Article- R.I.S Independent

Vaal Hearings

Still treading upon the road of uncovering heroes of the past, we have been fortunate to meet a man who offered us an insight into his life, as he was of those who benefited from apartheid due to the power of his skin. From what was said, it is clear that Suhyl Whyte lived the greater part of his youth in a Whites-only suburb during the times of apartheid. He was therefore not exposed to being in contact with any other race group in South Africa, thus kept sheltered from the evil atrocities taking place around him.

We gauge from Suhyl's responses that he was deliberately kept uninformed about the harsh realities that existed during apartheid times either by his community or the government. Whatever the case may be, the fact that he feels saddened and a great amount of remorse when he hears of incidents which occurred during apartheid times indicates that, . . . There may also be feelings of regret contrary to common belief, not all Whites would approve of what took place, when he says that he wishes he could have known more or done more.

We can only wonder how many more people were in a similar situation as Suhyl. Thus, were the majority of White people kept in the dark about the true happenings and realities of the country under apartheid?

The transcripts of the interview also highlight the important fact that anti-apartheid activism was born and bred in the non-White areas of South Africa. Could it be that the Group Areas Act, that was created by the apartheid government, eventually played a role in bringing about their downfall?

Suhyl also echoes the inner feeling of the many White people in this country, who felt a great sense of insecurity when Nelson Mandela was scheduled to serve as President of a democratic South Africa. However, President Nelson Mandela made everyone feel at home in the land when he led South Africa into a bright future, filled with equal opportunities and endless possibilities. We can also observe that although apartheid has been scrapped from the statute books, it has not been scrapped from the hearts and minds of many people. We still find many people who find it difficult to live amongst and work with different race groups.