E-mail updates
Follow on Twitter
Subscribe to RSSOn Wednesday, Nelson Mandela celebrated his 94th birthday, another remarkable accomplishment after enduring so much in the name of freedom. Two decades after the end of apartheid in South Africa the divide between the rich and poor is still strikingly visible, but today's young adults have great hopes for the future. NBC's Ron Allen reports.
By Ron Allen, NBC News
The anti-apartheid leader Nelson Mandela has pretty much completely withdrawn from public life. His health is a matter of constant speculation, rumor and mostly worry. There have been a couple of scares in recent years. But on Wednesday, he celebrated his 94th birthday, in a country where life expectancy is just 52: the latest remarkable accomplishment in one of the most remarkable lives of our times.
We traveled to South Africa in late February for NBC News. There was word Mandela had been taken to the hospital, but not much detail beyond that. Turned out it was what doctors described as a minimally invasive procedure for an enduring stomach ailment. You could almost feel the world let out a big sigh of relief.
The trip gave me a chance to explore a place I rarely visit. It’s long been one of my favorite countries to explore: inspiring, intriguing, and one of the most beautiful places you’ll ever see.
South Africa's transformation
My first trip was almost 20 years ago, back in 1993. Apartheid was ending and soon segregation would no longer be mandated by law. I wanted to witness for myself what was left of such an incredible and notorious system of oppression. Mandela was about to complete the journey from prisoner to president. Fully democratic elections were about to happen. I’ll never forget that first morning when all South Africans were allowed to vote. The lines stretched for what seemed like miles into the morning haze. The “Rainbow Nation” was being born.
South Africa has come a very long way during the past couple of decades. But it certainly still has a long way to go. It is the largest economy in Africa, but not among the fastest growing on a continent talked about by economists as the next Asia, with many of the world’s top 10 fastest economies. About a third of South Africa’s 50 million people still live in poverty. Unemployment is about 25 percent, and double that for the black population, especially young people.
We were especially curious about the so-called “Born Free” generation. Young people born since the early 1990s and the end of apartheid. Those born since Mandela became president are now young adults. And they’re testing Mandela’s dream of equal opportunity for all against their own dreams.
“The world is my stage. I can express myself the way I want to and have no limits,” said Tiisetso Lepelle, 17, a student from Wordsworth High School. She and her classmates were visiting Constitution Hill, near Johannesburg: a museum, court, and cultural center located in what used to be a prison notorious for its treatment of political prisoners.
'It's about me, and what I want'
Constitution Hill tells the story of South Africa’s transition from apartheid to democracy. But the next chapter of that story is all about Tiisetso and her classmates' generation. Many of them have expectations and a sense of optimism their parents, or even their older siblings, never dreamed of.
We asked what matters most in her country. “It’s not about color. It’s about me, and what I want,” she said with confidence.
Over at Wits University in Johannesburg, we found a different take on things.
“I think there’s still a lot of racial tension,” said Alex Willis, an 18-year-old woman from a mixed race family. “I think that our children’s children, or our children’s children’s children might kind of get to see the day where that’s not an issue,” she added. Alex, who is Caucasian and Indian, told us she doesn’t see a lot of mixing of people of various backgrounds and she sometimes feels like the odd person out.
NBC's Ron Allen asked three students from the University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg for their impressions of South Africa's past -- and if they feel positive about their own futures.
Interestingly, her 20-year-old white classmate Michael Jordan, who she’s dating, saw things differently.
"I think apartheid was terrible and I think we’re going to have the scars of those wounds for a long time," he speculated. "I think the majority of our attitude is, 'Let’s not dwell on the past because by doing that you can only stumble, you know, if you keep looking backward.'"
South Africa is still a complicated and evolving society where race plays an enduring role in who gets what. For the most part, black South Africans control the government while whites control the country’s wealth and business. It’s a stark divide that’s still so strikingly visible. Whites live in the suburbs lined with high walls protesting their homes. Blacks live with much less. But there’s a small emerging black middle class: we saw one bustling shopping mall in the township of Soweto that could have been a small urban center with a large minority community in the U.S.
