By Brittany Armstead
For many South Africans colored and blacks alike, post apartheid has been incredibly disheartening in terms of equality. Ranked as second and third class citizens, many South Africans find themselves still treated under the same harsh conditions as past apartheid policies. These categories created a class of invisible people who suffer from a lack of education, health, and most importantly opportunities that allow for social mobility. Today in South Africa, similar to many other places in the world, the color of your skin unconsciously defines who you are and what opportunities will be presented to you. Additionally, these circumstances create a world in which the conditions of your life are not within one’s control. The color of your skin as well as your parents, economic opportunities and other defining circumstances under which you are born either create more obstacles in the way of success or serve success on a silver platter. Unfortunately, both are not within human control. Health in South Africa has become more of a privilege instead of a basic human right for many people. The conditions in which children and women are living in are unbearable and as the government struggles to better these conditions, health continues to diminish. As people wait for better conditions, it becomes very clear that many things are out of their control.On a class trip to the township Longa it was discovered that many black South Africans are living in subpar housing. During apartheid South Africans were separated by the color of their skin as well as their ancestry. Officials used brown paper bags to distinguish how “black” you were or the pencil test which told how nappy your hair was. These conditions were exasperated during the harshest years of apartheid and have continued to linger on well after its ending in 1994. During the tour, a number of homes lacked clean running water, adequate restroom facilities and other healthy living conditions. Under these living conditions it is impossible to give children the fighting chance they need to prosper. In “A Bed Called Home” the effects of living in a township were examined and its lasting effects brought to light. The copping mechanisms used within “A Bed Called Home,” especially the alcoholism are all conditions of poor quality of life and unhealthy conditions. Unfortunately as a human race we are unable to choose under what conditions we are born. The children who face these conditions have no control over their situations and unfortunately are left to maneuver their life to the best of their ability.However horrid the conditions, it was uplifting to find the children, the population which suffers the most, with smiles on their face. The government is now working to create better living conditions for the people but with huge corruption in terms of funding and the lack of adequate leadership, the building of many of these new homes is very slow. Until the homes are built, the lives of many of the children will continue to be the same. It is undeniable that the conditions in Longa need to be improved and that the remnants of apartheid are still causing many problems for colored and blacks alike. In a discussion with Noor, many former residents of District Six are now waiting on a list to regain land in their former homes. How incredibly ironic is it to now have to wait on a list for the government to return your home, when less than 30 years ago you watched the same government remove and destroy your home. The situation is unfair to all those disadvantaged peoples involved, as they die waiting for their land to be returned to them and better living conditions to be given.The South African Constitution in Article 28 states that health should be required for all, but unfortunately the government is not meeting its own standards. The living conditions that foster development in terms of quality of life, success in education as well as other important necessities are not granted to the people. The ANC continues to make promises that it is unable to deliver, leaving many frustrated. People should not be left to live under the conditions especially since research shows that a good quality of life, which includes quality health as its foundation, is necessary for a long prosperous life. The government of South Africa must continue to work for the betterment of its people while also healing the wounds left behind by apartheid.
