Racist Attacks Cloud S. Africa’s ‘Rainbow’ Ideal

A black teenager in northern South Africa is beaten to death by nine white men while trespassing on private land.

A white drama professor is shot and wounded by a black student demanding the staging of African rather than European productions. White farmers vow to defend themselves in the wake of a spate of slayings allegedly committed by blacks.

And a white Cape Town rap artist faces possible criminal charges for advocating hatred on a recording in which he hurls expletives and racial epithets at former President Nelson Mandela and Thabo Mbeki, the current president.

For some, these acts of violence and discrimination are isolated cases of frustration boiling over. But other South Africans believe that a recent series of hate crimes indicates a rise in racial tension and intolerance.

Whether or not they are simply offshoots of South Africa’s overall crime problem, they represent a setback to the country’s struggle to rid itself of the legacy of apartheid.

“They are hate crimes perpetuated by people who are just in denial and don’t want to accept that we are in a new dispensation,” said Pansy Tlakula, an equal opportunity commissioner at the South African Human Rights Commission. “But the real challenge that we have is to tackle more covert, subtle types of racism--institutionalized racism.”

Observers acknowledge that there has been overall progress toward racial tolerance since the black majority took power seven years ago.

“After the elections in 1994, different population groups were much closer and had a far more united view of what the future would hold,” said Mari Harris, director of Markinor, a market research group.

Themba Sono, president of the South African Institute of Race Relations, said people were excited by Mandela’s concept of a multicultural “rainbow nation.”

Today there is more social mixing of different groups, at least among the upper class and young people. For many, there is a political correctness regarding race. And South Africans seem to have a stronger sense of national identity.

But recent surveys indicate a deterioration in the feeling of unity. Differences that were glossed over for the sake of a smooth transition of power are reemerging.

A poll taken last year by the Institute for Democracy in South Africa, or IDASA, showed that whites had the least desire of any racial group to create a united South Africa. A study by Markinor found that whites and Indians were experiencing a greater sense of alienation.

Previously among South Africa’s more privileged, these groups now are feeling disadvantaged, particularly when it comes to jobs and promotions.

“There is an increasing perception among whites that their growth is economically deprived relative to other groups, that they are treated unfairly by the government and have little influence over the government,” said Sean Jacobs, a political researcher at IDASA.

Harris added that the expectations of blacks haven’t been met either. Huge discrepancies still exist in jobs, housing and education. “They might not necessarily blame the government for it, but they may feel the white population is opposed to change,” she said.

Some analysts say these frustrations encourage racism. Others accuse the government of fanning the flames.

Since succeeding Mandela in 1999, Mbeki has spoken more forcefully about socioeconomic inequalities and has described South Africa as “two nations.” He has challenged whites, who still hold the reins of economic power and privilege, to confront their past and join the “offensive against racism.”

Government supporters say that Mbeki was merely telling it as it is and that the truth often hurts.

“This is the character of our society,” said Smuts Ngonyama, spokesman for the ruling African National Congress. “If we close our eyes to these things, they will come back to haunt us. We have to address this in order to understand the challenges we face.”

Critics say Mbeki’s approach leaves whites feeling besieged.

“Under Mandela, we succeeded in dealing with the concept of the rainbow nation. That was successful as a founding myth to draw us through the first phase of our democracy,” said Jacobs, the IDASA researcher. “It helped us to prevent a civil war and a white exodus. It was needed to a certain extent. The Mbeki approach has failed because of the mode of delivery and the lack of nuances.”

Tony Leon, leader of the political opposition, argues that Mbeki has used the race issue as an “escape hatch” to divert attention from the shortcomings of his administration.

In recent months, however, Mbeki has eased up. He has praised whites for their contribution to the economy, encouraged all South Africans “to follow their good example” and called on the nation “to unite in action for change.”

Mbeki’s supporters cite numerous cases of intolerance, discrimination and hate crimes.

Last year, South Africans were horrified by video images of three black men being mauled by police dogs while six white officers laughed, cheered and beat the victims.

Northern Province, known for its high number of Afrikaner extremists, has in recent months been the center of several racially motivated attacks.

One man, Mosoko Rampuru, died after being dragged behind a pickup truck for more than three miles by his employer, who was subsequently arrested.

A white farmer and his son were detained for allegedly locking up their black domestic workers for four days without food. In the same week, the daughter of a right-wing politician appeared in court for allegedly stripping a black woman naked to check if she had stolen a piece of meat from the butcher shop where she worked.

In March, the killing of 17-year-old Tshepo Matloha, who was caught poaching on a white-owned farm, galvanized the nation. The suspects, nine members of a rugby club, allegedly beat Matloha to death before attaching an iron gatepost to his body and dumping him into a crocodile-infested lake.

The attackers, said Tlakula, the equal opportunity commissioner, are “people trapped in the past--people who think that by doing this kind of thing, they are making a statement about what they think and what they stand for.”

The only two of the nine who have requested bail so far have been denied.

Northern Province Premier Ngoako Ramatlhodi condemned the killing and called for a review of laws against racism.

But government opponents such as Leon, leader of the Democratic Alliance, accuse ruling party politicians of exploiting the race card for political gain.

“Anyone who commits a crime of which proven racism is an element deserves exemplary punishment,” Leon said recently. “Where it is proven, racism should be a factor in aggravation of sentencing. But for politicians to tear off the thin scab of reconciliation by shouting racism and revenge on each occasion that there is a crime in which there is a black victim and a white accused is doubly dangerous.”

Leon said racial incidents must be isolated and dealt with individually.

The government has imposed a moratorium until later this year on reporting crime statistics so that it can reorganize how the data are collected and evaluated.

Although anecdotal evidence suggests that whites attack blacks more often, whites feel equally victimized, if not more so.

White farmers have recently been the targets of many attacks, and some have been killed. Some agricultural groups believe that the killings are an organized drive to force farmers to share or relinquish land to blacks. They demand that the government do more to stop the attacks, and some of the militant among them are threatening to take up arms to defend themselves.

“It is our right to be protected by government; it is not a privilege,” Werner Weber, chairman of Action: Stop Farm Attacks, said recently.

Despite the setbacks in race relations, many South Africans believe they should be given credit for the progress they have made. The black government is cementing majority rule while putting in place the constitutional and legislative framework to ensure equal rights.

Political leaders say only time will mend the racial schisms created by apartheid.

“We still have pockets of people with manifestations of racism,” said Ngonyama, the ANC official. “It is indeed expected. We can’t expect these things to stop overnight.”