And that’s what so many of the “Born Free” generation who we met aspired to, and more importantly expected, in their lives: success and self-determination. As they become adults and set out to make their mark on their country and the world, they’re determined not to let South Africa’s history hold them back.
Leave a Comment:
She's hot.
I'm sure she said something or other, but who cares about that.
Even in our country the racial tensions still exist and are starkly visible in the form of the name calling we see for our President. South Africa has but 20years of racial integration history, it will take a long time for them. Still good to see them progressing in the correct direction. We shouldn't forget South Africa's oppressive regime gave birth to two world leaders in this past century, one of them led his country of birth to independence and the other to freedom from racial subjugation.
What name calling from our president are you referring to? Please be specific.
He said name calling FOR our president, meaning people are calling our president names.
Thank you, my mistake.
Your president is an instigator and directly responsible for every white farmer, whose babies and wifes are raped, before being killed. His singing of the song, kill the white, kill the farmer and your ministers remarks about crime "If you don't like our crime, leave" are all to be exposed in the next few months.
Obviously MSNBC is a socialis, liberal media network, who does not feel that the eradication of white christians are newsworth, but well be getting the message out, so that the world can know what a black hole South Africa has become
SuMkA-1360775 yea, that's right. people call the president names because they're racist. it has nothing to do with him being incompetent, right?
mghall,
Seeing that the President is NOT incompetent, what with the PPACA, saving the American auto industry, killing UBL and DOZENS of lesser AQ leaders, ending combat in Iraq, turning the job losses around by a net positive of almost a million a month, etc. etc., then given the two choices you propose, it MUST be the former.
But here's where YOU and other ideologues miss the boat. You always leave out the fact that it is the truth that it is nothing more than political disagreement. America was founded on compromise, but today's ideologues have suddenly become convinced that they have been gifted by God with the One True Path and refuse to compromise. Thus their ONLY recourse is to demonize the President and pretend that he is ineffective, against the facts in evidence. Blind ideology.
So your original premise creating a binary choice was incorrect to begin with. And you showed YOUR ideological blindness to the world.
I have just read this very interesting piece on South Africa, I lived there from 1984 to 2006, so have seen the changes that have taken place, I must say some not for the good of the country or the people. It would seem that the black population were told that when they voted in the ANC they would be able to just take over the white mans houses, jobs and anything else they wanted. Not quite what happened. I left South Africa to be safe and also for my family to be safe. I have been back for holidays and although it is still a beautiful country it has been spoilt by the governments greed. The young lady who said it is all abou her now, is wrong, it should be all about the whole population - not just the blacks !!!
Teresa, that young woman is of a mixed race, Caucasian and Indian. Unless you consider persons that are Indian are Black she wasn't referring to herself as being black. Unfortunately people of color, Indian included, we discriminated against in South Africa... I take it that you enjoyed your existence in South Africa during the oppressive regime era. I also presume that you the color of your skin provided you the freedoms that blacks and other colored folks were deprived. During those days and decades prior it was all about Caucasians wasn't it? Not about the whole population as I recall..
There is hope for South Africa as long as the do not live in the past. An emerging black middle class will be key to success. South Africa could be the best of the third world nations on a third world continent.
Interesting statement. Please tell me Big jim, how do they move forward when the wealth is controlled by one group?
Merely wait,
Business and the rich are leaving S Africa.
The best and brightest are leaving.
S Africa will not be a viable nation in another 20 years.
djrashn, easy answer. Learn from the group that controles the wealth. John Kipyard is right only if they learn, if not they may never be a viable nation.
