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Siphesihle Zwane, Durban, South Africa I remember the collapse of apartheid being one of the scariest events of my life - not knowing what to expect! The fear proved unfounded, with the two days of voting being the first two days I could remember without any incidents of faction fighting. I voted for the NP - they after all were the initialisers of the wheel of change. Life has greatly changed in SA in the last 10 years, mostly for the better, but the tremendous increase in the crime rate and the governments apparent inability to control this is leading to our people (like me) taking their families leaving the homes and people they love - all due to crime - in search of a more peaceful future for our children. As a Zimbabwean I see the writing is on the wall for South Africa. The liberals in Europe have no idea what democracy in Africa is actually all about. We Zimbabweans used to laugh at Zambia, just as the South Africans now laugh at us! It is very sad.
The majority of crime victims in South Africa have mostly been the majority blacks (from apartheid crime to general crime). One or two incidents against a white citizen...the horns are blown beyond proportion, with TV cameras and international media coverage! Crime is a risk faced by anyone, anywhere. The risks are almost the same whether you are in NY, London or Johannesburg. I am studying and going back as soon as I finish. Lets go back home and stop the brain drain...our country needs us. We are causing unnecessary congestion for other countries. South Africa is going the way of Mexico with one party rule. This leads ultimately to complacency and inertia. I am a Greek South African, who has been living in Athens for two years. But, I am returning to South Africa next week, because my time away has made me realise how much I had left behind. This successful election, only strengthens my view that I am returning to the best country in the world, a proud South African. Whenever I feel cynical about modern democracy, I stop, think of South Africa and smile. There's always hope. Wow! What an amazing event the end of the apartheid was. I would have been only eleven years old at the time but I still remember vividly, pictures on TV of whites and blacks holding hands raised high. Ten years on, I applaud people like Nelson Mandela and FW de Klerk who, through their perseverance, courage and willingness to look beyond past prejudices and injustices, were instrumental in bringing about change. Obviously, the road ahead won't be an easy one, but may these values continue to be held high as South Africans work together for a better South Africa. Our hopes and prayers are with you in this next phase. The dreams of 1994 lives. The foundation is solid, we are not going back. South Africa enters her second decade of freedom with confidence. We will succeed. The future looks bright and success is certain
Mark, Vienna, Austria Everybody seems to be praising South African democracy. However, I've never heard of a truly mature democratic system where the ruling party gets over two-thirds of the popular vote whereas the largest opposition party barely gets 16 % ! South Africa will not be a full-fledged democracy until a credible political opposition emerges to represent a real alternative to the government of the day and hold that government accountable. If predictions of a ANC sweep are confirmed, I'm afraid South Africa will be one step closer to becoming a one-party state like so many other failed republics in the African continent. Having a vote IS empowerment. The whole basis of democracy is founded upon it. The ANC has had massive hurdles to clear from the outset of their government, including issues related to HIV, housing, unemployment and crime. Significant progress has been made in all these areas. Leadership is only truly leadership when real challenge exists. Well done SA. Many things have improved in the country since 1994. This is not all due to the government but often due to the influence of big business. The government is severely inept and the country is being held together by overseas investors and big business. Corruption, crime, massive unemployment, ignorance with regard to HIV/AIDS and huge chasms between rich and poor are massive issues that are just not being addressed. The ANC was the only option after the previous government but it is time for a change. With a two thirds majority the ANC can now change the constitution and turn the country into more of a dictatorship (see Zimbabwe!) Yesterday was a truly wonderful day. I went around to the varying polling stations around Cape Town and found an elated sense of celebration. All those doomsayers who compare SA to Zimbabwe will find if they ever come here: a free and critical press, parties free to campaign and a patriotic and loving people who are determined to make our democracy work.
I cannot though, as much as I love South Africa (and I do go back at least once a year to see family, who have been burgled 3 times last year I might add), go back in the state that it is in now, with a president that does not believe that AIDS comes from HIV, crime as it is and no opportunities for employment. His silence on Zimbabwe and the fact that they will get a two thirds majority after this election which means they will be able to change the constitution, tells me that SA land owners also better be careful. Mbeki and ANC victory in the just ended elections is clearly a symbol of confidence of the people of South Africa on the ongoing reform done since the end of apartheid system in the country. South African people remember what ANC did since the struggle for liberation of their land from the yoke of segregation, brutal harassment and massive killings of the black community in their own land. Having recently completed a study on hollow democracy in South Africa, I wonder if enough people realize how little check there is on the executive branch of the South African government? I wish only good for this country with the dream constitution... including a functioning and critical opposition. I am a 14-year old Canadian boy. I am constantly studying South Africa, overjoyed by how nice a country it is. If this is any testament to how good life in South Africa must now be, I plan to move there when I finish university.
