SOUTH AFRICA: The legacy of apartheid
Black Lives Matter protests had particular resonance in South Africa, where the legacy of the racist apartheid regime continues today, as seen in the denial of rights and prevention of life opportunities, amid a landscape of vast inequality. Close to three decades after the end of apartheid, South Africa is a country with an overwhelmingly Black population but where wealth is still disproportionately concentrated in the hands of a small number of white people. Protesters spoke up about their determination to be part of a global anti-imperialist movement. They sought to put the focus on the legacy of brutal policing under apartheid, readily apparent in present-day police practices.
While South Africa inherited a democratic system, the policing system in South Africa simply defends white supremacy and works within the confines of apartheid. Biases are in the open. When white people protested because they wanted to be able to go to the beach the police were smiling at them, engaging with them. But when Black people dare protest, the police response is quite different. The system is set up to protect property rights.
Axolile Notywala
