wealth and its secondary affect on education. It’s amazing to think how the billions of dollars spent on a stadium that was used for one game and practices could have been used elsewhere in the country that truly needed the help. That very money that put the country in debt could have been used in the townships or schools we visited. I think what we have seen so far only goes to show that South Africa has a long way to go, as does the rest of the world. apartheid may not legally exist, but it continues to shape the way of life in this country. We still continue to see this segregation and contrast in wealth between those living in the townships and those living in the cities. When will the ideas of apartheid seize to linger in society today?
9 Responses to Zwelithe and Hermanus- Does Apartheid Persist? by Melinda Kunze