Anton Kleinschmidt
In any discussion about the current political realities, it is necessary for white people to acknowledge that they were better off under apartheid than most black South Africans.
This realisation introduces a vital element of perspective to the debate, but it also glosses over an equally important issue that is becoming obscured by the passage of time.
I am referring to the attitude that many white people had towards the white nationalist apartheid regime.
As a white South African who lived through the worst years of apartheid, I despised the white nationalist government.
Let there be no doubt about the depth of my antipathy towards those who brought this country to the brink of civil war in which there would have been no winners.
Despite the fact that the circumstances of my life were perfectly normal by any reasonable measure, the politics of the day were deplorable.
That is my fundamental departure point when I consider what is happening around us today.
Most white people cannot lay claim to any real anti-apartheid activism, and our contribution to the Struggle was minimal. The vast majority of white South Africans simply carried on with their lives amid the deteriorating socio-political situation.
Those whites who chose to be more active in their anti-apartheid activities were treated with the same levels of state oppression as their black counterparts. For most whites, our only contribution was to support the political efforts of people like Helen Suzman and the DA in its various iterations.
That is the unvarnished truth, and for decades it seemed almost impossible to imagine a country freed from the politics of white nationalism.
Of singular importance to the history of this country was the referendum which took place more than 20 years ago. White people were asked for their support in moving South Africa away from apartheid towards true democracy.
Those white voters who participated in this referendum will recall the high levels of personal anxiety that prevailed within white communities in the build-up to the vote.
We were being asked to help create a society in which our personal well-being could be on the line. I am no expert of political history, but I do not think that any group of people has ever knowingly handed over political power to those who despise them.
In an act of genuine reconciliation, white people voted to create a democracy where we would almost certainly find ourselves at a political and economic disadvantage over time.
It is absolutely vital when debating our current political situation to remember that a majority of white South Africans voted to hand over power to the black people of this country. We did so in a state of deep apprehension on the basis that it was the right thing to do at that point in our history.
It is increasingly evident that many black politicians, columnists, bloggers and members of the black community are unaware of, or wilfully ignore, the realities of the genesis of democracy and the part played by white South Africans.
This handover of power should be the prescribed departure point for any debate about reconciliation and the future role of white people in South Africa. Of equal importance is the hope that the present government can actually start to govern effectively for the benefit of all South Africans. Personally, I would like nothing more than to see a reversal of the current destructive trends in all spheres of government.
This country desperately needs to see the existing administration succeed because it would be very foolhardy to imagine that there is sufficient strength within opposition parties to take over at national level. This is a pipe dream of the type favoured by politicians.
The ability to govern a province or two should not be conflated with national competence. Endless bickering about issues such as Employment Equity, Cadre Deployment and others, and their negative affect on good governance, serves no good purpose.
We need to openly interrogate why things are going so badly wrong.
What are the true reasons for the massive decline of performance at all levels of government? If we do not act soon, and with complete transparency, then we may well be headed for failed-nation status, from which recovery may prove to be impossible.
It would serve no purpose to produce yet another list of things that have gone wrong under the present government, other than to say that the list is long and growing.
I suspect that some people in government are well aware of the problems, but for political and personal career reasons, they are unwilling to admit the manifest shortcomings.
Such admission is a vital precursor to reversing current negative and deteriorating trends, but this requires a major change of attitude.
Admitting that you are out of your depth is never easy, but it can also be a catharsis which brings about renewal.
It would be the greatest of all national tragedies if history were to tell the world that the worst thing that whites ever did to the poor black people of South Africa was to hand over power to black political leaders when they voted “yes” all those years ago.