Introduction
When people think of South Africa they remember Apartied, Nelson Mandela, and Soweto Township. Although these places, names, and events are part of South Africa they are only a small part of what South Africa is today.
South Africa is still recovering (or discovering) itself from a history that includes extreme poverty, extreme racism, and extreme separation of peoples (Apartied). South Africa is a nation that continues to struggle with poverty and racism. Families still live in shantytowns with no electricity and running water. Most countries are much more developed than South Africa and South Africa needs all the help it can get to bring itself up to the standard of living of other countries.
State of Affairs
In his May 9th, 1994 inaugural speech Nelson Mandela alluded to the current conditions in South Africa. The African National Congress (ANC) had successfully become a major political force that had advocated for the end of Apartied. Although Apartied is officially over there remains a lot to be done to bring the standard of living up and equal to what whites had under partied. In his speech, Mandela mentioned that South Africa was moving forward with the goal that there would be equal protection for all citizens regardless of “color, gender, religion, political opinion, or sexual orientation”(Mandela, p1).
South Africa has major problems associated with severe poverty in its townships and inner cities, a rising crime rate, a high rate of HIV infection, and a high rate of children entering school not prepared to learn. It is these issues that South Africa needs to deal with to increase the standard of living of all people in South Africa.
In 1994 Nelson Mandela vowed to commit $800 million of the 94/95 budget to (Shepherd, 1-6):
- Free medical care for children under 6 and pregnant mothers in all state hospitals and clinics where such needs exist.
- A nutritional feeding scheme is to be implemented in every primary school where such a need is established.
- The electrification of 350,000 homes
- A public works program directed at unemployed youth.
Children
In South African slums and shantytowns, children grow up too fast. They often play the role of a parent lost to HIV and AIDS. Toys do not litter the floor of homes as they are not as important as food and clothing and so are not purchased. Children raised in poor townships and shantytowns enter school not ready, willing, or able to learn because their poor environment at home has not prepared them to enter school. These students often have language delays and have never played with toys. Children need such stimulation to grow and develop properly.
If South Africa does not address these issues their next generation of workers will be underprepared for the workforce. These future adults will not be ready to work in small, medium, or micro-enterprises. They certainly will not be ready to be entrepreneurs themselves.
In South Africa, a new type of library has opened in many townships and shantytowns: toy libraries. Most of these libraries are located in community centers that also test for HIV AIDS, run educational programs, and distribute much-needed food. The Government, local businesses, and charity organizations donate money to buy new toys, distribute donated old toys, and collect children’s books to stock bookshelves in the toy libraries. In community centers, these toy libraries bring joy and hope to poverty-stricken children and their families. It is hoped that toys, books, or puzzles borrowed by families will help these poor children to enter school ready, willing, and able to learn. South Africa’s future success depends on this.
Rebuilding and Renewal
There are those in South Africa that are working hard to rebuild and renew the country. During Apartied the cities were off-limits to blacks and colored people. These people typically were allowed to work in the cities during the day but had to leave the cities after work. After Apartied the cities opened up to those of color. Because there was such an economic difference between the two classes of people poverty followed the poorer people into the cities. Neighborhoods once restricted to whites were opened up to people of color. Some of these neighborhoods took on many characteristics of the townships or shantytowns. Those tasked with improving the state of affairs in South Africa continue to have a big job ahead of them.
Currently, the government is continuing the redistribution of land back to its former owners before Apartied. Many whites have expressed concerns that the country will end up with the same types of problems found in Zimbabwe (South Africa, p1). The whites fear land seizures and agricultural collapse (South Africa, p1). South Africa did experience a “white exodus” when Apartied was over. Those that stayed on fear the land seizures.
In Johannesburg, the government and individual developers are making a concerted effort to reclaim and refurbish old structures. Ponte City was a wealthy community found in the tallest apartment building in Africa. The building is built like a cylinder with the core open to the sky above. At one point in the history of this building, it was better known for the crime wave that swept through it. Criminals had control of the building with gangs extorting money from businesses and residents. They had to pay to enter their business or apartment. Apartment owners couldn’t get residents to pay their rent and the place was so crime-ridden that they refused to enter the building to collect rents.
The building that is Ponte City has been stripped, cleaned, and rebuilt. Many apartments were sold the first day the building was open for occupancy. South Africans Nour Adding Ayyoub and co-developer David Selvan have put great effort into restoring the structure to its original beauty and functions. When they finish they will have commercial enterprises on the lower levels and apartments on the upper levels. The government has begun reclaiming and restoring the neighborhood around the structure. This represents a great success for the developers restoring the 54 storied building and the government restoring the local neighborhood.
Basic Services
In South Africa, many are not receiving basic services found throughout the industrially developed world. When people think of townships they think of Soweto. Soweto is a township on the outskirts of Johannesburg. It is a township without all the economic hardships of the other townships. In short, Soweto is a bad example of what townships are in South Africa. Townships are unique to South Africa. As stated earlier, people of color were not permitted to live in the cities. But, they worked there and retreated to the townships at night after work. Townships popped up near diamond mines and other businesses that required a large labor force. The idea behind townships was to house men who worked, such as in mines, during the day and sheltered in dormitory-style homes after work. The townships have become poorly designed cities for the poor. Many of those who live in the townships still do not have electricity or plumbing in their homes. Some homes are illegally connected to power sources but most are not. Townships are also filled with crime, HIV AIDS, and despair. Townships report unemployment rates of 50%, HIV AIDS rates between 30-50% of the population (McAllister, p3), and a high crime rate. It certainly would be depressing to live there.
Conclusion
The state of affairs in South Africa has changed much since the end of Apartied. But South Africa still has a long way to go to improve the overall outlook for the country and its people. The country should certainly invest in its future by investing in its children. All children deserve to have an environment that is nurturing and stimulating to assure that all children are ready, willing, and able to perform well in school. This would require that the government fund programs for children as well as solicit donations from businesses that make money using the labor of those from poor townships. Funding for feeding schemes needs to begin much earlier for children. Children grow and develop so much during the first five years of life. Malnutrition during this time period in life cannot be corrected by feeding schemes begun in primary school.
One of the biggest problems in the townships is the HIV AIDS rate. The government, and local businesses that employ residents of townships, should invest in a program that will lower, if not eliminate, HIV AIDS from the townships. The current effort to address the HIV AIDS problem is grossly ineffective. Many children are being raised by extended families because of the loss of parents to HIV AIDS.
With unemployment, at around 50% within the townships, there should be some type of intervention program to either provide jobs to the unemployed or train the unemployed for current jobs that lack qualified candidates for employment. There needs to be a concerted effort to educated people that suffer from severe poverty. Handouts are not the answer because come tomorrow those same people will be back for more. There needs to be a study of what jobs are available, the education required to hold those jobs, and the availability of a trainable workforce. And, finally, those individuals should be trained or educated to hold professional positions available.
Works Cited
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