More evidence mounts against South Africa on racism, and the persecution of Caucasian / "White" persons in the country?

(Social Justice South Africa; c.f. IOL (Seuclar; Indepdendent; South African) 04 / 09 | September / 2009)

[Voir en français ; Kyk na hierdie artikel in Afrikaans]

Teaching Staff At Former Model C Schools Are "becoming 100 percent black" (due to Government's "transformation" policies) and white principals are not happy with this.- says Sadtu's Ronald Nyathi, 

According to the Star: speaking of just one incident, where a 59 year old white teacher is repotedly living in his car, and has claimed he was dismissed, and forced out of the school he was teaching at: based on the colour of his skin. Shockingly also: the principal of the school reportedly has hired bodyguards to protect his person also: as he was allegedly attacked and intimidated by members of the SA Democratic Teachers Union (SADTU):

"The Gauteng Department of Education has denied the problem at Bedfordview [the school in this incident] was race-based.

Sadtu's Ronald Nyathi said some white principals opposed transformation. He said former Model C schools were "becoming 100 percent black" and white principals were not happy with this.

"What we have observed is that white principals have a general reluctance towards affirmative action. Teachers see them as racist, and a white principal cannot work with black teachers."

He said he was not aware of intimidation at that school." [our emphasis]

(IOL (Seuclar; Indepdendent; South African) 04 / 09 | September / 2009))

Context of this latest round of race issues

The incident of Brandon Huntley, a white man: who has been granted refugee status by the Canadian government, has recently highlighted policies in South Africa, which enforce legislated discrimination against whites in the workplace. Many black (Ethnic African) South Africans, during the Apartheid era, when they and not white South Africans were legally confined to being second class citizens, were granted refugee status in similar cases: by Canada. Comments by the President of the Republic of South Africa, Jacob Zuma, about English speaking whites, as well as other incidents against Caucasian South Africans, involving high ranking ANC (African National Congress) government officials have however not caught much foreign attention.

Whites Economically- Have One hand Tied Behind Their Backs

The South African government has policies in place, so that national government companies look into whether owners of a company are black or white, or their ratio of black and white, as well as how many employees are of what ethnicity, before considering tenders. Businesses are additionally encouraged to do business with businesses with more black owners over those which are owned by too many Caucasian ("Ethnic European") South Africans, and are encouraged to hire black South Africans over Caucasians:  failure to adhere to what is known as BEE (Black Economic Empowerment) incurs penalties and fines. Huntley is alleged to have suffered 7 racially motivated attacks against him, three of which were allegedly stabbings, and was granted refugee status by Canada's independent: Immigration and Refugee Board. A release by the board notes its independence, and its judicial function, whereby it decides each case, according to a policy which, it says: bases itself: on the evidence at hand.

International and National Media

In the news: Reuters, seemed to quote facts out of context, mentioning unemployment rates among white South Africans, as compared to Black South Africans- excluding the hundreds of thousands of white South Africans who have left the country, due to inability to find work, often despite having skills in high demand. Reuters also writes, seemingly: in a very opinionated manner in relation to this issue. Canada's: The Globe and Mail, has also written an article seemingly biased on the side of the South African government, on the Huntley issue- something they have previously done involving the NHI (National Health Insurance) plans of the government, which were locally criticized as impossible to implement due to cited lack of resources, and considered as dangerous to South Africans, by the Hospital Association of South Africa (HASA).

A local paper, called- the Times, not unexpectantly, instantly opposed the Canadian decision. Our service has previously highlighted  the way Christians are portrayed in the Times (And Sunday Times), making their stance on the side of the government not unexpected to our service.

The BBC, has seemed to cover the Huntley issue in a much more independent manner, while the UK Telegraph seemed to take the side of the Canadian Immigration and Refugee Board, on the Huntly issue.

That government based discrimination against a people, leads to discrimination against them by average citizens is a well documented fact. While Huntley may be correct or incorrect in his claims, and the independent findings of the Canadian Immigration and Refugee Board, that South Africa is racist against Caucasians, may be correct or wrong, it is not a case to dismiss out of hand.


Editorially

I have previously seemingly seen odd discrepencies between what eye witnesses told police at an accident, and the way cars were situated, and what was seemingly recorded by police- in an incident between a black and white driver.

The claims by Huntley, that he feared the police, are also not to be laughed at. Similar claims have been made in relation to the Witch hunts, in which ANC activists allegedly (according to information from the University of the Witswatersrand) insured, that women and children were burnt as "witches", at the same time as "traitors" were being burnt alive in the townships. Allegedly, the police believed the claims against the "witches", and were not much help to victims' families. In a country where Xenophobia just recently broke out: resulting in the murder of foreigners, race and nationality has to be seen as an issue. The police, and government are members of the population and could be infected by the same bias as the population.

Statements by important ANC figures against white South Africans, and similar incidences, certainly do not lend towards the claims of Huntley being as completely unthinkable, as the Department of Home Affairs claims they are. It may be noted that this is a Department which is attempting to get the ruling granting Huntley Refugee Status ...overruled.

Canadian Government Tribunal: South African government shows "indifference and inability or unwillingness" to protect "white South Africans from persecution by African South Africans".

