Deeply Rooted

What was the point of abolishing apartheid 21 years ago if it is still around today? In South Africa, remnants of legalized racial separation still exist. Race and class have a heavy correlation with each other. The attitudes of the people continue to reflect the nature of apartheid, and the legal system has not made drastic enough changes to allow for equality. South Africa has formed a system that it can not let go of, and it is now seeking for a path of unification for the people who inhabit the country.

Many places experiences this deeply rooted dilemma of apartheid and racial segregation. During a personal experience at a university in Cape Town, Colleen Roberts explains the subconscious racial division she saw on campus as a student. She was asked about her family, her race, her appearance, even her hair, and many times was asked for proof through documents of her heritage (Roberts). Isabella Soifer viewed similar societal divisions formed by race. In Cape Town she noticed that poverty was highly populated by those with darker skin. On the other side of the street there were larger, nicer, cleaner homes where the white people lived, superior to those with tin roofs. Soon, natives would be relocated for the construction of new modern homes (Soifer). Such simple separations like class and social group are influenced by the race of an individual.

After 300 years of apartheid, the routine of segregating two groups of people has hardly been reversed (SAPA). Although officially apartheid ended in 1994, there are still laws that allow racism to take place, but these laws that remain are gradually being abolished. Highly unbalanced, 5% of the population consists of whites while the other 95% of the population is everyone else, and a system of oppression with a dynamic like this is should not and will no longer be tolerated by the government (South Africa).

The Separation Act of 1950 prohibited native Africans and Afrikaaners/Europeans to dwell in the same areas. Power structure and living environments still revolve around laws like these. When the Hewitt’s, a white family living in a gated community, decided it was time to leave and move to a township, full of black people, their neighbors were appalled (Eddo-Lodge). Even after the abolition of apartheid, there remains a tension amongst the people of South Africa caused by racism.

Such a substantial and highly impactful issue concerning a vast majority of people should and cannot be ignored. The government is finally taking control of the situation, but who knows how soon there will be enough change to end racism where it thrives best.

Works Cited

Eddo-Lodge, Reni. "South Africa’s Air Is Still Thick with Remnants of Apartheid." Gulf News. N.p., 6 Sept. 2013. Web. 08 Mar. 2015.

Roberts, Colleen. "Facing the Remnants of Apartheid." Facing the Remnants of Apartheid. Georgetown University, 21 Feb. 2014. Web. 08 Mar. 2015.

SAPA. "Remnants of Apartheid Still Exist - Minister." News24. N.p., 09 Apr. 2014. Web. 10 Mar. 2015.

Soifer, Isabelle. "The Physical Remnants of Apartheid in South African Cities." RiceSTANDARD. World, 20 Sept. 2012. Web. 6 Mar. 2015.

"South Africa to Remove Remnants of Apartheid Laws." Gale Global Issues In Context. Xinhua 

News Agency, 7 Mar. 2008. Web. 9 Mar. 2015. Xinhua News Agency 7 Mar. 2008. Global Issues In 

Context. Web. 9 Mar. 2015.