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Current South Africa

Eid 1   John Eid   Mr. Dudus   241 Eng 12-4   8 February 2009   Current South Africa   From 1948 to 1994, South Africa was under an apartheid ruling system, which was a policy that racially and economically discriminated against groups in the Republic of South Africa by white minority governments. The National Party government of South Africa enforced this system of legal racial segregation in order to control the economic and social system. Apartheid focused their unruly laws against blacks tremendously in South Africa. The country classified South Africans into one of three categories: white, black, or colored. Numerous laws were passed in order to keep the races apart, as well as suppress resistance from the blacks. The government segregated education, medical care, and public services. This in turn, gave whites an advantage in every way over blacks. Apartheid resulted in the creation of numerous black political groups who opposed the policy by violent means of strikes, rallies, and demonstrations. This policy finally came to an end, but its remnants of immorality and unjustness paved way for post-apartheid South Africa.   Eid 2   electricity as well. South Africa now has the privilege of democratic elections, something they didn’t have during apartheid. Although there have been some beneficial changes, South Africa faces a great deal of problems and hardships. Half of the country still remains under poverty. As President Thabo Mbeki stated, South Africa is a country of “two nations”- one white and rich, and one black and poor. On average, every South African day faces fifty-nine murders, 145 rapes, and 725 serious assaults out of its forty-two million population. The unemployment rate has also risen continuously since 1994. Half a million non-agricultural jobs were lost between 1994 and 2000. From 1994 to 1999, the unemployment rate has risen from 31.5% to 37.6%. South African citizens are also facing deadly diseases, such as HIV. Twelve percent of the population is...

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