Die brief:

I'm sorry but unchallenged this is both racist and narrow minded, in spite of the obvious
horrific truth therein and the pain that powers it's sharing. Added to those names MUST be
the names of ALL South Africans, of ALL colours and creeds, whose beautiful children,
sisters, brothers, sons, daughters, fathers, mothers and grandparents have been often brutally
murdered in a nation slowly torn asunder by violent mentality, criminality and psychopathy.
Apartheid spawned a low intensity war on our people, ALL our people, where families and
family structures were overturned, moral values evaporated and hatred became the true
currency of the land. An authoritarian regime birthed a brutalised resistance movement and
all sides, in spite of self-portrayal to the opposite, were mired in blood, gore and debasement.
The state stripped people of their rights, dignity and humanity, people of colour, Jewish
people, homosexuals and political liberals. The resistance movement would brook no
weakness, fuelled old hatreds and tribal differences, and was equally hard on its folk. The net
result, in a newly freed land, was the reversal of police state control and the criminally
minded ran rampant where previously they weren't able even set foot.
25 years have born and bred a generation with no families, no loving homes, no means, no
real education, no medical care, no self-discipline and all the time on their hands to do what
comes easily to a base mind.
The real struggle is now, to rebuild and forgive nay NOT forget, to repatriate, re-organise,
educate and truly liberate a young and restless mass of youth for whom HOPE is unknown.
The have's must work to create more have's, and the have-not's need to learn there are many
better paths to self-empowerment: hard, honest work coupled with real opportunity.
I have worked, and continue to work with people from all walks of life, people who have
plenty of political and historical reasons to hate me simply by how I appear in their eyes, but
who learn from me, who teach me, and when working together, have realised just how much
actual power they have in their own hands.
I have lost a great deal, I have been robbed and lost loved ones to murder and circumstances
of degradation. I have had my life threatened and my liberty eroded.
I know how to forgive and I will never forget either. But I will work to birth a new generation
whose lives are less tainted by the rancid past, and for whom HOPE has meaning.
Jason Fiddler
Durban, South Africa
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My reaksie:
Dear Jason,

This is clearly a heartfelt response to my post about white South African children murdered
by gangs of black men. Although heartfelt, it is not well thought through and filled with halftruths and propaganda.
You are indeed right when you call this a violent and criminal society, but blaming that on
Apartheid or the previous regime is where you lose the plot and perhaps you would do well to
reach a little further into history if you truly believe that events in history are to blame for the
situation we find ourselves in. I, for one, do not agree with you on that score, but since that is
the argument you present, I will deal with it.
The most violent ruler in the history of this country was Shaka Zulu, who butchered more
than 2 million people during his 10-year rule. He was followed by Dingaan who was not
quite as successful but not for a lack of trying. Perhaps, when trying to find the root of the
violent mentality, criminality and psychopathy you refer to, you should start there.
If any ethnic group in this country was ever butchered, oppressed, stripped of their dignity,
denied opportunities, education and medical care it was the Boer Nation who were butchered
by the British. Woman and children by their thousands were put in concentration camps,
tortured, raped and starved to death while their fields and homes were burnt to the ground,
their crops plundered and their live stock pillaged by the so called soldiers of the mightiest
empire in the world. They did not walk away from this a violent people. They started over.
They built, developed, farmed, educated themselves and were the architects of one of the
most prosperous nations on earth. Hardships bred endurance and strengthened their resolve. It
did not make them savages.
Take a long hard look at the rest of Africa and explain away the savagery, lack of
infrastructure, education, medical care, development, moral values and their currency of
hatred without the luxury of blaming Apartheid. While you are at it, please explain the
millions of black people streaming across our borders and why so many of them are
committing these savage crimes in our country. Would you blame that on Apartheid too?
Who stripped them of their rights, dignity and humanity and denied them education, medical
care and opportunities?
As for the violent Apartheid era It just so happens that fewer people were murdered in
the entire 46-year period than currently in this country in a single year. Life expectancy was
20 years more than it currently is. A larger percentage of children were in schools than
currently in this country. Far fewer people were jobless, homeless and hopeless. If you
therefore think that what we are currently experiencing is the result of Apartheid, I would
love to hear what you predict we will be dealing with in future as a result of the South Africa
we live in today.
Lastly, you take issue with the fact that I speak only of the white children, sisters, brothers,
sons, daughters, fathers, mothers and grandparents. I find it very difficult to comprehend that
you cannot understand why I do this. It is simple. White South Africans are a dwindling
minority and the only minority in the world whose survival seems to be of no consequence to
the rest of the world. This is the only country in the world where there is legislation in place
to protect a vast majority against such a small group of people. Close to 300 white South
Africans are being murdered by black people every single year. Can you imagine the outcry if
white people were the ones doing the killing and the victims were black? More than 60% of
the victims are older than 60. We are the only ethnic group subjected to this situation.

There is a massive problem and ignoring it or using some lame excuse to justify it or trying to
hide behind political correctness is not going to make it go away.
You speak of a new generation whose lives are less tainted by the rancid past, and for whom
HOPE has meaning. The past is yesterday. The youth tainted the ones alive today, subjected
to more violence, lack of opportunity, poverty, hunger, corruption, destruction, lack of
discipline and hatred than ever before in the history of this country. Whom and what should
they blame? and whom should they forgive? Trust me, they will not forget either.
Sunette Bridges