Manuel Adamu, Baney, Equatorial Guinea I have never had the opportunity to express my democratic right to vote in South Africa as I was too young to vote in the first elections and have now been denied my vote twice as I have been abroad. I wish one day South Africa will be truly a democratic country where all its citizens will be able to vote and racially equality will be truly fair. I have never ever voted for a government in my country and the reason I had to leave my country was because I am now been penalized for being white and affirmative actions hinders my job prospect. Although life can be very testing at times here, the great thing is there is so much opportunity to make a difference. And I am proud to be living in a non-aligned country with a human-rights laden constitution. Viva South Africa! To all the complainants in the many emails from abroad. Don't sit whining about no vote in the coffee bars of foreign lands. You want to vote, come home and vote. In other words, put up or shut up. The people of South Africa should be an inspiration to all those people in the "established" democracies of the West who cannot be bothered to vote. Shame on us. I assume this election will be another huge victory for the ANC. I have to wonder, if one party wins huge majorities over and over again, is democracy really taking root? I wish SA all the luck in the world, but there should be effective and peaceful opposition parties somewhere in this equation.
John, Cape Town, South Africa The large turnout has proven that apartheid in South Africa is dead and buried. It has shown that if given the chance people will take part in choosing their leaders and future. I am a white living in South Africa. I disagree with the negative (and somewhat bitter) comments by some ex-South Africans about life here. The country is not crumbling. We are not about to follow Zimbabwe's route. South Africa has a great future, for all its people. Come home and see for yourself what a wonderful country we are building for ourselves. Well done South Africans for another peaceful election. I am saddened that as many herald the great new South Africa, I was unable to vote today, my right as a citizen and South African, because I was not in the country. A tragedy that even though I attempted to register or make arrangements to vote at an embassy abroad I was told by an official in SA 'if you are not in the country, no vote'. Huge changes like that of South Africa give me hope in humanity, and make me see a chance for other seemingly unsolvable conflicts such as Palestine and Israel. It should be a precedent to wave in front of them! Congratulations to the rainbow nation. Remember, every time you're voting you are celebrating the fall of apartheid... I voted this morning in a quiet Cape Town suburb with my Mom, Dad, brother and sister. I watched Presidents Mbeki and Mandela voting when I woke up, and shook with anger and euphoria when I remembered that, like my father, this was only the third time they had voted. I was too young to vote in 1994, and in 1999 I voted in London because I was on a working holiday there at the time. I cried most of the day because I missed home so much. The past ten years have been incredible. Incredibly tumultuous and incredibly scary for some no doubt, but here we are ten years later, most of us still smiling. What a country we live in. Today I want to salute my fellow South Africans, and all the British and other foreign South Africa fans who have so lovingly embraced our country's miracle and offered their support and good wishes. We're going to prove all the naysayers so wrong.
James Miller, Harlow, UK South Africa is heading the right way. Everyone is now has the right to vote and free to express his/her own views in an election. However, the fight against crime and Aids pandemic remains the challenge for any leader who will win this election. All South African should unite to fight these two obstacles the same way the freedom fighters united to end apartheid. Tributes paid to former president Madiba. Congratulations for leading a great country out of apartheid without war. Thanks for forgiving those who did not know what they were doing when incarcerating you. South Africa's transition from Apartheid to democracy has been miraculous. Nelson Mandela more than anyone else deserves credit for this. However, South Africa is becoming more and more of a one party state. I have a lingering fear that, given time, it will go the way of Zimbabwe. I am a South African and have been in London now for 2 months. It saddens me greatly that I am not allowed to vote. So many South Africans are being denied their constitutional right to vote. I cannot understand how this new legislation was formulated under our constitution.
