Intro: Welcome to the Rainbow-ish Nation
It’s been over 30 years since apartheid officially got kicked out, but racism in South Africa didn’t exactly pack its bags and leave with it. Nope. It just changed outfits, switched up its vocabulary, and now pops up in boardrooms, comment sections, and leafy suburbs with that same awkward energy as someone trying to explain why their ancestors needed all the land.
So, where are we now? Has racism evolved? Is South Africa worse off than countries like the United States, the United Kingdom, or France? Let’s take a quick, uncomfortable, but necessary joyride through the very colourful (and occasionally colourful) circus that is racism in Mzansi today.
1. Apartheid’s Ghost Still Pays Rent
So technically, apartheid was evicted in 1994 and is legally gone. Bye-bye Group Areas Act, hello democracy. But, surprise—it’s ghost stuck around like a bad smell in an old fridge. The hierarchy that once put white South Africans in the penthouse and Black South Africans in the basement didn’t magically flatten out. Today, the penthouse still looks very… melanin-challenged.
Yes, we’ve had Black presidents and experienced significant political liberation, but the financial gains? The land? The legacy stuff? Still not quite shared at the buffet.
2. Show Me the Money (Or Lack Thereof)
Here’s a plot twist that’s actually more of a “we saw this coming”: even though white South Africans make up less than 10% of the population, they still control most of the money and land. The rest? Let’s say Black excellence is having to climb a very steep mountain while dodging the occasional policy banana peel.
Yes, there’s Black Economic Empowerment. Yes, a Black middle class has emerged. However, the old boys’ clubs didn’t disband — they added a diversity tab to their websites.
3. Racism, but Make It Subtle
Apartheid may be out of fashion, but racism just got a makeover. These days, it’s less “Whites Only” sign and more “Sorry, the position has already been filled… internally… for the 7th time.” It’s being followed around a store “just in case.” It’s assumed you’re uneducated because your accent isn’t Sandton-approved.
And thanks to social media, we now have front-row seats to public racism scandals that are as frequent as load shedding — but with fewer Eskom apologies.
4. Land: The Real Estate Edition of Game of Thrones
Ah, land. South Africa’s favourite hot potato. Who owns what? Who should own what? And how do we give it back without someone screaming “Zimbabwe 2.0”?
For Black South Africans, land is about justice, ancestors, and finally being able to say, “This is mine.” For many white South Africans, the land debate triggers instant property anxiety and conspiracy theories about communism. It’s a conversation wrapped in fear, guilt, anger, and more drama than a telenovela — and racism often rides shotgun.
5. Reverse Racism: The Plot Twist Nobody Asked For
Enter: “reverse racism,” the idea that correcting injustice is somehow unfair to those who benefited from it for generations. Think of it like someone eating 90% of the cake, and then screaming “injustice!” when asked to share the last slice.
Younger white South Africans often say, “But I wasn’t there!” — a valid point. But generational wealth and privilege were, and they didn’t skip anyone’s bank account. The challenge is creating fairness without everyone rushing to their racial corners, as if it were a boxing match.
6. Black-on-Black Beef (No, Not the Rap Kind)
It’s not just Black vs. white. There’s a side dish of intra-Black tensions too: xenophobia (yes, that again), tribal snobbery, skin tone drama, and classism. It’s a full menu.
Some South Africans have more smoke for Nigerians than for corrupt officials, and you’ll hear things like “you speak funny” or “go back home” from people who should probably be uniting, not dividing.
7. Kids These Days: Woke, Vocal, and Tired
South Africa’s youth are not here for rainbow-washing. They’ve been tearing down statues, demanding decolonised syllabi, and reminding the world that freedom is cute, but equality is what they ordered.
Movements like #RhodesMustFall and #FeesMustFall weren’t just hashtags. They were battle cries from a generation tired of being grateful for scraps. They’re loud, online, and on campus—basically, your worst nightmare if you’re still stuck in 1987.
8. Media: The Mirror and the Magnifier
Media in South Africa is doing that awkward tango between representation and regression. On one hand, we’ve got shows, podcasts, and pages dedicated to Black voices and diverse stories. On the other hand, we still have headlines that make Black suspects sound like wild animals and protests look like “unrest,” not cries for basic service delivery.
But let’s be fair: media is also where racism gets exposed, clapped back at, and sometimes even cancellations, reconciliations, and even cancellations, tweets at a time.
9. Healing: Easier Said Than Done
Truth and Reconciliation sounded like a good idea, but some would argue it was mostly truth with very little reconciliation. Reparations? Mostly a ghost. Economic justice? Still stuck in committees.
If we want to fix things, we’ll need less kumbaya and more actual policies:
- Admit the privilege, even if it makes your cheeks burn.
- Teach the real history, not the “rainbow” edition.
- Stop defending racism like it’s your family’s secret recipe.
- Make redress real, not cosmetic.
Final Thoughts: Where Do We Go From Here?
South Africa is like a family that had a big blow-up at Christmas, but still has to sit together every Sunday. Racism is that one cousin who always says something dodgy, and we keep pretending not to hear it.1
But pretending hasn’t worked. Real talk, hard conversations, accountability, and intentional healing might. Racism in South Africa today may not be the snarling beast it once was, but don’t be fooled — it’s still lurking, just better dressed.
The good news? We’ve got people who are ready to call it out, unlearn the nonsense, and build something new. Now if only Eskom could keep the lights on while we’re doing it..