That is why Mugabe took back some of the wealth being land. He knew without any type of wealth land which was stolen representing same had to be taken back to give the African a chance from never ending servitude.
yep...all that land stealing has done a world of good for zimbabwe! god, you're a moron.
and what good has that done to zimbabwe
mghall
yep...all that land stealing has done a world of good for zimbabwe! god, you're a moron.
mghall. On 10/3/1988, Cecil Rhodes went to Matabele and using a person King Lonbengula knew and trusted, managed to gain a concession to maine for gold. They had drawn up a document that he could not read, lied to him about what it was and got him to make a mark X is all he could do. They proceeded to take control of his territory. When he realized what they had done, he fight them in order to drive them out from his land. Cecil Rhodes brought a 50 calibre Maxim gun (Maxim is a better version of the Gatlin Gun) to the battle againt people armed with spears and proceeded to mow them down killing thousands. King Lobengula lost his country and Cecil Rhodes renamed it Rhodesia. Rhodesia is now Zimbabwe. For more than 100 years the companies Cecil Rhodes created DeBeers and Anglo American and all the people they brought and gave land that they did not own, stole from the rightful owners. The rightful owners have stood up and made a claim for their property. Deal with it.
It is always good to know something about the subject matter before opening your mouth.
Lennox, and what happens when the only people that know how to work the land/busines successfully, simply give up and leave, that is what is happening to S Africa.
Totally moronic comment, Lennox....I was born in Zimbabwe and raised in South Africa. Mugabe stole the land from the whites and gave it to HIMSELF and his BUDDIES and the crumbs that were left over were given to black people who knew NOTHING about farming and have destroyed the farms. That is why Zimbabwe is in the gutter and the people are starving - blacks and whites
This article is just bleeding heart BS that doesn't even begin to discuss the serious issues South Africa faces.
Let's hope that South Africa doesn't go the way of Mugabe in Zimbabwe. One needs a wheelbarrow in order to figure out the inflation and what it is doing to the costs.
What good came out of Mugabe's land grab? Is there any production of food? Any increase in the level of the new landowners' wealth?
Let me know. I watched its birth in the 70s while living in England. There were great expectations but then the reality of the rule came through and inflation took away all the gains of the past.
I actually read an article once where Mugabe begged the farmers to come back again. Of course, after the robberies and murders of blacks on whites, he didn't succeed very well.
I also once saw a documentary of one nation in Africa where apartheid had ended (slighty before South Africa), and they had videos of them bulldozing the food and destroying it after English soldiers had left, because it had been imported. They aren't doing any better either.
England will soon be domed by the Chinease. 30 years flat... yeah
Cecil Rhodes went to Matabele and using a person King Lonbengula knew and trusted, managed to gain a concession to maine for gold. They had drawn up a document that he could not read, lied to him about what it was and got him to make a mark X is all he could do. They proceeded to take control of his territory. When he realized what they had done, he fight them in order to drive them out from his land. Cecil Rhodes brought a 50 calibre Maxim gun (Maxim is a better version of the Gatlin Gun) to the battle againt people armed with spears and proceeded to mow them down killing thousands. King Lobengula lost his country and Cecil Rhodes renamed it Rhodesia. Rhodesia is now Zimbabwe. For more than 100 years the companies Cecil Rhodes created DeBeers and Anglo American and all the people they brought and gave land that they did not own, stole from the rightful owners. The rightful owners have stood up and made a claim for their property. Deal with it.
It is always good to know something about the subject matter before opening your mouth.
That girl is so beautiful. mixed race children are so much better looking. Sorry, is that racist to say ?
No in the rainbow nation its not. Go to cape town and you will see some of the most beautiful girls in the world. Being mixed 4 so many years (hundreds) with all the races they got it done. Locally we just call them Capetonians. amen and have a nice day;
Yes, it is racist to say, very much so. But I expect no less from a lib...
Not to mention very untrue. I have seen many, many ugly mixed kids.
They look a hell of a lot better then the all white kids thats for damn sure... All those freakles and brown spots. White people skin is like leapards.. yuck
Shame the crime there is so horrendous.
Before, there was Apartheid, and that was bad. But there was law and order, unfair as it was, it was better than the near anarchy they live under currently.
Good Evening Mr.Williams, a fine broadcast this Wednesday evening as always. Wonderful to see Richard in the studio! He has done excellent reporting on Syria and there could be a turning point for the regime in terms of today's bombing attack along with it being inside the meeting room of top National Defense leaders.