I travelled 36km to vote this morning (14 April 2004) because I moved house after the deadline to register to vote. When I got there the queue was long and I stood for an hour and-a-half (I saw a friend of mine who agreed to stick me in front of her) before I could cast my vote. There was no way I could miss my opportunity to vote because I think we (South Africans) are heading in the right direction. I, like most other black people, feel more dignified that I can elect my own leaders to rule the country. It was my second vote and my wife's first. South Africa has done the seemingly impossible in its stable transition from Apartheid to Democracy. Yes, it has its problems, including crime, HIV/Aids, but things are improving all the time, and the majority of South Africans are seeing this. Change takes time, and to see what has been done in a relatively short space of time is magnificent. Despite what cynics will say South Africa is a beacon of hope for the world and a symbol for the beauty of multiculturalism and multiracialism everywhere. Hats off to Mandela, Mbeki and all those who have walked this tight-rope so successfully. I am a proud South African but don't feel I have a say in my country's future. Why? I have tried for weeks on end to get hold of somebody at the South African High Commission in London to ask about the elections and where I could go and vote. The answer I got on the other end of the phone was "I don't know, the man that you must speak to is not here". This is what I got every time I rang. Very frustrating and not helpful at all. Having a vote doesn't put food in your belly. This is something the people of SA have learnt the hard way. My husband and I are in NZ because he couldn't find a job as a secondary school science teacher in SA - When the SA government tells its people that it is committed to education it is lying. I loathed the old government and apartheid, but I think the ANC is a bad government. They fail the people who vote for them and yet those people continue to vote for them. SA wake up and smell the country crumbling around your ears. And don't believe everything you read - things may be better for some, but things haven't changed at all for most. To Cath, New Zealand: Today I live in country where people are allowed to express their innermost feelings and fears without being ostracised. I live in a country where citizens have the democratic right to vote. I live in a country with one of the best constitutions in the world, in a country whose government beholds the freedom of the press as a bulwark of democracy. Having a vote didn't necessarily put food in the bellies of the impoverished citizens, but it gave some of them a roof over their heads, running water and - hope. Walking around freely without a pass might not seem that significant to you, Cath, but what I experience every day is certainly not visions of a country 'falling apart'. Wake up, come back and experience the smell of a South Africa in bloom.
Guy, London In a recent visit to South Africa I had the uncomfortable feeling that this lovely country is sitting in a time bomb that would only be deactivated if social plans are faced as an absolutely priority and tangible changes are achieved as soon as possible. So far the majority of the formerly oppressed population seems to be hopeful with "legislation changes" but the very slow changing "economic apartheid" sooner or later will provoke this huge majority to demand real changes and they may not be willing to wait for other ten years. I had grave fears for South Africa but total optimism for Zimbabwe. How more wrong could I have been? To date, Mandela and his successors have been (except for AIDS) so very wise, forgiving and effective. The whole world wishes South Africa all the very best for the next ten years and beyond. We appreciate the democratic approach in South Africa but we ask Mbeki to stick to democracy as long as he goes on leading South Africa. For all South Africans: bear in mind the road to democracy as established by Mandela. For Mandela I wish him all the best. May African countries follow your example.
Ed H, Cheshire, UK These elections are supposed to be our third "democratic" election. It seems strange then that South African citizens living abroad are not allowed to vote. Even stranger, when prisoners are given the due privilege of voting yet South Africans living abroad are not. I disagree with some of those expressing the opinion that to be a "true" South African one must live in South Africa. Many of us, living and working abroad, are acquiring skills and capital essential for the progression of SA in the long term. We can deal with the fact that things are not equal in South Africa at the moment - and don't begrudge the previously disadvantaged for the opportunities now present to them. Have the foresight to see that us "foreigners" will only benefit the country in the long term... I had the pleasure of working in South Africa from 1999 to 2002, my children were educated there during this period. I wish all the very best to the SA people they deserve a prosperous future. Here is still a clear divide between the rich and poor but there have been clear steps forward in housing and education. I feel it will be another 10 years before we see the benefits of the education system improvements benefiting the black population. But the government must make Aids their top priority, or another Botswana may materialise. I am a South African currently working in the US. Not because I thought any other country is better than my own, but merely for the experience. I love South Africa and her people. We have so much to be proud of and we have come so far in the last ten years. From complete segregation between people groups to an integrated society where a person is valued for who they are and not for the colour of their skin. It's not a perfect country... it has it pitfalls like any nation. But it is a country filled with prospects and possibilities. There are those who live there and have only a negative outlook. To those people, "You are free to leave." I was 15 when apartheid ended. I remember most vividly the de-segregation of schools. My family was in London at the time of the first elections, on a diplomatic assignment. I couldn't wait for our term to finish so that I too could go home and live the miracle. It saddens me to see so many South Africans criticizing the government from overseas. I believe that it's an insult to all the dedication, and sacrifice which we all made to secure our freedom.
