Book review: What if there were no Whites in South Africa by Ferial Haffajee

Every book finds me. I always mention this in every book I review. This particular book had me reflecting on South African history and confronting very important acts implemented by the Apartheid regime. Before I begin my analysis I need someone to tell mama Ferial Haffajee that how dare she not write a sequel?

What if there were no Whites in South Africa? requires a five to ten review with statistics showcasing where we are now. 

With all the love in me, I am patiently waiting for mama Ferial to publish another book confronting the same question in our current dispensation. I look forward to hearing from her one day. 

Mama Ferial’s sense of humor is highly impeccable. I say this because the exterior of her book cover alone sends a very strong message. The whole book cover is black. The words are printed in white. There is a slight bit of white colour however, the words are printed in black. What a coincidence that the author’s name is printed in a bold red colour. I was sold not only because of the book cover, however there is something about the title that we still need to confront in today’s context. To take into consideration that the book was published in 2015 and where we are now as a country is worth the review.

The overall review of the book requires an open mind and a nation that is ready to have honest conversations about the impact that Apartheid had on black people. In addition, the existing inequalities that are present to date. Furthermore, the role of white supremacy being coined as wealth or legacy used to divide South Africa. 

As a  disclaimer I ask that we may please keep calm and address the elephant in the room. We are not the broom generation. We need to do away with sweeping ‘’things’’ those things being issued under the rug. We need to confront the realities for what they are or have proven to be. We need to liberate ourselves by finding effective and lasting solutions for generations to come. After all, this is a book review persuading you to read African literature. 

Again, personally I would love to review all the chapters. However, for your benefit I prefer that you purchase the book. What I will do is briefly revisit historical events that still have an impact on us to date. I hope to spark a meaningful and thought-provoking conversation with this book review. 

Confronting the past to address the question

There are two very important acts that Mama Ferial refers to in her book. The Land act of 1913 and the Group Areas act of 1950. Both these acts were passed under the Apartheid regime. Both these acts have since impacted the lives of black South Africans to date. Yes, please allow me to delve deeper into my thinking. 

The Land Act of 1913

The land act of 1913 is associated with occupying and buying land in South Africa. The regulation of the land act prohibited black people from buying and renting land in areas that were designated for white people. This restricted the rights of black people and compromised their ownership of land. The Apartheid regime took tyrannous measures to forcibly remove black people from areas that were set for white people. Black families were given orders to vacate their houses and resettled to the townships. ‭(see The Native Resettlement act). Others were evicted from their farms and dumped with tents. I hope that you are still with me here, we are still open minded right?

The Group Areas Act of 1950

The second act, the groups areas act of 1950. This act was used by the Apartheid regime to designate certain geographic areas for use by a single race. The act imposed control over  interracial property transactions and divided South Africans based on their racial lines. Races were forcibly separated.

Invasive impacts of the acts

It is crucial that we look at these acts when addressing South Africa’s socio-economic landscape. This is entirely because the displacement of South Africans was used to lift the status quo for white supremacy and heighten the under development of other races. The role of displacement designed a system of partitioned development. What this did was limit the resources of black people like infrastructure development and education to mention a few. Bantu education (see Bantu Education Act of 1953) a weapon established by the Apartheid regime to train black people to become subservient to white people. 

With that said,  there are consequences buried for generations to learn, unlearn and relearn. Unfortunately for many black people we carry the burden of black tax that came into existence because of Apartheid. We spend our youth playing catch up in every aspect of our lives. The financial burdens of student loans or supporting extended family members. Our income is divided and little is left for us to just ‘’be’’. A sense of hopelessness is roaming in our communities. Nobody wants to say it out loud but we are tired. Carrying the ‘’breadwinner’’ title  comes with a little anxiety in the mix because one thinks what if I die? What will become of my family? To make matters worse it is also the unemployment and the anxiety that comes with reaching a certain age without financial stability. 

I cannot help but believe that we are at war with the consequences of the implementation of these acts. The war has become us now. We are at war with ourselves. We fight ourselves and incite the division. We are comfortable with discriminating against our own tribes. We are slowly losing touch of our identity and canceling our existence. Our ubuntu is slowly fading away, I am of the view that our children will only read about it. They will not experience ubuntu and the community that raised us. Now, this has nothing to do with Apartheid however, what we have allowed the policy to do to us. I hope that you are not mad at me.

The author raises consciousness 

Mama Ferial recounts the past to confront the future. She’s simply calling us to be sober and conscious human-beings. The author is in no way stating that we must do away with our past historical events. She is not saying that let’s forgive, forget and move on. She is calling forth for a generation of conscious people to rise up from a place of knowledge. 

Our experience and history give us reason to rise up. We cannot rise up if we are not united. We need to be united for us to see our place in democracy. What we have now is political justice. We need to leverage on our political justice for us to occupy and emancipate our generations economically. But first, corruption needs to be rooted out of our veins. Greed needs to be buried and accountability needs to be worn like a badge of honour. 

When we finally see that our power is in unity. We will have the courage to co-exist, redress and transform our land. Our land is beautiful and we share a common purpose to see our people flourish.   

To the author your next title must read ‘’What would South Africa look like if black and white people co-existed?

A very powerful and insightful read mama Ferial. I hope to meet you one day.

All my love, your biggest fan. 

I am not affiliated to any political party. I am affiliated to the Africans. 

The views that  I share are mine and not affiliated to any employer. These views are not meant to bring harm.

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