First of all the posting and report by Mr.Allen about South Africa and the celebrating of Nelson Mandela's 94th Birthday. Seeing all the children singing "Happy Birthday" was heartwarming. There is now a whole generation of young people who are hopeful for South Africa's future. Many children receiving the education and other opportunities for a bright future, although there is still much divide visible in the neighborhoods. One hopes the "Rainbow Nation" will continue on a positive path.
The report by Richard about the bombing attack in Syria showed how this attack was a very possible "inside job since the bomb exploded inside the room where a meeting of the National Defense was taking place. The killing of the Defense Minsister, The Deputy, VP and dozens of others either killed or injured could be the rebel forces are close to bringing down the Assad regime. After 17 months of fighting and so many innocent lives being lost this attack could be a turning point in the falling of the Assad regime. The people in the provinces celebrating at the possibilty of the end of the Assad regime. Time will tell how long the regime will hold on to power.
The report by Mr.Fletcher about the bombing of a bus filled with Israeli tourists in Bulgaria was disturbing and how Israel in blaming Iran for the attacks. Israel and Iran with a war of words over attacks and whether Israel will retaliate.
The analysis by Andrea Mitchell showed how the tensions between these regions is cause for alarm with the London Olympics starting next week. One hopes for peace.
Hearing about more wild weather all across the nation is certainly causing transportation problems for travellers. But the massive drought is making so many farmers suffer in losing their crops. Especially corn with prices going higher. So many States desperate for rainfall. One hopes much rainfall will come and come quick
Stay Extra,Extra Safe and Well Richard! Great to see you in the studio!
Take Extra,Extra Good Care Richard and Crew!
Lisa
Is there anybody who works at MSNBC (now its new clone NBC News) who is actually a journalist? Seriously, this is supposed to be a news story?
Oh yeah, I almost forgot - it's all Bush's fault...
ANC rules SA- its a basket case, only it will get worse as tine goes by. Who wrote this insane article that is not a news story?-- back to school amateur.
Didn't know the ole terd was still living. If he is then he could come to King Obama's country and live like a king on welfare for everyone. The government will take care of you.
South Africa is a complete sh!thole. Whites are leaving in droves and with good reason....
One more "paradise" brought to you by Progressives.
Probably good if they leave. It means they are returning to their own home. South Africa belongs to the people who are ruling it now. The white majority did a poor job of inclusion. They brought us aparthied. They murdered and maimed black people and jailed innocent people who were advocating a change--political change mind you--in their evil system. What it goes to show is that EVIL will never prevail in the world. The South Africans will figure out their own way. It is for us to figure out our own way here at home in the USA.
South africa is NOT "at peace" and there are NO "great hopes for the future". I live in South Africa and am a youth. This report is TOTALLY biast and untrue. NBCNEWS should NEVER interview me, because I will reveal and bring to light things that have been hidden from the outside world with such corruption and violence that it will shock the world. Party leaders breaking the law and NEVER even stepping into court for a fair trail, while living in 3 million dollar houses and driving Mercedes AMG's? White women and girls being raped daily? Well, those things are never shown on the international news now is it?
RynH, Tell your story. Tell them what really is going on.
Good for them for being raped daily. His parents cursed him when they made a deal with the devil for a new Buick.
To all my friends in South Africa,
I am going to share a few lessons learned the hard way from the people of my country: The USA.
What we have learned in the United States is that for a "Rainbow Nation" to be accepted and successful, it must include a strengthening of the Nations assets. In our country "forced integration" devastated our public school system in the 1960's and our public school system is largely a nightmare in area that is more than 30% african american as the school districts have been forced to water down the educational curriculum to compensate for the learning deficiencies of the african american children who are not prepared to learn on a high level. The byproduct has been that gifted students are not challenged and begin to fall to a level that is equivalent to their less gifted brethren. This is only one very sad byproduct of a school system that is in shambles thanks in very large part to a never ending cycle of political correctness that has removed there successful identity of the U.S. and replaced it with a moniker of "mediocrity". The U.S. is now doomed and our educational system is leading the way into the toilet.
