Centuries of racism in SA colours our behaviour

Former president FW de Klerk has realised by now the enormity of his mistake in trying to deny that apartheid was a crime against humanity. Yet, for many, his backtracking apology will have been a case of too little, too late.

De Klerk seemed more rueful about the timing of his comments and not about their substance, saying that he agreed with the Desmond & Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation that “now is not the time to quibble about the degrees of acceptability of apartheid”.

He added: “It was totally unacceptable.”

De Klerk’s comments and the outburst which followed can be looked at in a negative and a positive way.

Firstly, he has reopened an old wound which has not nearly healed. And in so doing, he has also provided perfect political ammunition for parties such as the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), which has shown itself to be expert in manufacturing outrage as a way to divert attention from its own wrongdoing and lack of viable policies.

Make no mistake, the EFF will ride this horse long, hard and far.

But the whole episode is positive in that it has shown, in no uncertain terms, that this country has not got over apartheid, despite what many white people may think and say.

The debate has, sad to say, ripped the masks from many white people who claimed they abhorred apartheid, to reveal their deep-rooted racism.

That, also, is not necessarily a bad thing. Nobody raised in this country can say they are not racist, to a certain extent. This is a country built – and divided – on the issue of colour over 350 years and that legacy will not vanish overnight.

Everyone needs to stop denying it, to be aware of how it colours their behaviour … and to move forward despite that.

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