Marjorie and I just returned home from a vacation tour of
South Africa and we learned that things are pretty good in the ol’ USA, despite
my views of our Congress and its ineptitude. South Africa, on the other hand,
has problems that make ours look like child’s play. Our 25-day tour, Highlights
of South Africa, took us to their biggest cities as well as the requisite
visits to several game preserves for photographic safaris. We came home
enlightened and with a ton of pictures.
Our bus, boat, and airplane travels throughout the African
countryside revealed a fascinating kaleidoscope of nature’s varied ecosystems.
Deserts, savannahs, forests, mountains, and farmlands dot the country. It seems
a big land. Most of the scenery away from the cities is of vast open spaces
undefiled by ugly blots of man-made habitations since most people in South
Africa live in a few large cities. One of the largest cities, Cape Town, is a
beautiful place as it is flanked by Table Mountain and edged by the Atlantic
Ocean. Most of their cities are like most modern cities anywhere with tall
buildings of shiny glass and highways, cars, bridges and roads. Attractive,
modern houses surround central downtowns in close-fitting arcs convenient to
city parks and sports facilities.
But then we learned that most people don’t live in these
convenient cityscapes. Instead, upwards of 70% of the people live in townships,
those far-distant housing centers where blacks, Colored, and Indians live and
commute daily to their jobs in the city where they cater to the needs of whites
who live and work in the central areas. Townships were created during apartheid
when all non-whites were forcibly moved from their former homes and sent to
remote areas to live according to a government card assigned to each that
defined their race: black, Colored, or Asian/Indian. Even though apartheid
ended 19 years ago with the release of Nelson Mandela from prison, many former
practices of subjugation continue. Nine percent of the people in South Africa
(whites), largely control the remaining 91 % (black, Colored and Asian/Indian)
through a variety of practices that are very slowly being eroded. An example, some
in South Africa’s wine industry recently disputed the claim that they underpaid
(black) workers in the vineyards. They paid full wages they claimed, even
though 2/3 of the wages paid were in the form of wine for their workers.
Despite their disadvantaged position in life, all of the
blacks that we met; hotel workers, drivers, maids, guards, waiters and
waitresses, cooks, tour guides and those we talked with in the townships, all
seemed pleasant, cheerful and optimistic that things are improving. The
statistics don’t support their optimism. Time magazine reports that since the
end of apartheid in 1994, whites have seen an increase in wages of 40.5% while
blacks have suffered a loss of 1.7 %. The corollary is that less than 1 % of
whites are in poverty while 40% of blacks are. South Africa has the world’s
highest discrepancy in income with whites being very rich and blacks being very
poor. So, what is the result of this domination of one race by another? One of
the undoubted results is crime. The perception is that South Africa suffers
from extraordinary levels of crime with theft, household burglary, and homicide
being in the forefront with gun homicides 4 times higher than those in the US,
which is saying something since we rank among the highest in the world. Like
us, South Africa has a’gun culture’ with a high percentage of residents owning
guns.
We saw the consequences of these statistics everywhere we
visited. Virtually all property owners felt compelled to bound their property
with tall fences or walls, many topped with razor wire. Those without walls
used iron fences with each post tipped with sharpened lances. We had dinner at
one home and the owner had to first collar his two German Shepherd guard dogs
before we could enter the property. Each of the hotels we stayed in had guards
at the entrances. Our tour guide cautioned us against traveling alone and using
the money machines unless we did so in a group. A strange way to live, it seems
to me.
South Africa’s other problems are equally disturbing. Their
unemployment rate is 25% (of course, the highest unemployment is suffered by
blacks) and their health care is woeful with AIDS being particularly virulent.
One incredible statistic is that 20% of South African blacks suffer AIDS. We
visited an orphanage and supplied fruit to children that were orphaned largely
as result of the AIDS epidemic. Like little children everywhere, they were a
treat.
We wondered why Mandelo and his ANC (largely black)
political party hasn’t made more progress with these problems. The answer is
that the problems are hard and the government is weak. The ANC has been wracked
with corruption with several ministers having been found guilty of theft.
Further, the competence of many of the leading officals is questionable, one
has only a third grade education and another is a witch doctor. Really. Witch
doctors are still in vogue among some of the indigenous tribes. It will be some
while before politicians of their caliber are able to resolve their problems.
The plant and animal world of South Africa is the exact
opposite of the human world as it is stupendous. We visited the best botanical
garden I have ever seen, the most engaging jungle along a mountaintop
overlooking the Indian Ocean, and oodles and oodles of creatures in the bush
both big and small. One particular treat was the evening the elephants decided
to visit our cottages and devour everything in the manicured garden area. That
was after the local hippo had decided to use the swimming pool one night. Those
big creatures have a way of doing whatever they want.
So, we had a good time on our vacation. Call if you want to
come and look at a few thousand of our best pictures.
