Incredible. Will we ever be free from this terminal disease?

Dialogue on racism still needed
June 05, 2006 Edition 1

The letter by Roberta Magagula (The Star, May 12) and archbishop emeritus Desmond Tutu's recent comments about South Africa's race relations refer.

When Tutu made his remarks about white South Africans not fully appreciating the generosity shown to them by black South Africans, my initial reaction was one of shock.

I thought such a blanket statement to be inflammatory and therefore irresponsible. However, I have come to realise that those comments could not have come at a better time for this country.

No one disputes that the only way to overcome the racial issues that still haunt us is through dialogue and debate. While South Africa remains relatively peaceful and stable right now, simmering issues such as land reform and ongoing poverty mean that the potential remains for racial conflict to once more rear its hideous head.

Reopening such a dialogue now, before those tensions can boil over and wreck the progress we as a country are making - of which the entire world is in awe - is exactly what is needed at this time.

Every white South African is truly fortunate and blessed to be living relatively peacefully in this wonderful country.

I believe it is more than so many of us deserve because nearly all whites benefited tremendously from apartheid, and at the expense of our own compatriots. We enjoyed one of the highest standards of living in the world, and this was made possible only by the pervasive oppression of our countrymen.

The fact that many whites still enjoy a high standard of living today is due only to the awesome forgiveness shown to them by black South Africans.

To those who think this is a fallacy, just think about what would have happened at the time of our transition had black South Africa reacted the way nearly every oppressed nation in history has reacted to their former oppressors.

Our future would have been too bleak to contemplate, and that is why South Africa is regarded as a land of miracles, and as an inspiration and example to the rest of the world. Thus, as a white South African, I would like to sincerely thank every black South African citizen. I am grateful for, and humbled by, your forgiveness and generosity.
I do not know whether I would have shown the same mercy had our roles been reversed. You have inspired me to love this country.

You have made me appreciate just how special this country is, and how lucky I am, given its history, to live in it.

To pre-empt the inevitable shouting down and dismissal I expect from some quarters, let me be clear that I am not a bleeding-heart liberal or a naive radical.

Simply put, it is just undeniable to me that many whites have treated many blacks appallingly throughout the history of this land, and because of this, I would like to say that I fully support Magagula's s uggestion that a register be set up to acknowledge the pain and suffering caused by the actions and inactions of so many whites both before and during apartheid.
I believe it would help to heal us further as a nation and bring us closer to the dream of being a united South Africa working towards the common goal of making our nation great.

To continue the cycle of racial animosity is completely self-defeating and will only serve to cheapen the glory South Africa received through its peaceful transition, thereby reducing us to just another overlooked developing nation. And who would benefit from that? This special country deserves better than that.

Steven Chiaberta

Parkwood, Johannesburg