After the brutal era of apartheid in South Africa, the corruption and conflict never was fully washed away. The newly formed government started strong and united as apartheid ended as it was led by the morally strong Nelson Mandela, but after Mandela moved on, old tendencies returned. Corruption poisoned government leaders, and conflict soon rose again. Many officials of South Africa, both legislative and judicial, don’t try to stop the violence, but rather add to it and disrupt the lives of the people all over the country. Officials are hiring hitmen to murder those that oppose them, and leave the people unemployed and poor.
Ever since apartheid has ended in South Africa, the KwaZulu-Natal province has continued to be filled with corruption. The local officials and politicians have only provided employment to specific people (Campbell). This leads to unemployment raging across the province. Not only are the local officials corrupt, but Jacob Zuma, a former president from the province had a massive scandal in which he, his family, and his cabinet members, extorted millions from the country (Ngwane). As most of the population lived in harsh conditions, Zuma and members of his cabinet lived luxuriously. With the difference in the wage gap and living conditions widenned, corruption led to violence.
When apartheid ended, the violence did not. In the KwaZulu-Natal province, the ANC and Inkatha Freedom Party fought in the 1980s and 1990s (Economist). Many innocents were caught in the crossfire and the region became very dangerous. Nowadays, there are political murders that take place across the region. Either local officials hire hitmen to take out opposition or the people murder out of displeasure of the officials. This violence is also still found in townships, slums where the apartheid government kept others in poverty (Campbell). The townships’ culture opposes the authority of the federal government, and murders are widespread. This has been prevalent in townships, for townships were the center of opposition to the apartheid government.
In more recent years, South Africa has taken a turn for the better. Jacob Zuma was forced to resign in early 2018, and his opposition has taken office (BBC). In fall of 2019, there were strikes and demonstrations to better the financial resources provided by the government (Ngwane). There have been strikes before, but only recently have members of the police and military join in. There were negotiations for a higher minimum wage and more employment opportunities for all people. As the corruption in South Africa begins to be eliminated, people will be safer and more prosperous in provinces like KwaZulu-Natal.
Works Cited
Campbell, John. “What's Behind South Africa's Recent Violence?” Council on Foreign Relations, Council on Foreign Relations, 15 Nov. 2019, www.cfr.org/in-brief/whats-behind-south-africas-recent-violence.
"So much to cry about; Political violence in South Africa." The Economist, vol. 424, no. 9060, 30 Sept. 2017, p. 44(US). Gale In Context: Global Issues, https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A507018347/GIC?u=los42754&sid=GIC&xid=7caef4fd. Accessed 10 Mar. 2020.
“South Africa Profile - Timeline.” BBC News, BBC, 4 Apr. 2018, www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-14094918.
Ngwane, Trevor. “The Political and Social Crisis in South Africa.” Global Research, 11 Nov. 2010, www.globalresearch.ca/the-political-and-social-crisis-in-south-africa/21873.
My favorite aspect of your article was your introduction, which was very interesting and caught my attention. My main take away is that the KwaZulu-Natal government has a lot of corruption like political murders despite apartheid ending. My question is, what caused such drastic corruption in the government?
ReplyDeleteThis is an interesting article, it could be assumed that with the fall of the apartheid and the rise of Nelson Mandela that life would improve in South Africa. It is brought to light that things were almost going to go back to the old ways after Nelson Mandela's time. Is there any new information on this from the last couple months?
ReplyDeleteMy favorite part of the piece was how your title related with your hook using "waters" and "washed away." My main takeaway is that the end of apartheid did not mean a happy ending for South Africa. Corruption has lead to violence there. Are the strikes and negotiations currently effective in lessening corruption and violence?
ReplyDelete