Yes, a country that was once a beaken of hope for the world decided to elect "Hope and Change" . We wanted to prove we were not RACIST and we have paid a steep price!! Instead we were given a socialist agenda that has wiped away decades of progress and funded welfare programs for scores of citizens that will never contribute to what was once "The American Dream". Today's DREAM is a lifetime of free loading!
Rainbow nation in this country is now a term people think now is only used by the Gay/Lesbian community.
Dumb ass in the next 50 yrs it wont be any white children so it wont even matter. Its always better to role out what lies ahead in the present. Many whites are far past the child rearing age and are not producing students. In 2050 white kids will make up 16% of all students in America. lol.. I love the way things end in the real "end".
Another example of the dirty white race. It won't be long till they all die off the way God intended. In the next 25 years the white race in South Africa will be a mere 2% and they all will be killed off and ran out of that beautiful country. Blacks will rule South Africa and Blacks and Brown will rule America. It's funny in the next 50 years the White race will go from 15% world wide to a mere 6%. They will be infratrated from within their own countries i.e. Brazil, America, Spain, and France. They will become minorities in their own countries and will be shunded by the world once again for the ugly white skin the way they were shuned for thousands of years. The world will make sure that justice is returned to them. My prodections is the Asians will kill them from abroad and the Blacks will infratrate them from within and mixed with them until they are so irrelavent that it wont even matter anymore. P.S. Karmel fifty years from now. I love being black and whites deserve to die off.
shawn-3815862, Paranoid Racist.. Its people like you who cause all the problems. Have you joined your local New Black Panther Party yet ?
Have you read some of the other posts. It is I dare say shameful to say the least. You wonder where all these racists are in America. They need to be labelled so the rest of us can stay away from them.
troll.It is a shame though.The renaissance of the world came from the white devil.Otherwise people would still be living in huts
Ha, Ha, Ha shawn...
Keep dreaming, azzwipe.
Your 'vision' of a new world doesn't need 50 years to see the results. South Africa (like the rest of the continent) will soon be more of a sh!thole than it is now, because like the rest of Africa, the Blacks have proven that they cannot govern in a civilized manner. When the last white is gone from S.A. the blacks will find themselves in a world of total sh!t. Why? Because they will then have to rely on their own initiatives, and will not be able to whine and cry about how the 'white man' is keeping them down. Its always easier to play the victim rather than getting off of your azz and actually having to break a sweat in order to procure a better life for your people.
And if what you say does come to pass, (LMAO) I'll be long gone from this life and won't have to endure the 'turd' world mentality that you are so eager to establish.
You better have your sh!t in one sock before you try to drive the white race into extinction, for if you fail to do so, the retribution will be merciless... there is nothing worse than a pissed off group of white people, looking for some payback.
I'll be seeing you through my scope, azzwipe...
Shawn, your spelling and grammar are so atrocious you must be black. The stoopid ideas you express are no better.
When the Chinese take over the USA they will send millions of blacks "back" to Africa as most Asians think black people are animals and will refuse to live with them. But it won't be the modern, industrial nation the Europeans built in South Africa. They will send the "African-Americans" to Rwanda, Sierra Leone, "Burkina Faso" where all will die of starvation and sickness.
Those remaining in the USA will be turned to rickshaw pullers or forced to work in the fields, reversing the 13th Amendment to US Constitution.
No but sign me up!!!! Yeah
Shawn I do not think you are a minority. You are making comments like an imposter would make. Shame on you. In America, it will take everone to make this a greater country in the future than it has been in its past. America will always reach greater heights because of the freedoms, creativity and free enterprise system of America. Hard to beat that.
4luvssake
Between the state and federal level alone, there are over 400,000 laws. This does not include International laws, county laws, city laws, Twp. laws, Village laws, and subdivision and condominium bylaws. I would imagine that there are over 2,000,000 laws in the United States, but they are impossible to count.