(Social Justice South Africa; c.f. News 24 (Secular; Independent; South African) 31 / 08 / 2009; Page on Brandon Huntly; The Telegraph (United kingdom based / British; Independent; Secular) 31 / 08 | August / 2009 ; Dispatch.co.za (Secular; independent; South African) 01 / 09 | September / 2009 )


[Voir en français ; Kyk na hierdie artikel in Afrikaans]

Article by Marc Aupiais

Representing the South African High Commission in Ottawa, Canada, a Anesh Maistry, according to News 24: has noted a ruling granting a white (Ethnic European / Caucasian) South African refugee status in Canada. The panel chair (William Davis) of the Canadian tribunal (Canadian immigration and refugee board panel) which granted refugee status to a Caucasian South African, claimed that the evidence presented by the claimant: "Brandon Huntley", a 31 year old South African who had been living illegally in Canada :

""showed a picture of indifference and inability or unwillingness""

( News 24 (Secular; Independent; South African) 31 / 08 / 2009)

on behalf of of the government of the Republic of South Africa to protect:

""white South Africans from persecution by African South Africans""

( News 24 (Secular; Independent; South African) 31 / 08 / 2009).

According to the UK Telegraph, the tribunal's chair even went as far as to claim that this alleged discrimination was occurring across South Africa: saying:

"I find that the claimant would stand out like a 'sore thumb' due to his colour in any part of the country,"

( The Telegraph (United kingdom based / British; Independent; Secular) 31 / 08 | August / 2009)

Ronnie Mamoepa, spokesperson for South Africa's Department of Home Affairs, informed News 24 of his "disgust" over what he termed as the :

"baseless allegations against our [note the word "our", in as far as it relates to the alleged attacks, the choice of words here is interesting] people and our country"

( News 24 (Secular; Independent; South African) 31 / 08 / 2009)

which were put forward by the Canadian tribunal.

He Further claimed that:

"It would have been courteous for the Canadian government to allow the South African government to respond to the allegations".

( News 24 (Secular; Independent; South African) 31 / 08 / 2009)

The High Commission representative, contrary to the Department of Home Affairs spokesperson, however claimed that the granting of refugee status was a Canadian decision, of a sovereign state.

The claimant- Huntly, reportedly was raised in Cape town, South Africa and claimed that he has been attacked 7 times, of which 3 were allegedly stabbings, all allegedly by black South Africans, adding that he had been called slurs such as "white dog" and "settler". He is further alleged to have said that "There's a hatred of what [Huntly reportedly used the word "we"] did to them and it's all about the colour of your skin,"

As the majority of South Africans are Ethnic Africans, it is statistically not unlikely that the majority of criminals would by Ethnic Africans, just as the majority of criminals in a European country will likely be Ethnically European, of course factoring in poverty levels, how stable families are in general and other factors. As to whether or not the specific alleged attacks were racially motivated as a percentage of local crime is, and whether or not race played a role in police handling of these specific incidents is uncertain to our service at present. The alleged slurs do seem to center on the man's race, however, these could be incidental insults, based on attempting to downgrade the dignity of a specific individual, by stereotyping his Ethnicity.

Huntly had been illegally residing in Canada, having previously had a stay in Canada on a work permit. He requested refugee status in April 2008.

Current legal fashion in interpreting the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996 reads it as allowing the specific discrimination against Caucasian South Africans, so far as economic, educational, and government related business is concerned, this does not extend to personal or physical descrimination of the type alleged by the claimant. The Legislative and Administrative schemes such as BEE (Black Economic Empowerment) and AA (Affirmative Action), ask that larger companies have a certain portion of non-white ownership, and that a large portion of general and management positions in companies over a legislated size be non-white. Companies which do not comply with BEE are fined. Universities are also encouraged to choose non-white students over white students.

The result is that companies often pay for the education of black students in order to employ them later, and black persons can receive much higher pay than white persons in fields where there are not many Ethnically non-white skilled workers. Advertisements for job applications can contain wording which informs the applicant that only "previously disadvantaged" (Those whose Ethnicity [whether or not the individual was alive or not during this period] would have "previously disadvantaged" under Apartheid) South Africans should apply for a job.

There have been publically made accusations, that those most benefitting from BEE, are persons affiliated with the ruling African National Congress (ANC), and that average black South Africans have not benefitted. Those who have become known for profiting from BEE deals include Cyril Ramaposa, and Tokyo Sexwale, both of whom have had strong ties with the ANC. The DA (Democratic Alliance), the Official Opposition in the Republic of South Africa, has alleged that the attempts to change the racial makeup of the judiciary (what the government terms "transformation"), via discriminating against white judges, are politically motivated.

To our service's knowledge: there is a scale as regards these economic discriminations, and different races are viewed slightly differently. Government companies are encouraged to do business with blacker contractors over those with more white staff, or owners. Companies which are best suited to benefit from BEE legislation are known as Blackchip companies.

The current President of the Republic of South Africa, Jacob Zuma, has been reported in the news as claiming that those Caucasian South Africans, who are not Afrikaans, are not true South Africans, his justification of this statement was that many English speaking Caucasian South Africans are in his opinion: dual-citizens in other countries, while Afrikaans Caucasians, according to the President: often are only South African citizens. Mention of Ethnic Africans with dual citizenship was not made. He had also claimed that Afrikaaners were in his opinion: the only truly African "white" "tribe". This was seen as a claim that English speaking Caucasians were not true Africans, some saw it as the equivalent of the slur in which white South Africans are sometimes called "settlers".

Claims that the South African government refuses to or can't protect white South Africans from racially motivated violence, are not often made in the public space or endorsed by state institutions of other countries, making this case of note. A percentage of violent crime against White South Africans, has been seen as racially motivated. Many Caucasian and non-Caucasian South Africans have left the country looking for work, or safety from crime and political uncertainty which is not as prevailant elsewhere.

This article does not constitute legal advice, and should not be taken as legal advice, facts or information are here: presented purely to contextualize the situation for informative purposes, and this is not to be taken as legal advice.