Since 1994 we have seen some of the best changes in South Africa. Unlike in the apartheid era we are all entitled to equality in work, education etc. We have so many rights and freedom of speech. People like the father of our nation (Mr Nelson Mandela) and President Thabo Mbeki and colleagues have really contributed so much for the country. People making comments here are living in cloud cuckoo land. Unfortunately, you only have to look at Liberia, Angola, Congo, Rwanda, Zimbabwe and an endless list of others, to see what is in store for South Africa. South Africa today is a far better place to live in then the 300 years of colonialism and apartheid that preceded the democratic dispensation that emerged in 1994. Without doubt Aids, crime, unemployment & poverty are major problems facing us today, but these are legacies of our past, which we are slowly but surely overcoming and eradicating. Any objective person would know that faced with limited resources, by ensuring strict fiscal discipline and opening up our economy to a ruthless and unequal global economy, the ANC government is limited in how much it can achieve in such a short period. Ten years is a very short time in the life of a nation such as SA to make major advances in combating its socio-economic challenges. Our country is full of smiling people. We all try daily to make it a safer place, and whether white or black have a strong sense of patriotism. I see only good stuff to come, and cant wait to bring up my kids in our incredible country. We all owe it to ourselves and South Africa to help make South Africa work for all its people. The effects of the past cannot be removed in just ten years and it may take at least two generations to clear away all the attitudes and mindsets of the past. We, outside South Africa, can help the process towards a fair and prosperous democracy for all South Africans simply by buying South African goods when we find them in shops: it's a very simple gesture but it does give South Africa some of the financial resources it needs to work towards prosperity for all the country.
Richard, Philadelphia, USA As an expatriated South African, I cannot see that the country is moving forward in some respects. There is a high unemployment and the educational system is failing the future generation which it needs so badly to support. However, I wish my homeland well in what has been lost for many years. As my father always said, 'Rome was not built in a day'. Lets see that the next 10 years brings. Congratulations to all South Africans for showing the world how to solve a problem without resorting to war. May the rest of us follow your example. Most of the positive comments from whites are coming from outside South Africa. That says it all really. Nice idea in principle but you just need to read around the internet to see how the liberal media distorts things. Call me a pessimist but I see it all going Zimbabwe-style. Nelson Mandela my No 1 hero of all time, oppressed by a nation for thirty years and still smiling. But the politics, regardless of persuasion still stink of corruption in any country, good words, fought for with heroes' blood, turn to hollow promises by grey men with good wages (world wide).
Pollsters in South Africa and elsewhere seem to indicate that life for some blacks is worse than it was during apartheid. This is a shame, for we all know that none of these pollsters were there to gauge the black people's living standards during apartheid. South Africa has shown the way forward, even though pockets of resistance still persist. The rest of the world must give South Africa its chance - if only to prove its detractors wrong. I wish South Africans a peaceful voting process. I am overjoyed to see this happening. Democracy will soon feel like a secured tradition for South Africa... there is really nothing we have ever needed more. It was a euphoric day in SA when Nelson Mandela was released, and rightly so. There was not a dry eye in the house when ALL South Africans lined up to vote together for the first time. A day I will never forget. But my optimism has since been worn away by bad experiences. My elderly parents have been victims of crime and violence MANY times now. I was held at gunpoint and hijacked/robbed on a three-week visit back to SA last year. A good friend lost her 19 year old son in a similar incident. My hope was that the end of apartheid would mean a better future for all of us, not just a switch-around of misery. Now it is whites who are getting killed and can't get jobs. This is an improvement? I left SA 5 years ago and have no regrets, though I still love that beautiful country. But here I don't look out my window at an 8-foot wall with electrified razor wire around the top. To Carolyn: 15 years ago, I used to look at your "window at an 8-foot wall with electrified razor wire around the top". If I was too late in returning home, I was either beaten by your brothers or jailed by your law enforcement. Life over here has changed for the better for the oppressed majority and, of course, it has become worse for you white folks. Slowly, though, it is improving for everyone since only those who truly love South Africa stay here. I don't have any regrets either that you left for Philly. Have a good life and hopefully you will overcome your fears and prejudices. To Nelson Wanyonyi: I agree with your comments. I am a white South African living temporarily overseas while my wife completes her PhD studies and a year post-doc. I will be returning to SA within the next year and am full of hope for the future. Those who stand on the sidelines and criticise all the time cannot fulfil a useful role in South Africa. Only those who leave their prejudices and fears behind can step into the future with any hope of overcoming centuries of white colonialism. I remember going to vote with my parents and black gardener who lived in the servant's quarters on our land. We all walked to the voting station and stood and waited in line and cast our first votes ever, I was 18 he was 57. We were all overjoyed. It was such a positive and special day because it was the first time any South African had really been treated like an equal. Congratulations to all those involved in South Africa's democracy process. The world says thanks.
| |  TEN YEARS ON  PEOPLE'S VIEWS  Jobs and money Economic issues facing ordinary South Africans BACKGROUND  Voters' views HAVE YOUR SAY  | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Last year when I briefly visited the land of my birth, I could see progress 