Everyone keeps making laws, and few are ever repealed. Our country is only 236 years old. Where will we be in the next 250 years ? Our freedoms are becoming extinct. There are so many criminal laws, the odds of no one breaking one in a lifetime are so astronomical, it would make DNA odds look like simple math.
There are levels of government city laws, county laws, State laws, and finally federal laws. Different cities, counties, and States may have similar -but different- laws, and they all fall under federal law. Since the start of 2000, Congress has created at least 452 new crimes. So the total number of Federal crimes as of the end of 2007 exceeds 4,450.
Freedoms, and creativity will soon be a thing of the past.
Woodshed, more laws and more civil disobedience. We are thoroughly a free people and in the number of laws to help us get along with each other, it shows.
I love how this article fails to mention that the President of South Africa thinks AIDs can be prevented by taking a shower and doesn't even give one word about a man named Julius Malema. I'm an American living overseas and know quite a few Saffas. Every one of them thinks their country is going to pot. They love their home, they love Mandela, but they are absolutely terrified of the crime and what the future holds. I wouldn't call them racist, but many are...disillusioned with very liberal views on race relations on a macro-scale. Almost all of them abhor racism on an individual level, but when it comes to politics they start to view things as "us" (coloreds/whites/blacks) vs. "them".
Well the article is looking at the bright side of things. The steel door business is thriving there. Steel doors are to protect your family from intrusions. Fast growing economies?? Well when you are going from making $100 a year i guess any business at all would make them the fastest growing. Improving in some ways though but will probably still be bad for a long time.
Your white devil ass didn't leave when you and your family was the problem. You didnt leave when you made it unsafe for the blacks to live you un Godly devil. You and your family are cursed from here on out. enjoy
shawn i think you have a chip on your shoulder. One must not look back but forward.
shawn, it's got to change. Look at the USA.
Fortunately, you are not the only kid in SA and infact the news about SA does come from more than the bigots. Pray that the poison who ever is raising you is pouring into you does not become a part of your DNA. While you are doing that try to learn about the history of SA. How it came into being. Whose land it is. What policies were used to not only take the land but to try to exterminate the rightful owners. Hopefully after learning it, you will understand that you are a minority in SA and but can contribute to the overall development of your country by resisting the pull of hate and bigotry. Together, everyone should contribute to a great SA not complain about other races.
You Want us to grind you under our heel,is that it?
You can create opposition to anything at anytime. Different doesn't mean better or worse, just different. I've seen alot of White Families who hate each other and Black Families that hate each other. South Chicago is a good example of people of color "Rainbow" people killing each other en masse.
Regardless of your mindset and preoccupation with skin color, someone has to pay the bills, someone has to build the economy, and someone has to provide for security. Someone has to do the work.
Prancing around all day claiming somone owe's you something is not going to promote anything but Poverty and Ignorance. Producing Poverty and ignorance is one good thing that Africa has done. Its good at it. Its Africa's biggest export.
Charity is Africa's biggest Import. Poverty and Ignorance Africa's biggest Export. The Three go together hand and hand. Poverty and Ignorance are the fruits of Charity; education and economy are fruits of hard work.
In the USA we encourage Poverty and Ignorance the same way. Liberal Democrats use Charity to intice poor people all over the world to come to the USA for Charity and to vote for Democrats. We keep them ignorant and in poverty so they will keep voting for democrats.
The Poverty and Ignorance grows until they start killing each other and everyone else. Historically, Democrats have been the Slave Masters, Racists, KKK, and segregationists. Its fitting that they also be the destructors of America. Liberal Democrats are a viscious Cancer and the Cancer is spreading fast. If not cured soon, the USA will be Terminal.
sux to be you jimmyfox
Guilty white liberals want a rainbow ? One color will completely disappear, that's a sure bet.
Whites are being forced off of farmland, they proved legally owned, for decades, all over Africa.
Read the horror stories from Zimbabwe and the despot Mugabe.
Africa is the blame. If they would not have lets the nazis in after w.w.2 it would have never have happened. Look at sections of Brazil. The civil war in the u.s. that was about the cotton tax. They didn't give a @!$%# about freeing anybody. Some day. people are going to open their eyes