South Africa During Apartheid

[ches]

Originally Posted by Bowiefan871

What was the cause for whites torturing the blacks? Was it because they would stay in the "white area" of South Africa?

Terrorism. Keeping the majority of the population subservient through fear (along with lack of education, lack of opportunity, etc.). It wasn't "the whites" it was the apartheid government and their police/military/askaris (ANC MK members who were captured and made to do the dirty work), and they didn't torture "the blacks" they tortured people who disagreed with the system to the point of doing something about it. Black, coloured and white people were tortured, murdered, detained without trial, falsely imprisoned, etc. Police informants (or suspected police informants) were also tortured (necklacing oh boy) and/or murdered by their communities.

Also, the white race makes up about 9.2% of the modern population. How large was the white race back in apartheid?

That seems a little high, but whatever, it's not like it's important. In the early days of apartheid white people were a slightly higher percentage but due to difference in population growth rates and emigration/(illegal) immigration the proportions are shifting. Of course during apartheid official figures would've discounted the "citizens" of the TBVC States as citizens of South Africa.

[rach2005]

'+gsFName+'

Actually 9.2% is pretty much accurate, and also there is a small precent of white farmers that were prolly not counted. Additionally a number of whites that live in gated communties and houses did not respond to the census. As well as this precent also does not take into account the number of SA expats who are still citizens that have not "fled" the country, but work outside the country. The real precentage is probably somewhere between 12 and 14%

As far as the ANC goes, wheter its politically correct or not, they were once considered a terroist organzation, and not only in SA, but around the world. Iniatially both the UK and the US labeled them a terroist group. And it was'nt only the Apartheid governemnet that was killing people, the ANC was to. As well, terroism and terrorist depends on what prespective you are looking at it from.

[ches]

Originally Posted by rach2005

As far as the ANC goes, wheter its politically correct or not, they were once considered a terroist organzation, and not only in SA, but around the world. Iniatially both the UK and the US labeled them a terroist group. And it was'nt only the Apartheid governemnet that was killing people, the ANC was to. As well, terroism and terrorist depends on what prespective you are looking at it from.

Well, terrorist/terrorism has a dictionary definition and it's the "freedom fighter" moniker that is subjective. The ANC wasn't considered a terrorist organization, it was a terrorist organization. However, the ANC was fighting against an illegitimate government with democracy as the goal and when it looked like democracy was around the corner the terrorist activities were ceased. This is different to the terrorism plaguing the US which is against a (like it or not) legitimate democracy and does not have democracy as its goal.

I did mention that it was also the communities murdering/terrorising police informants/suspected police informants, but perhaps that wasn't clear. In the dying days of apartheid, when the elections were a certainty, there was a lot of factional fighting between supporters of the IFP and the ANC in KwaZulu-Natal in a grab for support for the Zulu vote. (The amaZulu being the largest demographic in South Africa and the leader of the IFP a member of the Zulu monarchy who had fallen out with the ANC after once being a member and forming a non-political Inkhata with ANC blessing.) While the apartheid leadership may not have been pulling the strings of this, however, it was certainly a situation that manifested out of apartheid. Chief Buthelezi was seen as an apartheid goon by the ANC having got dizzy by power while running KwaZulu, the Zulu "homeland" during apartheid. Mangosuthu Buthelezi - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia