Whites fear exclusion in new S. Africa

[FreedomAngel82]

I thought this was interesting....

Link: http://news.yahoo.com/s/chitribts/20050717/ts_chicagotrib/whitesfearexclusioninnewsafrica

Snip: <

By Laurie Goering Tribune foreign correspondent Sun Jul 17, 9:40 AM ET

Worried about surging violent crime and the future of his two young daughters, Steve Wimberley six years ago quit his veterinary practice in South Africa, flew to England and soon tracked down a new job in Portsmouth. "It was a very nice job, in a very nice place," he recalled.

But when he flew home to pack for the move, "I never could settle with it. I was so uneasy. The decision kept me up," he said.

Finally, after a week of sleepless nights, staring out into what he called "the beautiful African night," the fourth-generation South African abandoned his plans to emigrate.

"I decided my heart was here," the 42-year-old recalled. "I've never regretted that decision for a minute."

More than a decade after the end of apartheid, white South Africans still are weighing their future in a society where creating economic clout for the country's long-repressed black majority has become the top national priority.

Under broad affirmative action programs, blacks are favored for the civil service jobs whites used to take for granted. White business people are obliged to hire black subcontractors, train black employees and sell shares of their companies to black co-owners or face losing government contracts.

The country's black leaders are pushing for what a ruling
African National Congress briefing paper calls a "critical mass of common culture and cultural practices." Whites who fail to back the ANC's transformation efforts and adapt to the country's changing culture, leaders suggest, may ultimately no longer be considered South Africans.>

[knowbody0]

1. beautiful story - thankyou FreedomAngel82

[FreedomAngel82]

2. I thought it was really sad

It seems to reverse there. :( One thing that really stud out to me is at the end someone said their children had more positive's in life then they did so things are getting a bit better for them to say that.

[mcctatas]

3. I think this is a wonderful move in the right direction for South Africa

even those white settlers who did not support apartheid still reaped it's benefits. For societies where any segment of the population has been systematically disenfranchised or discriminated against, sometimes mere equal consideration is not enough to level the playing field. Some European nations have taken this approach with the issue of women's equality in the form of women friendly reconciliation policies also. I say anything that can be done to balance power within a society is a wonderful thing!:toast: